Chapter 1: The Cataclysm and the Vampires
(This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation)
Whoosh…
Lin Ze splashed a handful of cool water on his face, the icy sensation invigorating his sluggish spirit.
After vigorously rubbing his cheeks, he grabbed the white towel hanging on the nearby rack, drying his face before lifting his gaze to the mirror.
The reflection showed a young man in his early twenties. His features were sharp and attractive, his skin pale and smooth. A fringe of slightly overgrown hair draped over half his eyes, lending him an air of melancholic allure.
Opening his mouth slightly, Lin Ze revealed two long, sharp fangs. His expression grew complicated.
When he had awakened earlier, his mind was flooded with an influx of information that seemed to appear out of nowhere. The contents were chaotic, but one thing stood out above all else—he had become a Vampire.
Yes, one of those mythical, blood-drinking, immortal creatures.
Had it not been for the fact that pinching himself caused genuine pain, Lin Ze would have thought he was still dreaming.
“Three months ago, I would’ve been dragged off for dissection and research for sure,” Lin Ze muttered with a sigh of relief.
Thankfully, he no longer had to worry about that.
Hanging the towel back in its place, Lin Ze stepped out of the bathroom and moved toward the glass door leading to the balcony. Peering outside, he was greeted by a grim and desolate scene.
The once-bustling streets of Weifeng City were now eerily silent, devoid of any human presence. Abandoned cars littered the roads like tombstones, and blackened patches of dried blood stained the ground in a haunting mosaic.
Lin Ze’s heart sank as he surveyed the apocalyptic landscape.
Three months ago, countless meteors rained from the heavens, crashing to Earth.
Shortly after, hordes of monstrous beasts emerged across the globe, slaughtering humans on a massive scale.
Adding to the chaos, an inexplicable phenomenon rendered all modern firearms useless, forcing humanity to rely solely on their bodies and cold weapons to fight these terrifying creatures.
There were serpentine monstrosities like the Scarlet Giant Python, whose colossal body could coil around skyscrapers.
Beasts such as the Golden-Backed Giant Ape, with a hide harder than alloy and fists capable of toppling entire buildings.
Even legendary creatures like dragons, spewing fire and destruction, had come to life.
Against these nightmare entities, humanity’s resistance faltered. To make matters worse, these beasts exhibited cunning intelligence, prioritizing their attacks on national government agencies.
Within just a few months, the world’s governance collapsed entirely, plunging society into total chaos.
It was nothing short of the Apocalypse.
When the Cataclysm first broke out, Lin Ze had been on a rare vacation at home. This stroke of luck allowed him to evade the initial wave of monstrous assaults.
He survived the first ten days by relying on his stockpile of food, only venturing out for supplies when absolutely necessary. Several times, he narrowly escaped death, his survival a combination of sheer luck and desperate determination.
But Lin Ze knew such fortune wouldn’t last forever. One misstep, and he’d meet his end at the claws of a beast.
“In a world like this, becoming a Vampire might actually be a blessing in disguise.”
Lin Ze glanced at his right hand. His muscles were now lean and well-defined, each sinew brimming with strength. Clenching his fist, he felt an immense power coursing through his veins, ready to explode at any moment.
He walked to the coffee table in the living room, gripping its edge with one hand. With a slight exertion, he effortlessly lifted the solid wooden table, which weighed well over a hundred kilograms. And he could still feel plenty of strength left.
Just yesterday, he had been a frail office worker teetering on the edge of poor health due to overwork. Now, his single-arm strength surpassed that of three or four average adults combined.
Not only his strength but also his stamina, speed, and reflexes had seen unimaginable enhancements.
Other changes included fairer skin and sharper features, making him noticeably more attractive. His hearing had also improved significantly; he could now discern the faint sound of shattering glass several floors below.
Even his body’s regenerative abilities had undergone a dramatic upgrade. The small cut he sustained while reinforcing a window the previous day had already healed without leaving a scar.
Overall, his body had been enhanced in every conceivable way. He was, by all accounts, a small-scale Superman.
“With this power, I might even be able to take on some of the weaker monsters,” Lin Ze murmured, clenching his fists as a glimmer of determination flashed in his eyes.
Though he had no idea why he had become a Vampire, it was clear that the benefits outweighed the downsides for now.
Of course, being a Vampire wasn’t without its inconveniences. For instance, sunlight was a nuisance.
Unlike the myths where Vampires turned to ash under sunlight, he merely felt an intense aversion. Prolonged exposure caused discomfort.
Another issue was the complete loss of taste. No matter how much he ate, be it bread or milk, everything tasted like paper. Worse still, eating provided no sense of fullness.
“Do I really have to drink blood to sate my hunger?” Lin Ze’s hand instinctively went to his stomach, his brows knitting in concern.
The thought of drinking human blood made him recoil. He couldn’t cross that line.
“What about frozen blood packs from a hospital? Would that work?” he mused, rubbing his temples. The sudden flood of information in his mind was overwhelming, and he hadn’t yet fully processed it all.
A sudden knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.
Startled, Lin Ze’s hand brushed against his sharp fangs. With a thought, they retracted, transforming into normal teeth. This was one of the small tricks he had gleaned from the newfound knowledge in his mind, allowing him to conceal his Vampire nature.
Ensuring nothing else appeared out of the ordinary, Lin Ze approached the entrance and opened the door.
Standing outside was a middle-aged man with a square face. Lin Ze found him vaguely familiar.
After a moment’s thought, he recalled the man’s details: Guo Da, 42 years old, an executive at some company and Deputy Director of the local Homeowners’ Association. He lived directly below Lin Ze’s unit in apartment 501 with his wife and two sons.
Even snippets of past interactions with Guo Da surfaced vividly in Lin Ze’s mind, down to the tiniest details and dialogue.
[My memory’s improved too,] Lin Ze noted, though he kept his expression neutral.
“What’s the matter?” he asked.
Guo Da’s eyes lingered on Lin Ze’s face for a moment before he smiled awkwardly. “You must be Mr. Lin, right? I’m Guo Da. I live just downstairs.”
“I’ve been gathering the other residents on this floor to share information and resources. Would you like to join us?”
Lin Ze hesitated briefly before nodding. “Alright.”
He needed to gather more intel about the outside world to decide his next course of action.