Chapter 2: The System

After Roger described the post-apocalyptic world, there was a brief silence followed by an uproar.

However, the uproar quickly quieted down because of Roger’s presence, eventually becoming murmurs among the crowd.

As a clueless transmigrator, Lin Xinghai perked up his ears, eavesdropping on the conversations of those around him to gather more information.

Lin Xinghai soon realized that a numbered shelter like Shelter 83 was a small shelter that generally did not provide combat capability.

The Star Shield Shelter they were heading to was a medium shelter. The prominent characteristic to distinguish it from a small shelter was that it possessed a name.

The medium shelter was not only larger but also had more comprehensive facilities. It even had military forces stationed within them.

That was how the Star Shield Shelter could monitor the outside world and have such extensive knowledge.

However, Lin Xinghai only overheard this bit of basic information. The other pieces of information were uneducated guesses.

With the information he held, Lin Xinghai began to ponder his next move.

As Roger said, they were a group of “pigs” with no fighting ability and vulnerable to being taken advantage of. Even if they were to reach Star Shield Shelter, things wouldn’t be much better.

Liu Xinghai contemplated accepting Roger’s invitation and joining his mercenary group.

Although Lin Xinghai wasn’t sure what kind of organization a mercenary group was, it was evident that mercenaries were allowed to carry firearms. If he accepted the invitation, he would have the opportunity to do the same.

Wait, what did Roger say when we first met? Am I going to be a cannon fodder?

However, Lin Xinghai believed that if he joined Roger’s mercenary group, he would not be used as cannon fodder.

Lin Xinghai’s genetic assessment was Grade B, which caught Roger’s interest.

However, Lin Xinghai had limited information. How valuable was Grade B in terms of genetic assessment? How risky was the training approach? He knew nothing about these matters.

“I’ll give it some time to find more clues from Roger.” Lin Xinghai decided in his mind.

Then, the troop carrier they were in started up. The engine noise reverberated through the vehicle, accompanied by a slight tremor.

The thick alloy walls around the vehicle opened up “gunports [1]“. These small ports were narrow and long, appearing to be openings to open fire.

[TN: Click on [1] in the paragraph for further details.]

The gunports were narrow, but it was sufficient for the people in the vehicle to observe the situation outside.

There were at least 100 troop carriers parked outside.

Besides that, there were over 10 unique vehicles in the convoy.

Lin Xinghai squinted his eyes and surveyed the scene. He speculated that those vehicles were likely armored vehicles with fully armed soldiers inside.

Lin Xinghai’s gaze continued to wander. From his perspective, he could see the complete view of Shelter 83. It was a dome structure resembling a bird’s nest.

Wait, something seems wrong. Why is this shelter so empty?

Then, Lin Xinghai couldn’t help but give a facepalm as he noticed large machinery in the distance, cutting through the shelter’s alloy exterior. The exposed wall was visible in that area.

No wonder the shelter is empty. The facilities have been demolished, and even the walls and floors are not spared from the plunder.

“In the apocalypse, any resource is precious.” Roger approached Lin Xinghai, and he blurted.

Lin Xinghai turned a little silent. The world seemed to be more cruel than he imagined.

…

However, Lin Xinghai didn’t have time to feel emotional. Once the vehicle was started, it meant they were leaving. The troop carriers lined up and drove toward the Star Shield Shelter.

Shortly after, it was their troop carrier’s turn to proceed. As the vehicle drove, Lin Xinghai got to have another viewing angle. Then, he discovered how these people got into the underground shelter.

Surprisingly, they used large-scale machinery to do so.

With the machinery, they opened up a road to the underground.

Indeed! It was more like a road than a tunnel because it was too big.

To put it into perspective, imagine a six-lane road with three lanes in each direction!

The road was wide. Lin Xinghai exclaimed about the rapid development of technology.

After 3 minutes, the vehicle reached the surface.

…

There was only one word to describe the surface environment: desolate!

Lin Xinghai surveyed his surroundings, taking in the sight of dilapidated and crumbling buildings devoid of vibrant greenery. The sky above was shrouded in a blanket of gray.

The chilling wind poured into the vehicle, making Lin Xinghai shiver. Is this the earth after the apocalypse?

The other people in the vehicle were even more distraught. Many of them began to cry, and the hope in their eyes turned into sheer despair.

Once the convoy reached the surface, the convoy formed defensive formations and waited in place for half an hour.

It wasn’t until the massive machinery brought up truckloads of alloy and steel that the final finishing touches were considered complete.

The convoy headed toward the Star Shield shelter.

…

Roars!

After driving for just over 10 minutes, the group faintly heard beast-like roars, yet even more uncanny than those of any ordinary beast.

“Could it be the roar of zombies?” Lin Xinghai immediately had a guess in his mind.

The roar grew closer to the convoy, getting louder. If those were from the zombies, their numbers might exceed hundreds.

As those sounds approached a certain distance, they were immediately drowned out by a rapid succession of machine gun fire. The gunfire lasted about 30 seconds. When it ceased, the roar disappeared.

“Did they clear the zombies?” Someone asked in a low voice.

“Hmph! Yes.” Roger nodded with an inexplicable smile, “Pigs, it’s time to teach you the first lesson.”

“What’s happening?” Seeing Roger’s inexplicable smile, many people had a bad hunch.

However, Roger didn’t clear their doubts. The troop carrier pressed on and eventually arrived at the location where the gunfire was made.

Before the people on the troop carrier could get a clear view of the situation outside, the vehicle came to a halt, and the rear door swung open.

Not only them but also the troop carriers that came after them.

Then, a member from Shelter 83 was brought down the vehicle.

“Next, I’ll take you there. Everyone has to touch those zombies. That will be your first lesson.” Roger said, pointing to a pile of corpses not far away.

Zombies and humans didn’t have much difference in appearance, except that the zombies had pale skin, and their teeth and nails were unusually long.

When everyone looked in the direction Roger pointed and saw the bloody corpses, many of them vomited out on the spot.

Especially the women in the area, they vomited profusely. After vomiting, they backed away with pale faces, and they didn’t even want to look in that direction.

“Get into a queue to touch the zombies, or else you will be left here with these corpses!” Roger instructed. Many people felt that his words were the whisper of the devil.

Lin Xinghai’s complexion turned grim, but he understood that he had no choice but to follow along and queue up. He obediently joined the line and approached the nearest corpse.

It was an intact corpse, except for a small hole in the forehead, likely caused by a direct shot piercing through the head.

However, what puzzled Lin Xinghai was the gaping wound on the back of the zombie’s head.

He also discovered that not only the zombie in front of him but also the surrounding zombies had a similar wound on the back of their heads.

“Are they worried that the zombie isn’t dead yet? Still, why do you cut the back of the head?”

Out of curiosity and to fulfill the task of “the first lesson,” Lin Xinghai reached out and touched the wound.

“Ding! Blood essence detected. Would you like to absorb it?”