Edge of the Apocalypse
Chapter 1: I Returned to One Week Before the Apocalypse

Chapter 1: Chapter 1: I Returned to One Week Before the Apocalypse

Hot and noisy.

THUMP-THUMP~ THUMP-THUMP~ THUMP-THUMP~

The intense rhythm was like a bolt of lightning in the dark, cleaving through the chaos in Yu Dong’s mind!

"HUFF! HUFF! HUFF!"

Yu Dong shot upright, gasping for air as he instinctively reached for his neck.

Smooth and unbroken.

Only when he saw the banner for the "Class of 2025 Welcome Gala" hanging over the stage, the cool street dance performance, and the enthusiastic cheers from the surrounding students did Yu Dong feel like he was waking from a dream.

"So it was just a dream."

It felt too real...

The sensation of the muscle fibers in his neck being ripped away bite by bite, the gushing of fresh blood—it all made Yu Dong feel a phantom pain in his neck even now.

Perhaps because it was so intense, he remembered everything that happened in the dream with perfect clarity, as if he had just watched a week-long movie.

After a peaceful week at school, the zombies appeared. He was tackled by his zombified roommate and had his throat torn out.

’What a dream...’

Yu Dong shifted his stiff rear in the seat, preparing to continue enjoying the Class of 2025 Welcome Gala.

The auditorium of Yanhai University was packed with students, and the scents of sweat, perfume, and smelly feet mingled into an indescribable cocktail.

"Dongzi, here."

A refreshingly cold bottle of mineral water was handed over from the side.

Yu Dong turned and instinctively took it, glancing at the bottle in his hand.

Quanyang Spring.

"This water..."

"Never had it before, right? It’s a specialty from my hometown. The real deal!"

His roommate sitting next to him, Huang Zhiqiang, wore a confident expression.

Yu Dong twisted the cap open and took a sip. It was cold and sweet, definitely better tasting than the more common brands.

But...

Yu Dong looked down at the bottle of Quanyang Spring in his hand.

This bottle, this scene... he had seen it in his dream.

He was certain he had never heard of or seen this brand of mineral water before. And yet, he had dreamed of it, and now it was happening all over again!

’Strange...’

Yu Dong tightened the bottle cap, a faint feeling that something was wrong stirring in his heart.

The next few performances only made Yu Dong more uneasy, because everything was exactly the same as in his dream!

’Something’s not right... something is very wrong...’

One or two coincidences could be dismissed, but everything was unfolding exactly like those seven days in his memory.

He touched his neck. The piercing pain seemed to have only just faded.

It was too real.

As if... it had all really happened once before.

’Could it all be real?’

Yu Dong’s thoughts were a mess. It was too noisy here. He stood up, planning to go outside to clear his head.

"Hey! Where are you going, Dongzi? Liu Ye’ye’s guzheng performance is up next! How can you leave before watching such a beautiful piece?"

Huang Zhiqiang grabbed Yu Dong, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

While something like "Campus Belle" was too subjective and hard to rank, the title of "Yanhai University’s Number One Talent" was absolutely undisputed.

Liu Ye’ye: president of the Guzheng Club, a Grade 10 guzheng player, and a girl of immense talent who had even performed on the provincial Spring Festival Gala stage.

Yu Dong looked at Liu Ye’ye as she sat down on the stage. She wore a pale yellow, traditional-style dress, and the dim stage lights cast a hazy glow on her oval face, making her look as elegant as a noble lady from ancient times.

"Next up, we have a solo guzheng performance by student Liu Ye’ye—’Samsara’!"

The host’s voice rang out from the stage.

At that moment, the noisy hall fell silent. Everyone stared at Liu Ye’ye with anticipation, eager to see what kind of performance this Yanhai University ’celebrity’ would deliver.

"Three times,"

Yu Dong said.

"What three times?"

Huang Zhiqiang’s face was full of confusion.

Yu Dong pressed his lips together and didn’t explain.

Then, Liu Ye’ye began to play the guzheng... but there was no sound.

Only after the student technician adjusted the equipment three times did it finally connect to the sound system, and the ethereal notes of the guzheng filled the air.

Huang Zhiqiang listened, completely mesmerized.

"Dongzi, how did our ancestors even come up with this stuff? It just sounds so good, you know?"

"Huh? Dongzi? Where’s Dongzi?"

Huang Zhiqiang turned his head to find the seat beside him empty.

...

"It matches. It all matches."

"All the details are exactly the same as in my memory."

"I wasn’t dreaming. I was reborn!"

One or two coincidences could be written off, but even the performance mishap was a perfect one-to-one replica of his dream. It could only mean that it had all been real.

He had died on the day of the zombie outbreak and returned to seven days prior.

’It’s 7:30 PM on Sunday. The zombie outbreak will happen... around 7:00 PM next Sunday.’

Yu Dong discovered that his memory of these seven days was incredibly sharp. It was like an ultra-HD movie he could replay at any time, recalling any event at any moment with perfect clarity, right down to the smallest detail.

’The good news is my memory has gotten stronger...’

’The bad news is I died at the very beginning of the outbreak. I didn’t even survive for half an hour, so I have almost no useful information...’

During those seven days, his life had been completely normal, without any ripples.

In the half-hour after the outbreak began, he spent most of his time hiding. Then he was discovered by zombies and forced to flee. He couldn’t outrun them and died on the road.

The only things he remembered vividly were a text message and a person.

About ten minutes after he realized the outbreak had started, an extremely eye-catching message appeared on his phone.

[NATIONWIDE EMERGENCY ALERT!!!]

[A highly contagious S-Virus is now breaking out across the nation. The number of infected is spreading rapidly. Infected individuals exhibit extreme aggression and are incredibly dangerous! All citizens are to immediately take the following actions: 1. Avoid contact with individuals exhibiting abnormal behavior; 2. Find shelter in the nearest building, lock all doors and windows, and self-isolate; 3. Conserve your phone’s battery to receive the latest updates.]

[All citizens must protect themselves! Do not travel! Shelter in place and await government rescue!]

[This notice is jointly issued by the Dragon Country Emergency Command / Center for Disease Control / Armed Forces.]

Just a few minutes after receiving this message, Yu Dong was discovered by zombies and met a violent end.

This message was basically the entirety of his knowledge about the post-outbreak world.

Back in the present, Yu Dong had a strong urge to report this information to the government, but after a moment’s thought, he abandoned the naive idea.

’I can’t explain the source of the information, it’s not verifiable, and it could interfere with my own survival plans.’

’This disaster has no cause, no warning. My best course of action right now is to follow the government’s instructions, protect myself... and wait for rescue.’

Yu Dong believed the country was capable of handling this disaster.

Even if people turned into man-eating zombies, they were still carbon-based lifeforms. They would still be vulnerable to firearms. Plus, it was possible a vaccine could be developed to return the infected to normal.

For the country, dealing with the zombies was just a matter of time.

’Before the government solves the zombie problem, I need to find a safe place to hide and bide my time.’

Curing and killing zombies—that was a job for the professionals. For now, he would just be a little mouse in its hole.

’Over the next seven days, I need to prepare a small shelter sufficient to see me through the disaster.’

’I also need to stock up on enough supplies to last until the day the government has cleared out all the zombies...’

’That’s going to take a lot of money.’

’So, the most urgent task is to figure out a way to get money, fast.’

Having sorted out his immediate priorities, Yu Dong found himself at the door to his dorm room.

He pushed the door open and froze.

He saw the ’zombie’ that would kill him after the apocalypse.

His roommate, Xufeng.