Time passed, and William Carter gripped the steering wheel tightly, a thin layer of cold sweat slowly seeping into his palms.

He kept checking his watch—two o’clock, two thirty, two forty.

Gradually, perhaps because he was too focused, William Carter saw double images of the hands on the dial.

The double vision grew worse, and even the dashboard seemed to multiply before William Carter's eyes.

This is...

William Carter felt a chill in his heart, and a wave of severe dizziness swept through his mind.

Bang!

He felt a pain in his forehead, as if he had slammed it hard against the steering wheel, and at the same time, a fierce headache surged over him like a tide.

It’s here!

It’s finally here—the virus outbreak.

William Carter knew he would eventually survive this viral outbreak, but even so, the unbearable pain nearly made him faint.

At the same time, all over the world, the same scene was playing out for everyone.

Headache! Hallucinations! Convulsions! Nosebleeds! Fainting!

Everyone’s reaction was a little different, but without exception, everyone was in agony. Especially those who couldn’t withstand the viral infection and began to mutate—they felt pain down to their very bones!

Many people screamed, and these screams sounded as if they erupted straight from their lungs—not human, but more like the roar of wild beasts!

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

On the highway, cars crashed into each other, causing a chain reaction—hundreds, even thousands of vehicles rear-ended, small cars crushed into metal pancakes by big trucks, drivers dying tragically. Some drivers, in the moment of pain, instinctively slammed on the brakes, the screech of tires piercing the sky.

Cars exploded, thick smoke billowed into the sky. In the cities, in various factories, accidents happened frequently as people convulsed and lost consciousness in an instant—some died horribly, fires spread...

The sound of automatic fire alarms cut through the sky, accidents everywhere, countless dead. By now, William Carter was already in a state of mental confusion. He could vaguely hear all these chaotic noises, but he couldn’t tell what any of them were.

Hallucinations flashed through his mind—he seemed to suddenly return to his childhood, seeing his parents alive, gathering happily with his younger sister, seeing the birthday cake his mother had carefully prepared for him.

Later, he even saw himself starting a family, living happily with his wife and children—and that wife, she actually had a bit of Emily Thompson's shadow...

He was immersed in these illusions for who knows how long, until suddenly, at some moment, he woke up.

He snapped his eyes open, only to find his hair and clothes soaked with sweat.

He was still gripping the steering wheel tightly, his fingers white and numb from the force.

The car windows and doors were locked tight. He felt utterly exhausted, as if he’d been drained.

He gasped for breath, glanced out the window, and suddenly his heart sank!

Outside the car, the world had changed...

Looking around, everything was shrouded in mist, as if a layer of smog had blanketed the area. Buildings and streets were all veiled in haze, becoming vague and indistinct.

The sky was dark, everything around was gray and oppressive.

Faintly, the sound of chaotic alarms drifted from afar, irritating William Carter's eardrums and making him feel restless.

He glanced at his watch—three fifty. The date was still...

He had only been unconscious for a little over an hour, but it felt as if years had passed.

At this moment, William Carter knew that this damned, bleak apocalypse... had finally arrived!

From today on, he would have to drive this car and run for his life.

Taking a deep breath, William Carter started the car and set off!

Chapter 7: You Still Want to Cut in Line?

The starseed was already bound to the base vehicle. As soon as William Carter willed it, all the information about the base vehicle would immediately appear in his mind. When he looked at the dashboard in front of him, instructions for the buttons and levers would instantly pop up beside them.

“Start,” “Accelerate,” “Weapon Use,” “Ramming”...

William Carter's driving skills were pretty average—he mostly relied on theoretical knowledge he’d picked up, with only one real test drive out of curiosity. He had always planned to get a driver’s license, but the driving school was too expensive, so he never went.

William Carter had no problem driving a sedan, but driving a minibus was a completely different challenge.

However, besides providing operational tips for the base vehicle, the starseed would also constantly give prompts and warnings as William Carter drove. Relying on the starseed, the still somewhat groggy William Carter slowly drove the vehicle out of the empty lot.

Everything around was shrouded in gray; even the road ahead and the scenery on either side were hard to make out. William Carter endured a mild headache as he recovered, squinting to carefully watch the road ahead.

Just as William Carter was about to drive the base vehicle onto the road, a dark shadow suddenly lunged out from the side, slamming into his driver’s side door with a dull “thud.”