Chapter 1: Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland

Amidst the ruins of the city, there was no longer any sign of living humans. Zombies and mutant beasts roamed through the wreckage of skyscrapers, proclaiming their dominion over the city.

After the great catastrophe caused by the z-virus, all of humanity had gathered into a handful of super-large cities. All small and medium-sized cities had been completely abandoned, becoming paradises for zombies and mutant beasts.

Mutant beasts—wild animals mutated after being infected by the z-virus—regardless of their original size, all became existences a thousand times more terrifying than zombies.

In what was once a bustling downtown, among the long line of car wrecks, a gigantic mutant beast was staring at a man who seemed oblivious to danger.

Its fur was white with pale yellow stripes, looking rather cute—of course, only if its size were reduced dozens of times.

This mutant beast was a white tiger, standing two meters tall on all fours, with a tail thicker than an adult's thigh by several times.

Its powerful jaws and sharp teeth could crush an adult in an instant—easier than an ordinary person chewing marshmallows.

Standing before it was a slightly thin young man.

His hair was wine-red, naturally a bit curly, growing out in a somewhat careless fashion. His bangs perfectly half-covered his eyebrows, faintly revealing a pair of icy blue eyes.

"Pop."

The young man lit the cigarette dangling from his lips and exhaled a white smoke ring.

"Hmm, a beast general-level mutant beast, hasn't awakened intelligence. Looks pretty cute, actually—would make a nice pet if I brought it back."

The young man looked up at the mutant beast blocking out the sunlight, as if he were looking at a harmless kitten or puppy.

"Roar!"

The white tiger, feeling insulted, opened its bloody maw and roared furiously at the young man.

A gust of wind whipped the young man's hair into disarray, and the tiger's roar echoed across half the city.

Frowning, the young man raised his right hand and fanned the air in front of him. "Looks like before I take you as a pet, I’ll have to give you a good tooth-brushing first."

The white tiger could no longer tolerate the young man. It raised its right paw, larger than a washbasin, and swiped down!

If that paw landed on an ordinary car, it would be enough to cave in the roof!

But, unbelievably, the giant paw of the white tiger froze in midair, unable to move an inch further.

The young man had raised his left hand, holding up the tiger's massive paw. From a distance, it looked like a jack propping up a heavy truck—quite a comical sight.

The five claws on the tiger's right paw gleamed coldly like sharp steel blades, but no matter how it struggled, it couldn't even touch the hem of the young man's clothes!

"Raaawr!"

The white tiger let out an angry roar, its bloody maw snapping down toward the young man's head!

However, a powerful force slammed into its jaw like a mountain. The white tiger's massive body flipped backward 720 degrees, crashing to the ground in a perfect "faceplant."

Looking at the expressionless young man before it, the white tiger felt a surge of primal, genetic fear.

The white tiger slowly retreated, but the young man didn't pursue. Man and beast faced off for a moment.

This man is dangerous!

The white tiger instinctively felt a shudder from its very soul.

Yet, just as the tiger was about to turn and flee, a crisp shout rang out from above.

"Mutant beast! Prepare to die!"

A sword light, swift as lightning, slashed down from above, cleaving through the tiger's body!

In the next second, the tiger's terrified expression froze. A bloody crack appeared from head to tail, and two seconds later, blood spurted out as the once-mighty beast was split into two halves.

The tiger was dead, and the young man was stunned. He looked at the girl before him, holding a translucent blue-green longsword, then at the tiger's corpse on the ground, and thought regretfully, "If I'd known this would happen, I really should have stopped her!"

"Hey, are you alright? There are mutant beasts everywhere out here—it's dangerous. You shouldn't wander around alone!"

As the girl spoke, she gave a gentle wave, and the translucent blue-green longsword in her hand vanished without a trace.

The girl looked quite young, only sixteen or seventeen, with a single black ponytail tied behind her head. Her face was bare of makeup, yet she possessed a unique, enviable beauty.

She wore a white, semi-fitted combat suit—clean and crisp, outlining her perfect curves.

This type of combat suit was standard gear for all Awakened, extremely tough and durable, and the claws and fangs of ordinary mutant beasts could hardly tear it.