C2 Compensation of the Nightmare

Memories complete.

Chen Yu's mind conjured a vivid image, and he had already charted his next move.

Snap!

Chen Yu yanked the door open and, in the split second before slamming it shut, spun around with a shield bash.

The zombie to the left of the door didn't stand a chance, stumbling back from the force of Chen Yu's impact.

Thud!

Chen Yu advanced instead of retreating, delivering a powerful kick to the zombie's chest that sent it hurtling backward.

Growl!

Another zombie, now alert, lunged with its gaping maw aiming for Chen Yu's left arm.

Chen Yu didn't flinch; he extended his forearm, trapping it in the creature's mouth.

His arm tensed, a piercing pain followed.

Chen Yu's brow furrowed slightly, yet he wasn't concerned about a bite.

This newly mutated zombie's teeth were not sharp enough to penetrate the triple-layered towel and the hardboard armor on his forearm.

Without a moment's hesitation, as the zombie clamped down, Chen Yu raised his hand and brought down a vicious slash.

He poured all his strength into the blow.

The force was so intense that it cleaved into the zombie's skull, blood and brain matter splattering.

Chen Yu shoved the lifeless body aside.

The cleaver, wedged too tightly, was abandoned as he couldn't extract it quickly.

Looking up, the zombie he had kicked was charging him again, its gaping jaws snapping at Chen Yu's neck.

In that instant, Chen Yu, armed only with his shield, faced the danger head-on.

The shield became his weapon, smashing into the zombie's face. The creature was formidable, but Chen Yu matched its strength. They clashed fiercely, neither gaining the upper hand.

Chen Yu had the advantage of being alive, his intellect far surpassing that of a zombie.

Furthermore, at this moment of the apocalypse's resurgence, Chen Yu's expertise in combating zombies was unmatched in this timeline.

As he withstood the zombie's assault, Chen Yu kicked at its knee.

A sharp crack sounded as the zombie's leg bent unnaturally, its body toppling to the side.

Seizing the chance, Chen Yu gripped the shield with both hands and hammered it down onto the zombie's face.

Though the shield's assault was less lethal than a single blow from a kitchen knife, Chen Yu's rapid-fire strikes – nearly three per second – meant the zombie didn't stand a chance for more than five seconds.

Without pausing to catch his breath, Chen Yu grabbed the kitchen knife and bolted for the elevator. As he approached, the elevator dinged and the doors slid open.

"Ah!"

A woman, her body smeared with blood and marred by bite marks, stumbled out with a harrowing shriek. Following close behind was a man who collapsed to the ground, his upper body sprawled outside the elevator, blood pooling around him. In a state of sheer desperation, he clawed at the ground, reaching out of the elevator, his cries for help directed at the fleeing woman.

Chen Yu reached the elevator and peered inside. A young zombie boy, no more than seven or eight, was gnawing on the man's thigh. Chen Yu caught the gruesome sight of the child zombie ripping a chunk of flesh, tendons and all, from the man's leg and chewing voraciously.

A family of three. What a tragedy.

With swift resolve, Wu Yu raised his knife and severed the young zombie's head, then turned to the man, who was frozen in terror, and decapitated him without a moment's hesitation.

The woman's screams echoed outside the elevator but soon faded to silence.

Chen Yu looked up to see the woman collapse to the ground, convulsing as if in the throes of a seizure – she was turning into a zombie. At the dawn of the apocalypse, there was no cure for such an infection.

Chen Yu swiftly ended her suffering, sparing her the fate of becoming a walking corpse.

After pulling the man and the child zombie out of the elevator, Chen Yu was about to extract the crystal nucleus from the child's heart when he heard a door nearby click open. A middle-aged man, his face etched with panic, locked eyes with Chen Yu.

Chen Yu recognized him as Uncle Lee, a family friend.

Instinctively, Chen Yu began to explain, "Uncle Lee... I..."

Bang!

Uncle Lee slammed the door shut in horror before Chen Yu could finish, as if he had just encountered a murderer.

Well, that's awkward...

But Chen Yu, hardened by five years of apocalyptic survival, wasn't fazed by the misunderstanding. He didn't even pause in his task of cutting open the young zombie.

The crystal nucleus he retrieved from the child was tiny, hardly more than a flawed specimen, but it was something.

Although the crystal nucleus couldn't be used by his parents to combat the original virus, it could still bolster Chen Yu's evolutionary energy and replenish his spent vitality.

Chen Yu wiped the blood from the crystal nucleus and popped it into his mouth without a second thought. He bit down hard, and with a crunch, the once stone-hard nucleus dissolved into liquid and flowed down his throat. A wave of warmth spread from his stomach to his limbs and organs, soothing the intense pain in his muscles and enhancing their explosive power.

He didn't dwell on the sensation. In a few strides, Chen Yu was beside the two zombies he had slain, extracting the crystal nuclei from their hearts. These were no inferior specimens like those from the smaller zombies; the adult zombies' nuclei were as large as thumbs, cool to the touch, and brimming with potent genetic energy that made Chen Yu's body quiver with anticipation. Yet, he resisted the urge to consume them—these nuclei were his parents' lifeline.

Only the pristine crystal nuclei from adult zombies could quell the rampant virus in his parents. Without hesitation, Chen Yu clutched the nuclei and bolted to the bedroom. He slid the ice off his parents' heads and, without a moment's pause, placed the crystal nuclei into their mouths.

There was no need for forceful crushing; the nuclei needed time to melt and release their genetic energy. Given his parents' comatose state, a gradual dissolution, akin to ice cubes melting, was preferable for their recovery.

Chen Yu watched intently, not blinking, until their breathing stabilized and their complexions shifted from ashen to a healthy flush. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief, his heart swelling with a tumultuous mix of emotions.

He remembered the helplessness of watching his parents transform into grotesque zombies, the despair of being cornered in the living room, screaming in terror, followed by nightmarish visions. But this time, back at the onset of doomsday, he finally had the chance to rectify the horrors of the past.

And he had succeeded!

Despite being riddled with questions about the mysterious reason for his return to the onset of doomsday, Chen Yu had already forged his own resolution and purpose.

Five years at the dawn of doomsday had brought him a multitude of harrowing experiences and a sea of remorse and bitterness.

"Planetary awakening, life's evolution, academy trials, cosmic civilizations, the abyss's onslaught..."

"This time around, I, Chen Yu, am determined to change it all..."