NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 1 - The Apocalypse Has Arrived! Divine Modification System
Chapter 1: The Apocalypse Has Arrived! Divine Modification System!
8:14 AM!
It was the peak of the morning rush hour.
On a main road in the city center of Shangbin, as usual, traffic was backed up into a long line.
“Damn it, it’s been half an hour, and we still aren’t moving!”
“What the hell is going on up there?”
“I’m screwed! I’m definitely going to be late today!”
Beep, beep, beep …
In the middle of the congested traffic, a young man sitting in the driver’s seat of an old van, who had been dozing off, was awakened by the loud and jarring sounds of car horns and the surrounding commotion.
He instinctively scratched his head, muttering, “Are you kidding me? Blasting your horn this early in the morning—can’t a guy get some proper sleep?”
As he spoke, he opened his eyes.
But when he rubbed his eyes and saw what was in front of him, he was stunned.
“What the hell … why am I in a car?”
At that moment, he wasn’t in the familiar setting of his university dorm room, nor was he in the comfort of his bed. Instead, he found himself in an old van with worn-out interior, seats that were fading in color, and windows that were operated by manual cranks.
Even the steering wheel he accidentally nudged felt loose, as if it could fall off at any moment!
Looking outside, cars of various makes and models were stuck in a line, blocking the old van he was in right in the middle of the road.
He couldn’t move forward or back!
Around him were several frustrated drivers who had gotten out of their cars to check what was going on, as well as pedestrians of different ethnicities standing on the sidewalks, watching the scene.
“Since when did Modu get so many foreigners?”
Jiang Cheng shook his head, still groggy from just waking up, and thought in confusion.
Although Modu (Shanghai) was an international city that never lacked foreigners, it had never been to the extent that every glance down the street revealed four or five out of every ten people were foreigners!
He initially wanted to get out of the van to see what was happening, but at that moment, he overheard a conversation between two drivers who had gotten out of their cars to smoke, which caught his attention.
“Brother, do you know what’s going on up ahead?”
“I saw the armed police arriving. It’s probably another case of someone being bitten by a rabies patient.”
“A rabies patient??”
“You didn’t know? Recently, there’s been a new type of rabies virus going around. It’s really powerful and spreads very quickly. Several cities have already reported cases of people infected with this virus. But it’s said that those infected were quickly contained. Whether they’ve been cured or not, I’m not sure.”
“A powerful new type of rabies virus? Spreading very quickly??”
Hearing this, Jiang Cheng felt a growing sense of unease.
Damn it, could it be that I’ve traveled to another world? And not just any world, but one where a zombie virus outbreak has just begun?
“Are there any other symptoms?”
“Hmm … I remember there were some rumors online earlier that people infected with this new rabies virus become like zombies, losing all sense of self-control and wanting to bite anything alive. Those bitten quickly get infected and turn into the same kind of thing.”
“What the hell?? They turn into something like zombies?? A real-life ‘Resident Evil’?? Is that what caused the traffic jam up ahead?”
“Haha, you actually believe that? With how advanced technology is nowadays, even if zombies did appear, they wouldn’t survive past the next day—they’d be quickly taken out by the authorities.”
“Better safe than sorry, brother!! I think we should get out of here fast!!”
…
Jiang Cheng no longer paid attention to the rest of their conversation!
He had already concluded that this new type of rabies virus was actually a zombie virus!
This is seriously messed up! I just took a nap, and now I’ve somehow traveled to another world? And not just traveled to any world, but to one where a zombie virus outbreak has just begun? Isn’t this like starting the game with a deadly hand, setting me up to die right from the start?
Even though he hadn’t seen any zombies yet, Jiang Cheng, living in this age of information overload, wasn’t naive enough to think it was just a form of rabies.
What kind of rabies virus could be this aggressive? So similar to a zombie virus? And especially in the context of a world where he transmigrated …
Ding!
“Divine Modification System is initiating binding …”
Just then, a cold voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
“A system?”
Those novels were true; if you travel to another world, you really do get a system!
Jiang Cheng’s eyes widened, and just as he was about to speak, the cold voice echoed again.
Ding!
“Divine Modification System has successfully bound. Initiating memory infusion …”
As the voice fell, a massive flood of memories surged into his mind like a torrent.
Jiang Cheng didn’t even have time to react. He only felt his head swell, and then countless images and memories flashed through his mind.
“Shangbin City … Dragon Country …”
Within just a few seconds, Jiang Cheng had digested the unfamiliar memories in his mind and couldn’t help but tug at the corners of his mouth.
In these memories, the world he was in now was no longer the one he was familiar with.
Here, China was known as Dragon Country!
The city he was in now was no longer Modu (Shanghai) but Shangbin City!
Additionally, this Earth was many times larger than the one he knew, with a population exceeding 200 billion. As a result, the people in various countries had become even more ethnically mixed!
As for the level of technology, architectural style, and cultural background, they weren’t much different from his previous life. Whatever existed in his past world also existed in this one.
One notable point was that in this Dragon Country, for reasons unknown, the regulations on knives and other weapons weren’t as strict as they were in his past life!
But none of that concerned him. What he cared more about was: Was he still himself?
Many travelers to other worlds underwent a soul transfer, changing appearances and taking over a new body after the transfer. He certainly didn’t want that to happen. After all, this was an apocalyptic world. To survive, physical fitness was the first priority.
He was previously an athlete, standing at 1.8 meters tall with a physique boasting eight-pack abs. In this apocalyptic world, he was confident that his physical condition would allow him to protect himself.
His gaze fell on the rearview mirror inside the van. He adjusted it to face himself, confirming that the reflection was still his familiar, handsome face, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“Thankfully, I’m still the same me—handsome as ever, even more so than Ah Zu and Brother Xiao Yao*. Otherwise, I would’ve had to live my whole life in someone else’s body.”
[*celebrities]
Jiang Cheng felt a wave of relief as he thought about this. The mere thought of the alternative made him shudder, let alone the consequences of such a thing actually happening.
Just then, the system’s notification sounded again.
Ding! “System scan complete. Host’s attribute panel generated!”
Name: Jiang Cheng
Age: 18
Strength: 13 (Average: 10)
Stamina: 14 (Average: 10)
Endurance: 12 (Average: 10)
Reflexes: 10 (Average: 10)
Items: None
Points: 0
Ding! “Newbie gift pack is being distributed …”
“Newbie gift pack?”
Hearing the system’s warm and considerate prompt, Jiang Cheng perked up.
“System, open the Newbie gift pack!”
Ding! “Gift pack opened. Congratulations, Host, you’ve obtained: [LV1 Armored Vehicle Modification Card] x1! [Jarvis Program] x1! [Basic Strength Enhancement Serum] x1!”
“The Newbie gift pack has been fully distributed. Please check the system backpack for your items! The apocalypse has arrived. There are three minutes until the zombies arrive. Please prepare yourself, Host!”
Just as Jiang Cheng was beginning to smile with satisfaction at the items he received from the gift pack, his expression suddenly froze at the last message.