Chapter 5: The First Spin

The sudden apocalypse had shattered the tranquility of Dingsheng Haoting. What remained was chaos paid for in blood.

"Ah!"

A scream pierced the air from a neighboring villa. Instead of rushing to investigate, Ye Zhongming ducked behind decorative shrubs, scanning the area. A middle-aged woman stumbled out, her face a mask of terror, clothes soaked in dark blood. She staggered two steps before tripping, only to be pounced on by two pursuing zombies. Their claws tore into her flesh as her screams dissolved into wet gurgles.

The scene left Ye Zhongming cold. After confirming no immediate threats, he lunged from cover.

First zombie: A horizontal slash severed its head mid-bite, black blood arcing like a macabre fountain.

Second zombie: Rising clumsily, it swiped at him. Ye Zhongming sidestepped, driving his machete upward through its temple.

The entire sequence took seconds, but fatigue already gnawed at him. His civilian body struggled to keep pace with a decade's worth of combat instincts. Precision strikes that once felt effortless now demanded every ounce of focus.

As he pried the gray crystals from the zombies' foreheads, the dying woman locked eyes with him. Her lips twitched in a ghost of gratitude—better to die under human gaze than monster teeth.

Ye Zhongming waited.

The dead always rose.

True to form, the woman's corpse twitched moments later. Her eyes snapped open, milky and ravenous. Before she could fully transform, Ye Zhongming ended her second life, claiming a third crystal.

Six crystals in under an hour. A feat that had taken him years in his past life.

Fueled by adrenaline, he became a shadow among the villas. Two hours later, his pockets held 21 gray crystals—and fresh scars from near-fatal miscalculations. His untrained body betrayed him at critical moments, forcing hairbreadth escapes. One scratch from those claws would doom him to zombification.

Exhausted, he returned to the villa hosting the roulette.

Mu Xinfei sat rigid on the couch, still clutching her fruit knife. She jerked upright at his entrance, eyes wide yet sharp.

"You know things," she said, blocking his path with surprising agility. "Teach me. I can help. That… that was kung fu, right?" She gestured to the three headless corpses by the door.

Ye Zhongming studied her. The future Crimson Thorn stood before him—raw, untapped potential. "I'll share what I know," he said, "even make you stronger than any man. But it comes at a price."

"What price?" She tensed, knife rising.

His gaze swept her figure with deliberate slowness. When she recoiled, he laughed—a dry, humorless sound. "Not that kind of price."

Mu Xinfei exhaled, then glanced down at herself and mouthed a silent insult.

Clueless idiot.

In the kitchen, Ye Zhongming slotted seven crystals into the roulette's base. The gray teardrop gem glowed as energy surged through the wheel. The pointer began its fateful spin.

First reward: Repeating Micro Crossbow

A sleek black weapon materialized in the prize tray, its underbarrel magazine holding ten steel bolts.

"So that's how it works!" Mu Xinfei breathed, fascination overriding fear. She eyed the crossbow, then the roulette's green serum icon. "The 'stronger than men' thing—is that the potion?"

"Smart girl." Ye Zhongming tested the crossbow's weight. "This is an Apocalypse Roulette. Insert zombie crystals to spin for survival tools. That serum you're eyeing? It's called One-Star Enhancement. Turns you into superhuman."

"How do you know all this?"

"Trade secret."

"You—"

He didn't know if the future Crimson Thorn would appreciate the irony, but present-day Mu Xinfei remained refreshingly human—clever yet naive, shrewd yet guileless.

Slotting seven more crystals, he spun again. The wheel's hum filled the room as both held their breath.