Chapter 2

Republic City, one of the largest cities in Doha, was shrouded in a layer of thick mist. The sun rising on the eastern horizon glowed redder than blood as it slowly ascended.

Under the red sunlight, the city was eerily silent, as though it had become a ghost town. Not even a dog's bark could be heard, let alone the bustling sounds of cars or hurried footsteps of people going to work.

As the sun climbed higher, the mist gradually dissipated, revealing an unsettling atmosphere of the incoming doom.

When the mist disappeared completely, a corpse stored in the hospital morgue suddenly moved. Its flesh rotted at a speed visible to the naked eye, yet the body left the stretcher as it moved stiffly. Its eyeballs turned milky white, and its nails and teeth grew longer and sharper, resembling sharpened blades.

As it moved, it let out a low growl, similar to that of a wild beast. Sensing a nearby delicacy, its stiff body hurried toward the door. The smell of living humans seemed to beckon it closer, evoking the hunger in its instinct.

Blocked by the iron door, it raised its decaying hands and slammed them against the door, producing a deafening sound that echoed in the empty hallway.

BANG!

The sleeping guard jolted awake from the sound in shock, nearly falling from his chair in the nearby guard post. Before he could check the security camera's monitor, a rancid stench of rotting flesh assaulted his nostrils.

Frowning at the foul odor, he turned to ask his colleague about it—only to see a rotting face rushing toward him.

"Roar!!" The decayed corpse let out a growl with its mouth opening wide, showing its sharp rows of teeth.

Before the guard could react, its teeth sank into his neck, causing blood to spurt like a fountain. As its teeth tore through his flesh, he coughed up blood and his eyes wide with horror.

He reached out his trembling hand toward the door and let out a weak pleading voice, "H-Help..."

Moments later, the sickening sounds of flesh being torn and bones being gnawed filled the room. Blood pooled on the floor, driving the rotting corpse into a frenzy as it feasted on the guard's brain.

Similar situations occurred in every corner of the city.

In less than half an hour, panic broke out and spread crazily. The roar of the rotting corpses was drowned out by the shouts and cries of people everywhere.

At this moment, a girl lay on her bed inside one of the female dormitory rooms at Republic University. Her pale face was drenched in cold sweat as she was trapped in a nightmare caused by her high fever.

While she remained unconscious, the situation outside her room had already descended into a living hell. The cries of people begging for help mingled with the grotesque sounds of rotting corpses feasting on living humans.

Bang!

In the corridor, a girl was slammed against a door as she was pushed by a girl in white dress. She tried to flee with her friends, only to be used as a shield by one of her classmates.

Falling to the ground, she felt a sharp pain shoot through her twisted ankle and shouted angrily, "Bitch, how dare you push me?!"

Raising her head, she saw the person who had shoved her already running away without hesitation with the group. Left behind, fear and horror surged through her heart instantly.

She stared at their backs in panic.

Her voice trembled with despair as she screamed, "W-wait, please wait for me!"

Despite the pain in her ankle, she forced herself to stand and move forward. Unfortunately, her pace was far too slow to escape the swarm of rotten corpses chasing after her.

Just as she was only a few steps away from the emergency exit, a rotten hand suddenly burst through her stomach from behind. She stared down at the rotten hand in a daze while her mind numb with shock.

The pain didn't register until the rotting hand grasped her intestines and yanked them out of her body. Only then did she let out a piercing scream of agony, "Ahhh!!!"

Before she could comprehend what was happening, the group of rotten corpses rushed at her. She was pushed to the ground before being bitten and devoured alive.

Her screams faded as her body was torn apart and life left her wrecked body.

The living hell lasted for an entire day before the survivors managed to either escape from the university or find places to hide from the rotting corpses.

As the sun set on the western horizon, the mist began to gather once more, further hindering their already limited vision.

Inside the female dormitory building, several groups of people hid in locked rooms.

No one dared to breathe loudly, let alone speak for fear that they would draw the attention of the rotten corpse outside. No one knew what was happening, nor whether the government would send help to rescue them.

In the oppressive silence and suffocating air, the rotting corpses wandered aimlessly through the area as they lost their targets.

When the sun finally disappeared below the horizon, the moon rose high into the night sky. Unlike the usual beautiful white moon, it appeared larger and ominously red, as though it had been dyed in blood.

As soon as the rotting corpses were bathed in the eerie red moonlight, they became visibly agitated. Their movements grew quicker and more nimble, and their once-stiff limbs began to bend and flex slightly.

Inside the room, the unconscious girl finally opened her eyes. Staring at the familiar yet unfamiliar ceiling, she pushed herself up and looked around in a daze.

Feeling dizzy, she held her head and muttered hoarsely, "Aren't I dead already?"