[In the past, humans often had this thought: what if one day a volcano suddenly erupts, a cold wave suddenly sweeps across the land, a massive earthquake strikes, and a tsunami engulfs everything...?]
The world is progressing, and technology is developing. People are also shifting their focus of skepticism.
They might wonder: Will meteorites fall out of nowhere? Will the sun shift its orbit? Will artificial intelligence become uncontrollable? Will alien civilizations suddenly descend upon us...?
People are always doubting—doubting the future of humanity, doubting whether civilization can continue to exist safely and smoothly.
[—And now, something truly beyond human imagination has appeared.]
[They became "players".]
...
"Welcome player BE3030 to Genesis Online - the Post-Apocalyptic World! You can start using points to purchase skills and items to arm yourself!"
"Please explore this world to your heart's content, communicate with key NPCs, and complete quests!"
The cold, automated voice of the system rang in Von Ryker's ears, and he opened his eyes.
In the field of view, there is a green health bar of 500/500 and a blue mana bar of 140/140 in the upper left corner. There is a bullet screen interface in the upper right corner that displays the popularity, but it is currently blank. All players are in the game.
He can open the backpack interface with his mind, and the slots inside are currently empty.
"—Doctor, Doctor, you're awake?"
A young woman in a white lab coat smiled at him. Von Ryker sat up and realized he was lying in bed.
This is a laboratory, and a screen on the wall is broadcasting the news:
The unknown disease that ravaged The Big Apple last year has yet to be effectively contained. Observations suggest that elements in mushrooms may help prevent the disease, and major hospitals have begun developing a vaccine…
"Good morning, Doctor." The girl said, "Today is February 29th. The vaccine is still under development. You must have worked hard last night. Please rest for a while."
After a pause, the girl continued.
"Four people died in the laboratory yesterday: one from contamination, another from disease, one from suicide by hanging, and the last from madness."
"For the sake of humanity's future, I hope we can survive. Doctor."
"As long as you are here, humanity will surely have a future."
The girl had a badge on her chest that read "[The Big Apple Vaccine Research Center · Doctoral Assistant · Rachel]".
Von Ryker realized that he had possessed the body of a doctor at the research center. It seemed that this instance was a possession system, with players having an initial identity.
"Ding-dong!"
...
Welcome to the first Genesis!
[World Name: The Big Apple - Zombie Apocalypse]
[Plot hint: "If I were to die now, would anyone mourn for me?"]
"If I drink the blood of the plunderers, will I find peace in the next life?"
"If you replaced me, could you bring blue skies and white clouds to the children?"
...
[Story Setting: The Big Apple (All players are entering the game for the first time and will automatically learn the local language during the game)]
[Basic mission for all players: Survive until day 15]
[Perfect completion requirement: Find the zombie antibody and deduce the secret behind the apocalypse.]
[Key NPC in this world: Emporio (daughter of Rose Alnino and Greg Bergkamp)]
...
Von Ryker pondered. It seemed that what he needed to do in this instance was to strive to obtain the "antibody" and deduce the cause of the apocalypse. Where the "antibody" was located, however, was another question…
"Doctor?" Rachel asked, somewhat puzzled, seeing that Von Ryker hadn't spoken.
"Ah, it's nothing," Von Ryker said.
Rachel is a native of the world; she's clearly not a player. She can't be found out that he's not the Doctor himself.
It seems that when the 20,000 players entered this world, they possessed different characters. He possessed a doctor, which is a good identity; at least he didn't become a ragpicker.
"Doctor, I'll go upstairs and check on the progress of the vaccine." Rachel smiled.
After she left, Von Ryker immediately opened his personal information interface.
...
[Personal Profile]
Name: Von Ryker
Number: BE3030
Rank: Tier 1
Honors: Vacant
Achievement: Vacant
Occupation: Not obtained
Skills: Vacant
Health Points: 500
Mana: 100 + 10 * 4 (Regeneration rate 5/minute)
Physical strength: 5
Strength: 4
Agility: 5
Spirit: 9
Charm: A
Luck: E
Points: 140
Combat power rating: 68
He heard the system voice:
[Achievement (Endless Distance): Above a billion lives, your public speech takes place.]
[40 points earned.]
[Award Acquired (First Place in Beginner Levels): The strongest among a billion beings. Maintain your unwavering fighting spirit.]
[40 points earned.]
...
Von Ryker glanced at his current points: 220. Given that most people's average points were between 30 and 70, he already had a slight advantage.
He suddenly discovered that his "death rollback" skill was not displayed on the data panel.
...Unique skills?
He became even more certain of his guess—it was probably a secret known only to him, though he didn't know where it came from.
He brought up the skill purchase option.
...
[Now we will begin the skill acquisition process.]
[The player has been detected as having completed the game perfectly at the SS tier, and their skill tier is set to the highest level (significantly increasing the probability of obtaining advanced skills).]
The cost of drawing a skill is 120 points. Do you wish to proceed?
"yes."
...
[Gained Epic (Red Tier) Potential Skill: Clone (Evolvable)]
[Clone Lv1 (costs 80 mana): You create a clone at the cost of one-third of your own strength.]
The clone has the same original strength as the main body, and the main body's strength is restored when the clone dies.
The main body can retrieve the clone by touching it, or it can choose to let the clone explode directly.
The strength of a clone is directly related to the spiritual points of the original body.
[Note: Skill potential is ranked from low to high as follows: Common (White), Advanced (Green), Rare (Blue), Epic (Red), and Legendary (Purple).]
[Gained new skill, combat power: 68+70]
...
I have 100 points left, which isn't enough for another draw of the highest-tier skill.
Von Ryker chose to draw a skill from the next lower tier, which costs 80 points per draw.
[Gained rare (blue-tier) potential skill: Annihilation (evolvable)]
[Annihilation Lv1 (Mana Cost Unpredictable): Anything your finger touches can be melted by annihilation energy; the power depends on the amount of mana invested.]
[Gained new skill, combat power: 138 + 40]
...
He used the remaining 20 points to allocate attribute points, with each point requiring 10 points.
He added 1 point to Strength and 1 point to Spirit. His current attribute points are: [Stamina 5, Strength 5, Agility 5, Spirit 10].
After adding 1 point to Strength, he clearly felt that his punches were more powerful, and after adding 1 point to Spirit, his vision became clearer.
...This is what it feels like to become stronger.
If he gains more attribute points, his physical attributes will definitely undergo a qualitative change.
The shop section wasn't open yet. Von Ryker took one last look at the panel. His combat power was 188, and his level was still the initial "Tier 1, Level 1".
Just like playing a regular game, you can level up by killing monsters, and leveling up will grant you new "attribute points".
During these fifteen days, he may also receive some side quests to earn points—points can be exchanged for "attribute points" and "equipment" to enhance his four abilities: [physical strength], [strength], [agility], and [spirit].
"Ding-dong!"
[After the first genesis ends, the "Class" module will be unlocked, allowing you to obtain your own unique class, such as Battle Mage, Shadow Priest, Dual-wielding Warrior, Mech Sniper, Orc Shapeshifter, Paladin, Necromancer, and more.]
...
Von Ryker realized that his career was a very important branch of his life, and he needed to consider his future development direction.
Will you be a warrior who cuts down everything, a mage wielding fire, earth, light, darkness, wind, thunder, and ice, a mechanic who wields guns and bombs, or a summoner who makes a pact with elves?
In short—you have to accept missions, kill zombies, and constantly get stronger in order to uncover the secrets behind the apocalypse and achieve a perfect playthrough.