Chapter 2 – Points and the Exchange Pillar

Volume 1: Apocalypse Beginning

Wen Yu saw the two elders off, closed the door, and carefully checked each room to make sure that, apart from himself, there were no other living creatures in the house.

He slowly sat down on the sofa, lit a Changbai Mountain cigarette, and took a satisfying puff.

"Check Points."

"Ding, Host currently has 2 Points."

It seemed the old lady was close to mutation as well; after Wen Yu killed her, he gained another Point.

Points were something Wen Yu was naturally familiar with.

With the arrival of the Apocalypse, the entire world collapsed, and money became nothing but worthless paper.

What followed was a brand-new set of rules and a new currency system-the rules of the Apocalypse and the Points Exchange System.

The rules of the Apocalypse were simple: in the Apocalypse, there were no rules. With the collapse of law and civilization and the downfall of morality, all survivors accepted the truth that might makes right-the strongest is the Boss.

The Points Exchange System, on the other hand, was established based on the Exchange Pillars scattered across the globe.

Points cannot be traded. Survivors earn Points by killing Zombies, Mutant Beasts, or Demonic Creatures, with the all-controlling Exchange System automatically awarding Points according to the strength of the defeated monster. The number of Points gained varies greatly depending on the monster's power.

Points are the currency in every survivor's hand, the material foundation for becoming stronger and the guarantee of survival. They are also humanity's hope for continued existence.

When a survivor touches an Exchange Pillar, they can use their Points to purchase various items.

For example: Classes, skills, various item scrolls, equipment, and even basic survival supplies.

Of course, the items available on the Exchange Pillar are all basic.

For instance, Wen Yu's previous life's Class-Warrior-was one of the three basic Classes offered by the Exchange Pillar.

By spending 10 Points, one could change to one of the three basic Classes. After the change, they would become a Level 1 Class Holder.

Even a Level 1 Class Holder, right after changing Classes, would have basic physical attributes twice that of a normal human.

After absorbing enough Magic Crystals, a Peak Level 1 Class Holder's physical attributes could reach ten times that of a normal adult male.

And this was only a Level 1 Class Holder.

Such terrifying enhancements naturally made survivors flock to them.

In his previous life, Wen Yu didn't dare step outside his home for the first month, so he knew nothing about Points.

After being rescued, the Zombies that had been everywhere at the beginning of the Apocalypse had already become rare creatures, hunted to near extinction by survivors. Wen Yu spent two whole months just to gather the 10 Points needed for a Class change.

As the saying goes, one misstep leads to many, and this caused Wen Yu to fall further and further down the path of cannon fodder.

It goes without saying what kind of role Points play in the Apocalypse.

In this life, Wen Yu still planned to change to the Warrior Class. After all, there was no hierarchy among the three basic Classes.

But having been a Warrior in his previous life, Wen Yu naturally had studied this Class the most.

It wasn't that Wen Yu didn't want to pursue a Hidden Class; it's just that Hidden Classes are mostly a matter of luck. Even after changing to a normal Class, one could still use a Class Change Scroll to switch to a Hidden Class, so Wen Yu wouldn't pin his hopes on the elusive Hidden Classes.

Having settled his plans for the future, Wen Yu took a sip of water, ate some simple food, and made his way to the elders' kitchen.

It was obvious that the kitchen was fully equipped.

Wen Yu picked out the largest kitchen knife, gently running his finger along the blade-the elders had maintained it well.

He then chose the sharpest dagger, replaced the fruit knife on his homemade spear, and turned to head outside.

The first step in Wen Yu's plan was to change to the Warrior Class.

In the Apocalypse, choosing a class is the first step towards evolving and becoming stronger. That's why having 10 Points is absolutely necessary.

As for things like the Exchange Pillar, Wen Yu could only say they were everywhere, hardly anything rare at all. Wen Yu remembered that right at the entrance of his Residential Area, there was a half-meter-tall, round Stone Pillar covered in mysterious patterns-that was an Exchange Pillar.

This was also the first Exchange Pillar Wen Yu saw in his previous life.

Standing in the corridor, Wen Yu listened carefully to the sounds around him. After about half an hour of chaos, the commotion had gradually died down.

Now, anyone who survived-even the dumbest-wouldn't keep shouting and screaming.

Unfortunately, Wen Yu didn't have the physical attributes of a Class Holder, so he couldn't distinguish subtle sounds. He had wanted to show off a bit, but now felt a little awkward. "Looks like I'll have to use the dumbest method."

Wen Yu muttered to himself, then gently knocked on the door of the last apartment on the third floor. From inside came a low, guttural roar.

Listening to the increasingly loud footsteps, Wen Yu confirmed there were two Zombies inside.

He took out two thin iron wires he'd picked up earlier and inserted them into the keyhole, gently fiddling with them.

After a year in the Apocalypse, lockpicking was definitely an essential skill for cannon fodder.

Thanks to this skill, Wen Yu had scavenged quite a bit of food that high-level Class Holders wouldn't even bother with.

With a click, the security door unlocked. Wen Yu immediately stepped back two paces. Watching as two Zombies squeezed out of the doorway, Wen Yu calmly retreated to the stairs.

The Zombies staggered out. When Wen Yu saw the distance was right, he powered his waist and thrust his homemade spear forward, precisely stabbing into a Zombie's eye socket. A spray of foul blood erupted, and the Zombie collapsed, motionless.

"Ding, you have gained one Point."

Hearing the notification in his mind, Wen Yu swung his spear at the other Zombie.

…

Looking at the two Zombies lying before him, Wen Yu gasped heavily.

"Ah, I never paid attention to exercising. Just killing two Zombies and I'm already exhausted."

Although Wen Yu had a year of killing experience in the Apocalypse, his physical foundation was too weak. After killing just two Zombies, his muscles were trembling all over.

Wen Yu knew well that this was a sign of mild exhaustion.

Relaxing his body a little, Wen Yu felt some strength return. He quietly climbed up to the fourth floor and gently knocked on the nearest apartment door.

As the knocking sounded, Wen Yu immediately heard a pattern of footsteps inside the room. He knew at once there was a survivor inside.

"Hello."

Wen Yu hesitated for a moment, then spoke first.

The survivor inside observed through the peephole for a long time, then slowly opened the door a crack, revealing a pretty face.

The one who opened the door was a young girl. Seeing Wen Yu "fully armed," with blood still on his weapon, she couldn't help but look nervous, trembling as she said, "H-hi…"

Wen Yu could see the girl was very scared. He hesitated, then said softly, "Stay at home for now. Someone will come to rescue you. If you don't have enough food, there's some downstairs. I'll clear out the monsters on these floors."

Hearing Wen Yu speak, the girl was clearly stunned for a moment. Wen Yu didn't wait for her to say anything else and turned to head up to the fifth floor.

When it came to survivors, Wen Yu's attitude was to help if he could.

But having lived another life, Wen Yu naturally wouldn't drag a burden along at the very start of the Apocalypse, during this race against time. That would greatly slow down his progress in becoming stronger.

Moreover, for a young girl, this world was far too cruel-so cruel that even Wen Yu, who had been cannon fodder in his previous life, couldn't help but feel sympathy for them.

"I hope you meet some good people." This was the last bit of kindness and blessing Wen Yu could offer to his upstairs neighbor.