Newbie protection period

‘A power bank, huh… Well, I suppose that’s acceptable.’

“Right, I haven’t asked you yet: what did you do before all this? Given your camouflage uniform, I’m rather curious.”

“Oh, it’s like this,” Lei Yi explained. “I was the captain of the S-city XX District SWAT unit. Just last night, I was still in training when the anomaly abruptly struck. After that eerie green light shone, I passed out. I only awoke this morning to receive directives from command to establish this base as a safe zone.”

“Ah, a pleasure to meet you then, a pleasure,” Chi Bai replied.

Lei Yi waved a dismissive hand. “Ah, but that’s all in the past now. Young man, your ability is so formidable; your future accomplishments will surely surpass mine. There’s no need for such modesty.”

Chi Bai scratched his head, still reeling from the shock of a commoner meeting a high-ranking official. “Not at all. I’m just a squishy mage, you know? You, on the other hand, are practically a melee sorcerer! With a soldier’s physique and your ability, it’s like adding wings to a tiger.”

Lei Yi felt a touch of embarrassment from the praise. “Let’s not get sidetracked with all this talk. Come with me first. I’m going to find Liu Yang to register your contribution points. I can’t let your help go unrewarded.”

With that, he gently pushed Chi Bai’s back, guiding him out, and then casually closed and card-locked the door behind them.

Liu Yang was the man they had seen at noon, holding papers and arranging their accommodation. According to Lei Yi, he was the general manager of the Armed Forces Department’s field operations and was currently in charge of the miscellaneous affairs here.

Lei Yi continued, “If you’re interested, you could join us tomorrow for a search and rescue mission. More hands would bring more hope, and, incidentally, we could gather up some supplies from the city.”

Chi Bai nodded. He felt his zombie-slaying this morning had gone reasonably well. Although initially, he relied purely on brute force, swinging the club to bash heads, which was quite strenuous, zapping the zombies with electricity later proved remarkably effortless.

He felt he still had ample energy to assist them in rescuing others. Moreover, his favorite part of playing ‘Chicken Dinner’ (TL Note: A popular battle royale game, similar to PUBG.) had always been scavenging buildings for supplies. He believed it would be quite enjoyable to go out with a team and search for resources.

Additionally, he also hoped to accumulate more contribution points. Money, at this point, seemed largely useless. What could one possibly buy with money? Essentials like food, drink, and supplies were far more crucial.

“Oh, right,” Chi Bai suddenly remembered. He turned to Lei Yi. “Are you aware that some zombies drop core crystals? Also, the system’s quests and even the novice gift packs contain these crystals, which can be used to enhance the level of one’s ability.”

“We know,” Lei Yi replied. “Our novice task was rather difficult. The zombies that originated from within the military compound were considerably tougher to eliminate than those outside. They possessed immense strength and felt no pain. We only found it somewhat easier once we discovered that a headshot with a gun could take them down. Still, some individuals were scratched and subsequently turned into zombies.”

He sighed. “It’s truly agonizing, you know, watching comrades we trained with daily transform into these inhuman, grotesque creatures—let alone having to deliver the killing blow. My apologies for burdening you with this.”

“It’s alright,” Chi Bai said. “It’s tough for everyone. Oh, speaking of which, the system seems to have gone quiet now, no longer issuing side quests.”

Lei Yi nodded. “It only issued one mission when it first appeared, and since then, there’s been no activity. We’ll just have to wait and see. In any case, there’s no getting rid of this thing, so we’ll just have to take things one step at a time.”

“I was just…” Before he could finish, a distinct ‘Ding—’ reverberated in his mind. He and Lei Yi exchanged a glance, then both stopped walking and opened their panels to check for a new mission.

‘Only mission notifications triggered that sound,’ Chi Bai thought.

He was astonished to find that the main quest had actually progressed, albeit only by 0.5%. Still, this was welcome news. Compared to a stagnant progress bar, even such a small but tangible movement was far more reassuring; at least it wasn’t entirely devoid of hope.

Turning his gaze to the side quest, indicated by a pulsing red dot, he read the title: [Dear Savior, the novice protection period has passed. Are you ready for the upcoming surprise?]

Before Chi Bai could fully process that the novice protection period had actually ended, his eyes fell upon the ‘surprise’ mentioned below.

[Pollution will infect all living beings. Following humanity, animals have also mutated, harboring intense hostility towards both humans and zombies. Please eliminate them. PS: Friendly reminder, marine animals are even more ferocious!]

‘Damn it! What kind of catastrophic start is this—troubles piling up when it’s already bad?’ he thought. ‘Whose novice protection period only lasts a single day? And I wasn’t even in this world yesterday; I only arrived this morning! For me, the novice protection period was a mere five hours, from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM!’

Lei Yi’s expression grew grave, clearly having seen the same information. Simultaneously, a small red dot began pulsing in his private chat. The national group chat had once again issued a statement, urging the public not to panic, confirming that military forces were being mobilized for support, and large-scale weaponry was en route. It advised against approaching the coastline to avoid casualties.

—

Within the main hall, reports from several coastal cities quickly surfaced, stating that strange, large creatures had appeared on the ocean surface. Fortunately, they showed no intention of coming ashore.

—

Chi Bai read this message and then looked towards the XX District coastline. Indeed, he could see something breaching the water’s surface and then submerging back into the sea. Typically, creatures like whales and dolphins were rarely seen in this area, making the probability very low. Thus, it was likely another species, or perhaps a different mutated creature.

Lei Yi, who had been jovial moments before, was now typing solemnly in the air. Chi Bai couldn’t see what he was sending, but he presumed it was likely a series of commands.

Just then, animalistic cries echoed from the north. They sounded like a mix of dogs and wolves, certainly not the adorable meows of a kitten.

Chi Bai knew these must be the mutated animals the system had mentioned. Lei Yi stopped typing and looked at Chi Bai, a hint of apology in his voice. “My apologies, we should be protecting you all. That’s our duty as soldiers. However, as an ability user, I genuinely hope you can lend us a hand.”

Chi Bai was hesitant. He was no saint. His earlier agreement to join the search and rescue was partly out of personal interest and partly to accumulate contribution points. He was, by nature, someone who valued his life and feared death—after all, who would willingly embrace demise when they could live well? However, even if he were to retreat a thousand steps, he did possess the ability to help them, and this was a challenge he would inevitably have to face. With great power came great responsibility. How long could he truly hide in the rear? If he could help, then he should.

Thus, Chi Bai nodded, agreeing to Lei Yi’s request.

Truth be told, Lei Yi had felt a degree of reluctance in asking Chi Bai for help, but for the greater good, he had no choice but to voice such a request. He had observed Chi Bai’s momentary hesitation, yet he was immensely pleased that an ability user as powerful as Chi Bai would become an ally rather than an adversary.