After All Species Mutated, I Activated Cheats [Apocalyptic] - Chapter 1

On May 12, 3023, a nuclear laboratory belonging to the R-Alliance, located on a lonely island in the Great Eastern Ocean, suffered a leak. To evade international responsibility, the R-Alliance suppressed the news.

Two months later, a typhoon swept through X-City. Now, the wind and rain had finally subsided.

At the entrance of X-City First Hospital, Lu Mian was repeatedly checking a small slip of paper.

“So, what did the doctor say?”

He held his phone against his shoulder with his ear, while his friend, Wei Qing, rambled on the other end of the line.

While trying to decipher the handwriting on the paper, Lu Mian replied, “It’s just a common cold. But there seems to be a flu going around lately, and the hospital is out of a lot of medications. The doctor just wrote me a note and told me to buy them at a pharmacy outside.”

Wei Qing breathed a sigh of relief. “You’ve been burning up for three or four days, so I’m glad it’s just a cold. Go buy your meds and get some good rest at home!”

Lu Mian hummed in agreement, chatted for a few more moments, and hung up. He looked up and took a deep breath, but the moisture in the air was so heavy it made his throat feel uncomfortable.

X-City was a coastal city where typhoons were a common occurrence, and everyone was used to them. He had been caught in the rain at the start of the storm and had been running a fever ever since. He’d spent the last four days in a daze, and only after the rain stopped did he manage to pull himself together to visit the hospital.

He glanced at the paper in his hand. Most of what the doctor prescribed were standard cold medicines he usually kept at home, with only one or two specialized items. He memorized the names and walked slowly toward the nearby pharmacies.

To his surprise, medication seemed to be in short supply everywhere. He checked more than a dozen stores, walking all the way from the hospital back to his neighborhood, before finally finding what he needed in a small, inconspicuous shop.

The clerk was scanning the items, and while Lu Mian waited, his eyes drifted to the television screen in the store.

The TV was tuned to a local station broadcasting news about the fishing industry. Many of the sea creatures being hauled in by fishermen looked strange.

The clerk was quite talkative. Seeing the customer watching the news, they didn’t rush to collect the money, instead sighing, “There’s been a lot of news like this lately. I don’t know what’s going on. Those fish and shrimp are looking weirder and weirder. No one wants to eat seafood anymore!”

Looking at the octopus on the screen that had two heads, Lu Mian smiled and replied, “Tell me about it. Quite a few seafood restaurants have already closed down.”

After chatting for a bit, he bid the friendly clerk goodbye and headed home with his medicine.

He was an orphan who grew up in an orphanage and had bounced between several foster families. For various reasons, he eventually ended up on his own. Fortunately, he was bright enough to get into university, which meant he would be living in a dorm for most of the next few years.

He was close with Wei Qing. Because of their shared interests, they had learned digital painting together, and he hadn’t expected that skill to become his current means of making a living.

After the college entrance exams, he had taken on a large commission. This allowed him to save enough for his tuition while still having enough left over to rent his current studio apartment.

After scanning his face at the entrance, Lu Mian opened the iron gate of the residential complex and greeted the security guard.

The guard was wearing a mask and let out a few low coughs.

Lu Mian stopped and turned back, asking softly, “Grandpa, do you have a cold too?”

The old man had worked as a guard in this complex for many years and was very kind. When Lu Mian first moved in, the old man was afraid he’d get lost and walked a long way to show him the way.

The white-haired man waved his hand, his eyes looking a bit clouded. “Don’t even get me started. A few days ago, when the typhoon hit, I helped Auntie Cui from the first floor bring in her laundry. I caught a few drops of rain, and I guess I’m just too old to be useful anymore. I’ve been sick ever since I got back that day.”

Hearing an experience so similar to his own, Lu Mian sighed. “I also got caught in the rain during the typhoon and ended up sick. The hospitals are packed right now and medicine is hard to find. Did you get yours yet? I have some here, you can take a few…”

As he spoke, he leaned down to pull the medicine out of his bag, but the old man pushed him toward the inner part of the complex.

“No, no! I’ve already got all my medicine,” the guard insisted. “You’re sick yourself, hurry home and get some rest!”

The old man was elderly, so Lu Mian didn’t dare struggle, and fearing he might block the path for others, he eventually gave up.

However, remembering the bone-chilling cold he felt from the old man’s hand just now, he couldn’t help but turn back and call out one last time, “Then make sure you rest well, too. If it’s too much, take some time off. Your hands are so cold, you should put on more clothes if you’re feeling chilly.”

Hearing this, the old man froze for a second, then smiled and waved him away.

Lu Mian adjusted his mask and hurried through the courtyard, stopping in front of the convenience store at the base of his building. “Boss, any packages for Unit 1, 401?”

The owner was a middle-aged man with a large birthmark on his face, which looked a bit intimidating at first glance.

“Yes, it’s right by the shelf. It’s a big one, very heavy. You probably can’t carry it alone, let me find a trolley for you, wait a moment.”

Lu Mian tried to nudge the half-chest-high box, but it didn’t budge an inch. He looked at the owner gratefully. “Thank you, Boss!”

The owner was busy ringing up a customer and took a moment to glance at him. “Don’t mention it, young man.”

Lu Mian complimented the owner’s kindness and then stood quietly to the side so as not to disturb his work.

A moment later, the owner finished, reached for a trench coat behind the counter to put it on, and then went to the warehouse to wheel out a small freight trolley.

Lu Mian’s gaze lingered on the black trench coat, and the confusion in his heart deepened.

Even though a typhoon had just passed, the temperature was still quite high. Wasn’t it sweltering to wear a trench coat in the middle of summer?

He leaned over to help lift the package onto the trolley. “Boss, are you… cold?”

The owner straightened up and replied sheepishly, “I’ve got a bit of a cold and my hands and feet feel freezing. But I’m afraid the customers will feel hot, so I don’t dare turn off the AC. I figured I’d just wear more layers myself.”

Lu Mian raised an eyebrow. “You’re sick too?”

The owner turned away and coughed twice. Once he caught his breath, he replied, “It’s not just me. Most people who’ve come into the shop the last day or two are coughing like crazy or running a fever. It must be the flu.”

Lu Mian nodded in deep agreement. He bid the owner goodbye and pushed the trolley all the way home to drop off the package, then immediately rushed back to return the trolley to the convenience store.

In just that short time, the shop had become quite crowded. Lu Mian left the trolley at the door and stood there, waiting for the owner to finish so he could let him know he was back.

Just then, someone tapped him on the shoulder.

Lu Mian turned around and took a moment to recognize the person. He greeted her politely, “Auntie Wang.”

Auntie Wang was his landlord. She was a nice person, though a bit of a gossip.

Auntie Wang was wearing a mask, and when she saw him, the crows-feet around her eyes deepened. “Xiao Lu, why are you just standing here? Get in there, or there won’t be any water left.”

Lu Mian looked bewildered. “What water?”

Auntie Wang pulled him into the store. “Haven’t you checked the owners’ group chat? Property management just announced a water shut-off starting at five this afternoon. I heard there’s a problem at the water plant, and nobody knows when it’ll be back on. You’d better buy some drinking water to stock up. When you get back, remember to fill up your buckets and basins, a person can’t live without water.”

Hearing this, it finally clicked for Lu Mian, and he quickly agreed with her.

The two walked to the shelf for purified water, but Auntie Wang started shouting when she saw it was empty. “How are you people so fast! Old Li, is there any water left? The shelves are bare!”

The owner, busy at the register, called out from a distance, “Yes, yes, there’s more, wait a second!”

The owner apologized to the person at the counter, then hurried into the warehouse to bring out more water. Seeing this, Lu Mian pushed the trolley he had just returned into the warehouse and asked the busy owner, “Boss, do you need a hand?”

The owner looked back at him, his smile widening. “You’re quick! That would be a huge help, push the trolley in further.”

Lu Mian did as he was told and helped the owner restock the shelves.

Auntie Wang happily took two cases. Lu Mian hesitated, then looked back at the large jugs of purified water sitting quietly on the floor.

He had planned to stay in to work on his drawings anyway, and he might not leave the house for several days. He already had plenty of noodles at home, but now it seemed he needed to stock up on water. 4.5 liters per jug, would it be easier to just take a few?

Thus, taking advantage of his youth, he boldly hauled four jugs home. Before leaving, his gaze inadvertently drifted to the corner.

The screen of the vertical air conditioner was covered in a layer of dust.

And at the counter, the owner was still wearing that black trench coat.

He frowned. That air conditioner clearly wasn’t even on. Boss, aren’t you hot?

Back at home, Lu Mian filled his folding bathtub with water. After making sure everything was in order, he took his medicine and fell asleep.

When he woke up again, the sky was completely dark.

Flashes of red and blue light flickered outside his window. He climbed out of bed groatily and looked out.

His window faced the main road. Over a dozen police cars were escorting several ambulances, speeding past. They didn’t use their sirens, driving through the streets in eerie silence.

Lu Mian squinted. Since when did ambulances need a police escort?

At that moment, a piercing pain shot through his temples without warning. Lu Mian held his breath, not daring to move, waiting silently for the sensation to pass before letting out a sharp breath.

He braced himself against the windowsill to recover, blaming the headache on the flu and not thinking much more of it.

Fumbling his way into the living room, the only light in the darkness came from the faint glow of the digital clock.

It was currently 1:30 AM.

At this hour, the phone screen on the coffee table was flashing incessantly. He unlocked it and found it was the neighborhood owners’ group chat.

Unit 1, 1012 Wu: Brother Zhao from 1011 was just taken away. They looked like they were from the hospital, all in hazmat suits, it looked pretty scary…

Unit 4, 601 Li Shun: Brother Zhao? When he came to my shop today, his face was terrifyingly pale. I told him to go to the hospital, and he said he’d already been and had blood drawn. I haven’t seen him since.

Unit 3, 403: Could it be that they found some kind of disease in his blood work?

Unit 1, 1304 Zhang Yan: They were all in hazmat suits, is it something contagious?

Property Management Xiao Sun: We have already sent someone to contact the hospital to find out the situation. Until the results are in, please stay calm and do not speculate too much.

The noisy group fell silent after the management spoke up. Lu Mian scrolled through the chat history, feeling that something was off. A second later, a text notification appeared at the top of his screen.

“The flu in X-City is spreading at an extremely rapid rate throughout the city. Residents are advised to reduce outdoor activities and avoid crowded areas. The primary symptoms of this flu include headache, coughing, fever, weakness in the limbs, and chills. If you experience severe symptoms, please seek medical attention immediately. Please wear a mask when going out. — X-City Disease Control Center.”

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