System Of The Undead

Chapter 1: Prologue

Long ago, the enigmatic figure known as "God" was said to have fallen from the heavens, arriving on Earth in the form of a meteorite whose fragments scattered across the globe. Throughout the ages, countless endeavors were made to harness the power of "God," but none succeeded until an extraordinary genius emerged.

In the year 2030, humanity had made incredible strides in medicine and technology, with one man, Dr. Schneider, at the forefront of this evolution. Born of German heritage but raised in the United States, Dr. Schneider was no ordinary individual. As time passed, he developed an unsettling God complex, convinced that he was a deity, attributing this to his ability to trigger humanity's next evolutionary phase and wield the power of "God".

The ambitious next step in his pursuit was immortality—a project that was under "Project Alpha." The allure of eternal life enticed people from all walks of life, prompting swift funding for the endeavor, as everyone sought to secure their place as recipients of this gift.

Through the initial trials of Project Alpha, Dr. Schneider achieved what he considered a remarkable success. He managed to revive a deceased mouse, and to his astonishment, the mouse displayed no negative effects, appearing docile and healthy.

In Dr. Schneider's mind, he stood on the cusp of a paradigm-shifting breakthrough, one that could reshape humanity's future and potentially offer immortality to those who sought it. Little did anyone suspect the consequences of tampering with forces that goes directly against nature.

The results were outstanding as the brain waves appeared perfectly normal.

Dr. Schneider basked in his newfound status, receiving a Nobel Prize and gaining widespread recognition for his groundbreaking work. However, the time for human trials arrived, and the public's unease became evident.

Many were uncomfortable with the notion of one man meddling with nature, leading to public protests. Despite the dissent, most turned a blind eye, driven by the desire to push humanity further, understanding that sacrifices were often made for progress.

Unsurprisingly, the chosen subject for the human trial was not an innocent citizen but rather a convicted serial killer, scheduled for execution that day. The thought of granting immortality to such a criminal troubled many, but they believed that immortality did not guarantee invulnerability.

As the drug was administered, the initial response seemed promising, filling the room with excitement and celebration. Dr. Schneider, fueled by his own ego, reveled in the moment.

However, the celebration was short-lived. Twenty-four hours later, the prisoner began convulsing violently, held in place by others to prevent harm. Despite their efforts, his heart stopped, and he was pronounced dead on the spot.

Annoyed but undeterred, Dr. Schneider was astonished when the prisoner's eyes snapped back open, launching himself at a nearby doctor. Chaos erupted, bullets were fired, but the prisoner stood unfazed, his body seemingly impervious to the damage. Dr. Schneider's face twisted into a smile as he found the situation fascinating. The prisoner was incapacitated by multiple gunshot wounds, but he was still "alive" but incapacitated, a peculiar phenomenon Dr. Schneider found intriguing.

With an unwavering belief in his godlike status, Dr. Schneider approached his latest creation, crouching to meet its eyes, and reaching out to touch it. In an unexpected twist, the creature lunged at him, initiating a struggle that ended with a fatal gunshot wound to the prisoner's head.

A concerned man inquired about Dr. Schneider's well-being, but the doctor offered no response, leaving the room in silence. While others perceived the experiment as a failure, Dr. Schneider viewed it as a significant leap forward, demonstrating that immortality had been achieved. However, he now faced the challenge of addressing the troubling side effects.

As Dr. Schneider pondered over the situation, he sensed that something crucial was amiss. His train of thought was interrupted when he felt a sudden, sharp pain in his arm. He rolled up his sleeves and discovered a tooth mark on his forearm, seemingly bitten during the struggle.

Feeling the need for some fresh air, Dr. Schneider decided to step out of the lab. Unbeknownst to him and everyone else, this seemingly innocent decision would prove to be the turning point leading to an impending tragedy.

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(A Few Weeks After That Incident)

"FUCKING HELL! WHY WON'T HE FUCKING DIE!" A man wearing a gaming headset vented his frustration at the computer screen he was gaming on.

The room he occupied was a chaotic mess, scattered with dirty dishes and empty cans. It was evident from the stench that he hadn't showered in quite some time.

In the dimly lit room, only his crimson-red eyes stood out with the rest of his features concealed.

"Seriously? you fucking suck, Jason..." A voice responded to the young man's rant, revealing his name to be Jason. He had fashioned a unique VR headset by modifying an outdated and obsolete one, using materials he had scavenged. Unable to afford a new headset, he had improvised with what he could find.

"You guys are fucking dickheads! How do we keep fucking getting killed by zombies!?" Jason cussed as they were sent back to the loading screen.

He opened a bag of chips to devour, looking to his left for the opened coke can that had been there for close to an hour, meaning it now had a flat taste.

"We keep getting killed because you're on our team..." Another voice said; Jason's mouth was stuffed with food so he couldn't verbally respond but he soon saw a notification on the lower part of his screen.

Jason opened it with little to no hesitation, and a pop-up appeared.

[Would You Like To Save The World? Y/N?]

It read and this was one of the easiest decisions of Jason's life, he pressed "Y" and the lights electricity in his house momentarily flickered.

[Syncing....]

Jason felt a sharp piercing pain coursing through his head, he thought the headset he had was malfunctioning, it might have been ruined by the flickering electricity or the fact he modified it himself with cheaper components. Before he could remove it, the pain subsided.

[Syncing Complete!]

[Downloading User Interface...]

[Downloading...40%]

[Downloading...80%]

[Downloading...99%]

[Download Complete!]

Jason sat in silence but what happened next was something that he did not expect, a pop-up right in front of his eyes, like it was a projection of some sort.

[User Identified: Jason Abbot!]

[Welcome To The Zombie Apocalypse!]

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SEE AUTHOR'S THOUGHTS!