Days in the Infinite

Deep breath... 

Li Ke adjusted his breathing as much as possible, trying to minimize any unnecessary noise and lighten his footsteps. 

His efforts paid off. At least, as he approached the sleeping zombie, it didn't wake from his movements, remaining slumped over in its dormant state, leaving its vulnerable neck exposed. 

Li Ke took a deep breath of the foul, decayed air and swung the fire axe in his hands. The axe landed with a sickening thud, bending the rotting zombie's neck unnaturally. The creature fell face-first to the ground. 

But Li Ke didn't stop. He ignored the axe now lodged in the zombie's neck, allowing it to fall together with the corpse. Without hesitation, he pulled out another axe from his back and swung it at the zombie's head. However, the creature roared as it staggered to its feet, causing his strike to land at an awkward angle. The blade embedded itself in the zombie's forehead but failed to deliver a fatal blow. 

Li Ke was prepared for this. He released his grip on the axe, took two quick steps back to evade the zombie's counterattack, and pulled a hammer from his back. With a heavy swing, he struck the back of the axe buried in the zombie's head. 

The cloth-wrapped back of the axe muffled the collision, producing only a dull thud. Accompanied by this sound, the axe drove deeper into the zombie's skull, causing it to wobble before collapsing to the ground. 

Li Ke didn't recklessly approach the fallen creature. Instead, he moved to the other zombie still twitching nearby, yanked the axe from its neck, and, before it could rise, decapitated it with a clean swing. 

Only after ensuring both zombies were completely motionless did Li Ke let out a breath, leaning against the wall of the room to catch his breath. 

But he couldn't hold back his frustration and muttered, "This godforsaken world." 

---

He had found himself in this world just yesterday morning. 

When he opened his eyes, two scantily clad blonde women had lunged at him, seemingly eager to embrace him. 

If not for the fact that their necks were half-rotted, their intestines and spleens hanging out while they moved unnaturally, he might have been delighted. 

Coupled with a torso-only corpse crawling toward him from the side, Li Ke quickly realized he wasn't on a zombie movie set. He was in a world of horror. 

---

Many people freeze and scream in panic during life-threatening situations—a survival instinct akin to standing still when a car is speeding toward you, even though running away is the best option. 

Li Ke was different. 

He'd punch first. 

This impulsive reflex had previously landed him in the hospital for a month with a fractured hand after attempting to punch a car. 

This time, when two blonde zombies lunged at him, his first instinct was to push them away. In doing so, he got scratched by their claws. 

And so, he was bitten by a zombie. 

---

Looking at the scabbed wound on the back of his hand, Li Ke couldn't help but raise his head. He felt humiliated. The predecessors in novels and stories who found themselves in similar situations either fought back valiantly or escaped unscathed. But him? One reflexive motion, and he'd practically signed his death warrant. 

This wasn't the most embarrassing "transmigrator" situation ever—there were definitely worse cases—but it was enough to make headlines. 

Still, without that reflexive punch, he would've had his throat torn out by the zombie's sharp teeth. There would've been no time to grab a crowbar and crush its now-fragile skull. 

After discovering his injury, Li Ke had rummaged through the camper van he woke up in, searching for anything to clean the wound. He even considered amputating his arm but knew that, without proper medical care, such an action would likely be a death sentence. 

---

After a night of contemplation, Li Ke decided that, whether or not he was infected, he would make the most of his remaining time. 

He refused to die of hunger or thirst. 

So, after a short rest, he began scavenging. 

Most of the food in the dilapidated house was inedible, either rotten or dried out. All he found were five cans of luncheon meat, two jars of jam, and an unopened bottle of water. 

Feeling parched, he continued searching but didn't find much water. Instead, he stumbled upon two jars of honey in a storage cabinet on the roof. 

"Honey? Still in good condition..." 

Li Ke licked his lips. All he wanted now was to enjoy life as much as possible. He immediately opened one jar and took a generous gulp. 

The sweetness lifted his spirits. Under normal circumstances, he'd never indulge in honey like this, but now, he didn't care. He might be living on borrowed time. 

---

While packing up his supplies to return to the camper van, a sudden scream broke the eerie silence. 

A blonde girl in a Japanese school uniform burst out of a house on the next street. 

Behind her were two or three zombies. 

Her panic had roused every zombie on the street. Li Ke could see it clearly: as soon as she screamed, the sounds of objects crashing echoed from nearby houses, and decayed figures began appearing at windows. 

Among them was a frog-like zombie that moved differently—it crawled low to the ground before leaping forward with incredible range, rapidly closing the distance to the girl. 

"Stupid woman..." 

Li Ke glanced at the scar on his arm. If he hadn't already been bitten, he wouldn't have bothered helping. 

But now? 

Gripping his axe and hammer, he burst out of the house, shouting at the girl, "Get down!" 

Startled, the girl instinctively crouched. Li Ke hurled his axe aside and swung his hammer with both hands, smashing it into the leaping zombie's face. 

---

Pulling her along, they dashed into the forest. After ensuring no zombies had followed, he turned to look at her. 

The girl was stunning—flawless white skin, violet-red eyes, and a delicate expression. However, her immaculate school uniform seemed out of place in this grim world. 

"How did you even manage to scream like that?" he asked. 

Tearing up, the girl replied, "I was starving and tried to find food, but..." 

Li Ke handed her a can of luncheon meat. She hesitated before murmuring, "Do you have anything tastier? I can't eat this... I threw up after eating canned food earlier." 

He froze. 

"You... What kind of person were you before this? A big shot?" 

"No, I just woke up here yesterday. One moment I opened my door, and the next, I was here!" 

She bowed deeply. "Thank you for saving me. My name is Nakiri Erina. Please take care of me!" 

Nakiri Erina? 

Li Ke's expression grew strange. 

If he remembered correctly, that was the name of a character from an anime. 

And she had a bloody scratch on her leg.