Chapter 10: A New Dawn, A New Jin

Emerging from the Luminous Sky Lounge, their pupils narrowed, emitting an eerie amber-orange luminescence that signaled lurking danger, causing them to freeze in their tracks.

"Interesting," they murmured with a sly smirk, raising their thick eyebrows as they surveying the area carefully with a keen focus, evaluating the terrain with precision.

With a determined jaw and a composed mind, they moved slowly onto the road.

…

The stairs leading to the lower floors of the Luminous Sky Lounge were already stained with blood and littered with scattered human organs. The long counter bar was cracked, and its tip was broken.

Near the bar counter, Jin checked his ammo supply, inspected his shotgun, and slowly put on the newly found pants and boots.

Examining his reflection in a shard of mirror, his sharp jawline and thick eyebrows stood out now.

The remaining tinge of fear had dissipated from his eyes, and he now exuded an overbearing and solar aura that would make any future enemies nervous to face him and his amber slit eyes.

"I feel calm? Too calm," Jin muttered, his lips tight. He had been staring at his reflection for over a minute, his chaotic mind and hesitant decisions now icy memories that disgusted him.

"I think it's a good thing," Jin said, shaking his head to dispel the unwanted thoughts.

After Jin slayed the group of Blood Slaves, he had a gut feeling that something inside him had undergone a massive change, possibly related to his emotions.

He no longer felt afraid and his emotions were overwhelmed with confidence.

"Maybe it's because of this armor?" Jin squinted at the newly acquired armor and felt the surface of the metal on his chest.

He shook off the thought, nevertheless, it didn't harm him. After clearing the surrounding and analyzing his own powers, he walked down the stairs to the first floor. Disgusting body parts and lifeless corpses lay scattered beneath him.

His messy black hair glistened in the sunlight as he walked, and the ammo pouch on his waist jingled.

He now wore shoes over his bare feet. When he arrived on the first floor, the whole area was completely empty.

It seemed all the battles from the second floor had included the Blood Slaves from the first floor.

As he walked down into the basement, he took all the remaining ammo, making his total shotgun shells 200, including his old ammo and the remaining ammo on the shelf.

"Now it's time to say hello to the world," Jin said to himself. He stepped out of the exit door, a slight curve on his mouth, the glaring sunlight shining upon him.

He had been forced to stay in this lousy nightclub for the entire night until morning. But now he was finally out. He thought the situation outside might not be as bad as he had anticipated.

Little did Jin know, his outlook, temperament, and even his common sense had been completely transformed, as if he had been upgraded into a brand new person, without him even realizing it.

…

On the first day after the arrival of the strange alien entity on Earth, the warm and brilliant sun shone strangely, and it shone even brighter on Jin as he stepped out of the nightmare place he had suffered through.

Jin surveyed his surroundings and squinted in the bright sunlight.

The long asphalt, black road that should have been jammed with traffic in the morning was now filled with crashed cars and scattered clothes.

The busy speakers that would normally announce news every morning were now silent, adding to the dead and eerie tranquility that surrounded him.

Jin sighed, realizing his expectations had been too high. Surveying the surroundings, he noticed that the streets were deserted and most of the buildings had no electricity.

He lived in the Pudong New Area District in an apartment near Shanghai Jianqiao University, where he also worked as a security guard. He lived there rent-free thanks to the apartment owner's kindness.

Pudong New Area District was well-known for its stock exchange and many large Chinese companies had their central offices located there.

Rumors were circulating about disputes among the big companies, which supposedly led them to secretly employ and support the local gang as a source of their reverse power.

This was the reason why Jin had already given up his career the moment he heard that the trio were backed by one of the gangs.

The nightclub he had visited was located at Shanghai Waigaoqiao Port, near the cave where a colony of bats had recently been featured in the news.

It is also the reason why the Vampiric Bats invaded the area around port in the first place.

To walk back to his home, which was located several miles away, he usually just called an online ride-hailing service that would take at least 15 minutes.

But now, with the service down due to the arrival of the strange alien entity, he had to walk by himself.

Pudong New Area was located in the east district of Shanghai city and he needed to head west towards his home located near Shanghai's central city.

The reason why he went home first was not just because he had all his saved equipment and knowledge there, but also because..

Jin rummaged through one of the many pockets on his new pants and took out an old-fashioned brass skeleton key with intricate details etched into its metal surface.

The long, slender stem ended in a rounded, bulbous head. His eyes gleamed with a hidden meaning as he gripped the key firmly and confidently.

"This could increase my chances of survival," he thought to himself as he put the key back into his pocket. He then headed towards the open area, intending to search for anything useful cars.

Walking by foot was a good choice not only to conceal his tracks from unwanted danger, but also to sneak and scout the surrounding situation as he passed.

"However, I'm afraid someone might unlock the basement and try to get their hands on what's inside."

That would be too slow, not to mention the chaos that had already descended. Plus, the key was not exclusive to him; the other security guards also had the same exact key.

The owner said it was for safety measures, just like the basement in the night club before.

This made him wonder how rich these people were, building a secret and safe basement just because of the dispute among the large companies.

However, it seemed that all of his naive thoughts were, or rather, his knowledge was too limited.

Jin, who checked the car by himself, suddenly had a bad feeling. The deserted long road now looked like a looming and lurking danger that could take his life at any moment.

"Interesting," he murmured with a sly smirk, raising his thick eyebrows with a keen focus. His piercing gaze scrutinized the surroundings, evaluating the terrain with precision.

With his lips pressed tightly together and a determined jaw, his composed mind commanded his body to move slowly onto the side road, seeking protection in the shadow of the building.

"There you are," Jin declared, turning his head towards a distant building where a glimmer of light was aimed directly at his position. The open windows and chilly gusts of wind stirred his primal instincts.

In a heartbeat, a bullet whistled past Jin and he swiftly leaned to the side with a deft maneuver, narrowly avoiding being hit.

Despite the danger, he raised his hands in surrender and shouted, "Guys, I'm a law-abiding citizen and I mean no harm to the government. Why did you shoot at me like this?"

However, despite his seemingly vulnerable appearance, his sharp pupils narrowed as he tried to locate the sniper's position.

Jin's reckless action was to confirm the enemy's identity. If they were part of the government, he could assess the current situation in his country and take advantage of their safe location.

The Blood Slaves were terrifying creatures; remembering the human corpses that had been sucked dry and turned into one of them, the possibility that more people in this world would become Blood Slaves was nearly 80%.

It felt like a zombie apocalypse, but luckily the Blood Slaves had a weakness to sunlight. But what about at night? What if a mass of them suddenly attacked him simultaneously?

He needs time! Knowing this entity can enhance human body, he needs time to become strong enough to crush all of them by himself!

That's why his first option is to find a safe place to grow. But if they shoot him again, that means they have no relation with the government and can only become...

"What a fool," a voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts. The voice was close, but Jin, who was already wary of any action, could sense the incoming danger aimed towards him.

"Me? Well, who knows?" Jin sneered, and his body quickly moved from his previous position.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Following his retreat was a rapid attack of machine guns from the building across from him.

Jin, who was hiding with his back against the wall in the narrow, dark alley, peeked cautiously, but the moment his eyes were revealed, he immediately withdrew his neck.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Another bullet struck the wall behind him.

"The enemy has the advantage of high ground, and some of them seem nearby," Jin murmured as he surveyed his surroundings. Across from the narrow alley was an open store without electricity.

The road before him was filled with abandoned cars, giving him a momentary advantage if he tried to risk his life entering the building.

But inside the building, there was a high chance of Blood Slaves waiting and ambushing him there.

The coincidental opening of the building's door and the barrage of attacks seemed to be part of the enemy's plan to lure him inside.

"They have planned this. My battles and gunfire must have been heard by them. But who are they? How could they control a group of humans on this first day of this chaotic world?" Jin was puzzled.

This was the first day, and he believed not everyone was as calm as he was, especially normal people. They would still be confused and terrified by these terrifying creatures that had attacked him.

The group of humans should not yet have assembled, as they were still trying to survive and their minds in a mess. Unless, Jin thought, as the image of a trio flashed in his mind.

"The gang wars." The worst possibility. Jin then glanced down at the shotgun, reading the description once more to confirm his presumption.

[The Mossberg 930 is a semi-automatic shotgun used for personal defense at Luminous Sky Lounge. It was originally owned by the gangs that occupied this area, but was then gifted to the bartender for protection against attacks from other gangs.]

"I see," Jin nodded, finally understanding what was happening.

Based on his assumption, there was a high chance that the gangs had planned this attack, specifically targeting the nightclub he had visited, Luminous Sky Lounge.

However, the invasion of the Vampiric Batas had caught them off guard. Even Jin with his shotgun could easily kill these bats, so…

"They can easily crush these bats ," he mused. Now all the confusing parts were connected to each other. They must be shocked that there were survivors among those normal people.

"And I'm currently in the worst situation," Jin frowned, his face darkening.

The gang must assume he was backed by another gang. Now that this whole mess had already targeted him, there was no way the gang would let him off easily.

"What should I do? They have prepared everything, set the trap, and waited for me the entire day." He fell into a trance-like state while strategizing.

His frown grew deeper, his eyes growing colder. The tapping of his hands and the temporary break from the relentless attack of the machine gun led him to two choices.

"I can head the other way," he thought, turning around to look at the long, dark, narrow alley.

But somehow, the thought disgusted him.

He didn't know why he felt this way, but he had a gut feeling that if he chose this way, he would lose something valuable and regret it for the rest of his life.

"Hmm, then there is no other way but to walk into the enemy's trap," Jin concluded. His biggest advantage was that the enemy seemed unaware of the game entity or did not understand it.

He also had his armor on and his strength had already reached the point where he could crush Blood Slaves with his bare hands.

Additionally, his shotgun was excellent at close range. Thus, if the enemy also entered the building, he would have the upper hand.

In conclusion, there was nothing to fear except the bullets from snipers and the countless rounds from machine guns.

Taking a deep breath, Jin focused his eyes on the building across from him, where the door seemed to invite him into the darkness. He tightened his grip on the shotgun as he readied himself.

Swoosh!

With all of his stats enchanted, Jin ran into one of the abandoned cars to take cover.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

As expected, the moment he emerged from the shadow of the narrow alley, the machine guns immediately fired at him. The car trembled and finally let out a black smoke that halted their fires for a moment.

Jin's slit pupil peeked between the broken car windows, trying to locate the machine gun. However, he was rendered speechless upon seeing many machine guns protruding out from the windows, all aimed at his location.

"That's five of them," Jin clenched his palms and visible veins showed his anger. They really exerted their full strength just to eliminate an unknown stranger! He was just a bystander!

"Fine, you guys were the ones seeking problems with me," after confirming the number of the enemy, Jin ran at full speed towards the building.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

The machine gun bullets followed his movements, trailing behind him as if it had a thousand grudges against him.

But Jin's speed exceeded that of the average person, and he did a roll and safely arrived inside the dark building.

Knowing that there were still dangers, Jin couldn't relax even after escaping the previous danger.

His grip on his shotgun immediately tightened as he stood up, scanning his surroundings, expecting an ambush that awaited him.

However, instead of an ambush, what he found inside the building left him speechless!