Arno felt a shudder reverberate through his scalp. Although Zora merely recited a string of digits, Arno could visualize the sea of faces crowding the village. A mere population of thirty thousand. What then, could he make of nearly 7.3 billion zombies? The number was staggering, overwhelming the realms of human comprehension.

  This quantitative enormity imbued Arno with a sense of despair. He couldn't fathom how he ended up here, or whether his world might morph into such a state in a few decades. A sudden realization dawned upon him. "Are you implying that the XR virus erupted universally on December 20, 2055?" he queried, indicating his wristwatch. "Is the time displayed on this also accurate?"

  Zora replied with a smile, "The temporal readout on this chronometer adheres to American Standard Time. Therefore, it is entirely precise. As it stands, the XR virus has been rampant for three years and seven months." Arno found this difficult to believe. Could there still be survivors on Earth three years and seven months after the XR virus outbreak? The might of the undead was self-evident, their resilience unquestionable unless their brain was destroyed.

  "But, what exactly is my circumstance?" He seethed. "Don't you dare tell me that I've been asleep for decades!" At the mention of this, Arno felt a surge of rage, his recent brush with death in the village still making him tremble.

  "Of course, you haven't been asleep for decades," Zora retorted. "You were living in the year 2020 only yesterday. However, the Mother opened the time gate and transported you to this future world." Arno interjected, "Wait, you just mentioned the Mother. What is it?" Zora coquettishly shook her head and responded, "Insufficient access. Unable to answer." Arno furrowed his brows, "So, you're saying I was transported from 2020 to 2059?"

  "Indeed. Your current mission is to activate the genetic mutation embedded within you to gain access to more information. Only with sufficient access can you comprehend the complete story of the XR virus and understand your assigned task," Zora continued without allowing Arno to interject. "Your body underwent genetic stimulation by the Mother before the teleportation. Access is tiered into ten levels. Your current first-level genetic state grants you only the first level of access."

  Arno was incredulous at being transported here by the so-called Mother. He was already furious. Knowing that any moment could spell death here, he erupted, "I don't give a damn about your access levels. I want to return to my former world, not remain in this forsaken place teeming with undead."

  Despite Arno's outburst, Zora maintained her composure, "The primary function of the timepiece is teleportation. You can return to your former world whenever you wish." Overjoyed, Arno exclaimed, "Then what are we waiting for? Send me back right now. I want to leave this wretched place immediately." Zora answered with a smile, "While you can return to your former world, the timepiece can only teleport once per day, each lasting three hours. After three hours, regardless of your wishes, it will forcibly transport you back to this future world, exposing you to a dangerous period of 21 hours."

  Arno was taken aback and then grew furious, "So you're saying I'm doomed to stay in this hellish place forever? Why would the damned Mother do this? What does it need me for?" Zora offered an apologetic smile and replied, "The first-level data bank does not contain an answer. However, from our current standpoint, your priority should be to enhance your abilities, unlock the second level of access, and possibly understand the Mother's intentions."

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  "Why, out of more than five billion people on Earth, was I chosen?" Arno's anger had not subsided. Anybody suddenly and inexplicably transported to a dystopian future like this wouldn't be able to keep their composure.

  A document materialised before Zora out of thin air. She positioned it on the virtual desktop, scanning the contents of the folder for a moment before articulating, "Actually, you should feel privileged. Among the five billion inhabitants of Earth, only you possess a genetic structure suitable for the maternal conditions."

  Arno glanced at his frail physique, voicing his consternation, "Should I express gratitude to the mother for this opportunity, then?" His voice escalated into a roar, "Yet, how can my feeble frame house such powerful genes? This is preposterous! If that's the case, where do athletic stars stand? Are they considered superhumans?"

  Facing Arno's outburst, Zora stifled an alluring giggle, elucidating, "The potency of genes isn't quantified in such a manner. Haven't you noticed? Your strength and speed have long since surpassed those of an ordinary human. The strength of top-tier genes is five times that of an average person, who is benchmarked at 100."

  Feeling as if he had plunged into a science fiction world, Arno questioned, "So my strength is five times an ordinary human, implying a value of 500?" Zora affirmed with a nod, "Indeed, but this value will constantly increase with your evolution. When your strength reaches five times the previous level, your genetic rank will increase. It must be clarified that until successful advancement in genetic rank, even if you possess a strength of 2500, you can only exhibit half of this strength."

  "Meaning, only a true enhancement of genetic rank allows the full potential to be unleashed?" Arno, not being dull, quickly comprehended the gist of it. Zora confirmed, "Exactly, and I must mention that as your genetic rank improves, so does your spatial storage. Each level of advancement doubles the storage."

  Intrigued by this newly introduced concept of spatial storage, Arno's interest piqued. Given his predetermined fate, he decided to understand his space-time wristwatch better to ensure prolonged survival in this post-apocalyptic world. He queried, "What exactly is this spatial storage?"

  With a swipe of her hand, Zora unveiled a cubic meter of space within Arno's consciousness. This space, as pristine as snow, appeared vacant. "This is your spatial storage. At your current genetic rank, you only possess the initial one cubic meter. The space-time wristwatch is connected to your brain; you can summon the storage with a thought, and the teleportation function operates similarly."

  Upon hearing Zora's explanation, Arno suddenly raised a query, "Does this mean the spatial storage can be accessed anytime, even across different worlds?" Zora, her intelligence surpassing most, seemed to anticipate Arno's intention, "Indeed, you can transport items from the post-apocalyptic world to your original one, and vice versa. However, the precondition is that the transported items must be inanimate and within the capacity of the storage."

  Zora's clarification rendered the situation intriguing to Arno. Not only could he return to his original world for three hours each day, but he could also transfer objects between the two realms. This meant that his sole task was to safely navigate the 21 hours in this post-apocalyptic world each day. Regret overwhelmed him as he realised he could have gathered the currency strewn across the town. A cubic meter of space would have been enough to transform him into a millionaire.

  But dwelling on the past was fruitless. His strength was merely five times an ordinary human, far from posing a threat to the undead. If they were to even slightly scratch him, he'd be infected, doomed to become one of them.