The academic building.

  The hallways were filled with the laughter and chatter of youthful, vibrant energy. Passing faces, still carrying a hint of innocence, were like the midday sun—bursting with life.

  The bell rang.

  "Hurry up, the professor's about to take attendance!"

  "After attendance, we'll sneak out through the back door!"

  "..."

  The college students quickened their pace. Mei, amidst the crowd, felt somewhat out of place, her leisurely and comfortable gait neither hurried nor slow.

  Watching the scene before her, she couldn't help but recall her own university days. At that time, she was just like these students: attending class reluctantly, her mind filled with nothing but study.

  While not exactly carefree, it was indeed one of the most comfortable periods of her life. Remembering it now still brought a sense of nostalgia.

  Before long, only Mei remained in the hallway.

  As she passed a certain classroom, she turned and walked inside. There were only two students: a somewhat lean boy and a girl wearing a blue pleated skirt.

  Both held chalk in their hands, each writing out mathematical formulas on the blackboard. Before long, several blackboards were densely covered with calculations.

  Mei stood quietly below the podium, watching. They were attempting to calculate the efficiency of a certain energy diffraction, a field at the cutting edge of scientific research.

  If things proceeded smoothly, this research project would soon touch upon time and space, thereby entering the vast domain of multi-parallel dimensions.

  Because of the existence of the Endless Space, and by borrowing the powers and technologies within its tiered worlds, the cutting-edge science of this world had reached an incredibly advanced level.

  However, it wasn't applied to daily life.

  Seeing the two lost in thought, Mei spoke up to remind them.

  "The diffraction value is off by 0.012 basic units."

  The two in front of the blackboard were stunned. The lean boy was the first to snap back to reality.

  Tanbo turned his head, his gaze revealing great surprise. He hadn't expected anyone else to understand the significance of these formulas.

  "The diffraction value is wrong?"

  Mei nodded. "Wrong."

  The girl on the podium glanced at the diffraction value on the blackboard. She didn't argue; she simply wiped away the previous calculations and restarted the entire process from scratch.

  After a long while, Yoinge used the chalk to write out the newly calculated diffraction value on the blackboard. The result was exactly as Mei had said: their initial result had been off by 0.012 basic units.

  She was even more shocked.

  "You calculated our error value at a single glance?"

  Tanbo’s eyes lit up as if he had discovered a treasure. He enthusiastically extended an invitation to Mei: "Classmate, are you interested in joining our research?"

  Mei politely declined. "I'm just observing."

  Tanbo didn't mind at all, generously stating that Mei was welcome to come and watch anytime. If she ever had an idea, she was always welcome to join this research project.

  ...

  At the class meeting.

  "Mei, Tanbo, Yoinge."

  At the first class meeting of the new semester, the counselor noted down the names of the three. It wasn't until the meeting was nearing its end that the three arrived late. Tanbo and Yoinge then realized that Mei was actually their classmate.

  The earlier parts of the meeting were quite mundane; the important part came afterward. All the students, under the counselor's guidance, would enter the Endless Space for the first time.

  The Endless Space had 100 floors, each possessing an independent world. These 100 worlds were known as tiered worlds. Death within a tiered world meant true death.

  The government had established strict regulations: minors were prohibited from entering the Endless Space. Without proper guidance and protection, the mortality rate would be incredibly high.

  The university had assigned this introductory task to the counselors.

  The counselor meticulously checked the class numbers and names: "Alright, everyone take out your phones. Remember, choose 'Collective Entry'!"

  Mei took out her phone.

  She opened the Endless Space App.

  The Endless Space could only be cleared layer by layer, from low to high. This was Mei’s first time entering a tiered world, so naturally, she could only enter the first floor.

  As she clicked on the first floor and chose "Entry."

  WHOOSH!

  Her entire body instantly turned into a streak of white light and vanished. The students in the classroom entered the Endless Space one by one. When their vision returned, several dozen students stood scattered on a street.

  Looking around.

  This was a ruined, abandoned metropolis. Rusty, corroded cars lined the streets, and the air was thick with the revolting smell of rotting meat.

  CLICK!

  The counselor stood atop a car, quickly guiding the students in the most conspicuous manner possible. He retrieved a silenced rifle from his Personal Spatial Storage, lowered his voice, and used hand signals to tell the students to follow him.

  The students hurried along, walking as quietly as possible. They didn't dare to be careless.

  The Endless Space had existed for a very long time; strategy guides for it were everywhere on the internet. Naturally, they knew what kind of world the first floor was.

  A Zombie World!

  Even if someone truly didn't know, the counselor had emphasized repeatedly before entering that they should never panic or make a scene upon arrival. Otherwise, attracting zombies would result in a life-threatening situation within minutes.

  Unexpectedly, though, surprise was all that remained.

  The atmosphere was oppressive. The ruined, modernized city... the familiar stench. The sunset’s rays were blocked by the dilapidated skyscrapers on both sides, the glass refracting the light into a bleak, grayish-white hue that was unsettling.

  Mei knew the first floor of Endless Space was a Zombie World, but she truly hadn't expected it to be the very same world she had first landed in after entering Hyperdimensional Space.

  Everything here was familiar. She even felt a sense of nostalgia.

  Now, Mei could confirm that this mission world and the Earth Universe were absolutely not in the same part of the void; the Earth Universe's Void World’s Timeline did not have a large sphere of light.

  Furthermore, this Zombie World was not in the same void as the mission world. This implied that there wasn't just one void; the world was far vaster than she had imagined.

  So, the question arose: what point in time was the Zombie World in? Was it before Mei entered Hyperdimensional Space, or after she had left this world? Or... was it exactly during the period she had spent in this world?

  The answer was clear.

  Mei raised her head. She could see in the distance a powerful telekinetic force strong enough to warp light. A figure streaked across the sky, cleaving the clouds in two like a blade.

  BOOM!

  The sonic boom rippled out, causing the zombies in the city to grow agitated. The students also reflexively looked up, staring at the sky where the black shadow had flashed past.

  "A fighter jet?"

  The counselor’s face changed color. He hurriedly led the students into a building to hide. Once inside, the students scavenged for weapons, emerging with steel pipes, water pipes, kitchen knives, and baseball bats.

  Tanbo took care to look back at Mei. Seeing her staring blankly at the horizon, he quickly whispered, "Mei, hurry up and follow the counselor! It's dangerous outside; the zombies are getting restless!"

  "Alright."

  Mei stepped forward and followed.

  ...

  The counselor cautiously cleared the second floor, and the students weren't idle either. In groups of five, they stayed vigilant, thoroughly barricading the stairs.

  After completing these tasks, the group's frayed nerves relaxed a bit. The counselor retrieved numerous weapons from his Personal Spatial Storage and distributed them to each student.

  Firearms.

  Daggers.

  And a large amount of high-energy food.

  Clearly, the counselor had prepared extensively for this introductory mission.

  The Endless Space was quite generous; beyond items dropped in the tiered worlds, there were various "Space" rewards.

  The counselor's Personal Spatial Storage was a reward obtained from the Endless Space.

  Just like the Hyperdimensional Space, items obtained as drops or rewards in the Endless Space could be brought back to the real world.

  Naturally, other items could not be taken out.

  Touching the firearms, the students were extremely excited, their sense of security greatly bolstered. They had received firearms training during their freshman military drill, so using them wasn't an issue.

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  "Finally, a dream come true!"

  "Watch it, don't let it go off."

  The students' excitement bubbled in low whispers.

  The counselor emphasized once again: "Classmates, this is your first time entering a tiered world of the Endless Space. No matter how excited you are, remember: this is not a game!"

  Following that, the excitement was suppressed.

  "Although I’ve stressed this repeatedly before we entered, I must emphasize it once more for the sake of your safety. Listen to me carefully."

  The counselor cautioned: "First, this is a Zombie World. The level of technology is at the information-age level. Be careful of zombies, and be careful of survivors."

  "Second, do not act alone. Do not leave the group. Until we have conquered this floor's Guardian, we cannot leave this world."

  "Third, there is one person you absolutely must not provoke. If you see her, even if it's just her shadow in the distance, run.

  Do not hesitate. Run as far as you can!"

  At this point, some were confused, while others understood immediately.

  "Was that the one that just flew over?"

  "Huh? Wasn't that a plane?"

  "No, that was a person!"

  The counselor nodded, warning them in an absolutely authoritative tone: "I believe some students have already looked up in-depth strategies for this world. Regardless of whether you think you recognize the person, if you see someone flying, just run. If you're too slow, your life will be in danger!"

  This was a lesson learned through blood.

  Countless people who entered the Zombie World had witnessed the power of that figure. Supersonic flight was nothing; manipulating plasma with her bare hands was ridiculously overpowered.

  An entire modern metropolis could be reduced to ruins in an instant. A radius of several kilometers was considered an ultra-high-risk area. If your luck was bad, not even dust would remain of you.

  In the Zombie World, superpowers did exist, but compared to that person, all the "new humans" combined were no match. It was as if she had simply wandered into the wrong map.

  Forget bullets. Not even nuclear weapons could break through her defense.

  The students' scalps tingled just listening to this.

  "Counselor, you're saying this floor's Guardian isn't that person, right?"

  "Right."

  The counselor nodded. "The Guardian of this floor is a mutant zombie. Just treat that person as a background character and don't provoke her. Once we deal with the mutant zombie, we will have successfully conquered this floor."

  Hearing this, the students breathed a sigh of relief.

  Furthermore, up until now, no one had seen that person's true face; no one had ever been able to break through her telekinetic barrier, so naturally, no one could see her features.

  The Endless Space hadn't made Mei the Guardian of this floor, so it wasn't completely deranged. Mei knew how much her power overleveled the Zombie World. Especially in the later stages, it was absurdly overpowered.

  However, rather than saying that was the past Mei, it was more accurate to say it was merely a silhouette replicated by the Endless Space. She originated from Mei, yet she was not Mei herself.

  Invisibly, Mei’s perspective ascended above the Zombie World’s timeline. The power of Veritas traversed the river of time, binding the past, present, and future into a single eternal truth.

  Observing the Zombie World, that silhouette remained unaffected, proving that this shadow in the Zombie World was not, in essence, the past Mei.

  Mei didn't mind this. She was herself, and the shadow was a shadow. In her eyes, the shadow was no different from anyone else; she had no interest in investigating it. She was the self, the true self, the eternal unique.

  Everyone else was not Mei.

  If she couldn't even see through this, her years of cultivation in the Great Wilderness would have been in vain. After all she had experienced on this path, Mei’s mindset was far beyond what it once was.

  The clouds churned.

  BOOM!

  A galloping figure rode the winds and waves, a deafening sonic boom echoing across the firmament. Mei watched as the figure's face, identical to her own, suddenly accelerated.

  It vanished from sight.

  "Roar!"

  Within an abandoned city, a young man with white hair and red eyes placed his hand on a zombie beast. The previously mindless creature’s eyes suddenly sparked, and the muscles throughout its body bulged.

  With a shriek, it lunged outward.

  It had clearly begun to show signs of evolution.

  Number One.

  This young man was the source of the zombie virus and the vessel for this planet’s Gaia consciousness; the Endless Space had replicated him as well.

  Mei watched as Number One catalyzed the evolution of the zombies. Natural evolution was too slow, so he was intentionally guiding it. The zombie beast that had just been catalyzed was one of this floor’s Guardians.

  Silence.

  Heaviness.

  Flickering candlelight dispelled some of the gloom within a survivor base. In the dim light, it was barely discernable that this was an air-raid shelter. Perhaps due to poor air circulation, a musty smell filled the air. Faintly, a murmuring sound resembling a prayer drifted over.

  Spots of candlelight dotted the area.

  A group of sallow and emaciated survivors knelt on the ground, their mouths chanting some prayer, as they either fervently or numbly worshipped a young girl.

  The girl had white hair and red eyes. Her pupils were as dull as stagnant water.

  Chloe. In a world of despair, survivors desperately needed faith to numb their spirits. Chloe was considered a god by them, yet she herself could find no trace of salvation or meaning in it. Her heart was, therefore, empty.

  To the side, Mei watched quietly.

  It wasn't her. The girl before her was not the Daemon Priestess who had once signed a contract with her. The Daemon Crest appeared on the back of Mei's hand; relying on Veritas, she traversed the past, the future, and countless parallel worlds, yet the contract received no response.

  "Alright, organize yourselves into teams."

  The counselor's words fell, and the students instantly became active.

  Tanbo and Yoinge decisively chose to form a three-person team with Mei. The three of them didn't have many other connections, so they naturally gravitated together.

  "Mei, together?"

  "Sure."

  Mei nodded.

  ...

  A few days had passed.

  The counselor had personally witnessed the transformation of his students, from their initial nervous fear to cautious courage and seamless, efficient cooperation.

  He was very satisfied.

  The students worked in three-person teams, spreading out from the original office building. Supporting each other, they gradually expanded their range of activities, and many had seen blood.

  Having undergone this baptism, they had begun to mature. Combined with the psychological preparation they’d had for entering the Endless Space, they hadn't become a disorganized rabble.

  Of course, the quality varied.

  Sometimes accidents happened, but the counselor put in every effort to rescue those he could. For those who truly couldn't pull themselves together, he was helpless.

  He could only leave them to their fate.

  Compared to a few individuals, the counselor's primary responsibility was the collective safety.

  Therefore, on the fifth day after entering the Zombie World, out of the sixty students, fifty-three survivors remained. Of the other seven, four had died at the hands of zombies, and two had been infected and turned into zombies themselves: they were discovered too late for the serum to save them.

  Only one was a non-combat casualty.

  The cause of death was tripping and rolling down the stairs, breaking his neck instantly. Pure bad luck.

  It had to be said: this novice mission world's treatment was quite good. Hyperdimensional Space novices had no guidance; they were simply thrown into a mission world and told to survive.

  If this were the Hyperdimensional Space, it was hard to say if even half of these sixty students would make it out alive.

  The stairwell was silent.

  Tanbo tiptoed up the stairs, his nerves taut, not daring to make a single sound. In his hand, he gripped a kitchen knife sharpened to a keen edge.

  At the landing.

  He cautiously slowed his pace, his nose twitching. His expression stiffened, and before he could round the corner, a zombie lunged at him from the blind spot.

  ROAR!

  The stench was overwhelming.

  Yet a flash of a blade swept past. Tanbo decisively severed the zombie's head.

  Over the past few days, he had become increasingly adept at hacking at zombies. In narrow spaces, firearms were indeed effective, but cold weapons were superior against zombies: the main reason being that Tanbo had acquired a proficiency in cold weapons.

  Silently, he had cleared out the entire apartment building. Reaching the rooftop, he just happened to lock eyes with Yoinge on the adjacent building; her speed was not a bit slower than his.

  Yoinge had already cut her long hair short; it now reached her shoulders. With a few crimson bloodstains on her, she appeared even more valiant.

  The two looked across at each other and walked to the edge to observe the open area ahead. Before them was a wide street with an unobstructed view.

  At a glance, the street was littered with zombie corpses, crimson blood flowing across the ground, densely covering the asphalt: it was a mountain of corpses.

  Mei held a blood-stained longsword, looking like a god of war. Not only was she completely unharmed, but she wasn't even breathing heavily; not a single drop of blood had touched her.

  “......”

  “......”

  Tanbo and Yoinge looked at each other in silence. They had been moving with meticulous caution, while Mei had gone on a rampage outside. In that short span of time, it seemed she had cleared out every zombie on the street.

  A literal killing machine. Even the counselor wasn't as strong as her.

  "Seems like we hit the jackpot," Tanbo murmured.

  They had been setting up outposts and clearing out zombies along the way, while the other students’ speed was far behind theirs: largely because Mei had been so ruthless, hacking through them like slicing vegetables.

  Mei wasn't in a hurry; she didn't mind playing along with the students. She looked up and gave a thumbs-up to the two on the roof, indicating that the area was cleared.

  The two returned the thumbs-up in unison.

  Reliable. Tanbo thought to himself, the three of us are really strong!

  At the same time, in another abandoned city, a counselor from a different class was leading fifty or sixty students in a desperate breakout attempt toward the outskirts.

  Their hearts were heavy with urgency.

  The zombie infested ground ahead was a true obstacle; no matter how urgent it was, they could only advance step by step. If they lost their footing, they’d be in trouble: an entire squad wipe could happen in minutes.

  The counselor’s anxiety was not without cause. It wasn't because of the zombies. Their luck was simply too bad; they had landed in a doomed abandoned city. In just a short while, this place would become a ruin.

  "Damn it, if we don't run, we won't make it!"

  The counselor couldn't help but curse, as tension and panic spread among the students. He had to force himself to stay calm and reassure them.

  Beside him, a tall, muscular male student whispered to the counselor: "Counselor, how much time is left?"

  The counselor checked the time and grit his teeth. "Thirty minutes."

  Hearing this, the student looked down at the map. They were still several kilometers away from the city outskirts. At this rate, their only option was to race against time and push through regardless of the risk.

  The counselor made a swift decision and told the student: "Licing, take the classmates and run toward the outskirts. Don't stop. Run as far as you can. I’ll provide the covering fire."

  "Alright."

  Licing didn't show the slightest cowardice, taking the lead and rushing out. Holding his gun, he shot every zombie he saw; at this point, they couldn't worry about noise.

  The group surged forward in a massive breakout. Naturally, they attracted the attention of a large number of zombies along the way. The counselor kept watch in all directions, unleashing a torrent of infinite ammo and killing any mutant zombies that pursued them.

  In the end, silenced weapons were no longer a concern; the counselor directly hoisted a Gatling gun and sprinted, using a storm of metal to turn all the zombies into shredded meat.

  RAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!

  The commotion grew louder and more significant, drawing in more and more zombies until a substantial tide had gathered behind them.

  "Hurry up!" Licing shouted as he ran.

  When he ran out of ammo, he drew his blade and hacked out a path of blood, leading the group with his eyes fixed ahead. Whether anyone had fallen behind, he couldn't turn back to check.

  Before long, Licing looked up, his pupils shrinking. A white line streaked across the firmament, leaving a vapor trail in the sky: a remnant of air compressed by supersonic flight.

  Following that.

  BOOM!

  A massive explosion erupted within the city, like a meteorite falling from the heavens. The zombies pursuing Licing and the others suddenly froze, then turned and sprinted toward the source of the immense disturbance.

  Instantly, the pressure on Licing and his group diminished significantly.

  The counselor, however, felt a chill run through his soul and hurriedly shouted: "Run! Run faster! Head toward the open areas!!"

  Licing and the others knew what this meant. Even though they were gasping for breath, they pushed themselves to their absolute limits and ran for their lives.

  Just then, a squad of special operations soldiers dressed in black tactical gear collided with them head-on. Both sides were momentarily stunned. Seeing Licing and the others rushing toward them like madmen, the soldiers were about to open fire.

  SWISH!

  A blinding azure beam of light swept past, instantly cleaving the skyscrapers on both sides in two. The steel and concrete vaporized in a heartbeat, and the buildings collapsed as if the heavens themselves were falling.

  BOOM!

  Licing turned to look behind him. He saw streaks of plasma beams sweeping across, obliterating countless high-rises. Giant structures that once pierced the clouds fell to the earth with a roar, sending dust billowing into the sky.

  In the midst of this cataclysm, they were like small boats on a vast ocean.

  Insignificant as ants.