Chapter 14: The Gate to a New World
Chen Ning and everyone in Bai Yuhao’s group listened intently.
It wasn’t just because Instructor Jian Qing would be testing them on this material later, but because the knowledge itself was vital for survival.
To fight zombies, one had to understand them—know their hierarchy, habits, and capabilities. Only then could one face them with any semblance of calm.
Jian Qing began by explaining the zombie hierarchy, which differed from what Chen Ning, a former slum dweller, had always heard.
Back then, ordinary people like him only knew of the first seven ranks.
Now, listening to Jian Qing’s measured, commanding voice, Chen Ning learned that zombies were actually divided into twelve distinct levels.
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Level 1: Walker
The most common and numerous of all zombies.
They move slowly, react sluggishly, and possess strength roughly equivalent to an average human.
They carry the zombie virus—any bite guarantees infection, while a scratch has a high probability of spreading the disease.
Level 2: Stiff
An evolved Walker with hardened muscles and doubled physical strength, though its movements remain somewhat slow.
Level 3: Sprinter
Another branch of mutation from the basic Walker.
Their strength is similar to humans, but their speed far surpasses them—making them deadlier and more dangerous than Stiffs.
Level 4: Predator
A combination of the Stiff’s brute strength and the Sprinter’s speed.
This zombie is a true horror—rare, powerful, and fast.
Even Imperial Army units find them troublesome to deal with.
Level 5: Hellhound
These zombies no longer resemble humans.
Their bodies have taken on bestial traits—many are mutated beasts infected by the virus after death.
They attack with claws and fangs, feral and relentless.
Level 6: Frieza
Evolved from the Hellhound, these are half-human, half-beast hybrids with monstrous physiques and a powerful tail.
Ordinary bullets can barely harm them, and they possess limited intelligence—enough to gather nearby wanderers into small hunting packs.
Level 7: Titan Zombie
A grotesque amalgamation of corpses fused together.
They stand over three meters tall and weigh more than a ton.
Headless, but covered in countless eyes, these giants can crush fortifications and topple city walls with brute force alone.
Level 8: Demon Apostle
Roughly human in size but equipped with bat-like wings of flesh, allowing for short bursts of flight at night.
A thin membrane protects their body from bullets.
They are intelligent—matching human intellect—and can camouflage like chameleons, making them the ultimate assassins.
Level 9: Blade Wolf Rider
Standing about two meters tall, heavily muscled, with a heart exposed outside its chest.
Its left arm is a writhing tentacle, its right a blade of bone.
It rides a Hellhound as a mount; without the mount, its power diminishes.
With its hardened “dominion body,” it’s immune to ordinary weapons—except for that vulnerable, exposed heart.
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Jian Qing continued coolly,
“Above these are three legendary ranks—Level 10: Lord, Level 11: Tyrant, and Level 12: Corpse Emperor.”
The entire class went silent.
She hadn’t elaborated on those top three levels, and curiosity began to stir.
A recruit couldn’t help but raise his hand.
“Instructor, why didn’t you tell us more about the Level 10 and above zombies?”
Jian Qing’s cold eyes flicked toward him.
“Because anything above Level 10 is not something a normal legion can handle. You don’t need to waste time studying them.”
The student hesitated, then asked softly, “What if… we ever encounter one?”
Jian Qing replied without a hint of expression,
“Then you die.”
A ripple of uneasy laughter spread across the class—but no one truly thought it was a joke.
Chen Ning and the others exchanged looks.
They now understood—zombies of Level 10 and above weren’t just powerful.
They were catastrophic. Even an entire army might not stand a chance.
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After a brief pause, Jian Qing continued,
“That concludes the overview of zombie classifications.
Now, let’s discuss the human side of the hierarchy.”
“The ranking system among humans is simpler—it originated from the Imperial military structure.
There are four major classes: War Soldier, War Officer, Brave Commander, and Great General.
Each class is further divided into three sub-tiers.
The weakest are First-Tier War Soldiers.
The strongest—Twelfth-Tier Great Generals.”
She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, her tone composed and sharp as a blade.
“In other words, humanity also has twelve levels of power—mirroring the zombie scale.
Theoretically, a human and a zombie of the same level should be equal in strength.
However, in real combat, zombies often hold the upper hand.
They are physically superior, less prone to fear, and frequently defeat human opponents of equal rank.”
Someone finally asked, “Then… how do we determine a person’s level?”
Jian Qing answered crisply, “Simple. If a human kills a zombie of a certain level with their own hands, they can submit that combat record to a certified Imperial authority.
For example, if you kill a Level 3 zombie barehanded, you can be certified as a Level 3 War Soldier.”
She added coolly, “Of course, the system isn’t perfect. It’s easy to exploit. Many lower-level fighters inflate their ranks with tricks or lucky shots. So human power levels are for reference only.”
Chen Ning nodded inwardly.
He understood.
Anyone could kill a Level 3 zombie with a gun, but that didn’t mean they had the raw strength of a Level 3 warrior.
The lower the rank, the more meaningless the certification.
Only those who could single-handedly slay creatures like Hellhounds, Friezas, or Titans—those were the ones truly worthy of their titles.
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Then Liu Xi raised his hand.
“Instructor, what about us? What level are we now? War Soldiers?”
Jian Qing gave him a single, frosty glance.
“You? You don’t even qualify as First-Tier War Soldiers. If I had to rate you, you’d be cannon fodder. And honestly, calling you cannon fodder is already a compliment.”
A wave of awkward silence filled the room.
The recruits, who’d begun to feel like hardened Imperial warriors, suddenly shrank in their seats.
Chen Ning slowly raised his hand.
Jian Qing’s gaze shifted to him. “Speak.”
Chen Ning asked, “Instructor, zombies can mutate endlessly, evolving into those Lords, Tyrants, and even Corpse Emperors you mentioned. But we humans… Can we really produce someone strong enough to fight them?
Do we actually have warriors above Level 10? Or even a Twelfth-Tier Great General?”
A faint, not-quite-a-smile touched Jian Qing’s lips.
“First of all,” she said, “power levels, much like a woman’s age, are not polite to ask. Weak people will think you’re mocking them. The strong will think you’re prying.”
A few quiet chuckles escaped, but her eyes silenced them instantly.
“As for whether our Empire possesses Great Generals of the highest rank…”
She paused deliberately.
“The answer is yes. Absolutely. But who they are—that’s classified.”
She took a step closer to the lectern.
“As for your second question—how can humans, who cannot mutate, reach the same heights as those abominations?
That,” she said, voice low and measured, “will be the topic of our next lesson.
But I’ll give you a hint.”
She raised a slender finger.
“Humans cannot evolve—but we have two things the zombies never will: technology… and ancient inheritance.”
The room was silent, every pair of eyes fixed on her.
Only now did Chen Ning begin to sense how complex humanity truly was.
Jian Qing explained, “Human elites are divided into two great factions.
The first is the Technological Faction—represented by the Imperial Army. They’ve developed countless enhancement serums. The Angel’s Kiss recovery serum you’ve used is the most basic one.Other types can boost strength, speed, or reflexes, creating what we call gene warriors.
But even the best of these rarely exceed the power of a Sixth-Tier War Officer—or, in rare cases, a Seventh-Tier Brave Commander. Beyond that, their bodies collapse.”
She paused before continuing,
“The second faction is the Ancient Lineage Faction—those who rely on old bloodlines and secret arts. The cultivators of the Empire’s noble clans, the ninjas of the East Isles, the werewolves and vampires of the West—each draws power from ancient techniques or inherited blood.
Among them, some truly reach the realm of Twelfth-Tier Great Generals.”
Her gaze swept across the rows of recruits.
“You’ve been here a month. After three months, once your basic training is complete, the camp will divide you into two paths.
Those who pass a special aptitude test will enter the Cultivation Division.
The rest will join the Technological Division and walk the path of science.”
The announcement sent a murmur rippling through the recruits.
Cultivation training? In the military?
But the more they thought about it, the less absurd it seemed.
Centuries ago, even special forces had adopted civilian qigong to toughen their bodies—soldiers who could split bricks with their foreheads.
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TL note: qigong (气功)
A chinese practice of low, gentle movements, breathing techniques, and mental focus. The goal is to balance, build, and smoothly circulate your body’s energy to improve health, reduce stress, and increase vitality.
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Now, the military had simply taken that idea further—collecting the most powerful ancient techniques, refining them, and teaching them to those deemed worthy.
What truly shocked them, however, was the creatures from myths really existed.
One student asked timidly,
“Instructor… are werewolves and vampires real?”
Jian Qing nodded coolly.
“They exist. As do other beings you’ve heard of in myths.
Some are nearly extinct; others still thrive in the shadows.”
She glanced—ever so slightly—toward Chen Ning.
“There’s also a new race that has emerged in recent years,” she said softly.
“The Demigods.”
Her voice grew colder.
“They are humans infected by the zombie virus who, through some anomaly, did not turn. They retain human appearance—but possess the zombies’ ability to evolve and mutate. Officially, we classify them as ‘Half-Human, Half-Corpse Hybrids.’
Demigods carry the virus within their blood. Their power is terrifying, unpredictable. To humanity, they are considered a calamity.
Our policy toward them is the same as toward the undead.”
Her eyes flashed like twin blades.
“Eliminate on sight.”
Chen Ning’s heartbeat thundered in his chest.
A cold sweat ran down his spine.
Demigods… humans infected but not transformed?
Could that be what I am?
And when Jian Qing had spoken those words—half-human, half-corpse—he could’ve sworn she had looked directly at him.
Why?
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