Wrath: Yo, what up guys? What modpack we playing this week?
Blue: We were thinking about a zombie apocalypse one, but it's too easy. We want something hardcore.
Wrath: Yeah, we checked Bound Apocalypse, Unhinged Apocalypse, even those 100 Days packs. Those are everywhere now. I need something new.
Zombie_king43: Wait… I found one. It's brand new, just out of beta, and no one's made a video on it yet. The zombies don't just run at you—their AI actually thinks, and they can smell you. Their HP scales every day, and they keep getting stronger over time.
Blue: Oh… yeah. That's the one.
A link drops in chat.
I click it. The screen fades in, and the modpack begins loading. Bars creep across the bottom of the screen—68… 73… 87… 99… 100.
Something hits me immediately—this isn't just a modpack menu.
A camera rolls across the ground, static flickering at the edges. Gunshots pierce the air as blocky figures unload into a massive horde of zombies. The chaos is mesmerizing. Every shot echoes, every blocky body moving in a staggered, horrifying rhythm.
Then—cut. Solo. Multiplayer. Quit.
I lean back, staring at the frozen screen for a moment. "That was actually… pretty good," I mutter, adrenaline thrumming in my chest.
Blue: Server up?
Wrath: Give me a minute. Host is being annoying.
Blue: Is it done yet?
No response.
Blue: Zombie_king?
Zombie_king43: Wait… can't you just, like… use AI or something?
Wrath: Fix what? We're just turning it on.
Zombie_king43: Oh… yeah, my bad.
Wrath: Almost done. There we go.
The chat goes quiet.
I move my cursor to Solo. Click. Create New World.
I pause for a second, then type:
Hell on Earth
Creating world… The modpack finishes loading in the background. Thunder rolls in the distance. I glance toward the window. "…right. Storm today."
The world appears. The forest stretches out around me. Colors sharp. Too sharp. Leaves glisten with wetness from the storm. Mist hangs low over the terrain, curling around the trunks. For a moment, everything feels normal.
I don't go for wood. I head straight for water.
"Yeah… this is one of those packs," I mutter. Gravel first. No shortcuts.
I crouch by the edge, breaking it. Stone scrapes against stone. A piece of flint drops into my inventory. The game gives me three vaccines right off spawn. I pause, staring at them.
"…yeah. This is gonna be bad."
My eyes scan the forest. Movement stirs among the trees. Zombies shuffle carefully, sniffing the air, always alert. Patient. Dangerous.
I glance back at my inventory. JEI is open. All the crafting recipes are there—axes, knives, traps. Even a new tab I hadn't noticed before: DNA Extraction.
I hover over it. Zombie DNA, Spider DNA, Skeleton DNA. Interesting. But I can't use any of it yet. Not until I have metal sheets, a compressor, and a lab block. For now, it's just potential, teasing me from the corner of the inventory.
The storm rumbles overhead. I crouch lower, thinking about water doors, scent-blocking, and my first night. Every step, every decision, matters. The forest is quiet, but I know better. It's never quiet.
And somewhere out there, the zombies are waiting.
About thirty minutes in, the basics were finally coming together.
Stone tools were done. Shelter half-built. A small fire crackled in the corner. I had just enough iron to feel like I could survive another night.
"Alright… this isn't that bad," I muttered to myself, trying to sound confident.
I dropped the last piece of iron into the furnace and glanced back at JEI. Everything was there—axes, knives, barricades, traps. The DNA tab still glowed faintly. Metal sheets, compressor, lab block… not yet.
Thunder rolled outside, shaking the windows. Not in-game. Real. The storm had picked up. Rain pounded the roof, sharp and erratic.
"…whatever," I said, returning my attention to the screen.
The furnace dinged. One iron ingot done. I reached to grab it—and then CRACK.
Sparks danced across the PCU. My leg jerked back as plasma arced across it. The smell of burning plastic filled the air. My vision fractured—like frames dropping in a game.
I tried to stand. Couldn't. The pain shot up my leg, hot and raw. Then everything went black.