Zombie Apocalypse, I Died Right at the Start - Reviews

I really felt for Ji Chuan at the start, his girlfriend Su Wanwan and her family are absolute trash for tossing him out like that after he saved them. And Liu Hao, that cousin, what a piece of work. The way Ji Chuan begged and got nothing but scorn, that part actually hurt to read. I was yelling at my screen like “bro, just turn into a zombie already and get your revenge” — and then he did! That twist where he wakes up as a conscious zombie was so satisfying, a real “yes, now the fun begins” moment.

The crystal core system is basically a video game level-up mechanic and I am totally here for it. He eats one green core and his leg starts growing back, then a blue one and he gets fire powers. It’s simple but effective, keeps the progression clear and gives me that dopamine hit every time he finds a new one. Though I do wonder how common these cores are supposed to be — the story says they’re rare, but he keeps stumbling across them.

Gu Yunxi is the comic relief this dark story needed. Her constant misunderstanding of Ji Chuan’s gestures had me snorting. “You mean let me into your mouth, don’t struggle?!” and then “You don’t like me, don’t eat me” — the girl’s a trainwreck and I love her. The dynamic where a zombie is trying to be nice and she thinks he’s fattening her up is peak comedy.

The betrayal scene with Nan Ge and the fire-type girl made my blood boil. He used her for her ability, then blinded her and ran, leaving her to die. That’s the kind of scum you just want to see get crushed. Ji Chuan smashing his head in with a stone felt like instant karma, even if our protagonist is now a monster himself. The fact that Ji Chuan killed him not for the core but because he reminded him of Su Wanwan? Chills.

I like how the story weaves in some internet reaction bits, like people speculating why zombies don’t attack a pink car. It’s a small touch but makes the world feel alive — like regular people are still out there gossiping even in the apocalypse. The “zombies don’t eat brainless female drivers” joke was dumb but also exactly the kind of thing you’d see online.

The pace in the beginning is breakneck — betrayal, death, transformation, revenge setup all happen in the first few pages. Then it slows down a bit as Ji Chuan drives around looking for cores and feeding Gu Yunxi. That balance is nice, gives room to breathe and develop the odd zombie-girl relationship before the inevitable confrontation.

The writing has a slightly rough translation feel, like “His ankle swelled up like a damson plum” — what’s a damson plum? But honestly it adds a quirky charm. Sometimes the sentences are clunky, but it doesn’t ruin the flow for me. The action scenes are clear enough, and the dialogue between Ji Chuan and Gu Yunxi carries the emotional beats well.

Ji Chuan’s psychological shift is interesting but could use more depth. He goes from desperate human to cold killer pretty fast. I get that he’s dead inside, but I wish we saw more internal struggle about eating people’s cores. The story just says “he remained calm” and that’s it. Still, the seed of his humanity is there since he spares Gu Yunxi and helps her.

Su Wanwan’s water ability being blue is a nice visual, and the fact that her powers suppressed Ji Chuan’s fire makes for a good future conflict. I’m guessing that’s why he didn’t attack them yet — he’s still weaker than her. That’s smart storytelling, makes me root for his grind. Her character is a shallow villain but she serves her purpose as pure hate fuel.

That moment when Ji Chuan realizes he has no reflection or his pupils are red — that hit hard. He’s still himself in his head, but his body is a monster. Looking in the mirror and seeing a zombie staring back is classic body horror done simply but effectively. I felt a pang of empathy for him right there.

The zombie king ability—seeing cores and eating them to grow stronger—is a cool twist on the usual special ability trope. Most stories have humans get powers at the red moon, but here only the protagonist gets his as a zombie. It’s a bit contrived but sets him apart. I keep waiting for other zombie hybrids to show up. No way he’s the only one, right?

Why does Ji Chuan keep going back to Gu Yunxi though? He says it’s to study her golden core, but honestly it feels like he’s just lonely. Feeding her, locking the gate, bringing supplies — that’s not just research. I ship them a little, even if she’s a dumb blonde stereotype. A zombie and his clueless survivor princess.