Even though the scene before them resembled hell, she seemed accustomed to it. Her clear eyes were like a still pool—calm and without ripples.
Even if he didn’t want to admit it, when he killed a zombie for the first time, he still couldn’t suppress the nausea rising in his stomach.
The girl in front of him had her sportswear soaked in blood, and leaves were tangled in her ponytail. Compared to the clean and neat Bai Sui, she looked utterly disheveled.
Yet, a voice in his heart told him—this was what the apocalypse should look like.
Seeing the admiration in Xi Zhou’s eyes, Li Ge slightly curved her lips and stepped closer. She had just thought of a great opening line—one that would definitely leave a deep impression on him.
“Ah! Li Ge, you’re still alive—this is great!”
Before she could act, Bai Sui suddenly rushed toward her with open arms, full of excitement, like greeting a long-lost friend.
Li Ge instinctively took a step back. She had no intention of being hugged by Bai Sui—it disgusted her.
When Bai Sui noticed the blood all over her, she was also relieved she hadn’t managed to hug her, stopping just in time and keeping some distance.
Remembering that the original host had been Bai Sui’s little follower, Li Ge stiffened all over. No matter what, she would never continue being her lackey.
“Can’t this wait until we get somewhere safe? Open your eyes and look around you!”
Although the girl was holding an axe, no one knew if she was just putting on a show. Sun Rui’an simply saw her as another burden, and his mood worsened.
Ignoring the two of them completely, Li Ge walked straight up to Xi Zhou and gave him a friendly smile.
“Hello, I’m Li Ge. Are you heading to the gymnasium? We can go together—I should be able to help.”
Her carefully prepared opening line had been ruined, so she could only try not to leave a bad impression on Xi Zhou.
“Mm, I’m Xi Zhou. Welcome, Li Ge.” His clear and pleasant voice sounded beside her ear.
The man gave a warm smile—warmer than sunlight in winter.
Li Ge almost lost her composure for a moment. She suddenly realized Xi Zhou was actually quite handsome—it would be such a pity for him to turn into a zombie.
A zombie behind them lunged forward with a howl. Li Ge stepped ahead first and smashed it down with her fire axe, fierce and decisive—nothing like a typical girl.
“Xi Zhou, it’s dangerous here. We should leave as soon as possible!”
Not only were the zombies that had been chasing them catching up from behind, but even the zombies in the square were moving toward the noise. If they didn’t leave now, they would be caught in a pincer attack—definitely not a good situation.
Li Ge’s swift and decisive movements left a good impression on the two men present. Sun Hengrui looked at Bai Sui with even more disdain.
He took the lead. “Let’s go, hurry! We’ll be safe once we get inside the gym!”
Seeing Xi Zhou still keeping Bai Sui close under his protection, Li Ge pulled out her axe and moved to the front with Sun Hengrui to clear the way.
Of course, deep down, she wished she could kick Bai Sui straight into the zombie horde.
There were less than fifty meters left, but when the apocalypse first broke out, many students had gathered at the gym entrance. Only a few had managed to enter safely—many had died senselessly in the chaos.
Looking ahead, there were at least a hundred zombies scattered across the square. In the lotus pond in front of it, over a dozen more flailed about.
“Brother Xi Zhou, I’m scared…” Bai Sui clung to his side, trembling.
Facing the gaping jaws of zombies, Xi Zhou had already calmed down enough to analyze the situation. From their position, there was a slope on the left and over a hundred zombies gathered on the right.
“Besides the main entrance, the gym should have other entrances. We can’t go in from the front.” He turned to Bai Sui. “Xiao Sui, do you know where the other entrances are?”
“I’m sorry, Brother Xi Zhou… I’m not sure.”
Was Bai Sui not even a student at this school?
At this moment, Li Ge wanted to offer suggestions—but she was even less familiar with the campus.
“Useless,” Sun Hengrui muttered. “There’s a small door by the slope. If we move fast, we should make it.”
Looking in the direction he pointed, the slope was steep, making it hard for zombies to climb. If there really was an entrance there, it would be ideal.
Li Ge shifted her backpack to her back—so even if a zombie attacked from behind, it would provide some protection.
She glanced at Xi Zhou. The man paused briefly, then nodded.
“More and more zombies are heading our way. If we don’t leave now, it’ll be too late. Everyone, be careful.”
The four of them ran toward the slope. Li Ge and Sun Hengrui continued to lead, clearing the way. Their goal wasn’t to fight but to escape—just knocking zombies aside to create space.
Bai Sui ran in the middle, holding up her skirt and panting, casting complicated looks at Li Ge.
Xi Zhou, trailing at the back, bore the most pressure. His iron rod never stopped swinging. The zombies pursued relentlessly, and with Bai Sui’s poor stamina, they couldn’t move at full speed.
Several times, Li Ge wanted to go help him—but seeing the stubborn determination in his eyes, she held back and focused on reducing the number of zombies ahead.
The apocalypse had only just begun. Zombies were still slower than humans. After about fifteen minutes, they finally reached the steps of the small side entrance to the gym without incident.
Just as Sun Hengrui reached out to open the door, it suddenly swung open from the inside. Two strong male students saw they were human and quickly pulled him in.
A hand reached out toward Li Ge. Years of instinct nearly made her swing her axe—but she stopped just in time.
After entering, Li Ge quickly moved aside to make room for the others—but something unexpected happened.
Bai Sui, who had just stepped onto the stairs, suddenly lost strength and collapsed onto the ground.
Xi Zhou, right behind her, couldn’t avoid it in time. His body tilted backward due to inertia.
Below the steps, a group of zombies stretched out their claws, waiting for prey. Xi Zhou was about to fall into them.
A flash of ferocity crossed Li Ge’s eyes. She instantly threw her fire axe—it flew past Bai Sui’s head and severed the zombie arms reaching for Xi Zhou.
But there were countless hands waiting below. The axe could only buy a moment.
At that critical moment, Xi Zhou’s years of fitness training paid off. His body twisted at an incredible angle. With his right hand gripping the iron rod against the ground, he stopped his fall.
Almost simultaneously, a flame shot from the fingertips of his left hand. The hair and clothes of the three nearest zombies ignited, and the smell of burning filled the air.
Xi Zhou had awakened a fire ability.
The boys inside the gym acted again—dragging Bai Sui in, and just before Xi Zhou fell, they grabbed his arm and pulled him inside as well.
The heavy iron door slammed shut, blocking the zombies outside.
They had finally reached a safe shelter.
“Thank you—thank you so much! If it weren’t for you, we would’ve ended up as zombie food. You’re truly good people!”