Even more than daytime, night was when danger was most easily triggered. The zombies were evolving, and their mindless roars echoed everywhere. Inside the gymnasium, the students trembled as they covered their ears, their faces filled with despair.
In less than a minute after going to the restroom, Bai Sui hurried back out in a panic, her face pale.
“Xiaosui, why is your face so pale? What happened?” Xi Zhou asked, concerned.
Sun Hengrui came over from behind and spat angrily. “Sigh, Xi Zhou, I think we should leave as soon as possible. This place isn’t fit for humans at all.”
Both of them looked at Xi Zhou with hopeful eyes. After displaying his fire-type ability during the day, he had quietly become their backbone. As for Li Ge beside them, she was completely ignored.
“You all saw it during the day—there are zombies everywhere outside. Going out recklessly without proper preparation is too dangerous. We need a plan,” Xi Zhou said, falling into thought.
Out of the group of over two hundred people who went out to gather supplies nearby, only around fifty had returned alive. That alone showed how brutal the apocalypse was.
“Xiaosui, Hengrui, don’t worry. I’ve already learned how to use my fire ability. Let’s focus on protecting ourselves for now. Rescue teams should arrive soon,” he said, glancing gratefully at Li Ge.
“But those people are too terrifying…” Bai Sui trembled at the memory of what she had heard earlier.
“Exactly. We might get tortured to death by them before rescue even arrives,” Sun Hengrui added.
While they whispered among themselves, Li Ge leaned lazily against the wall, resting. While Xi Zhou had not yet become the Zombie Emperor, she needed to quickly think of a way to separate him from Bai Sui.
“Li Ge, will you come with us?”
She looked up to see Xi Zhou watching her. “We’re planning to leave the gym tomorrow to find Xiaosui’s parents. They live in a suburban villa not far from here.”
Go find Bai Sui’s parents?
Li Ge was only distracted for a moment, yet they had already made a decision.
“Xiaoge, come with us. Brother Rui’an should be there too. There’s always plenty of food stocked in the villa—we can wait there for rescue,” Bai Sui said, though her tone carried a hint of reluctance.
“It’s a nice idea,” Li Ge replied coldly, “but only if you can actually get out.”
Bai Sui’s eyes reddened in grievance. Xi Zhou gently patted her shoulder to comfort her.
“I can feel my ability growing stronger. I’ll think of a way for us to leave. For tonight, everyone should rest well and conserve energy.”
Li Ge glanced at him in surprise. Did he really think a fire ability made him invincible? What he showed during the day was just an extraordinary burst under pressure.
“I’m not trying to discourage you, but your ability—”
Before she could finish, Xi Zhou shook his head and lowered his voice so only she could hear.
“I know. Thank you for reminding me. But I’m the only one here with an ability. Xiaosui and Hengrui are my friends—I have to protect them.”
If he hadn’t insisted on coming here for the concert, Bai Sui and Sun Hengrui would probably be somewhere much safer, instead of trapped in this dangerous gymnasium.
Xi Zhou clenched his fists, determination filling his usually gentle face.
Idiot, Li Ge cursed inwardly. If she had a powerful fire ability, she would have already run off alone instead of being enslaved here.
“You’re really hopeless,” she said with a hint of helplessness. “Let me explain your fire ability in more detail.”
“Mm. Thank you. You’ll leave with us tomorrow, right? I’ll protect all of you.”
We’ll see who ends up protecting whom, Li Ge thought. Her instincts, honed over years in the apocalypse, told her something bad would happen tomorrow.
At midnight, a light drizzle began to fall from the sky. The rain, spreading across all regions, was mixed with the zombie virus. Anyone—human, animal, or plant—exposed to it became infected. Humans turned into zombies, while animals and plants mutated.
When she woke up in the morning, Li Ge went to the restroom first, splashed her face, and filled her cup with water. For now, the water supply was still clean—but it wouldn’t last long.
“So you’re Li Ge?”
Two girls with heavy dark circles locked the door behind them.
“What is it?”
They stood one in front and one behind her. “Hand over the medicine in your bag.”
“You mean the contraceptives I took?” Li Ge asked calmly. “Weren’t you the ones who looked down on them the most yesterday?”
As if their hidden thoughts had been exposed, the girls’ faces flashed with embarrassment. They reached out to snatch her bag.
Li Ge sidestepped their sharp fingernails and placed a box on the sink, a faint smile curling her lips.
“The only ones who can help you are yourselves—not these pills.”
After a sleepless night filled with fear, everyone in the gym looked exhausted and dispirited.
As soon as Li Ge walked back in, Xi Zhou pulled her into a corner. Sun Hengrui and Bai Sui were stiffly chewing on bread.
“They’re making us go out to gather supplies again today. Stay close to me—we’ll use this chance to escape,” Xi Zhou said directly.
The food they brought back yesterday would only last about two days for fifty people. The middle-aged man and his group hadn’t yet realized the zombies had evolved and were already planning another supply run.
“But they’ll probably assign ability users to watch us. Those people won’t be easy to deal with,” Sun Hengrui said worriedly.
“Fifty people divided into four groups—at least ten per group. Try to persuade others to escape with us. If that doesn’t work, I’ll handle the ability users myself.”
Xi Zhou somehow obtained a school map and quickly planned four escape routes, all leading to the east gate.
Escape was inevitable—he just wanted to minimize casualties.
“Not bad. That’s well thought out,” Li Ge said, glancing at the marked cafeterias and supermarkets. “No matter where we’re sent, try to grab fruit knives or kitchen knives. We can’t rely on your ability alone.”
His ability hadn’t even reached Level 1 yet—it would be exhausted quickly. And once the zombies evolved, their speed would increase. They wouldn’t be able to just avoid them like yesterday.
“What if we’re not assigned to the same group?” Bai Sui asked nervously. “If I’m alone, I’ll definitely die.”
The air fell silent. The middle-aged man didn’t look like someone who could be negotiated with, and he controlled the group assignments.
“Xiaosui, Hengrui, Li Ge—if we’re separated, I’ll find you first, then head to the east gate,” Xi Zhou said firmly.
Hearing this, Bai Sui and Sun Hengrui were deeply moved, nearly tearing up. Li Ge simply smiled without saying anything.
The middle-aged man stepped forward, brandishing a blade twice as large as yesterday’s. After silently threatening everyone, he began announcing the group assignments.
Each group had ten people, including two ability users responsible for supervision.
The chances of the four of them ending up in the same group… were almost zero.