The winds of the apocalypse swept clouds of dust across an abandoned business hotel on the outskirts of the city. Broken windows rattled violently in the breeze, adding an eerie chill to the already desolate building.
Far from the zombie-infested city center, the hotel had been completely taken over by Jiang Bing, Zhao Hongbin, and dozens of their loyal followers. It had become their private stronghold.
Inside the lobby, Jiang Bing had just finished practicing his fire ability. A thin layer of sweat covered his forehead as he sat on a worn leather sofa, quietly regulating his breathing.
The warmth of the flames gradually faded from his palms, but the greed burning in his eyes remained.
Zhao Hongbin approached with a bottle of mineral water, his face full of flattery.
“Brother Bing, your fire ability is getting stronger every day. Those zombies didn’t stand a chance just now. One move from you and they were finished. The brothers admire you more and more.”
Jiang Bing twisted open the bottle and took a sip.
“What good is being powerful?”
His voice carried obvious impatience.
“We’re stuck in this dump every single day. There’s not even a bit of entertainment around here. It’s boring enough to drive anyone insane.”
As he spoke, his gaze drifted toward a corner of the room, revealing the undisguised greed lurking within.
Zhao Hongbin immediately understood what he meant. Lowering his voice, he leaned closer.
“I get it, Brother Bing. There are plenty of young women escaping on their own around here. They’re all timid and helpless. Bringing a few back would be perfect. It’d give the brothers something to enjoy.”
He smirked.
“We can’t trust outsiders with a job like this. Long Juanli is the best choice. We’ve got her little brother in our hands, she wouldn’t dare disobey.”
Jiang Bing nodded slightly before lifting his eyes toward Long Juanli, who was approaching with a towel.
His expression instantly turned colder.
Holding a freshly cleaned towel, Long Juanli walked over carefully, every step cautious. Her face wore the obedient, submissive expression she had long since learned to maintain.
Seeing Jiang Bing looking at her, she hurried forward and offered him the towel respectfully.
“Brother Bing, wipe your sweat and get some rest.”
Jiang Bing accepted it casually, wiped his forehead, then looked directly into her eyes.
“I have a job for you.”
“If you do it well, both you and your brother can continue living peacefully.”
“If you fail…”
His voice grew icy.
“You’ll both be punished.”
Long Juanli’s heart skipped a beat.
Unease flooded through her, but she quickly lowered her head.
“Just tell me what you need, Brother Bing. I’ll do everything I can.”
“There are quite a few young women hiding nearby.”
His fingers tapped the sofa’s armrest.
“I want you to lure them here.”
“They should be obedient, easy to control, and incapable of fighting back.”
“The more you bring, the better.”
The color drained from Long Juanli’s face.
She looked up instinctively, panic flashing through her eyes as guilt surged inside her. Her lips trembled slightly.
Seeing her hesitation, Zhao Hongbin immediately stepped forward.
“Long Juanli.”
His voice was filled with menace.
“You’d better do as you’re told.”
“Brother Bing only wants obedient people. Bring the girls here and you’ll be rewarded.”
He leaned in closer.
“But if you refuse…”
“Your little brother’s life is still in our hands.”
“If you dare say no, or try anything clever, I’ll have someone break both his legs before making the two of you wish you were dead.”
Long Juanli froze.
The tiny spark of resistance inside her shattered instantly.
“I won’t refuse.”
She nodded repeatedly.
“I’ll do exactly as Brother Bing says. I’ll bring them back.”
Seeing her submission, Jiang Bing’s expression softened slightly.
“Then stop wasting time.”
He waved dismissively.
“Go. Be quick. Don’t attract zombies or cause trouble.”
“Yes.”
Long Juanli bowed.
“I’ll be careful.”
Without another word, she hurried out of the hotel.
Moving along the walls, she carefully avoided scattered zombies while planning her targets.
Most of her university classmates came from ordinary families.
After the apocalypse began, several of them had banded together inside nearby apartment buildings.
They had almost no means of protecting themselves.
More importantly…
They trusted familiar faces.
They would be the easiest to deceive.
Less than half an hour later, Long Juanli found four young women sheltering together inside the stairwell of an old apartment building.
They looked exhausted.
Their hair was messy, fear filled their eyes, and each of them clutched a piece of stale bread as though it were treasure.
The moment they saw Long Juanli, they froze.
Then joy immediately replaced their fear.
“Juanli! It’s really you!”
“We thought something had happened to you!”
The girl leading the group, Xiaoya, rushed over and grabbed Long Juanli’s hands.
Her voice choked with emotion.
“We’ve been hiding here for days. We don’t dare leave. Our food is almost gone, and there are zombies everywhere outside.”
“We’ve been terrified…”
The other three girls also surrounded her, their faces filled with relief at seeing someone they knew.
None of them showed the slightest suspicion.
Looking at them, Long Juanli once again felt a faint stab of guilt.
But it lasted only a moment.
She quickly buried it beneath a warm, caring smile.
“I barely escaped myself.”
“I’ve been worried about all of you.”
“That’s why I came looking.”
She continued gently,
“You can’t stay here anymore.”
“It’s too dangerous.”
“I found an incredibly safe shelter.”
“It’s in the hotel just ahead.”
Xiaoya’s eyes immediately lit up.
“A shelter?”
“Is it really safe?”
“Are there zombies?”
“Completely safe.”
Long Juanli nodded confidently.
“There are ability users there who can kill zombies with ease.”
“They have plenty of supplies.”
“You’ll never have to worry about food or clothing again.”
“A lot of survivors are already living there.”
“It’s ten thousand times safer than staying here.”
She smiled warmly.
“I only risked coming because we’re classmates.”
“If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t have bothered.”
Already trapped with nowhere else to go, and trusting Long Juanli completely, the girls let go of their final doubts.
“That’s wonderful!”
“Juanli, thank goodness you found us!”
“We were barely hanging on.”
“We’ll go with you right now!”
Filled with hope, the four girls hurriedly packed their few remaining belongings and followed Long Juanli toward the hotel.
Along the way, Xiaoya couldn’t stop thanking her.
“Juanli, thank you so much.”
“If it weren’t for you, we honestly wouldn’t know what to do.”
“Once we get there, we’ll finally be safe.”
“We won’t have to fear zombies anymore.”
Long Juanli forced herself to smile.
“We’re classmates.”
“We should help each other.”
“Just follow me.”
“I promise you’ll eat well and live comfortably.”
Not long afterward, the five women arrived at the hotel.
The moment they stepped into the lobby…
The smiles on the four girls’ faces froze.
A powerful sense of dread rose within them.
More than a dozen rough-looking men stood inside.
Their greedy eyes roamed shamelessly over the girls’ bodies.
There wasn’t the slightest trace of safety in the air.
Only oppression.
Only malice.
Xiaoya’s face turned pale.
Grabbing Long Juanli’s arm, she whispered fearfully,
“Juanli…”
“This isn’t the safe shelter you talked about.”
“Who are these people?”
“Let’s leave.”
The other three girls also panicked and instinctively backed away toward the entrance.
“Leave?”
Zhao Hongbin sneered.
“Too late.”
He waved his hand.
Immediately, several thugs rushed forward and blocked every exit, trapping the four girls inside the lobby.
At the same moment, the concern vanished from Long Juanli’s face.
In its place remained only cold indifference.
She silently stepped backward…
Until she stood beside Jiang Bing.
Only then did the girls finally understand.
The classmate they trusted most…
Had betrayed them.
Xiaoya stared at Long Juanli in disbelief, tears already filling her eyes.
“Juanli…”
“Why?”
“We trusted you.”
“How could you do this to us?”
“That’s right!”
Another girl shouted through tears.
“We treated you like our friend!”
“And you brought us to a place like this!”
The girls struggled desperately.
Fear and anger overwhelmed them.
But they were no match for the surrounding thugs.
Jiang Bing slowly rose and walked toward them.
Looking down from above, he spoke coldly.
“Since you’re already here…”
“Behave yourselves.”
“If you listen obediently, you’ll suffer a little less.”
“Otherwise…”
He smiled cruelly.
“Your lives will become far more painful.”
“We’re not staying here!”
“We want to go home!”
“Let us leave!”
One girl dressed in white suddenly shoved away the thug restraining her and sprinted desperately toward the entrance.
“Trying to run?”
Zhao Hongbin shouted.
“Catch her!”
Two thugs immediately chased after her.
Within seconds, they dragged her back and slammed her violently onto the floor.
Her face turned pale from the pain, yet she still glared defiantly at them.
“Let me go!”
“You’re all monsters!”
“I’ll never forgive you!”
Jiang Bing’s expression darkened.
Turning toward Long Juanli, he spoke coldly.
“You brought them here.”
“Now she’s causing trouble.”
“What do you think should be done?”
Long Juanli looked at the crying girl lying on the ground.
The guilt she had buried surfaced once more.
“Brother Bing…”
“She’s only scared.”
“A lesson should be enough.”
“You still need them to… serve you.”
Meeting the girl’s terrified, hate-filled eyes, Long Juanli’s hands grew cold.
No one understood Jiang Bing’s cruelty better than she did.
Zhao Hongbin immediately noticed her hesitation.
He stepped closer, glaring at her viciously.
“Long Juanli.”
“Stop dragging this out.”
“You have two choices.”
“Deal with her yourself and prove your loyalty…”
“Or die together with her.”
He pointed at her.
“Decide.”
“Do you want to save yourself and your brother…”
“Or protect these meaningless friendships?”
Those words severed the last thread of hesitation in her heart.
Long Juanli slowly closed her eyes.
She drew in a deep breath.
When she opened them again…
Nothing remained except selfishness and resolve.
“I know what I have to do.”
Her voice was hoarse.
She accepted the dagger one of the thugs handed her.
Her fingers trembled uncontrollably.
Fear.
Conflict.
Despair.
All churned inside her.
Yet…
She never stopped moving.
The girl on the floor looked up at her with utter despair.
Tears streamed down her face as she begged.
“Juanli…”
“I’m begging you…”
“Please let me go.”
“We’re classmates…”
“Don’t do this…”
For just a brief moment…
Long Juanli hesitated.
But only for a moment.
She clenched her teeth.
Closed her eyes tightly.
Refused to look at the girl’s face.
Refused to hear her pleading.
Then…
She raised the dagger…
And drove it downward.
A weak cry echoed through the lobby.
Then silence fell.
Long Juanli slowly opened her eyes.
Blood spread across the floor.
The girl lay motionless before her.
The dagger slipped from her trembling fingers, clattering loudly against the ground.
The next second…
Her legs gave out.
She collapsed to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably.
Tears streamed endlessly down her face.
She cried because she was afraid.
Because she was horrified by the blood on her own hands.
Because she had crossed a line from which there was no return.
But…
Not because she regretted it.
The remaining three girls witnessed everything.
They trembled violently, huddling together in the corner.
None of them even dared cry aloud.
Only endless terror remained in their eyes.
Watching the scene unfold, Jiang Bing nodded with satisfaction.
“Well done.”
He looked at Long Juanli.
“Stay obedient from now on.”
“You and your brother will be rewarded.”
Then he casually pointed at one of the girls.
“Tonight…”
He grinned lecherously.
“Send your brother and that one over to entertain me.”
“As for the others…”
“We’ll let the brothers have them in a few days.”
Zhao Hongbin laughed along with him before turning toward the thugs.
“Keep a close watch on them.”
“Don’t let any of them escape.”
“Yes, Brother Bin!”