Lin Mingmei had no time to sort through the chaos in her mind. Working together with Qin Yueming, she immediately threw her weight against the heavy wooden door, blocking the zombies clawing and slamming from the other side.
“Someone get over here and help hold the door!” Lin Mingmei shouted toward the warehouse interior.
“Lin Mingmei?!” Gao Lang finally recognized her blood-covered figure, his voice filled with shock.
As the dim shadows inside the warehouse settled, Lin Mingmei was finally able to see the people inside clearly. Aside from Gao Lang, Luo Xinxin was there as well.
Why are these two together?
Lin Mingmei was completely stunned.
In her previous life, during this exact moment of the outbreak, only she and Gao Lang had been inside this warehouse. Yet now, Qin Yueming and Luo Xinxin had both appeared as well.
Everything has changed…
Gao Lang was equally shocked.
He had never expected Lin Mingmei to suddenly appear before him, covered from head to toe in dark, filthy blood. How had she managed to make it all the way here alone? Had she really risked her life just to find him?
Without hesitation, Gao Lang rushed forward and pressed his body firmly against the shaking door to help support the pressure from outside.
“Lin Mingmei, did you come all the way here just to find me?”
Lin Mingmei had only just managed to catch her breath before hearing his question. After a brief pause, she slowly nodded.
A faint trace of emotion stirred inside Gao Lang’s chest.
Even if this woman isn’t pretty and lacks common sense, at least she truly cares about me.
Standing nearby, Qin Yueming: “…”
“Mingmei, how did you even get here? Are you hurt?” Gao Lang asked anxiously as his eyes swept over the bloodstains covering her clothes.
Lin Mingmei shook her head.
“No, but my stamina is completely drained. I need a few minutes to recover. Can you hold the door?”
Gao Lang nodded immediately.
Given Lin Mingmei’s small frame, he assumed she could not possibly contribute much strength anyway. Now that he had stepped in, her role should have become much lighter.
However, the moment Lin Mingmei removed her hands from the door, the wooden barrier violently buckled inward under the force outside, nearly breaking apart completely.
Gao Lang’s face instantly turned pale.
If Lin Mingmei had not reacted fast enough to throw herself back against the door, the entrance would have collapsed instantly.
“This isn’t going to work. We need something heavy to block the entrance properly,” Lin Mingmei said with a deep frown.
Qin Yueming quickly scanned the warehouse before immediately giving orders.
“Xinxin! Move that storage cabinet over here now!”
Luo Xinxin instantly burst into frightened tears.
“I can’t do it, Brother Yueming! I’m too scared!”
“…” Lin Mingmei nearly rolled her eyes.
What exactly was so frightening about moving a cabinet?
“Mingmei, hold the door a little longer. I’ll handle it,” Gao Lang quickly said.
The moment Lin Mingmei pushed herself firmly against the barrier again, Gao Lang hurried over to comfort Luo Xinxin in a soft voice. Together, the two of them dragged the heavy wooden cabinet across the floor and wedged it against the entrance.
The pressure against the door eased slightly.
Seeing that the barricade still lacked stability, Qin Yueming spoke calmly.
“Can you maintain this for another two minutes?”
Lin Mingmei nodded briefly.
The moment Qin Yueming stepped away from the door, he immediately organized Gao Lang and Luo Xinxin to move additional metal lockers and chest freezers into place, completely sealing the entrance.
Finally, the barricade became stable.
Lin Mingmei let out a long, exhausted breath before collapsing directly onto the floor.
Finally… I can rest for a moment.
Qin Yueming frowned slightly with concern. Just as he prepared to walk toward her, Gao Lang rushed over first.
“Mingmei, since when were you this strong?”
Lin Mingmei gave a dry smile.
“I guess people can unleash hidden strength when they’re trapped in life-and-death situations.”
While speaking casually, her eyes quietly scanned Gao Lang’s condition, searching for signs that his fire ability was about to awaken.
“Gao Lang, are you injured anywhere? Have you felt anything strange lately?”
“No. I’ve been hiding safely inside this warehouse the whole time,” Gao Lang replied. “Mingmei, did you really come all the way here just for me? How did you know I was hiding here? Did you come with a rescue team? Where are the others? Can they get us out safely?”
He fired questions at her nonstop.
Facing such a massive zombie horde outside, Gao Lang absolutely refused to believe Lin Mingmei had managed to cross the campus alone.
Under his hopeful gaze, Lin Mingmei slowly shook her head.
“There’s no rescue team. I came here alone.”
Disappointment instantly appeared on Gao Lang’s face.
Meanwhile, Lin Mingmei secretly felt both disappointed and relieved at the same time.
The important thing was that Gao Lang was still alive.
She clearly remembered that when the outbreak first began, Gao Lang had been eating inside the cafeteria. Based on his personality, she guessed he would instinctively hide somewhere secure and restricted, which was why she came directly to the warehouse.
Being able to find him alive truly was fortunate.
The fact that his fire ability had not fully awakened yet was dangerous for their current situation, but for Lin Mingmei, it was also perfect.
As long as she stayed near him, she could take his fire core the moment it awakened.
As those thoughts passed through her mind, the way she looked at Gao Lang gradually became more complicated.
To outsiders, however, her gaze simply looked deeply affectionate and possessive.
Standing nearby, Qin Yueming quietly lowered his eyes.
So this is the person she truly cares about…
To risk her life crossing the entire campus alone and fight through a zombie horde just to save him, she must love him deeply.
A bitter feeling quietly spread through Qin Yueming’s chest.
Luo Xinxin suddenly let out a mocking laugh.
“Lin Mingmei, are you stupid? Since you knew where Gao Lang was hiding, why didn’t you bring a rescue team? Running in here alone was basically suicide. Anyone with common sense can see that.”
Lin Mingmei frowned slightly and deliberately asked blankly,
“And you are…?”
Gao Lang quickly stepped in.
“Her name is Luo Xinxin. She’s my sister.”
“Your sister?”
“My god-sister,” Gao Lang corrected smoothly. “We only met not long before the outbreak, but we get along very well.”
A cold smile flashed through Lin Mingmei’s mind, though her face remained calm.
“Ah… a god-sister. I see.”
Luo Xinxin lifted her chin proudly before glaring at Gao Lang.
“Brother Gao Lang, Brother Yueming already has enough pressure trying to get the two of us out safely. Now there’s another burden added to the group. Let me make this clear first, Brother Yueming and I are not responsible for protecting her.”
Hearing that, Qin Yueming frowned immediately.
He wanted to explain that Lin Mingmei was more than capable of protecting herself.
But then he suddenly realized something.
Lin Mingmei had intentionally hidden the fact that she possessed a strength ability from Gao Lang.
Suppressing his words, Qin Yueming could only say seriously,
“Xinxin, don’t say things like that. Since I promised to help, I’ll make sure everyone gets out safely.”
Lin Mingmei glanced at him briefly, inwardly sneering.
Look at him pretending we’re strangers now.
As expected, saving someone’s life means nothing to people like this.
“Brother Yueming, I’m only worried about your safety,” Luo Xinxin said while pouting softly. “Even if your fire ability is strong, it’s impossible for you to protect three people at once.”
Lin Mingmei let out a quiet laugh.
“You don’t need to worry about me. I can protect myself perfectly well.”
“Mingmei!” Gao Lang suddenly snapped in annoyance. “Watch your attitude. Xinxin’s concerns are completely reasonable. Look at yourself. If Brother Yueming hadn’t saved you just now, would you even still be standing here talking?”
Lin Mingmei: “…”
Fine.
For the sake of your future fire core, I’ll tolerate your stupidity a little longer.
Seeing Lin Mingmei fall silent obediently, Gao Lang immediately felt satisfied.
This was the familiar Lin Mingmei he knew, submissive and easy to control.
He quickly returned to Luo Xinxin’s side.
“Xinxin, don’t worry too much. Before, there were only two of us. Now we have four people. Our chances of surviving are much higher. And I’ll definitely protect you.”
“Mhm.” Luo Xinxin smiled brightly, clearly pleased by how little attention he paid to Lin Mingmei. “Brother Gao Lang is right. Brother Yueming is so strong, he’ll definitely get us out safely. Right, Brother Yueming?”
Suddenly dragged into the conversation, Qin Yueming forced out a stiff smile and nodded quietly.
Lin Mingmei nearly rolled her eyes.
The fact that this woman died early in her previous life really wasn’t surprising at all.
The world was already collapsing into chaos, yet she still had the energy to compete for a man’s attention.