Lin Mingmei’s insistence only reinforced Qin Yueming’s perception that she was a noble-hearted person. As a soldier, his own sense of responsibility suddenly seemed inferior to hers.
“I’ll go with you,” Qin Yueming said firmly.
Lin Mingmei rejected him immediately. “No need. I can handle it alone.”
“That’s impossible. It’s too dangerous.”
Lin Mingmei was already losing patience. “Qin Yueming, stop meddling in my business! Look at yourself first. Your superpower reserves are probably almost depleted already, aren’t they? If you don’t rest properly, are you still planning to go scavenging for supplies tomorrow?” Her tone practically screamed the words dead weight.
Qin Yueming’s brows drew together tightly, his expression unwavering. “You need rest too!”
“Do you want me to knock you unconscious and throw you aside? Go ahead and test me,” Lin Mingmei snapped as she shook her fist impatiently. Qin Yueming knew perfectly well how much terrifying power those slim wrists and delicate-looking fists contained.
“I’ll say this one last time. I know exactly what I’m doing, so stop nagging me!” Lin Mingmei’s face was icy cold. “You have your mission, and I have mine. Move.”
Qin Yueming hesitated for two seconds before finally stepping aside. From the moment he met her, her abilities had been astonishing. Perhaps he really should trust her judgment.
Still, he couldn’t help thinking that she truly had a terrible temper. No matter how soft-hearted she actually was, with such a sharp tongue and explosive attitude, no man would ever find her lovable. It was probably exactly because of this that her boyfriend had been stolen away so easily…
Qin Yueming glanced at Gao Lang and immediately felt disgusted.
A man like him isn’t worthy of her.
The night was pitch black. The guttural growls of zombies echoed endlessly through the campus, likely caused by other students sneaking out in search of food and accidentally running into the undead.
Lin Mingmei listened carefully to every movement as she advanced cautiously through the darkness. Whenever she encountered a zombie, she killed it swiftly before searching its body for crystal nuclei.
After two full days of fighting, she had already figured out the situation.
The current zombies were still in their earliest stage. Their movements were stiff, their speed was slow, and as long as they didn’t appear in overwhelming numbers, a strength-type superpower user like her could handle them without much trouble. Even ordinary people could kill one or two zombies if they were ruthless enough.
But this was only the beginning of the apocalypse.
Just as humans could awaken superpowers, zombies would evolve as well. By then, the crystal nuclei inside their brains would become far more valuable, but the monsters themselves would also become far more terrifying.
She needed to seize this opportunity while the zombies were still weak, gather as many nuclei as possible, strengthen both herself and her space, and prepare for the future.
Like a ghost wandering through the night, Lin Mingmei roamed the campus for most of the evening. She deliberately avoided dangerous areas like the student supermarket and successfully harvested a large pile of zombie heads, collecting ten crystal nuclei of varying sizes.
The moment she tossed them into her space, the black ball bounced excitedly in satisfaction.
“Universities really are wonderful places. Even the zombies here are much higher quality than the ones outside.”
Lin Mingmei fell silent.
You know absolutely nothing about this world.
She remembered her previous life.
Back then, after Gao Lang awakened his fire-type superpower, he became unbearably arrogant. He truly believed himself to be the chosen savior of humanity and looked down on everyone around him.
Eventually, he offended a group of survivors.
That gang consisted mostly of crude, uneducated thugs, but among their twenty members were several strength-type and speed-type superpower users. In the early apocalypse, they were an incredibly formidable force.
Unfortunately, they were idiots.
They originally came to settle scores with Gao Lang, yet somehow he managed to sweet-talk them into becoming his personal lackeys instead.
Gao Lang, Gao Lang…
The brighter and more glorious you were in your previous life, the more miserable I will make you in this one.
The mere thought of him caused murderous intent to surge inside her chest.
Clenching her fists tightly, Lin Mingmei sprinted back toward their hideout.
Maybe…
Just maybe…
After being gone all night, Gao Lang had finally started awakening his superpower?
Filled with anticipation, she rushed all the way back in one breath.
Qin Yueming, who was standing guard at the entrance, reacted instantly when he heard movement nearby. His entire body tensed in alertness, only relaxing after recognizing her silhouette.
“You’re back. It’s almost dawn already. Get some rest.”
He didn’t ask a single question?
Lin Mingmei had spent the entire journey back preparing countless excuses and fabricated stories, only to discover she didn’t need any of them at all.
Her footsteps slowed.
“Why are you on guard duty?” she asked with a frown. “Don’t you still have to go scavenging tomorrow?”
If the strongest fighter didn’t rest properly, what was the point of the others being fully rested?
Was she worried about him?
In the darkness, the corners of Qin Yueming’s lips curled upward slightly.
“They’ve been terrified for two straight days. Let them sleep,” he replied softly. “I’ve gone through military training. Staying awake for a few days isn’t a problem.”
Since he himself didn’t care, Lin Mingmei had no interest in arguing further. She shut her mouth and walked directly toward Gao Lang.
Gao Lang was sleeping soundly.
Beside him, Luo Xinxin had her head resting on his arm while she snored softly.
Without any expression whatsoever, Lin Mingmei knelt beside him and pressed a hand against his forehead.
Cool.
No fever.
Damn it…
She cursed inwardly, feeling deeply irritated.
After standing up, she found a corner and lay down to rest.
At the doorway, Qin Yueming’s lips pressed into a thin line.
When Lin Mingmei turned off her flashlight earlier, he had clearly seen the loneliness and disappointment on her face.
He understood exactly why she looked that way.
But he couldn’t help her.
Nor did he want to.
Because he genuinely could not understand what was supposedly so special about that pale-faced pretty boy.
Morning arrived.
Everyone in the room woke up to the fragrant aroma of rice porridge.
Lin Mingmei stretched lazily before getting up, only to discover everyone gathered around the rice cooker.
“You’re awake? I made porridge,” Ke Haiyang said with a smile as he invited everyone to eat.
Lin Mingmei accepted a large bowl without any hesitation and drank it quickly.
Gao Lang, however, frowned immediately.
“Cooking porridge wastes too much water. What are we supposed to do after the water runs out?”
Clearly, he was someone who liked planning far ahead.
Ke Haiyang’s smile froze awkwardly.
“Sorry, I didn’t think about that. I’ll make sure to bring back more water while scavenging later.”
Although Gao Lang complained, it certainly didn’t stop him from eating until he was full.
After wiping his mouth clean, he casually called out to Lin Mingmei.
“Mingmei, clean up afterward.”
Lin Mingmei walked straight past him as if she hadn’t heard a thing.
“Aren’t we supposed to go scavenging? Let’s move.”
Qin Yueming and Ke Haiyang immediately put down their bowls and followed her out.
The moment the three of them left, Luo Xinxin pointed directly at Zhang Rui.
“Zhang Rui, you’re cleaning everything up.”
Zhang Rui swallowed her anger and silently began tidying the room.
Meanwhile, Luo Xinxin glanced toward the unconscious Wu Jiajia with obvious disgust.
“Is she dead yet? Don’t let her die in this room, it’s bad luck.”
Gao Lang frowned as well.
“Zhang Rui, shouldn’t you give her more medicine? Letting her continue like this doesn’t seem right.”
“She already took all the medicine,” Zhang Rui whispered. “But she looks even worse today. I really don’t know what to do anymore.”
“Don’t let her die here, otherwise how are we supposed to stay in this room?” Luo Xinxin complained irritably.
Zhang Rui’s lips twitched slightly before drooping again.
“I don’t know what else to do either,” she said quietly. “If you really can’t stand it, then why don’t we move her into the room next door?”
There wasn’t actually any room next door.
This abandoned classroom stood alone in a remote corner of the campus, and nobody even knew what it had originally been used for. The nearest structure was a utility shed connected to a public restroom, where janitors stored cleaning supplies.
But since Luo Xinxin insisted, Zhang Rui had no choice but to ask Gao Lang for help, and together they carried Wu Jiajia over to the utility shed.
After all, that was what Luo Xinxin demanded.