Zhao Jie and 113 other new survivors were brought to Building 22, where they were greeted by Cai Anxin.
Cai Anxin first gave a brief self-introduction and then read out the rules of the shelter to these new survivors, including the untouchable red lines.
For example, it was strictly forbidden to move between floors for romantic encounters, engage in sexual harassment, or fight. If caught, the lightest punishment was confinement, and the most severe was execution on the spot!
"Classmates, we don't have a prison here! Nor do we have conditions for reform. If you break the rules, we don't accept repentance or change! You just need to be ready to start over in your next life!"
"Classmates, think twice before acting! Lastly, the Survivor Management Committee is always recruiting. Those willing to serve everyone and with certain professional skills are welcome to interview!"
After saying this, Cai Anxin began to organize the groups, four people per group, essentially forming a dormitory.
Then he led them in an orderly line to the 7th and 8th floors. Over 70 girls were assigned to the 7th floor, which was lower and required climbing fewer stairs, a small favor for the girls.
During the free grouping, Ai Ke and Ah Wen stood together, so the two of them were assigned to the same room.
As soon as they entered, Ai Ke frowned slightly at the sight of the items on her bed and complained softly to Ah Wen, "I should have brought my own quilt and sheets when we came over! There's only a mattress here, and no one's slept on it for a whole holiday, who knows how much dust there is!"
"Keke, why don't you sleep on my bed? I've got a quilt and sheets!" Ah Wen pointed to her bed. The state of each bed depended on luck; some original owners were lazy and left their things at school without taking them home to wash.
For those who were more particular, like the owner of Ai Ke's bed, they might have taken everything home to wash, leaving nothing behind.
Ah Wen's offer tempted Ai Ke a bit, but she couldn't bring herself to let her friend suffer, so she waved her hand, "It's fine, I'm just complaining. I can manage, I'll sleep here!"
At this point, the other two roommates had also finished arranging their beds and began to chat. They were equally unlucky, with only a bare mattress.
The dorm's only "Lucky One," Ah Wen, had her status firmly established from the start.
"Hello, I'm Tang Jingwen, and this little cutie is Feng Jiayi. We're from the Economics major!"
Tang Jingwen, with her voluptuous figure and radiant skin, had a mature voice that carried a subtle allure.
As she introduced herself, she ruffled Feng Jiayi's hair beside her, introducing her as well.
"Hi, I'm Ai Ke! I recognize you, the goddess of the Economics School! This is Zhang Wenwen next to me, you can just call her Ah Wen!" Ai Ke looked at Tang Jingwen and introduced herself on behalf of Ah Wen.
Tang Jingwen smiled at this, "I wouldn't dare claim the title of goddess in front of the Campus Belle. I've heard about Ai Ke from the Art School too, you're the face of all the major events at school as the host!"
With this exchange of compliments, the two quickly became familiar, and the dorm atmosphere shifted from strange to friendly, soon addressing each other as sisters.
As for Feng Jiayi and Zhang Wenwen, they were just along for the ride, with no independent consciousness. As long as Tang Jingwen and Ai Ke got along, the whole dorm was harmonious.
Once they got to know each other, the girls couldn't help but gossip.
"That soldier talking to the boys in the group earlier, isn't he Gu Chengyuan from the Internet of Things class?"
"Why is he in the military again? Didn't he return to the Internet of Things class?" Tang Jingwen asked curiously.
"Who knows, maybe he was called back. After all, the world has turned out like this."
"There's no signal on the phone, who knows what's happening outside!"
Seeing Ai Ke's worried expression, Tang Jingwen guessed she might be concerned about her family and comforted her:
"Don't worry, trust in the Zhou Nation! Besides, they've sent a rescue army to the school, so other places shouldn't be too bad either. You see, zombies stand no chance against the army!"
Tang Jingwen nodded as she spoke, seemingly comforting herself as well as Ai Ke.
"Let's hope so!"
The atmosphere turned heavy at this point, as everyone who had been rescued was filled with concern for their families after such a drastic change.
"Don't you think Gu Chengyuan is handsome? Someone posted his basketball photos on the school's Confession Wall before, and our class has a lot of his fans! Right, Jingwen?"
Feng Jiayi seemed to sense the shift in mood and immediately redirected the topic to Gu Chengyuan.
"Uh, Jiayi is right! Our class does have quite a few girls who are into his looks. She's the biggest Gu fan in our Economics class! Hahaha."
"So what if I'm a Gu fan? Being handsome is a lifelong thing! And now that he's joined the military, he looks so handsome in his combat uniform! I'm even more in love!" Feng Jiayi seemed lost in her memories, her face full of infatuation.
Ai Ke didn't comment on her words, but felt that focusing on looks was too superficial, or perhaps she had other emotions.
"He is indeed handsome, but it doesn't really concern us, does it?"
Feng Jiayi seemed about to say something, but at that moment, a call for dinner echoed through the hallway.
"Everyone, gather in the corridor by dormitory groups! Line up to go downstairs for dinner!"
"Woohoo, dinner time! I've had enough of snacks these past few days! I want chicken!"
The dinner announcement made Feng Jiayi forget her retort to Ai Ke, her eyes filled with a longing for food.
Meanwhile, on the eighth floor, the boys also rushed out of their dorms at the sound of dinner!
No boy could resist the lure of a meal; if you're not eager to eat, there's something wrong with your brain!
Because most of the 40-plus new survivors on the eighth floor had been hanging out with Zhao Jie in Building 19 after the apocalypse, Zhao Jie was still the center of attention in the hallway.
A group of people surrounded him, constantly talking to him, but Zhao Jie seemed distracted, pondering something in his mind.
What was the current state of the world?
Had it spiraled out of control like in the apocalypse novels he read, or had the government managed to contain it?
This information was crucial to him. If it was under control, he would continue to be a diligent student, waiting for order to be restored.
If it was like the novels, with order collapsing, he would need to find a way out, and the best opportunity now was to join the army.
Compared to being an ordinary person, being an armed soldier in the apocalypse undoubtedly meant living with more status and security.
And whether it was to learn about the outside world or join the army, the key lay with Gu Chengyuan!
As a mere soldier, he couldn't get Zhao Jie into the army, but he could introduce him, Zhao Jie thought, contemplating how to further solidify his relationship with Gu Chengyuan.