Lu Yuanyuan’s willow-shaped eyes were filled with anger. “You pushed me toward the zombie and caused me to get injured. Two slaps are getting off easy!”
A trace of barely perceptible panic flashed through Chen Yiqian’s eyes. She quickly replaced it with an aggrieved expression.
“Xiaoyuan, you must have misunderstood. I didn’t push you. Li Shuo was behind you at the time too. Why would you assume it was me who pushed you?”
As she spoke, Chen Yiqian suddenly looked as though she had figured something out.
“I know now. You must be jealous because Auntie usually treats me well, so you’re saying this because you’re jealous of me.”
Lu Yuanyuan sneered at this. She grabbed Chen Yiqian’s hand and raised it in front of her.
“Wasn’t this sleeve torn when I grabbed you while you were pushing me?”
Chen Yiqian’s eyes widened instantly. She subconsciously looked at her sleeve, where a small piece of fabric was missing.
Seeing her shocked expression, Lu Yuanyuan snorted coldly and forcefully shook off her hand.
“Watch yourself from now on.”
With that, she looked at Chen Yiqian without the slightest trace of affection and quickly turned away.
Everyone nearby had heard the entire argument between the two cousins and tacitly began distancing themselves from them.
They were both afraid that Lu Yuanyuan would turn into a zombie and worried that Chen Yiqian might use them as sacrifices or cannon fodder.
After hearing their argument, Huo Mian also couldn’t be certain whether Lu Yuanyuan would turn into a zombie.
Noticing the wary looks around her, Lu Yuanyuan pursed her lips and looked around.
She saw Xia Yan sweep out with a blade of wind, sending the head of the last remaining zombie tumbling to the ground.
After thinking for a moment, she walked over to Xia Yan and took the initiative to ask him to tie her up and wait through the night.
Several people had been scratched by zombies that morning, and within just a few hours of being scratched, they had all turned into zombies.
If Lu Yuanyuan could make it through the night, perhaps it would prove that she wouldn’t turn into a zombie.
Xia Yan agreed to her plan without much hesitation.
This would both ensure everyone’s safety and determine whether people would still turn into zombies after being scratched if their wounds had already been healed.
Besides, Xia Yan and Lu Yuanyuan were acquainted. Although they hadn’t interacted much, he couldn’t bear to watch her be ostracized by everyone.
Being tied up might be somewhat uncomfortable, but it was still better than being driven out of the cafeteria by everyone.
After dinner, the sky gradually darkened. Everyone took out their phones and turned on the flashlights to illuminate the area.
At this moment, Lu Yuanyuan’s body began showing abnormal symptoms. Her body temperature gradually rose.
She lay quietly on a dining table with her eyes closed and her face flushed bright red, her hands and feet bound tightly with nylon rope.
Everyone remained wary, not daring to approach Lu Yuanyuan at all. Instead, they watched her every move from a distance.
A tense and oppressive atmosphere spread throughout the cafeteria.
By midnight, the temperature had dropped sharply.
Huo Mian sat on a chair with her eyelids half lowered. A wave of sleepiness washed over her, and she gave a delicate yawn, tears of fatigue welling up in the corners of her eyes.
She was extremely sleepy, yet it was so cold that she couldn’t fall asleep.
She raised her head and looked around, discovering that most people were too cold to sleep.
Huo Mian’s gaze inadvertently landed on Bai Ningrong.
She was wearing a long dress and sleeping soundly with her head resting on the dining table, seemingly completely unaffected by the cold.
A hint of envy flashed through Huo Mian’s eyes.
As expected, ice-type ability users had an incredible resistance to the cold.
She sighed and looked away, her gaze falling on Xu Mingfan, who was sleeping across from her.
She had no idea what he had done to casually join the male protagonist’s team.
If Lu Yuanyuan could make it through the night, that would prove how useful her healing ability was.
Perhaps the male protagonist would agree to let her join the team because of how useful her ability was?
After all, having a healing ability user would greatly increase everyone’s chances of survival!
Thinking of this, Huo Mian could no longer sit still.
She stood up and slowly walked toward Lu Yuanyuan in the corner.
Xia Yan sat on a chair with his arms crossed, thinking about their plans for survival in the future.
At that moment, someone walked past him, stirring up a faint breeze.
Xia Yan looked up and saw that it was Huo Mian. She was walking toward Lu Yuanyuan in the corner.
Watching Huo Mian’s retreating figure, he was slightly taken aback. When he came back to his senses, a smile appeared in his eyes behind his glasses.
After thinking for a moment, Xia Yan couldn’t help but stand up and follow her at an unhurried pace.
Huo Mian was preoccupied with her own thoughts and didn’t notice Xia Yan behind her at all.
She walked over to Lu Yuanyuan and studied her face.
Lu Yuanyuan’s brows were slightly furrowed, her face burning red with fever, and her lips were slightly cracked.
Huo Mian let out a soft sigh. She didn’t know whether Lu Yuanyuan would make it through this ordeal.
“Junior Huo, don’t worry. Your treatment earlier was timely. She’ll definitely be fine.”
Xia Yan’s voice suddenly came from behind her. Huo Mian froze for a moment before turning around and looking at him, surprise in her peach-shaped eyes.
“Senior Xia, why aren’t you asleep yet?”
Xia Yan gave a bitter smile. “It’s too cold. I can’t sleep!”
After a pause, he continued, “Junior Huo, what are your plans from here?”
Huo Mian hesitated when she heard this.
She wanted to go to the Central Base with Bai Ningrong, but news about the base hadn’t spread yet.
Seeing her conflicted expression, Xia Yan chuckled softly. “What, can’t you tell me?”
Huo Mian waved her hand, forcing a stiff smile onto her face. “Of course not. I just haven’t decided yet.”
Xia Yan raised an eyebrow and was about to speak when Chen Yiqian hurried over and interrupted them.
“Xia Yan, how is my cousin doing?”
Her eyes were fixed directly on Xia Yan, without even glancing at Lu Yuanyuan.
Huo Mian couldn’t help feeling speechless at the sight.
This woman clearly wasn’t here to check on her cousin. She had actually come for Xia Yan.
Xia Yan’s brows immediately furrowed, and a trace of impatience flashed through his eyes.
“Lu Yuanyuan’s condition is quite stable. She’ll definitely make it through safely.”
Chen Yiqian’s expression stiffened when she heard this, and she was just about to say something more.
Xia Yan suddenly spoke. “It’s getting late. I’m going to get some rest.”
With that, he gave Huo Mian a slight nod before turning and walking away.
Chen Yiqian’s face instantly darkened. She glared viciously at Huo Mian before turning around and leaving as well.
Huo Mian: “??”
Dragged into the situation for no reason, Huo Mian was completely baffled. She felt deeply disgusted with Chen Yiqian.
She lowered her eyes to Lu Yuanyuan, who was tied up like a bundle, and a trace of sympathy flashed through her peach-shaped eyes.
Having a cousin who wanted to kill her made her look even more pitiful than Huo Mian herself!
The next morning.
Huo Mian sat beside Lu Yuanyuan with two dark circles under her eyes, yawning from time to time.
By then, Lu Yuanyuan’s temperature had dropped. The bright redness had faded from her cheeks, restoring them to their normal complexion.
She lay peacefully on the dining table.
There were no signs of zombification on her body. Huo Mian guessed that her earlier treatment might have had some effect on the zombie virus.
However, she didn’t know whether Lu Yuanyuan would awaken an ability because of it.
Suddenly, Lu Yuanyuan’s eyelashes trembled slightly. The next moment, she slowly opened her eyes.
Huo Mian’s eyes lit up. She immediately leaned closer.
“You’re awake. How do you feel?”
Hearing Huo Mian’s concerned voice, Lu Yuanyuan froze.
Seeing the obvious dark circles beneath Huo Mian’s eyes, a warm feeling surged through her heart.
Last night, when she had been drifting in and out of consciousness, she had sensed a figure moving beside her and thought it was merely a hallucination.
Her own cousin had tried to take her life, while Huo Mian was nothing more than a stranger she had met by chance, yet Huo Mian had still gone this far for her.
Thinking of this, Lu Yuanyuan secretly swore that from now on, Huo Mian would be her closest friend.
With that thought, a radiant smile appeared on her face.
“I feel especially good right now.”
Curious, Huo Mian asked, “Then do you feel anything different about your body compared with before?
“For example, do you have an ability?”
Lu Yuanyuan’s heart suddenly began pounding faster.
What was this girl talking about?
Seeing her stunned expression, Huo Mian reminded her, “Close your eyes and see if you can sense any extra energy inside your body.”
Seeing how serious Huo Mian looked, Lu Yuanyuan realized she wasn’t joking.
A flicker of anticipation instantly rose within her. She hurriedly closed her eyes and carefully sensed every change within her body.
And sure enough, she discovered a ball of energy that had appeared inside her.
Lu Yuanyuan tried using her mind to activate the energy. Then, she suddenly “saw” the scene outside the cafeteria.
Unable to believe what was happening, she repeatedly opened and closed her eyes, trying to confirm whether her perception was real.
Seeing her repeatedly opening and closing her eyes, Huo Mian asked in confusion, “Did your eye twitch?”
Could it be that yesterday’s wound hadn’t healed properly?
The wound had been quite close to her eye. Perhaps she had overlooked something.
Hearing this, Lu Yuanyuan opened her eyes, instinctively wanting to retort, “Your eye is twitching!”
But when she saw the concern in Huo Mian’s eyes and remembered that she was still her lifesaver, she quickly swallowed the words.
Thinking back on what she had just done, she had to admit that it really did look like something was wrong with her eyes.
Thinking about the ability she had awakened, Lu Yuanyuan instantly broke into a delighted smile.
“Xiaomian, I awakened an ability! I can see what’s happening outside even through walls!”
Huo Mian was slightly stunned. She asked in surprise, “Did you awaken a clairvoyant ability?”