At noon, the sun shone brightly, but there was no warmth whatsoever. A biting north wind howled in the sunlight, and occasionally a few mischievous gusts slipped through the cracks in the sliding door of balcony 440, singing a cheerful yet eerie song.
Inside the room, under the watchful eyes of Qiao Siqi and Qi Yan, Song Fei opened the wardrobe and pulled out the desk drawer, managing to rummage through all of the 440's worth of food supplies—Xiang Yang's four packs of instant noodles, three sausages, and two bags of pickled vegetables; Ren Zhe's Swiss chocolate gift box and five packs of Southeast Asian shrimp chips; Song Fei's two packs of instant noodles and a large bag of sunflower seeds; and Wang Qingyuan's three apples.
As a male dormitory, we actually have quite a lot of things, but the main food is only six packs of instant noodles. How long can three people last?
"Why don't we have the habit of stocking up on food?" Qiao Siqi had never felt so annoyed at not being a foodie. Then, as if remembering something, he suddenly looked out the window towards the girls' dormitory, a paradise completely separated from the boys' dormitory, a world only the boys dreamed of. "I heard that the girls are all like little hamsters, they love to stock up on snacks, and some even buy groceries and secretly cook for themselves in their dorms…"
Throughout history, countless lewd male students have had their souls wander to that unattainable girls' dormitory area.
But Josh might be the first person whose face shows no lust but only gluttony.
"You only realize how little food you have when it's time to eat," Song Fei said, opening the chocolate gift box, popping a heart-shaped chocolate into her mouth, and then handing another heart-shaped one to Qiao Siqi. "Stop staring at her and getting all envious."
Looking at plums can quench thirst, but looking at food will only make you hungrier.
Josh looked away dejectedly, took the chocolate and popped it into his mouth. The rich aroma of cocoa temporarily suppressed his hungry lust.
"Cough." Qi Yan, who was standing next to him, coughed for no apparent reason.
Song Fei glanced at him sideways, instantly understanding, rolled her eyes, and helplessly turned around to stuff another chocolate into his hand.
Qi Yan looked down at the small square piece in her palm and thought it definitely wasn't as sweet as the two heart-shaped pieces.
Song Fei couldn't understand why Qi Yan had asked for chocolate but wasn't eating it, just staring at it blankly. But Qi Yan would sometimes act erratically, and he was used to it. His stomach was already making a slight protest. For someone who rarely ate breakfast, he should be hungry at this time, but not starving yet. So, choosing among the limited food was a complex art.
"If you ask me, if you're not too hungry, eat some snacks and fruit. If you're really starving, then eat instant noodles to maximize the effect," Qiao Siqi offered scientific advice.
Song Fei thought it made a lot of sense, and after considering all the options, she chose Wang Qingyuan's apples.
Qi Yan watched as Song Fei picked up the apple, and before he could even say "no," Song Fei had already taken a big bite, making a loud, satisfying smacking sound.
"Huh?" Song Fei took three bites of half an apple before finally having time to talk to Qi Yan.
Seeing how much he was enjoying his food, Qi Yan thought she might be overthinking things and shook her head: "It's nothing."
Song Fei was baffled, but took three more bites, finally finishing by gnawing the apple core down to its smallest, cleanest size.
"Aren't you two going to eat?" Song Fei felt a little guilty that he was eating heartily while his two classmates didn't touch the food.
Qiao Siqi chuckled: "Have you forgotten where we just ran back from?"
Song Fei was speechless. The cafeteria, and the cafeteria that was locked up yesterday during mealtimes. The food stalls and kitchen were still full of food.
"If you're not hungry, why are you drooling over the girls' dormitory!"
"I'm thinking ahead. Just because we're not hungry now doesn't mean we won't be hungry later. How many days can this little bit of food last? Let me tell you, we can be trapped in the girls' dormitory for three months without any problems!"
Song Fei was amused and was about to make a sarcastic remark when suddenly her stomach ached, and a very unwelcome feeling returned, even stronger than before.
Qiao Siqi watched as Song Fei approached the instant noodles step by step, and finally actually reached out and grabbed a pack. He quickly stopped her, saying, "Hey, what are you doing? Didn't I just tell you that instant noodles are only for when you're extremely hungry!"
Song Fei looked earnestly into his eyes: "I'm extremely hungry right now."
Joss broke down: "Didn't you just eat an apple?"
Song Fei was even more distraught: "It must be an apple-shaped digestive aid!"
Qi Yan sighed, knowing full well that apples, being so acidic, could never fill you up; they would only make you hungrier.
Lunch was spent in Song Fei's instant noodle time. While he ate, Qi Yan and Qiao Siqi were not idle either, searching the room for something that could be used as a weapon. In the end, Qiao Siqi found Ren Zhe's Swiss Army knife, and Qi Yan found Wang Qingyuan's fruit knife. Both knives were small and foldable, and their lethality was about the same—although the one in Qiao Siqi's hand had a variety of playful functions such as screwdrivers, small scissors, and bottle openers.
After Song Fei finished eating, he saw that his two companions were each holding a small knife. As a regular member of 440, he knew very well—damn it, the knife was gone.
"Are you two shameless? You ran all the way back from the cafeteria kitchen to try and steal my knife?"
"Dude, the kitchen is for cooking, not an armory. You think we can steal those few cleavers?"
Song Fei, unwilling to give up, glanced at Qi Yan with a flickering look in her eyes, as if she were trying to seduce him.
Qi Yan enjoyed being looked at like that, and a smile appeared on her face: "You can just hide behind me."
Song Fei was speechless: "Get lost."
Looking around, the only usable items left out of 440 were Ren Zhe's guitar and Wang Qingyuan's English-Chinese dictionary. Song Fei felt he could start thinking of epitaphs right now.
Qiao Siqi struggled to lift the heavy dictionary and handed it to Song Fei: "I really think this will work. Just think about it, the power of knowledge, who can resist it?"
Song Fei's temples twitched, and he secretly ground his teeth.
He swore that if Qi Yan dared to hand over the guitar, he would definitely use it as the first sacrifice to the dictionary!
Qi Yan didn't bring the guitar; instead, he handed Song Fei a bright red Tai Chi fan.
"Are you fucking kidding me?!" This thing isn't even as good as a guitar!
Seeing that Song Fei did not take the fan, Qi Yan flicked her wrist, and the fan opened with a whoosh, displaying a rather dashing air.
Song Fei raised an eyebrow: "What, want to dance?"
Qi Yan smiled slightly, and with a snap, the fan hit Song Fei in the face.
Qi Yan's strength wasn't great, but... this isn't a matter of strength at all!
Song Fei angrily opened his fan, about to explode, when he heard Qi Yan say, "Just block it like this, if they want to bite you."
Song Fei froze, looking at the stainless steel fan ribs in front of him, then at the tough red silk. Finally, disbelieving, he raised his hand and deliberately slapped the fan against his face. He opened his mouth wide, but no matter how big his mouth was, it was no bigger than the fan surface. Unless he bit the edge of the fan directly, he really had no way to bite it when it was slapped on the face!
Seeing this, Qi Yan smiled and raised an eyebrow, asking, "Do you still think I'm teasing you?"
Song Fei didn't speak. He simply snapped the fan shut with a whoosh and examined it closely in his hands, as if it were not a fan but a divine weapon.
With food supplies secured and weapons readily available, the remaining task was to devise an escape route. The zombies might not breach the dormitory door, but without a pre-planned escape route, a successful breach would mean certain death.
Qi Yan: "First of all, if they break in, we definitely can't go into the corridor. If we want to escape, the only way is to climb down from the balcony."
Qiao Siqi: "Climbing up requires arm strength, and not everyone can do it, but going down is not a big problem as long as you are careful not to slip!"
Qi Yan: "Then we went straight to the supermarket, which was the closest place to the dormitory where we could lock the door."
Qiao Siqi: "No, some people tried to hide there when they ran back from the cafeteria, but they were bitten to death as soon as they entered the room."
Qi Yan: "That was before. Didn't you notice? They not only attack people, but they also eat people, and often many of them share one person. I feel that their attacks are driven by hunger, so once all the students in the supermarket are killed, they won't stay there for long and will go looking for other prey."
Qiao Siqi: "Won't there be people who don't leave right after they've finished eating?"
Qi Yan: "Yes, but their numbers will definitely be fewer than those roaming outside. If we can't even deal with these, we'll be dead sooner or later."
Qiao Siqi: "Okay, then let's set the score at Duoduo!"
Song Fei: "...I'd like to ask if there was a speaking session scheduled for me at this meeting?"
As night deepened, the wind picked up.
The dormitory, without heating, was bitterly cold. Song Fei pulled the blanket tighter and covered himself with two more layers of clothing, but his limbs still felt stiff. He dared not move, for the chill seemed to seep into every crevice, and every movement would make him even colder.
"Are you all asleep?" Qiao Siqi called softly in the darkness.
Song Fei lowered his voice and replied, "No."
After a long while, Qi Yan, who was lying head to head with Qi Yan, finally let out a soft "Mmm".
Qiao Siqi was embarrassed; apparently, no one had slept. He stopped holding back and resumed his normal volume, but his tone was hesitant: "Can...we get out of here alive?"
Qi Yan remained silent.
Song Fei didn't want to think about this rationally; he preferred to rely on his intuition: "It's definitely possible."
Joss laughed: "Who gave you that confidence?"
"The two of you," Song Fei said without hesitation, "If it were just me alone, I probably wouldn't have made it this far. There's a saying that goes, 'Death isn't scary, waiting to die is.' But there are three of us now, and if we work together, we'll definitely make it through!"
The rest of Qiao Siqi's complaints were stuck in his throat.
He used banter to mask his fear, jokes to disguise his dread, and even feigned expertise to explain zombies to Song Fei. But in reality, he was terrified. He knew Song Fei was afraid too; in this situation, not being afraid would be truly unscientific. However, Song Fei's fear was real, and so was his belief. He didn't need to deceive himself like he did; he genuinely believed they could do it. This belief was not only enviable but also provided immense strength.
"Yes, we'll definitely make it through," Qiao Siqi murmured softly, speaking both to his companion and to himself.
Qi Yan, who had listened to the entire conversation, gazed silently at the ceiling bathed in moonlight, a faint smile playing on his lips. He knew he liked Song Fei, yet he often struggled with this feeling because he couldn't pinpoint its source. The man had a bad temper, wasn't good at studying, and wasn't even his type in terms of looks. Aside from being possessed, Qi Yan couldn't think of any reason why he was attracted to him.
Until just now.
This is what initially attracted me. At first glance, it seems like an unfounded and inexplicable confidence, but upon closer inspection, I realized it's like a sunflower, always smiling brightly at the sun, displaying resilience and optimism that forges ahead regardless of good or bad times.
When Song Fei woke up naturally, the east was just beginning to lighten with the first light of dawn.
The dormitory power was back on, and Qi Yan was sitting at his desk under a small lamp, reading. Qiao Siqi was sitting on a stool next to him, munching on instant noodles. Seeing him get up, he greeted him indistinctly, "Good morning..."
Song Fei sat there in a daze, a question suddenly popping into his head: "Why is it that even when the school is struggling to survive, it still remembers to turn off the lights?"
Qiao Siqi, who was munching on a pancake, was stunned by what he heard. He had obviously never thought about this overly commonplace thing before. His mouth was wide open, and he looked completely bewildered, wondering, "Who am I? Where am I? What happened?" After a long while, he stammered, "Yeah, why? Could it be that the school has fallen and there's still a lamplighter holding the line in some mysterious dark corner?"
Qi Yan glanced at him and earnestly advised, "Watch fewer movies in the future."
Song Fei raised an eyebrow, defiantly asking, "You know?"
Qi Yan calmly put down Wang Qingyuan's book "Tourism Anthropology" and explained to his two teammates: "The lights out in our new campus is automatically controlled by a microcontroller system in the school's power distribution room. As long as the power distribution room doesn't lose power, the lights out will always run smoothly. Understand?"
Song Fei and Qiao Siqi looked at each other, their bewildered gazes meeting in mid-air, sparking a burst of ignorance.
However, it doesn't matter if you don't understand the principle.
Josh: "Anyway, it's the end of the world..."
Song Fei: "The lights should be turned off too."
The saying goes, "The early bird catches the worm," but for Song Fei, this morning began with boundless sorrow.
Feeling utterly hopeless, I climbed out of bed, wanting to pour myself a glass of water to ease my inner turmoil. I shook four thermos flasks in a row, but only one was still bubbling.
"That's all. Drink it sparingly," Qiao Siqi said, clearly having not slept well, his dark circles making him look like a panda. "But even if you try to save it, it won't help. In the end, you'll still have to drink cold water."
Song Fei glared at Qi Yan: "We could have boiled our own water, but a few days ago during a dormitory inspection, some bastard confiscated our water heater."
Qiao Siqi was unaware of the grudges and entanglements involved, but instead remembered something else: "It heats up quickly? We have one in our dorm!"
Song Fei was both amused and exasperated: "We're all struggling to make ends meet, why bother boiling water? Just use a tap, we don't need to live such a refined life."
Qiao Siqi hesitated, mainly because the tap water at their school was sometimes so bad it tasted like coffee; its composition was obviously questionable. She wasn't even comfortable boiling it, let alone drinking it directly from the tap—she simply couldn't bring herself to do it!
Perhaps sensing Johns's intense pleading gaze, Qi Yan finally looked up from her book: "Which one is in your dorm?"
Qiao Siqi quickly replied, "637, just a little bit diagonally from here!"
Qi Yan nodded: "I'll go to other dorms to find food after dawn, and I'll pick it up while I'm at it."
Qiao Siqi only regrets that he is straight, otherwise he
would definitely steal his love away!