Zhou Yilu wanted to flip the table.
Song Fei was also feeling utterly devastated. They could be like pothos plants for the country, but even pothos plants need watering. With plants being eaten here and there and smog blowing everywhere, even plastic flowers can't withstand it!
Qi Yan gazed quietly out the window for a long while, then suddenly said, "Actually, this is a good thing. The presence of smog means there is still human activity, and it's even very likely that some industrial activities are still operating normally. This shows that our previous assumption that the city's infrastructure was protected based on the fact that water and electricity hadn't been cut off was correct."
The three people thought this sounded like a fantasy, but upon closer examination, they were speechless.
I never imagined that one day they would need to draw spiritual strength from the smog. It really makes me feel complicated.
"When will this power come to save us?" Qiao Siqi wished he were a power plant. As long as he was given enough protection and love, he would definitely generate electricity.
Song Fei looked up outside, as if there was a bright future in the gray fog: "It will definitely happen, so we must persevere until then."
It was pitch black, so breaking through would be inconvenient. Therefore, the plan to go to the supermarket was temporarily put on hold. Actually, it couldn't be considered put on hold, because they hadn't originally planned to set off early in the morning. Instead, they hoped to find as many partners as possible.
Balcony 440 under the smog.
Zhou Yilu strummed a rather fast rhythm on his guitar, intending to awaken the ears in the fog.
As the musical notes faded, Song Fei put the megaphone made of rolled-up books to his lips and began to call out: "Attention all students! Attention all students! The dormitory is now an isolated island, out of ammunition and supplies. Breaking through is the only way out. The entire 440 dormitory of Building 2 will launch a breakout attack later today, targeting the supermarket. The order is given by the smog; we will charge as soon as the smog clears. Any like-minded students are welcome; the more the merrier! Ready—Go!"
Zhou Yilu and Qiao Siqi: "A bamboo pole!"
Qi Yan: "Hehehe."
Zhou Yilu and Qiao Siqi: "Unable to cross the vast ocean~~"
Qi Yan: "Hehehe."
Zhou Yilu and Qiao Siqi: "Let's all row together!"
Qi Yan: "Hehehe."
Zhou Yilu and Qiao Siqi: "Let's set sail!"
Qi Yan: "Holy crap, who the hell threw that shoe?!"
This was the first time in Qi Yan's life that a shoe had hit her face, all thanks to Song Fei.
Qi Yan: "I told you it wouldn't work!"
Song Fei: "It's you who sang without emotion!"
Qiao Siqi: "Your shouting sounds like the police telling a criminal to quickly release the hostages and come out to surrender. Who would respond?"
Zhou Yilu, holding his guitar, pondered for a moment and said, "If you ask me, let's forget about it. This kind of thing looks like it's going to end badly. Nobody wants to take the risk unless they're forced into a corner."
Qi Yan, who was always prepared for any eventuality, couldn't understand: "If this isn't a desperate situation, what is?"
Song Fei thought about it seriously and decided it should be: "Being pinned against the wall by a zombie".
The four of them stopped wasting their energy and started packing. Song Fei had his own backpack, and Qi Yan had brought back three more while looking for food. However, they didn't have many useful things to pack now, so even one backpack might not be enough to fill four.
A flashlight, an electric kettle, a wallet, keys, and chocolates—these five items didn't even fill a third of the backpack. Song Fei hung the bike lock around his neck, and, with a heavy sense of satisfaction, stared into thought at the open wardrobe.
"Take it." As if knowing what he was thinking, Qi Yan suddenly said.
Song Fei looked at him: "Are you sure?"
Qi Yan nodded: "It's not just you who needs to bring some, the three of us need to dress up too. It's so cold outside now, if we don't manage to get into the supermarket and end up stuck in the green belt or something, keeping warm is the top priority."
Qiao Siqi frowned: "I don't like being stuck in the green belt..."
Despite their complaints, the four of them turned 440's wardrobe upside down. In the end, a short, thin down jacket, a tracksuit, two sets of thermal underwear, a gray cotton jacket, a wool sweater, and a pair of fleece-lined sweatpants were evenly stuffed into their respective backpacks.
Even after cleaning up, the smog persisted.
Song Fei's stomach had started rumbling, so he could only pass the time playing some offline games on his phone. But soon he got bored. Looking at the still-unreachable network signal, Song Fei suddenly murmured, "I wonder what things are like at home now..."
The moment those words were spoken, the atmosphere in the room suddenly became heavy.
All four of them have families in other provinces. Since the accident, they haven't had a chance to call home to let their families know they're safe, nor have they been able to find out about their parents' situation. It's like a huge boulder; no one mentions it, but it weighs heavily on everyone's hearts.
"I wonder if the supermarket has landlines. The cell phone signal is weak, but that shouldn't affect the landline, right?" Qiao Siqi suggested.
Zhou Yilu's eyes lit up: "We'll have to go there to find out."
Great, there's another reason to be brave and score more points.
Finally, Song Fei slapped his thigh, reassuring himself and everyone else: "Mom and Dad are definitely fine! We're all fine, so how could the people who created us be in danger?"
Qi Yan, Qiao Siqi, and Zhou Yilu: "...Hmm!"
This logic is impeccable.
I thought this day would be spent in vain, with only hunger and despair as my constant companions, but unexpectedly, at 3:30 pm, the smog dissipated. A strange wind, I don't know where it came from, started blowing, and the clouds cleared, revealing the sun.
The four people, who had been waiting impatiently, made a decisive decision and set off!
Opening the balcony door, the group first checked the situation downstairs. Just like the previous days, there were more mutants inside the building than outside; currently, only six were wandering aimlessly and slowly downstairs.
"We'll climb down the balcony in a bit. Remember to move very quietly. Don't be afraid to go slow, just be careful not to make any noise. And make sure you have a firm grip. If you feel like you can't do it, immediately climb over to the inside of the balcony to catch your breath. Don't force yourself." As a professional balcony climber, Qi Yan shared all her knowledge.
Zhou Lu reached into the hem of his short white down jacket, touched the sushi knife at his waist, and nodded vigorously.
Qiao Siqi touched the pocket of his trendy brand cotton-padded jacket, and even through the cotton, he could feel the sturdiness of the Swiss Army knife: "Hmm."
Song Fei looked down at the bicycle lock that was hanging around his neck for convenience, then touched the outline of the Tai Chi fan at his waist through his down jacket, and swallowed nervously.
"Don't confront them head-on. Run if you can, and make avoiding being bitten your primary objective. If you have to fight them, then go for it on the head, be as ruthless as you can." Qi Yan said this to everyone, but her eyes were fixed on Song Fei.
Finally, Song Fei nodded solemnly.
Qi Yan took a deep breath, gripped the balcony railing tightly, and began to climb down.
The other three immediately followed.
Five minutes later, the three of them had climbed to the second floor. The balcony railing felt like cold iron in the cold air. To maintain friction, none of the four of them were wearing gloves. Their hands were cold, painful, and numb, but no one had time to care.
Of the six mutants on the ground, one had lost an arm, another's face was a bloody mess, and the remaining four, though covered in blood, appeared to be victims.
The four of them were on the fourth balcony from the top on the second floor. There were already mutants in the three rooms ahead of them. Qi Yan had scouted the situation beforehand, so this was the closest place to the outer perimeter of the dormitory. All they had to do next was wait.
The three mutants walked one after another to the other end of the building, while the one with the severed arm, the one with the smeared face, and another one remained wandering in the nearby area. The one with the smeared face was right in front of them, within arm's reach.
Finally, the one-armed fellow and the other fellow had gone a little further.
But the face, covered in a mess, didn't move. Not only did it not move, but it seemed to have sensed something, sniffing here and there, looking around.
Seeing that the three people who had gone inside the building were about to turn back, Qi Yan gave them a wink.
The three nodded.
Qi Yan leaped down and kicked the zombie in the head, sending it crashing to the ground with a thud. Qi Yan landed on top of the zombie due to the momentum! But Qi Yan didn't stop. Using the force of the fall, he rolled and instantly rolled to the side of the ground!
The zombie with the smeared face let out a roar that was not human at all, got up, opened its mouth, and pounced on Qi Yan!
At this moment, the other three people had already landed. Zhou Yilu was the fastest. He rushed like a cheetah to the person who had his face smeared. A flash of white light appeared, and the sushi knife was stabbed into the back of the person's head.
The person who had their face smeared with makeup froze, as if they had been struck by acupuncture.
Zhou Yilu stabbed the knife with ease, but couldn't pull it out no matter what he tried. Qi Yan quickly came over to help. One of them held the zombie in place while the other pulled the knife out. It took a lot of effort to finally pull the knife out.
Black blood splattered onto their faces. Even with their strong mental fortitude, they felt a chilling sense of dread at this moment, as if they had just killed someone. In their daze, Song Fei and Qiao Siqi suddenly pulled them apart! And in the instant they separated, the one-armed zombie missed its target!
Not just the one-armed zombie, but four other zombies are also running this way!
Qi Yan was distracted by the four zombies and didn't notice that the one-armed zombie that had missed its target was attacking again. By the time she realized it, it was too late, and the one-armed zombie was about to bite her face.
At the critical moment, a splash of bright red ink descended from the sky.
Within a single day, Qi Yan was slapped in the face twice, first with the shoe, then with the fan.
However, the former was merely disheveled, while the latter was a disheveled state mixed with an indescribable, tingling sensation—the tough yet thin red silk could block the teeth but not the touch; he could clearly feel the lips of the severed-armed zombie rubbing against his face, rubbing, like the steps of a devil.
Song Fei shoved the one-armed zombie aside with force, and without bothering to put away his fan, he ran as fast as he could, carrying a large red silk cloth, and headed out of the dormitory area, as agreed beforehand!
Qi Yan followed immediately, as if on cue!
Qiao Siqi and Zhou Yilu were shocked by what they had just witnessed. It wasn't until Qi Yan started running that they came to their senses. Just as they were about to run, the one-armed zombie that Song Fei had knocked aside was already rushing towards them!
With a determined effort, Qiao Siqi closed his eyes and stabbed the one-armed zombie in the eye with his small Swiss Army knife!
The zombie let out a howl, and Qiao Siqi opened his eyes, almost paralyzed with fear by the horrific scene before him. But the zombie only paused for a moment before lunging forward again!
Just when Qiao Siqi thought he was doomed, Zhou Yilu delivered another blow to his head, stabbing him straight into the temple!
The second surgery was much more successful for Zhou Yilu, although the discomfort and resistance in his heart still lingered.
The one-armed zombie fell to the ground, but four zombies running back had already arrived in front of it!
The two dared not fight any longer and ran away as fast as they could, but they had only run a few steps when they ran into Song Fei and Qi Yan who had turned back!
"Hurry upstairs!!!"
Qi Yan's shout was nonsensical, but Zhou Yilu and Qiao Siqi could tell from his tense expression that nothing good was coming!
But getting up that building isn't so easy!
It's easy to jump down from the second-floor balcony, but the first-floor balconies are all enclosed. They're practically inside the house, and the fully enclosed PVC windows outside make it impossible to climb over!
To make matters worse, the zombies that forced Qi Yan and the others to return had already surged over, and the zombies in the dormitory building also heard the noise and ran out. In an instant, the zombies were like a tidal wave!
"Over here—"
Suddenly, a call came from above.
The four of them looked up together and saw a person standing on the balcony opposite 440. A "rope" made of several curtains was hanging down from the gap in his balcony railing, exactly the right length to the ground.
The four of them instantly became one with their own spirits and sprinted forward at almost jet speed. Zhou Yilu was the fastest, Qiao Siqi was second, Song Fei was third, and Qi Yan brought up the rear. In the blink of an eye, they were all in the same boat.
When Qi Yan climbed up, he was almost bitten on the leg by a zombie that was chasing him, but luckily he kicked quickly.
Twenty-odd zombies surrounded the "curtain cord," grabbing the curtains countless times, only to let go each time. Those that couldn't get free would push off with their feet. Their stiff bodies couldn't perform such precise movements; they were frantic and helpless.
Song Fei: "Hey Qiao Siqi, stop shaking!"
Qiao Siqi: "It wasn't me shaking, it was Zhou Yilu!"
Zhou Yilu: "If I need to climb up, can I not pull hard? This thing is so soft, how can it not wobble when I pull it!"
Qi Yan: "Whether it shakes or not doesn't matter, just don't step on my head!"
With Qi Yan landing, the four of them finally arrived safely.
It's still four stories, but this time it's in a different building.
Luo Geng led the four alumni into the house, wiping the sweat from his brow: "You guys are really crazy, trying to barge out like that!"
"If we don't try, we'll starve to death. What can we do?" Song Fei gasped for breath, still shaken.
Qi Yan breathed a sigh of relief: "Thank you."
Luo Geng quickly waved his hand: "At this point, why thank me..." He stopped abruptly before he could finish speaking.
His friendly smile froze on his face, disappearing little by little until it was completely replaced by astonishment and horror.
The four people turned around stiffly and saw another person climbing up along the "curtain cord" that hadn't been retracted in time.
The person was wearing a fitted trench coat and a turtleneck sweater underneath. With his slender legs, he awkwardly stepped over the railing and finally reached the center of the balcony.
There were five people in the room.
A person is on the balcony.
The right half of the balcony sliding door is open.
The next second, the person suddenly lunged forward, slamming into the left side of the sliding door's glass with a loud thud. The force was so great that the glass instantly developed radial cracks at the point of impact.
But the person's expression didn't move at all, as if they didn't feel any pain.
No, that wasn't a human being at all.