Song Fei's first reaction was to run towards the door on his left, but the zombie lunged at the left, so Song Fei could only dodge to the right. After narrowly dodging the attack, he was facing the door of the third cubicle. Without the slightest hesitation, he darted into the cubicle, turned around with lightning speed, and slammed the door shut!
The zombie wasn't much slower; it missed its target and immediately followed. When Song Fei closed the door, half of his body was trapped in the crack!
The zombie desperately stretched its arms inward, trying to squeeze its entire body in! Song Fei was desperately squeezing through the door, trying to prevent the zombie from rushing in while also avoiding being bitten; sweat was already beading on his forehead.
Suddenly, the zombie let out a howl, and its strength suddenly increased as if it had been driven to desperation! With a single burst of force, it smashed the door open!
Song Fei was suddenly pulled to the side, his back slamming hard against the partition!
The zombies had already rushed in, and Song Fei had nowhere to hide in the cramped cubicle!
Just as he was about to be pinned against the wall, Song Fei had a sudden flash of inspiration and squatted down, grabbing the zombie's legs and pulling it outwards!
The person being pulled instantly lost their balance, and their head slammed heavily against the edge of the toilet!
Song Fei immediately let go of the zombie's arm, stood up, straddled the zombie's back, and pushed it into the toilet with both hands on the back of its head!
When Qi Yan and the others arrived, this was the scene they saw. If they didn't know for sure that it was a person and a corpse, they would definitely have thought it was just a regular brawl. And the more pitiful Song Fei had been screaming earlier, the more sympathetic they felt for the person now lying on the toilet.
Zhou Lu delivered a swift and decisive blow to his opponent.
Only after confirming that the zombie beneath him had stopped struggling did Song Fei breathe a sigh of relief and stand up. But the next second, as if remembering something, he quickly passed his companions and ran into the second cubicle.
The ventilation window remained wide open, and thankfully no more zombies entered.
Song Fei quickly closed the window, only to discover that the lock had been broken.
The ventilation window in the toilet is a very ordinary aluminum alloy sliding window. Perhaps because it is used by people inside, and because it is in the toilet, it uses an old-fashioned crescent lock, with a metal piece with a curved edge as the lock lug and a small crescent-shaped latch. After closing the window, you can simply pull the latch.
Such locks are easy to install, requiring only four screws, but their security is poor. Basically, a strong pull on the window will break the bent part of the metal latch, rendering the lock useless and opening the window. However, the school has security guards patrolling at night, and the supermarket itself has surveillance cameras and a night watchman, so the owner probably doesn't take this small window seriously, just making do with what works.
When Song Fei and his team were inspecting the room, they naturally noticed the window and checked the lock. However, they assumed that while zombies might break down doors and windows, it was highly unlikely that a zombie could consciously open the window like a human. Therefore, as long as they listened for the sound of breaking glass, they would be perfectly safe.
However, reality gave them a cruel slap in the face.
In the cramped bathroom, everyone remained silent. The fact that zombies could open windows had severely impacted their "new worldview of the zombie world," which they had gradually developed after the zombie outbreak.
"So it might have already been inside when I came to use the toilet?" The thought of being separated from a zombie by only a wall gave Lin Dilei goosebumps.
"Probably not," Song Fei tried his best to analyze and reason, which was unprecedented for him. "If it was inside when you came, even if it's not sensitive to sound, it couldn't possibly not react to the smell of living people."
Looking back on the past few days, there are two zombies that are not attracted by the singing: the faceless one in front and the one that was stepped on by Luo Geng before. But they have not yet found any zombies that are not attracted by the smell of living people.
Following Song Fei's analysis, Lin Dilei guessed, "You were attacked and cried for help a few minutes after you came in, which means it not only came in after me, but also after you... But that's not right," Lin Dilei realized the problem, "Didn't you hear a sound when it opened the window and climbed in?"
Song Fei shook his head: "It didn't come in after me. I swear, there was no sound of the window opening between when I came in and when I found it. So the most likely reason is that it was already there when I came in. The reason it didn't attack me is probably because I still had the scent of floral water on me, which masked my natural scent."
"Was it in this compartment at the time?" Qi Yan, who had been silent all along, suddenly asked.
Song Fei, not understanding why, nodded truthfully.
Qi Yan asked again, "Is the door closed?"
Song Fei was puzzled: "Yeah, when I came in with the door open, you saw me."
Qi Yan frowned, finally realizing what was wrong: "When you came in, the door was closed, and it neither saw you nor attacked you. Why did it suddenly attack you a few minutes later?"
Song Fei was speechless.
Qi Yan's intention was not to interrogate, but to learn as much as possible about the details and clarify his doubts. In this way, he could summarize more about the behavior and habits of zombies. Knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to victory in every battle, a principle that applies everywhere.
But Song Fei's hesitation gave him a bad feeling.
really--
"I heard my phone playing music and thought it was you, so I kicked the door open."
Song's answer made all the onlookers think they had heard something incomprehensible, and Qi Yan's face darkened.
Song Fei felt like an idiot as he said that. But the truth is, when he heard that song, his first thought was definitely Qi Yan. He never imagined that anyone else in the world could like that kind of song, especially after he had hummed the same tune. More importantly, they were the only people in the entire supermarket; he couldn't possibly have imagined that a zombie was playing music next door…
"I love spicy food~ green spicy food~ emerald green spicy food..."
The sudden sound of music interrupted Song Fei's self-loathing.
The song that inexplicably stopped while entangled with zombies has now inexplicably come back to life.
He crouched down and painstakingly pulled the culprit out from behind the toilet. He was about to show it to everyone to prove that he had only been careless for a moment and was not brain-dead when he saw the phone and froze.
"Isn't this... yours..." Song Fei stood up in a daze, looking at Qi Yan with a blank expression, her mind completely in a mess.
"It wasn't safe to hold it on the roof for too long, so I dropped it on the ground." Qi Yan took the phone and turned off the alarm. It was a third-party alarm app that he always used, and it was set to ring every two minutes as long as the alarm wasn't turned off.
"Then why didn't you tell me you lost your phone?"
Song Fei asked the question very softly, even with a slight tremor. If Qi Yan were perceptive, he would have noticed that Song Fei's behavior was very unusual.
"There's nothing to say, can you give me another one?"
Unfortunately, Qi Yan didn't have that.
Now, all he can think about is how to make Song Fei realize that the world has changed, and if he continues to act without thinking, he will die sooner or later.
"Even if it's the same song, did I come to the bathroom with you? I'm a grown man, I went into the bathroom and even opened the door and sat in the next stall, how could you not hear a sound? Can't you think before you act? You're not alone now, your every move affects everyone's lives!"
Qi Yan tried his best to control his emotions, but his words still carried an undeniable anger. He was certainly worried about Song Fei, but he also resented Song Fei's unreliability. In the past, this unreliability might have only affected Song Fei's grades and their relationship, but now, any negligence could be fatal!
The other girls also thought Song Fei's act of kicking down the door was indeed quite thoughtless, but from Song Fei's perspective, it was understandable that he had no idea Qi Yan had lost her phone, and when he suddenly heard the same song, especially such an obscure one, he would reflexively assume it was Qi Yan. So when Qi Yan launched into a tirade, Song Fei didn't retaliate at all and just listened obediently with his head down, which made them feel a little sorry for him.
"Alright, alright, he didn't do it on purpose."
"If you knew there were zombies inside, he wouldn't dare kick the door down."
"Look at how dejected he is, he must have fully realized that impulsiveness is the devil."
"Do you have any sticks or anything? We need to find something to prop the window shut..."
Song Fei's unreliability was too frequent, so this wasn't the first time Qi Yan had criticized him. But in the past, regardless of right or wrong, Song Fei would always argue back, calling it communication, but really it was just pointless debate. Qi Yan wasn't good-tempered; in fact, he was afraid of himself when he got truly angry, because he couldn't control his reason at all. So usually, when he sensed he was about to lose his temper, he would stop arguing with Song Fei. When he said they should calm down, he genuinely meant it, to avoid saying something he would later regret. Song Fei, however, didn't like it and always accused him of using passive-aggressive tactics, which Qi Yan didn't want to explain further.
But this time, after he berated the other person for a long time, the other person obediently lowered his head and didn't say a word.
Qi Yan was taller than Song Fei, and when Song Fei looked down, he couldn't see Qi Yan's expression at all from his angle, which made Qi Yan a little flustered.
"It won't happen again," a muffled voice finally came from the head that was still bowed. "From now on, I will always think things through before doing anything."
Qi Yan was stunned. He had hoped countless times that Song Fei would behave and stop being unreasonable, but now that it had actually happened, something seemed off.
"Alright, why are you scolding him like this? You didn't even tell him you left your phone outside." Lin Dilei intervened, trying to smooth things over, and dragged Song Fei out of the bathroom.
The remaining Zhou Yilu, Qiao Siqi, and Luo Geng were left bewildered, moved, and full of admiration.
Luo Geng: "Do you gay men all have an educational model when you date?"
Zhou Yilu: "It's great that two men are dating. Right is right, wrong is wrong. There's no feeling of having to surrender unconditionally just because someone is being affectionate."
Josh: "I was worried that you wouldn't be able to handle him, but now it seems that I was worrying for nothing."
Qi Yan had no time to joke with them; he was still thinking about Song Fei's unusual behavior.
Lin Dilei pulled Song Fei quite far away, so no one could hear her, before playfully poking the latter's lifeless face: "Is it really necessary? You make this face when you get scolded. When did you become so thin-skinned?"
"No," Song Fei scratched his head and chuckled, "I just feel like I'm a really stupid idiot."
Lin Dilei said awkwardly, "Qi Yan has already given a very comprehensive scolding, so you don't need to add anything yourself."
Song Fei gave a wry smile and offered no further explanation.
What he did today was indeed stupid, but what truly made him feel like an idiot was the immense sense of relief he felt when he heard that song and thought Qi Yan was right next door.
That feeling of having that person by your side, feeling fearless even if the sky falls or the earth collapses, is so pathetic that even he despises it.
Fortunately, the person who was focused on criticizing him didn't notice these minor details, otherwise he would have wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear.
In the immediate aftermath of the breakup, people in the group chat would constantly ask, "What was wrong with Qi Yan? Why did you have to break up with him?" Song Fei would always give incredibly nonchalant reasons, like incompatible personalities, differing values, or simply not being able to get along. Only he knew the truth was far less glamorous.
He was just tired, so very tired.
Qi Yan was far superior to him, a fact he never admitted to Qi Yan in front of him, but which he had long accepted in his heart. He wanted to be with Qi Yan forever, and he tried countless times to keep up with the other's pace, but it was too difficult. He liked trees, but he was just a blade of grass in this life. If a tree liked having a blade of grass by its side, then all would be well. But unfortunately, the tree insisted that the blade of grass grow as tall as itself. The blade of grass tried, but it didn't work. The tree wasn't giving up, and kept pulling at him.
If this continues, one day the grass will be uprooted by the big tree. When the big tree finally realizes that the grass can't become a tree, it will let go and give up. The grass that leaves the soil will turn yellow and die.
Song Fei didn't want to wait until that day.
But only he knew that although he said they had broken up, he was reluctant to let go. That was a great tree; if he missed one, he might never find another in his lifetime.
So he can take it on but can't let it go; even after breaking up, why not remain friends?
Until just now.
He decided to truly give up on Qi Yan, to stop flirting and being ambiguous. Even the best grass is still grass; he could never climb that tree in his lifetime. Even if Qi Yan was willing to be around him, he would still have to look down at him. It wasn't Qi Yan's fault; it was a matter of personality. Before, when they argued, Qi Yan always said he couldn't face his own problems. Now he understood—that was called self-awareness.
Besides, the most important thing right now is to stay alive. It doesn't matter if he gets distracted by his own anxieties; he could endanger everyone's safety. Therefore, from now on, he must be extremely vigilant and can no longer act impulsively or engage in reckless behavior.
For the first time in his nineteen years of life, Song Fei resolved to turn over a new leaf and strive to become a good blade of grass that would not hold anyone back.
Finally, the six friends moved the body to the break room, then used five paintbrushes to tie them together with tape, placed them in the slide, and then used tape to firmly stick the bundle of brushes to the slide, finally blocking the ventilation window of the toilet. But just in case, they also moved a narrow, waist-high locker from the staff break room to block the stall door from the outside. This way, if a zombie broke through the window and climbed back in, it would have to push the locker to get out of the toilet, and the sound of the metal locker scraping against the marble floor would be enough to call the police.
After doing all this, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief and returned to their sleeping quarters in the living area to begin analyzing and summarizing.
The culprit, Qi Yan, first explained the situation, but before he spoke, he secretly glanced at Song Fei. He noticed that Song Fei, like everyone else, was holding a pen and notebook, looking serious and focused, as if preparing to take notes in class. Song Fei was no longer carefree; in the past, this would have been a cause for universal celebration, but now, Qi Yan felt uneasy, as if something was quietly changing that he couldn't grasp or control.
Everyone was looking at him. Qi Yan composed himself and said, "When I threw my phone on the ground, the music player was playing a song, but just in case, I also set an alarm. If the music player was accidentally paused, the alarm could be set to resume. The music that suddenly started playing in the bathroom while Song Fei was there, and the music we played later, both started from the first line, proving that they were both alarms. So the most likely scenario is that a curious zombie picked up the phone and climbed into the bathroom through the ventilation window. As for whether he stumbled in by accident or intentionally climbed in, we can't determine that."
"It must have climbed up consciously," Luo Geng pondered for a moment and said, "Remember Cui Menghan? We thought it climbed up simply because it was flexible in life, but thinking about it carefully, many zombies on the ground actually tried to grab the bedsheets, but only Cui Menghan managed to climb up. Similarly, many zombies tried to climb up the ventilation window, but which one just happened to succeed?"
Zhou Yilu gasped, "You mean...their intelligence hasn't completely degenerated?"
Qi Yan narrowed his eyes slightly: "At least, he can imitate."
The atmosphere suddenly became heavy.
Whether it's climbing the bedsheets or the ventilation window, these are things they've done before, and then the zombies followed suit. Qi Yan's reasoning is irrefutable. Although the ventilation window in the bathroom is much lower than what Qi Yan climbed, judging by appearances, the zombies certainly wouldn't need to stack themselves to climb it. But even just simple climbing and imitation is enough to instill despair.
"I have a question," Song Fei raised her hand, "Uh, did you lock the screen when you threw your phone down?"
Qi Yan was taken aback. He had initially thought Song Fei was trying to cause trouble, but after hearing the question, he understood Song Fei's confusion and answered seriously, "It's locked, but you can still accidentally pause the song when the screen is locked."
Song Fei: "When we brought you in, was the screen still lit?"
Qi Yan remained silent for a long time before slowly shaking his head: "No, the screen is already black."
Song Fei: "So you have to accidentally press the home button to turn on the screen first, and then accidentally press the pause button to stop the music."
Josie: "And you have to hold it in your hand with curiosity, climb through the ventilation window, sit on the toilet and continue to study it."
Zhou Yilu: "Can you two stop talking? I'm cold..."
Lin Dilei: "Maybe it's just a coincidence. We can't scare ourselves."
"Or," Song Fei tilted his head and thought for a moment, "their bodies still retain some… what's it called again, muscle memory? Like when we touch our phones now, our fingers move automatically to unlock the screen without us even thinking. Could it be that they do the same thing?"
"It could also be memories," Qi Yan looked at Song Fei and, unusually, began to discuss it seriously with him. "Since their intelligence has not completely degenerated, and they at least retain the ability to imitate, it is possible that they also retain some memories."
Song Fei nodded repeatedly, but avoided Qi Yan's gaze, pretending to be diligently taking notes in his notebook.
Or is he really that diligent?
Qi Yan was no longer able to make a judgment. This was not the Song Fei he knew, nor was it the way they were used to interacting. Although they had broken up in name, the ambiguity that only they could feel had never stopped from beginning to end. It was precisely this feeling that made him never really believe that they would break up.
Qi Yan knew perfectly well that Song Fei liked him. He even noticed every flirtation Song Fei made, and he was willing to take the bait because he liked him too. He was someone who liked to take the initiative in everything he did, and relationships were no exception. When Song Fei said he wanted to break up, he was indeed a little stunned, but after a few rounds, he realized that the other person was just throwing a tantrum and couldn't really be ruthless.
But now, he suddenly felt uncertain.