After a night of extreme cold, the temperature rose significantly the next day after the sun came out. (Novel) The snow on the ground began to melt rapidly, and the water dripping from the eaves filled the air with a dampness.
Students in both classes woke up naturally, but Class 2 woke up earlier, while Class 1 slept until noon. I wonder if it's related to how tightly they slept.
On a rare peaceful afternoon, Lin Dilei and Zhou Yilu cooked several delicious dishes. After packing some of each dish upstairs, the eight of them gathered together for a quiet meal. Of course, in return, they received a plate of kimchi pancakes in return for the food they had given them.
Evening arrived quietly in this pleasant atmosphere.
Eight fully armed young men stood in the center of the kitchen on the first floor, all wearing masks and goggles. Three of them were over 180 cm tall, and one was even close to 190 cm. Just the sight of these men standing there made one feel that the battle was going to be very successful.
Song Fei had always thought Qi Yan was the type with a well-proportioned, healthy, and sunny physique, but compared to Zhao He, the former immediately appeared thinner. Even Wu Zhou, who was about the same height, looked more muscular than Qi Yan. Perhaps it was because of their athletic training, but both of them possessed a strength that was different from that of ordinary students, both in appearance and in their actual muscle condition.
Each class sent four boys to this event: Class 1 consisted of Song Fei, Qi Yan, Zhou Yilu, and Qiao Siqi, while Class 2 sent Zhao He, Wu Zhou, Feng Qibai, and He Zhiwen. This is the team composition for their future battle at the Gewu Building; otherwise, the so-called "training match" would be meaningless.
The reason not to send out the entire team was threefold: first, a team of sixteen would be too conspicuous, hindering covert operations; second, no one could guarantee success at the Gewu Building, and if something went wrong along the way, at least some would survive; third, the canteen was a crucial survival base. Even if they successfully found the radio and determined their escape route, there were only two options: holding out or breaking out. The former was obvious, relying solely on the canteen; the latter required sufficient food and a detailed plan, all of which needed to be discussed further back at the canteen. Therefore, they not only needed to leave people to guard the canteen, but they couldn't leave only those with weak combat abilities. To be precise, both intellect and physical strength were indispensable, both to guard against natural disasters and enemy attacks.
"Ready?" Song Fei walked to the window, turned back and asked his comrade.
The students in Class 2 have finished exploring the face shields and goggles, and shared their opinions on why Class 1 always seems to come up with strange and unusual items. Now that their discussion is complete, they are at ease and unanimously say, "Yes."
Song Fei looked at her classmates.
Qi Yan nodded.
Zhou Yilu brandished the sushi gun, a smirk playing on his lips, the cold glint of the blade flashing across his confident face.
Qiao Siqi was also blinded by the flash of the blade and blinked instinctively. His indignant gaze was gone, but his accusation was still strong: "I'm not ready!"
Song Fei raised an eyebrow, and Qi Yan and Zhou Yilu also crossed their arms, waiting for their teammates' reasons.
Qiao Siqi spread his hands forcefully: "Why me?"
Song Fei: "..."
Qi Yan: "..."
Zhou Yilu: "Speak like a human being!"
"Why me?" Given the situation, she figured she could just give up on showing off her foreign language skills. "Wang Qingyuan wanted to go but you wouldn't let him, and I didn't want to go but you kept dragging me along. Why do you all love me so much…"
Qiao's sadness was genuine; his resistance permeated every cell nucleus.
Song Fei sighed: "I'm not going to talk about it anymore. The cafeteria needs to keep a few good fighters. Are you better than Luo Geng or Wang Qingyuan?"
"Well, I'm still better than Li Jingyu, right?"
"But you lost the draw." Song Fei felt utterly ashamed at this point. In front of the students of Class 2, Qiao and Li had drawn lots to decide who could stay in the cafeteria. What a disgrace to Martial Arts Class 1!
Qi Yan patted him on the shoulder: "Luck is also a kind of strength."
"And haven't you been showing off that you're wearing thick clothes so you're not afraid of being bitten?" Zhou Yilu added, "Such superior equipment is practically made for facing zombies head-on."
Qiao Siqi immediately grabbed his waistband with both hands, ready to take off all his clothes: "I can take off my equipment right now!"
Zhou Yilu was speechless, defeated by his shamelessness.
Song Fei walked over with great interest, staring intently at his lower body: "Take it off, we'll keep an eye on it for you."
Qiao Siqi: "..."
Beyond the mountains, green hills rise; beyond the buildings, more buildings stand. Shamelessness cannot withstand the sleazy.
"My dream is to protect the cafeteria!"
Luo, Lin, Wang, and Li: "We'll do it for you!"
Watching the lifeless Qiao Siqi being carried out of the window by his friends, the students of Class 2 looked at each other, sensing the same feeling in their hearts—this was truly a warm and cohesive group.
Under the dim light of night, eight figures stealthily slipped out of the kitchen window on the first floor. They first looked around, then moved forward quickly and quietly, disappearing into the depths of the night in the blink of an eye. The only proof of their presence was the footprints left on the soil of the green belt, softened by melted snow, some deep and some shallow, leading forward.
"Are those the same few trees?"
Zhao He, along with three classmates, followed behind Class 1. This was a pre-arranged tactic: Class 1 would lead the way, and Class 2 would follow, since the former had already had a successful experience with this.
By this time, they could see the outline of the prefabricated steel building of the express delivery point in the distance, as well as the blurry figures of the few tall saplings next to the green belt in front of it.
"Hmm." Qi Yan answered him, keeping his voice as low as possible and his words as brief as possible.
Zhao He didn't dare to speak loudly, but being tall, he had a clearer view and couldn't help but mutter to himself, "He's too short."
Zhao He spoke from the bottom of his heart—compared to the tall, broad-leaved trees that can be seen everywhere on campus, these few trees are really quite frail.
The students in Class 1 expressed their understanding. As soldiers who had climbed trees both here and on the tree-lined avenue, they felt the difference between the two sides all too well. However, things must be viewed dialectically. The big trees are safe, but the trunks are tall and difficult to climb. The small trees are certainly short and weak, but they are easy to climb and easier to use to lure and kill the enemy. Besides, even though they are weak, they are not so weak that they cannot support a person.
"You can give feedback to the logistics department," Qi thoughtfully offered, providing a channel for voices.
Zhao He glanced at the back of his head: "I will, thank you."
"It's nice to be cold, so peaceful." Feng Qibai, who had been gripping his carving knife and wary of his surroundings, spoke softly. Rather than wanting to chat, he was looking for a way to relax his tense nerves. He was on the verge of snapping the whole way, and he was going crazy if he didn't speak.
Qiao Siqi was equally nervous, but he disagreed with Feng Qibai's point of view: "The temperature has risen today, it's about the same as when we first ran out of the dormitory, what's there to be cold about?"
"Then how come we haven't seen a single zombie along the way?"
"This place is remote, and there weren't many zombies here last time... What, you're hoping to run into one?"
"I've noticed that the way you talk..."
rustling sounds.
The bickering stopped abruptly.
The eight people were walking hunched over, close to the roadside, and the sound was coming from the bushes in the green belt on the other side of the road. It sounded like someone was rubbing the bushes, and the short, thick branches were making a creaking sound.
rustling sounds.
The sound grew louder and louder, as if something was about to burst out from inside at any moment!
The eight people held their breath, no one daring to make a move, only able to turn their stiff necks and look at each other—
"What should we do?" Song Fei barely dared to utter these words, leaving only a barely audible breath.
"Run!" Qiao Siqi didn't even think about it.
Zhao He shook his head firmly: "We'll have to fight sooner or later. We can run away this time, but what about next time?"
Wu Zhou agreed: "Let's do it, then we won't be afraid anymore."
As soon as he finished speaking, a head popped out from the bushes.
It was a very fair face, with no trace of blood or murderous intent. After peeking out, it slowly looked around, its expression natural and serene.
The other members were also confused, unable to determine whether it was him or it.
Song Fei swallowed hard, waved tentatively, and called out softly, "Hi."
The head paused upon hearing the sound, then slowly rose.
The moment he saw the group, tranquility was shattered by ferocity; his head suddenly went berserk, straining outwards with all his might as if injected with adrenaline. However, the dense bushes blocked his way, and he couldn't get out for the time being.
Zhao He was never one to sit idly by and wait for his death. Upon seeing this, he immediately grabbed the military dagger he had temporarily borrowed from Luo Geng and rushed over!
"Something's not right." Qi Yan suddenly stopped him. "There's a problem!"
Zhao He raised an eyebrow: "Are you afraid I can't beat it one-on-one?"
Qi Yan didn't reply, maintaining the blocking gesture with her hand, but her eyes were intently fixed on the bushes.
Zhao He looked up in confusion.
Soft rustling sounds.
The bushes continued to stir, and just as the clean-looking zombie had freed its shoulder, several more heads emerged from the nearby bushes!
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven.
In addition, this guy at the very beginning wasn't just outstanding; it was a case of the Eight Immortals crossing the sea!
Before his friends could react, Zhao He had already broken free from Qi Yan and rushed over, stabbing a military dagger into the head of the zombie that had first appeared, half of its body already protruding from its body.
The stab was made, and blood splattered.
His movements were so fierce and swift that they resembled a valiant general from the Warring States period who could hold off ten thousand men single-handedly.
Wu Zhou, who arrived shortly after, was not to be outdone. He swiftly dispatched another enemy with a swift stroke of his knife from the other end.
So the two students poked at the zombies one by one like playing whack-a-mole, and even managed to get the two of them to meet up while the zombies were stuck in the bushes and their movements were restricted.
The students in Class 1 of the Martial Arts Department were stunned, not only by the two's high efficiency, but also by their recklessness. They had always been known for their style of running away if possible, and only confronting others if they couldn't escape; this "just go for it" approach was incredibly brutal!
The students in Martial Arts Class 2 didn't think it was too bad, since they had broken out of the dormitory and were on a killing spree.
"That's it," Zhao He turned around, gesturing smugly to his comrades, "Even eight or eighteen more wouldn't be a match for them."
Zhao He had assumed his friends' reactions would be either positive or negative, but what he saw were six faces filled with terror.
"What's with those expressions?" Zhao He asked awkwardly. "Don't worry, I only act like that with the enemy. I'm always like spring to my comrades..."
Wu Zhou, who was standing next to him, suddenly nudged his shoulder, interrupting his statement on the concept of friendship.
"What?" Zhao He asked, somewhat displeased.
Wu Zhou hesitated whether to congratulate him or not: "Here it is."
Zhao He turned around in confusion and saw that in the green belt surrounded by bushes, or more precisely, behind the bushes that were trapping the zombie corpses, under a large pine tree that was still covered with some snow and frost, six or seven figures had already stood up, and more figures were standing up one after another, and it looked like a bustling scene of "crowded heads".
And here they are! This time, there are probably twenty-eight, let alone eighteen!
Zhao He felt a chill run down his spine and his throat went dry: "Actually, I was just saying it casually, you don't need to cooperate like this..."
The zombies wouldn't listen to his explanation. The first few to stand up quickly locked onto their target and rushed towards them! Unlike those that tried to squeeze out of the bushes, perhaps they had already entered upright running mode. After encountering the bushes, two of them used their forward momentum to force their way out, while another tall and strong man simply stepped out!
"What are you looking at? Run!" Qiao Siqi's warning pierced the night sky.
The group of friends woke up from their daze, not expecting so many zombies to suddenly appear. Just a moment ago, this area seemed completely empty!
Qiao Siqi, with his lightning speed, took the lead. While his running endurance was lacking, his explosive power was absolutely astonishing. It was as if he had a rocket attached to his butt, and he darted far away in the blink of an eye.
Song Fei, Qi Yan, and Zhou Lu followed closely behind, but before they could run more than a few steps, Wu Zhou and Zhao He overtook them, leaving Feng Qibai and He Zhiwen behind. One was an artist, and the other was a martial arts expert, and they were struggling to catch up.
As Zhao He ran, he kept wondering, "Why the hell are they all hiding here?!"
Not daring to break away from the main group, Qiao Siqi stayed close behind Zhao and said, "Let's have a class meeting."
"Driving while lying down?!"
"Then it's not a class meeting, it's a party."
"Fuck you, they're definitely hiding there waiting for us to take the bait!"
"It makes me angry just thinking about this. If you hadn't stabbed those eight, would any of this have happened?"
"Why didn't you stop me when I stabbed you? Now you're just offering hindsight advice!"
"You're in a bloodthirsty frenzy, what if you stab me again!"
"Didn't you say that zombies go berserk as soon as they smell something? I poked them for ages before they even stood up. This is clearly a trap!"
"You've already applied Sixgod, what are they going to do about it?!"
"I've always wanted to say that plural forms should end with an 's'!"
"You're a sports student, don't worry about these things!"
"I hate it when you guys keep calling me a sports student. I got in through exams too. I not only know how to add an 's,' I also know the past tense, present tense, past progressive tense, and present perfect tense..."
Clang!
Bang!
"Holy shit!"
"Oh!"
—The result of running and talking on and off was that Zhao He crashed into a tree, and Qiao Siqi crashed into Zhao He.
The six companions who arrived later ignored the two chatterboxes and, with perfect understanding, dispersed to climb the tree!
Qiao Siqi was hit less hard than Zhao He, since he was cushioned by his own body. After a few seconds, he quickly got up, ran to Song Fei under the tree, and opened his arms: "Hug."
Song Fei almost wanted to throw her shoe.
But he quickly pulled a rope out of his backpack and pulled Johns up.
Zhao He, who had stood up from the other side, looked at the scene with disdain, scoffed, picked a tree where no one was around, and climbed up it in a few quick movements.
He Zhiwen and Feng Qibai were almost out of breath from running, and they had no strength left to climb trees. Seeing their comrades being more agile than monkeys, they were overcome with sorrow—had they really gone to the same university as these people?!
More than twenty zombies were closing in from behind, and the ones running in the front could even be clearly seen in what clothes they were wearing!
Qi Yan and Zhou Yilu simultaneously threw down the rope and shouted, "Get up!"
Song Fei also wanted to help, but he already had Qiao Siqi with him, and he was afraid that if more people joined, the tree wouldn't be able to support it.
Without a moment's hesitation, the two split up and grabbed the rope almost simultaneously. Feng Qibai was a bit more agile than He Zhiwen; he grabbed the rope, pushed off the tree trunk, and used the momentum to slowly climb up. He Zhiwen, however, couldn't manage it. After several attempts, he couldn't even lift his legs, let alone push off the tree trunk.
Zhou Yilu was frantic with worry, but his comrade was still struggling and wriggling like an eel on a fishhook. He couldn't let go, because if he did, the latter would fall straight down.
At the critical moment, Zhao He suddenly jumped down and ran quickly to He Zhiwen's tree. He grabbed He Zhiwen's legs and pushed him upwards with all his might, so that He Zhiwen's head was directly higher than the lowest branch.
Although He Zhiwen was not physically strong, he was quick-witted and immediately grabbed the tree branch tightly with both hands.
Seeing that he was holding him securely, Zhao He immediately let go of his arms, and He Zhiwen's chubby little legs, now free, clumsily hooked onto the tree branch.
"Get back up in the tree!" Qi Yan suddenly shouted.
Zhao He didn't turn around. He ran two steps forward and chose another tree. He soared into the air like a swallow, and before his friends could even see how he did it, he was already on the tree.
At this moment, the zombie that had been making Qi Yan so nervous had just run to the tree where Zhao He had previously been hiding.
At this point, all eight people had safely climbed the tree.
The zombies began to gather, eventually stabilizing at twenty-six. Without exception, they all huddled under the tree, some eagerly reaching up to grab it, others, unable to find a way, even starting to gnaw on the bark.
Looking up, the courier station was pitch black; it was unclear whether there were zombies there, or how many.
"Can you not be so reckless?" The situation was temporarily stable, but Qiao Siqi was still scared and said to Zhao He in an annoyed tone, "Learn from Qi Yan, do things steadily and not act recklessly."
Whether it was stabbing the zombie just now or climbing the tree now, it was all reckless and dangerous, almost scaring Qiao Siqi to the point of cardiac arrest.
"Did I save the wrong person?" Zhao He raised his eyebrows unhappily. "Besides, I didn't trouble you. I killed the zombie, didn't I? I climbed the tree, didn't I? You think I'm unsteady, but I think I'm quite good at controlling the situation."
Click.
Qiao Siqi swallowed his complaints, his hair standing on end with tension, and timidly asked, "What was that sound?"
The children looked at each other through the trees, puzzled.
Finally, Zhao He forced himself to speak: "It seems like it's going to break..."
Qiao Siqi was so nervous and anxious that his voice almost changed: "What are you cutting off?!"
Zhao He: "Tree branches."
Click.
Before he could finish speaking, the branch snapped in two. Zhao He reacted quickly, leaping up at the last moment to grab the branch above him, watching helplessly as the branch he had been standing on fell into the horde of zombies surrounding the tree.
All of them felt as if they had experienced a near-death experience with Zhao He, and were drenched in cold sweat in the chilly night wind.
"Still want to control him?" You shouldn't hit someone in the face, but some people just won't listen without kicking them in the face.
Zhao He laboriously wrapped his legs around the tree trunk to stop his slender body from swaying in the wind, and sincerely promised, "I'll never show off again..."
Click.
Zhao He: "No way, not again?!"
All comrades: "How the hell do you weigh—"