As soon as Song Fei finished speaking, the zombie sitting in the chair stirred, then raised its head slightly, and its only clear eyes, hidden behind its glasses, slowly locked onto He Zhiwen.
It wasn't Song Fei who spoke last.
Instead, it was He Zhiwen who spoke first.
He, a student from the Department of Physics, felt a chill run down his spine from the stare and instinctively tried to take a half-step back. However, before his foot even touched the ground, the zombie on the chair suddenly jumped up and pounced on him!
The zombie moved so fast it was like being bounced up by a chair. By the time He Zhiwen reacted, it was already right in front of him. It was so close that he could even smell the faint stench of decay emanating from its body.
"Awooo—" the zombie howled and opened its mouth to bite his bare neck.
"Aww—" He Zhiwen responded with a wail, and at the same time, he squatted down with lightning speed!
The zombie didn't have time to retract its attack and missed its target.
He Zhiwen scrambled to a desk, both frightened and aggrieved: "I meant well! I just wanted to borrow your radio!!!"
"Awooo—" The zombie was almost going berserk, clutching the radio as it continued to lunge at He Zhiwen's office.
Even a fool could see it now. Song Fei quickly warned, "The problem is the radio. Don't mention the radio again, don't even say the word 'radio.' Can't you see it's a treasure? Anyone who borrows it will be furious!"
The zombie that was originally heading towards He Zhiwen suddenly stopped, turned around, and slowly locked onto Song Fei.
Song Fei felt awkward and began to back away subtly: "Um... I was just explaining to him, I didn't mean to mention it, I, I won't borrow it from you, really!"
Seeing Song Fei cornered, Qi Yan, who had been preparing for this moment, rushed up from the side and was about to stab the zombie in the temple with a gun!
However, the zombie seemed to have spotted him out of the corner of its eye, and its steady pace abruptly stopped. Qi Yan's gun grazed past its nose. Just as Qi Yan was annoyed and withdrew his gun, intending to launch a second attack, a gleaming metal weight flew through the air from the side and struck the zombie squarely on the back of the head.
The weight of the weight, combined with the thrower's own force, caused the zombie to stagger. Once it regained its footing, the zombie didn't hesitate, turning sharply and charging straight at He Zhiwen, showing no sign of wavering again!
He Zhiwen immediately ran, but after only a couple of steps, he was pounced on from behind by a zombie!
He Zhiwen tried to throw the zombie off him, but he was no match for his former teacher in terms of physique and weight. In desperation, He could only shift his hatred: "Qi Yan gave me the weight; I'm just a porter—"
The zombie naturally wouldn't listen to his explanation. With one hand holding the radio and the other pressing down on the back of He Zhiwen's head, it started biting at his chubby, snow-white neck!
He Zhiwen was pinned down and unable to move, while the shadow looming over him grew larger and larger. He could even feel the eerie touch of a zombie's lips brushing against his neck!
However, the expected pain never came; it was just a simple rubbing, as if my lips were dancing a devilish dance on my neck.
He Zhiwen was puzzled. He struggled to turn around while being pressed down by the zombie, and found that Qi Yan was tightly pulling the zombie's hair in his hand. It was this force from his comrade that stopped the zombie's teeth from advancing and kept it at a very close distance.
Qi Yan gritted his teeth and suddenly increased the force, finally pulling the zombie's head away from He Zhiwen's neck.
Because of Qi Yan's dragging, He Zhiwen keenly felt the weight on his body lessen, and took the opportunity to struggle and crawl forward. Once the weight on his body was completely gone, he turned his head and saw that the zombie had turned around at some point and had bitten Qi Yan's hand!
He Zhiwen was terrified and his nerves were on edge. He was about to rush over without thinking when he suddenly realized something was wrong.
The way the two were locked in their struggle was less like a zombie biting Qi Yan's hand and more like Qi Yan using his hand to hold the zombie's mouth shut, preventing its head from continuing to advance. Moreover, because he was wearing leather gloves, the zombie couldn't do anything to him for the time being.
In a flash, He Zhiwen felt a cold light flash across the ground; it was Song Fei picking up Qi Yan's gun!
In the blink of an eye, the spear tip was already piercing the zombie's face... or perhaps Qi Yan's hand?
In a flash, Qi Yan used the momentum to press down the zombie's head and his own hand together, dodging the mop gun that was filled with chilling murderous intent!
"Don't move!" Song Fei, having missed his target, naturally blamed his comrade for not cooperating.
However, his comrade, who was still struggling with the zombies, couldn't be more miserable: "If I don't move, you'll poke my hand to pieces!"
Song Fei complained, "I've never used a long weapon before, I can only learn by trial and error in actual combat!"
Thump—
The weight that flew in from nowhere struck the zombie squarely in the temple. The heavy impact caused its skin to burst open, oozing dark red fluid.
"Hit, hit?" He, who was launching a long-range attack from a few meters away, looked incredulous.
"Keep going!" Qi Yan didn't hold back in affirming his comrade-in-arms, while also urging another comrade-in-arms on, "Why don't you ask me something else!"
"..." Actually, He Tongxue didn't really like this way of putting it.
Song Fei disliked him too, and didn't she just stop arguing with him after saying that? Liar!
"I don't know what to ask! If you're so capable, why didn't you defeat it in a second after all this time? And it even let you have a handicap!"
"Who knows why the computer science professors are so agile!!!"
He Zhiwen tentatively suggested, "He probably likes to play table tennis in his spare time..."
"Damn it!" Song Fei gritted his teeth, dropped the mop gun, picked up his familiar metal chopsticks, and rushed over to help Qi Yan fight hand-to-hand.
The three of them wrestled together. The zombie seemed to sense Song Fei's ill intentions, and while protecting the radio, it frantically twisted and shook its head to avoid Qi Yan's short knife and Song Fei's chopsticks.
He Zhiwen, who did not dare to join the battle, obediently continued to throw weights. However, the chaotic battle scene caused his ranged attacks to lose their accuracy. In particular, when the last weight was thrown, the three of them were entangled in front of the window. The weight was thrown too high and actually flew over their heads and hit the glass!
With a thud, the glass shattered instantly at the point where the weight struck it. However, it didn't scatter and fall apart; instead, it remained fixed in place as a single piece, making it look as if the transparent glass had suddenly transformed into a frosted glass.
The unexpected turn of events startled Song Fei and Qi Yan reflexively.
But the zombie didn't. Instead, it took the opportunity to shove the two aside and rush straight at He Zhiwen!
"careful!"
"Run!"
Qi Yan and Song Fei spoke almost simultaneously, but it was too late for He Zhiwen. His body was already slower than his mind, and his short, stocky legs only compounded his problems. He'd already thrown away all the bargaining chips in his pocket; there wasn't enough time to draw his dagger!
In the nick of time, He Zhiwen had a flash of inspiration. He stood there motionless, and when the zombie came right up to him, he risked everything and raised his hand to strike the zombie's glasses!
The intense fight hadn't caused its glasses to tilt or fall off, so He, who also wore glasses, understood that it meant the temples were very tight. So instead of fighting back, he took them off, essentially grabbing them off with his bare hands!
Song Fei and Qi Yan were stunned, not understanding what this was all about.
The zombie was also stunned for a moment, as if losing its glasses was a major event that would take it a long time to adjust to.
He Zhiwen stomped on the glasses the moment they hit the ground, shattering them, and explained to his comrade, "They're 900 degrees nearsighted!"
Song Fei and Qi Yan looked at each other. Knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to victory. So you have to listen carefully to elective courses!
After smashing the glasses, He Zhiwen's next move was to draw the short knife from his waist. But perhaps the flash of the knife brought the zombie back to its senses. Just as the zombie drew the knife and before it could even grip it tightly, it suddenly grabbed He Zhiwen's shoulder with the hand that wasn't holding the radio!
It would be a lie to say he wasn't afraid. He Zhiwen jumped away almost reflexively and hid under the table the next second.
Song Fei knew He Zhiwen wasn't good at fighting, but he didn't think he would be this cowardly. Besides, if he was really that scared, he could have hidden from the beginning. Why did he only hide now that the zombie glasses had been knocked off?
Just as he was wondering, Qi Yan suddenly grabbed his hand. The next second, Qi Yan stuffed him under another table. After stuffing him under the table, Qi Yan quickly hid in a dark corner where the moonlight could hardly reach.
Qi Yan did the whole process very quickly, but her movements and footsteps were very light, so much so that Song Fei, full of doubts, held back from speaking, and even subconsciously held her breath after hiding under the table.
Qi Yan was hiding in a dark place. From Song Fei's angle, he could only see a side of Qi Yan's body. But the next moment, the arm that was showing a sliver of light suddenly rose up, presumably to make a "shh" gesture.
Song Fei suddenly realized something.
He Zhiwen knocked off his glasses to weaken the zombies' fighting ability—with 900 degrees of myopia, the lack of glasses, combined with the dim light that even those with good eyesight might not be able to see clearly, essentially destroyed his vision. He then hid under the table to completely disappear from the zombies' sight. Similarly, Qi Yan shoved him under the table and hid in a dark corner himself, all for the same purpose.
Only by leaving the zombies completely bewildered can they, or rather Qi Yan, seize the opportunity to strike and kill them.
In the quiet night, in the empty office, the zombie looked around blankly, momentarily stunned.
Qi Yan slowly drew his short knife without making a sound.
The zombie was still clutching its radio; having lost its sight, it began to strain its nose to sniff.
Qi Yan took her first step, extremely slowly and gently.
The zombies did not react.
Step two.
The zombie remained motionless, only its head swaying slightly, trying to sniff out as much of the living scent in the air as possible.
Step 3.
Qi Yan took long strides and had already reached the zombie's back. Without hesitation, Qi Yan plunged his knife straight into the back of the zombie's head!
Da da da—
The attack should have been foolproof, but whether the zombie had a stroke of genius or grew extra eyes, it ran forward at the last moment, its joyful pace so palpable that even listeners could sense its delight.
Qi Yan stared blankly as the cooked duck fluttered away, heading straight for... He Zhiwen.
"Why are you staring at me?!" He Zhiwen pushed aside the desk and ran away again!
All their efforts were in vain, and Song Fei was exasperated: "I told you not to spray floral water!"
He Zhiwen: "I spat it out—"
"Not enough spray!"
"I sprayed so much that even Luogeng glared at me!"
"It smells so good, like meat!"
"..."
If smelling delicious is a mistake, then He Zhiwen should be torn to pieces.
During the conversation, Song Fei had already crawled out from under the table. At this point, hiding was useless. Although the zombies couldn't see, they accurately detected the direction of their prey by smelling He Zhiwen's scent, and were now in hot pursuit.
Song Fei chased after it and stabbed the zombie in the back of the head!
The zombie sensed something and quickly turned around. The tip of the knife grazed the zombie's chin and plunged into its neck!
Song Fei immediately drew his sword, and blood spurted out, some of it getting onto his goggles, suddenly filling his field of vision with a large patch of red.
Song Fei subconsciously raised his sleeve to wipe it, but the zombie suddenly pounced on him!
Song Fei immediately retreated to avoid the zombies, who relentlessly pursued him until he reached the windowsill and his lower back pressed against the edge of the windowsill!
With nowhere to retreat, the zombies pressed down on him. Song Fei's upper body slammed heavily into the shattered glass, and with a crash, the glass completely disintegrated, leaving only an empty window frame and fragments remaining at the edges.
A cold wind blew into the back of Song Fei's neck, making him shiver.
But the zombies were oblivious and continued their attack, their target clear: Song Fei's neck!
Unable to flip it over in time, Song Fei saw that its gaping maw was about to kiss his neck. He suddenly looked up and slammed his goggles into the other's face!
However, Song Fei underestimated the zombie's fighting power. This collision did not cause the zombie to retreat. Instead, it slid down the goggles and headed straight for his throat!
Life and death hang in the balance.
Song Fei was at a loss.
Fortunately, with only half of his vision clear, Qi Yan had already reached the zombie's back. This time, he didn't give it another chance, stabbing it from the point where the zombie's neck and back of the head connected, straight up into the back of the head.
The zombie paused, then remained motionless.
Song Fei stared intently at the zombie's eyes, and only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming there were no further fluctuations. However, a sliver of vigilance remained, so she dared not completely relax. She glanced at the radio, which the zombie was still holding and pressing against its chest, and cautiously reached out to take it.
The moment Song Fei's finger touched the radio, the zombie's body suddenly trembled.
That moment was so clear that Song Fei's movements suddenly froze.
The zombie's eyes, which had been like those of a dead fish, suddenly started moving again. Song Fei's first reaction was to push the other party away, but the zombie was faster than him and snatched the radio from his hand in one go!
Song Fei was too late to react. He only saw the zombie's arm rise uncontrollably high due to the violent movement. However, the radio did not reach its highest point with the movement. Instead, it slipped out of his hand due to inertia as the arm was rising and flew straight out of the window!
Song Fei desperately reached out to grab it, but it was too late. She could only watch helplessly as the radio flew through the empty windowpane into the vast night sky. Not long after, she heard a sound that wasn't deafening, but was absolutely devastating.
There's no need to even look at the twelfth floor; the radio is definitely broken.
For a moment, all three of them felt bewildered, as if they had struggled arduously for many years, only to find it all for naught.
"Awooo—" The zombie pried open Song Fei's sleeve and climbed out of the window.
There were no balconies outside, only towering buildings and a desolate night.
Snap!
The sound of skin and bones shattering is always so crisp and tragic.
No matter how many times I've heard it, it still sends chills down my spine.
This is a physiological rejection, an instinct inherent in being human, even if the person who fell from the building had already been infected and turned into a zombie.
Song Fei slid down the window and collapsed onto the ground.
What kind of obsession could allow someone to retain such a clear and definite sense of protection even after mutation? That small black box might be the most important thing that teacher recognized in the last moments of his life.
Thump.
The sudden banging on the door jolted Song Fei's body, completely dispelling his daze.
Qi Yan and He Zhiwen were also brought back to their senses by the sound and quickly became alert.
The intermittent banging on the door continued for about five minutes. Whether it was sensing the door's impenetrability or realizing the silence inside had subsided, the person banging on the door gradually quieted down after five minutes, and finally, their stiff steps could be heard as they slowly walked away.
The three exchanged a glance and understood; the earlier fighting must have attracted the zombies.
As the footsteps faded away, He Zhiwen suddenly stood up and whispered, "Qi Yan, can I borrow your flashlight?"
Qi Yan didn't know what he wanted to do, but instinctively it was something important, so without hesitation she took out a flashlight from her backpack and handed it over without asking any questions.
"Thanks." He Zhiwen took the flashlight.
Qi Yan thought for a moment and then said, "There's not much power left."
He Zhiwen nodded: "Don't worry."
In the next three minutes, Qi Yan and Song Fei witnessed firsthand what it meant to ransack a house.
Using the light of his flashlight, He Zhiwen turned the teacher's seat upside down, leaving no drawer or cabinet untouched. Not content with that, he then ran to the side and searched through the communal filing cabinets and lockers.
Qi Yan looked at Song Fei with suspicion, thinking that her boyfriend, who was good at unorthodox methods, should understand: "What is he doing..."
As expected, his boyfriend did not disappoint him, saying with certainty, "A thief never leaves empty-handed."
Since we're already here, we should bring something back as a souvenir.
However, what He Zhiwen finally found deep inside the locker was far more exciting than a memento—about 65 centimeters long, 30 centimeters high, and 15 centimeters thick, entirely silver-gray, with a pair of speakers on the left and right, covered with black smears like a pair of bright eyes, it was a large portable radio cassette player from the 1980s!
Song Fei had only ever seen this thing in period dramas. Qi Yan's grandfather did have one, but it seemed to have become a decoration. Anyway, ever since Qi Yan could remember, that thing had been sitting on his grandfather's cabinet. Over the years, it hadn't been moved or made a sound; it had just been there quietly, gathering dust along with the other decorations.
Unlike the antiques in Grandpa Qi Yan's house, the one He Zhiwen found had been wiped clean, and even in the dim light, it was clear that it had been carefully maintained.
Song Fei forced himself to calm down, not wanting to be too happy too soon, in case it was just another false alarm. He really couldn't bear this kind of torment: "Can it still be used?"
At this stage, He Zhiwen can only estimate: "It should be possible."
"This is so retro..." Song Fei exclaimed sincerely, then asked curiously, "How did you know there was a radio?"
"Actually, I'm not sure either," He Zhiwen carefully placed the tape recorder on the ground, scratching his head shyly. "However, people who really like something usually don't just collect one. My dad likes maps, and the walls at home are covered with them—domestic maps, foreign maps, ancient maps, modern maps, all kinds. I like radios, and I have several walkie-talkies at home!"
He Zhiwen chuckled sincerely, but his eyes were sparkling. Song Fei understood that look on his face when he talked about something he liked!
"I'm just like you! You see, I love game consoles. I have a PS2, PS3, PS4, PSP, Xbox, and Wii. Later, I even found some early cartridge-based game consoles and the earliest Famicom! Playing them feels so retro, it really gives me a..."
Qi Yan glanced over indifferently.
Song Fei, spitting as he spoke, suddenly realized something: "It feels like... a waste of time and energy. I'll get rid of them when I get back!"
He Zhiwen: "..."
The wireless equipment he treasured at home has left He Zhiwen conflicted about whether or not to pursue a relationship. What if the girl he likes also thinks he's wasting his time on frivolous pursuits? Does he really have to sell all this love to a junk collector?
Oh, love! He, a physics student who hadn't held a girl's hand since kindergarten, sighed deeply in his heart. "You're such a tormenting little devil."