The Yixin Building has nine floors and is topped out. Elevators are a given, and there are three staircases, located at both ends and in the middle of the corridor. The middle staircase is wider and more decorative, connecting to the first-floor lobby, while the staircases at both ends are less grand, primarily focusing on practicality and fire escape.
The marble staircase Zhao He is currently standing on is the one in the middle. It is magnificent and stylish, with even the handrails designed in the shape of Roman columns, giving it a feel of a British royal palace.
However, in the pitch black, and given his limited artistic appreciation, he couldn't appreciate it. He only felt that the view was expansive, especially with his back against the railing on one side, allowing him to see both the upper and lower floors as if he had everything under control.
The two zombies downstairs had just wandered to the stairwell, but fortunately Zhao He had already reached the middle platform between the first and second floors, pressed himself against the wall without moving, and transformed into a 3D poster, successfully deceiving everyone.
After the zombies had wandered a little further away, Zhao He glanced at the empty stairwell on the second floor and silently prayed that the corridor would also be as quiet as this. Finally, he held his breath and rushed up!
Zhao He swung his long legs and strode up to the second floor in a few steps. He had no time to check the corridor, because his goal was never this place. As long as he could keep climbing the stairs, he didn't care whether the corridor was deserted or bustling.
Almost without pausing, the instant both feet touched the second-floor ground, Zhao He grabbed the railing with one hand, used his right foot as a pivot to make a graceful turn, and his left leg was already rising again. Judging by the amplitude, this one step could take him up three steps!
Thump—
Zhao He was stunned when the excruciating pain spread from his chest throughout his body. He had no idea how he, who had been so carefree as he stepped up the stairs just a second ago, had suddenly fallen flat on his face, and on his chest no less! To make matters worse, he had hit the edge of the stairs. While others might break a boulder with their chest, he had a boulder break his chest—not just broken, but utterly pulverized!
In the excruciating pain that nearly shattered his soul, his only consolation was that he hadn't let go of the railing and had managed to catch himself at the last moment; otherwise, the fall wouldn't have just shattered his chest, but would most likely have left him with a head injury.
As his body was still being pulled down, Zhao He finally realized that someone had grabbed his leg!
Instinct drove him to kick his legs violently, kicking several times before he turned around and saw that the person hugging him was a girl dressed in a sparkly Indian style. Although the angle of her body, which was crouching and holding his thighs, was not conducive to viewing, it was still clear that she was voluptuous, youthful and beautiful in life.
The only drawback was that she was currently clinging to his leg with her mouth wide open, refusing to let go. If Zhao He hadn't kicked her so violently that she had nowhere to bite, he probably would have taken a bite out of her long ago.
While the Indian girl was throwing herself into his arms, six revolutionary girls ran out of the corridor!
Three of them were dressed in matching blue short-sleeved military uniforms with red armbands, and some were carrying large machetes that, while clearly knives, were also gleaming and menacing. As a male student, Zhao He always felt a sense of dread, as if he were about to be dragged out and beaten.
Another pair of Latin dancers, a handsome man and a beautiful woman, made Zhao He even think that they didn't run over but danced over!
Finally, a male classmate joined us at the very back, but even as a zombie, his alluring figure and captivating charm remained undiminished!
Zhao He isn't afraid of zombies, but that doesn't mean he's indifferent to zombies in disguise! To be heavily made up and striking poses in this bleak, desolate night is practically a crime! It's the epitome of terror!
With a swift strike, the Indian girl immediately relaxed her grip, and Zhao He scrambled up to the third floor, still holding a significant speed advantage—after all, he was a professional, capable of crushing even normal male classmates, let alone infected female classmates—he ran up to the third floor in a few steps, glanced at the right-hand corridor, and almost cried—no zombies!
Without saying a word, Zhao He shot out like a bullet, sprinting towards the direction where his comrades were!
Clang—
After running a few steps, Zhao He felt a gust of wind by his ear, something brushed past his face and finally fell to the ground.
In the blink of an eye, he had run to the "fallen object" and saw a gleaming carving knife on the marble floor.
Zhao He reacted instantly, immediately turning and running without even looking back, shouting as he ran, "Wu Zhou—"
This sound, like a thunderclap, pierced the sky in the lifeless Yixin Building!
A classroom door nearby opened rapidly, and before Zhao He could even see the head peeking out, he heard a familiar voice: "Zhao He, over here—"
Wu Zhou has a raspy voice; his speech is usually unpleasant, and his shouts are even more jarring.
But at this moment, amidst a surge of warmth, Zhao He could only recall two words: heavenly music.
As he rushed into the classroom and turned to close the door, Zhao He finally saw that, in addition to the chaotic group from the second floor, there was also a newly joined knife-wielding squad from the third floor following behind him. Most of the squad members were carrying small weapons, which looked very much like the carving knife that had been thrown at him earlier. However, because the door closed in an instant, he didn't get a clear look at them.
Bang bang bang!
The classroom door was suddenly pounded on and even rammed!
Wu Zhou, Zhao He, and Feng Qibai held the door tightly, but dared not utter a sound, silently resisting, for fear of arousing the zombies outside the door.
About five minutes later, the banging gradually weakened, and after another two minutes, it completely disappeared.
Just as Zhao He was about to speak, Feng Qibai made a shushing gesture and pointed to the inner room, indicating that he should speak there.
The three of them moved silently into the inner room, and Zhao He then realized that he was not in an ordinary classroom, but a sculpture classroom. There were two partitioned rooms, one with a door and a window, and apart from the lack of desks and chairs, it was no different from the structure of an ordinary classroom. The other room seemed to be a space partitioned off later, with no windows or doors. Calling it an "inner room" was appropriate, because it was more enclosed and more private.
Both areas display some unfinished sculptures, some of which are recognizable, while others remain a mystery. The paintings on the walls are masterpieces from various periods, such as David, Venus, and the Discus Thrower, creating a rich artistic atmosphere.
As soon as they entered the inner room, Wu Zhou gave Zhao He a bear hug!
Zhao He's eyes stung with tears, but he still pretended to pat his comrade on the back of the head and teased, "Let's save this kind of excited hug for when we win a medal at the Columbia University Games."
Wu Zhou released his comrade, his face still lingering with excitement, and a look of reluctance gradually appeared: "Then I'll never have the chance to hug you again in this lifetime!"
Zhao He was speechless and punched him in annoyance.
Wu Zhou laughed heartily.
The sudden appearance of a comrade-in-arms excited Feng Qibai, but he had never liked to show his emotions. Although he was often described as gloomy and melancholic, he thought that for an artist, a bit of eccentricity wasn't a bad thing. So, after hesitating for a while, he swallowed his warm words and went straight to the point: "Where did you come from? Why are you alone?"
Zhao He was used to his cold demeanor and didn't mind, so he reported the situation of Gewu Tower in detail.
After finishing his sentence, he let out a long sigh: "I figured you two hadn't gone back, and then I happened to see the zombie corpse that you two had pushed downstairs, so I followed the scent of the floral water here."
"We'd like to go back, but we'd have to be able to get out of here," Wu Zhou said in despair. "This building is a complete mess. We're already lucky to have found this place to hide."
These words struck a nerve with Zhao He, who immediately grasped his comrade's hands with a sense of sympathy: "Don't you miss our sports institute building very much?"
Wu Zhou gripped the handle tightly: "Students from uniform departments are simple and crude!"
Feng Qibai squinted at his two comrades and casually reminded them, "When you're talking badly about other people's academies, could you please avoid mentioning the main characters?"
Zhao He released Wu Zhou, turned to Feng Qibai, and said from the bottom of his heart, "If you've ever been hugged by a bling-bling Indian girl, you'll understand how I feel."
Feng Qibai pointed to the goggles that were placed aside, which were already dry but still had visible drool marks, and shrugged: "Then let's switch. I'll let the Indian girl hug my leg, and you can let the ballet senior take a couple of bites."
Zhao He: "..."
Wu Zhou sighed heavily and pulled his two friends to sit down: "Don't make things difficult for other people who are already in a bad situation."
After Feng Qibai's explanation, Zhao Hecai finally understood the structure of Yixin Building for the first time. Although it had nine floors, they belonged to four different departments: dance, painting, vocal music, and sculpture. The first and second floors were for the dance department, the third and fourth floors for the sculpture department, the fifth and sixth floors for the painting department, the seventh floor for offices, and the □□ floor for the vocal music department.
This explains why Zhao He encountered strangely dressed people on the first and second floors, but encountered Little Li Flying Dagger on the third floor.
but--
"Do you dress this formally for training?"
"This isn't training, it's a rehearsal," Feng Qibai corrected.
Zhao He sighed, "Anyway, it's about the same."
As the saying goes, "every profession has its own secrets," so Feng Qibai gave up and answered directly: "The incident happened right before the New Year's Eve party, so it must have been a dress rehearsal on the weekend."
Zhao He suddenly realized: "So that Indian girl must have been dancing Indian dance. I also saw what looked like Latin dance, but that military uniform dance was quite unique..."
Feng Qibai: "Ballet, The Red Detachment of Women."
"..." No wonder he always felt so righteous.
They were all in the same building, so even if Feng Qibai wasn't interested, he was still immersed in the charm of the dance department every day. Occasionally, he would encounter someone so elegant that they would be dancing gracefully in the lobby on the first floor. It was fine if he ran into girls, but if he encountered a male classmate who gave him a flirtatious look, he felt like throwing a carving knife at him.
The more aloof Feng Qibai became, the more popular he became. Since enrolling in school, he had received enough flirtatious WeChat messages to compile a complete guide to flirting with girls, and not only girls but also guys. In the end, he simply left the art academy's WeChat group, hoping to avoid seeing or being bothered by them.
But there's no need to share these painful memories with your comrades: "You mean Qi Yan and the others won't act until tomorrow night?"
Zhao He nodded: "That's what Qi Yan said."
Feng Qibai remained skeptical, as time was precious to them right now: "Could it be that he's just saying this on purpose to trick you into going back to the cafeteria?"
"Probably not," Zhao He thought for a moment. "He was already exhausted when he found Song Fei. That guy never fights unprepared battles, so it's unlikely he'll continue to fight head-on."
Feng Qibai then remembered what Zhao He had said about Qi Yan's heroic act of running back and forth for hours to save the damsel in distress. In disbelief, he couldn't help but sigh, "True love."
Zhao He was stunned, and Wu Zhou also looked surprised: "You knew all along?"
Feng Qibai frowned: "How is that possible?"
Although almost half an hour had passed since Zhao He recounted the epic tale of Qi Yan's victory over Song Fei, Wu Zhou was still in shock. Therefore, he was naturally puzzled to see Feng Qibai so calm.
"This kind of thing is too common," Feng Qibai said kindly, explaining a bit more. "In our institute, it's not even enough for a disciplinary action."
Zhao He raised his hand earnestly and asked timidly, "Then, may I ask, how can I get a disciplinary action?"
"I don't know," Feng Qibai blew on his bangs, his eyes clear. "I'm a very well-behaved student."
Zhao He narrowed his eyes suspiciously, but couldn't find any evidence against him.
Wu Zhou glanced at the four bloodstained carving knives of different models neatly arranged on the ground, and silently turned his head to look out the window as he recalled Feng's fierce fighting figure.
Ah, the moon tonight, so...
"Stop looking at the moon," Feng Qibai's cold voice pulled Wu back to his senses. "Since the eight of us are now scattered, we need to find a way to communicate with each other. It would be best if we could meet up after they get their radios."
"Communication is easy," Zhao He cleared his throat. "Just shout. I've been singing Princess Pearl for hours, I've maxed out my vocal technique, and now the red and blue effects are almost gone. I feel like I can howl for another five hundred years."
Wu Zhou suddenly realized: "Damn, it's you. I couldn't hear it very clearly, I thought it was a zombie howling. You can ask Feng Qibai if you don't believe me, I was discussing it with him, what kind of zombie is this, howling like that all night long, like a night owl."
Zhao He: "..."
Wu Zhou: "Uh, but after listening to it for a while, it actually has a certain charm..."
Zhao He: "Your attempt at rounding is too awkward!"