The power remained out, so when it got dark again, the entire department building area was plunged into silence and darkness once more.
Fortunately, the weather cooperated. The night was just as clear as the day, and the wind gradually subsided. So the moon hung leisurely in the sky, showing only three-quarters of its face, but with a bright smile.
Not long after darkness fell completely, the sound of a flute drifted from Yixin Tower. It was the agreed-upon code for the eight people to set off immediately, with the flute as the signal.
The melody played by Feng Qibai was completely unfamiliar; none of the seven friends had ever heard it before. However, the rhythm was brisk, and even though it sounded as plaintive as a flute, it also conveyed a sense of grandeur and passion. Therefore, the friends happily accepted the signal and set off.
Song, who has a wide range of musical knowledge, is certainly unique among the six.
As he slid down the fire hose, he could even hum along to the flute: "Forward...forward...the soldier's responsibility is heavy...the women's grievances are deep..."
Hanging above, Qi Yan looked down at her boyfriend's skull, took a deep breath, and gripped the fire hose tightly in her hand: "Singing is fine, but can you not sway your body to the rhythm?"
The three friends from Gewulou were the first to come down.
The three fire hoses were connected end to end, and there was still plenty of hose left when they hit the ground. They moved very quietly, and when they landed, they didn't attract any zombies. Most of the zombies in Gewu Building were still hiding inside, avoiding the chill of the night. A small number were attracted by the sound of the flute and went towards Yixin Building, leaving the area below Gewu Building empty.
Song Fei, wielding metal chopsticks, led the charge; Qi Yan, with his mop-gun, brought up the rear; and He Zhiwen, carrying a tape recorder, stood in the middle—a perfect 1-1-1 formation. The three of them stealthily made their way to the crossroads between Yixin Building and Luban Building, nimbly climbing trees. Once everything was ready, a violent rock 'n' roll immediately replaced the melodious flute music—
"I'm shirtless, running through the wind and snow on the road I escaped from the hospital. Don't stop me, I don't need clothes either, because my illness is that I can't feel anything. Give me some flesh, give me some blood, to replace my steely will and iron will. Let me cry, let me laugh, let me run wild in the snow..."
Song Fei's powerful vocals were thoroughly enjoyable, and Qi Yan and He Zhiwen also thoroughly enjoyed listening to him. It was rare for them to feel anything other than wanting to punch someone while listening to Song Fei sing. Towards the end, when the chorus was repeated repeatedly, they even managed to hum along a couple of lines.
Meanwhile, the three friends upstairs who slid down without thinking twice only dared to confirm, just before landing, that the energetic rock music that had been covering for them was indeed from Song Fei.
As the flute music stopped, the singing began, and the zombies naturally gathered around the tree. Zhao He, Feng Qibai, and Wu Zhou, who landed later, didn't dare approach the rock band. Instead, they continued forward, crossing the crossroads and arriving directly beside the Lu Ban Building before climbing the tree one by one.
Zhao He chose the tree that looked the strongest and climbed the branch that looked the thickest.
Fortunately, things are stable for now; there's always a way out.
Once their comrades reached a safe altitude, the rock band fell silent, and the surroundings instantly became quiet.
The two groups stood facing each other from a distance, and finally Song Fei called out first: "Together?"
"No need, you should rest your voice," Wu Zhou called back. "We have the equipment!"
Song Fei suddenly realized that Wu Zhou must be referring to Feng Qibai's xiao (vertical bamboo flute).
As it turned out, Feng Qibai did take out a flute, but Zhao He on the other tree was not idle either—he took out a triangle from his pocket.
With a lingering "ding—", the sound of the flute rang out.
Song Fei and Qi Yan looked at each other, deeply moved. It's true that environment shapes people; those who have been nurtured by art are truly different.
Song Fei was surprised when he realized that Feng Qibai was playing the rock song he had just sung. He didn't know if Feng Qibai already knew the song or had memorized the melody just from hearing him sing it, but either way, the fact that the other person could play the instrument so skillfully was enough to surprise him.
"Isn't Feng Qibai in the sculpture department? Or am I mistaken? Is he actually in the vocal music department?" At times like this, it's natural to discuss it with her boyfriend.
"He's in the sculpture department, so he probably likes music," Qi Yan guessed rationally, adding at the end, "After all, music is human nature."
bite--
Ding ding—
Ding, ding, ding ding—
Song Fei: "Then how do you explain this guy who keeps randomly banging on the triangle?"
Qi Yan: "There are always people who are born with deficiencies."
Both the Gewu Building and the Yixin Building require ropes for rappelling. The former was fine, as Qi Yan cut one while looking for batteries, but the latter took a lot of effort to set up. However, the two people in the Luban Building didn't have this problem.
Zhou Yilu was unfamiliar with the building's internal structure, but he was very familiar with its external shape and visual effects. After considering factors such as the length of the route, the level of danger, and the landing location, he planned a route with the highest cost-effectiveness. Once the second squad was luring the enemy up the tree, he immediately led Qiao Siqi down the tree by hand.
"It might be a bit late to say this now," Joss said, stepping on a strange protrusion outside the sixth floor and forcing himself to look only at his feet, "but are you really not going to consider putting safety ropes around our waists or something?"
"Stop talking nonsense."
Zhou Lu never tolerates bad behavior; he immediately retorts with a single sentence and continues to focus on moving to the next level.
With a mournful face, Qiao Siqi also shakily stepped diagonally downwards...
bite!
Damn, I almost slipped again!
"Which bastard is so bad at hitting every beat!" Qiao Siqi didn't dare to raise his voice, but could only squeeze out his hatred through gritted teeth.
"Zhao He." Zhou Yilu's answer came quickly.
Qiao Siqi was surprised. He looked at the distant trees, but they were still blurry: "You can see clearly?"
Zhou Yilu: "No need to see clearly, just be light-sensitive."
—On a thick, large tree in the distance, two beams of light were being reflected, one with a metallic sheen, the other indescribable.
"Zhao He, stop playing!" Feng Qibai finally lost his patience, stopped playing, and sighed. "You've completely ruined the rhythm. Where did you find this thing?"
"I found it while cutting a fire hose. I don't know who threw it on the ground. I think it's quite interesting."
"Then please continue watching."
Before Zhao He could reply, Feng Qibai had already resumed his performance.
Zhao He reluctantly put the triangle back in his pocket, feeling that his budding musical dreams had been nipped in the bud.
After landing, Zhou Yilu and Qiao Siqi quietly slipped away to the main road. However, they deliberately avoided the tree where Zhao He and Feng Qibai were, so the main group of zombies was still surrounded under the Xiaosheng tree and did not notice Zhou Qiao sneaking past them.
According to the original plan, the two of them slipped away first, and the remaining six would then figure out a way to cooperate and escape back to the cafeteria.
Everything was going smoothly. Qiao Siqi and Zhou Yilu were about to disappear into the darkness almost silently. But at the last moment, a charred zombie suddenly appeared out of nowhere. It looked exactly like the one Zhao He had encountered before. The only difference was that it still had one eye that wasn't burned off and could see!
Zhao He had seen it before, but Zhou Yilu and Qiao Siqi were experiencing it for the first time. Suddenly, a dark, unidentified humanoid figure jumped out and blocked their way, leaving both of them completely blank.
In that instant, the zombie howled to the sky!
Zhou Yilu immediately realized that it was calling to its companions under the tree!
Compared to prey that can be seen but not eaten from the trees, these two are clearly more valuable to hunt!
This howl was clearly more effective than any flute music or song. The large group of zombies surrounding Feng Qibai and Zhao He under the tree, as well as the small group of zombies still wandering under Song Fei and Qi Yan under the tree, immediately turned their attention to Zhou Yilu and Qiao Siqi!
This couldn't be more outrageous!
Zhou Lu stabbed the unlucky, charred zombie with his gun, grabbed Qiao Siqi, and ran away!
But does Qiao still need him to pull her?
Within two seconds, the one who had been pulling others along became the one holding them back. Zhou Yilu quickly let go, doing his best to keep up with the Eastern Deer, while also glancing behind him to check on both the pursuers and his teammates. Now, because of their unexpected situation, the danger to both teams had significantly decreased, so he simply shouted, "Don't worry about us, you guys get back to the cafeteria—"
How could we possibly ignore it?
The two men were surrounded and could only flee in any direction they could, but that direction was nowhere near the mess hall. If their comrades didn't intervene, they might not survive the night!
Zhao He was the first to jump down from the tree.
He Zhiwen was the last one to be taken down from the tree.
It took less than ten seconds for all six of them to land. Immediately afterward, they all ran towards Zhou Yilu and Qiao Siqi, shouting as they ran.
"Hey! Your Grandpa Zhao is here!!!"
The remaining five companions also wanted to lure the enemy, especially Song Fei, who was already on the verge of shouting, "Look over here!" But Zhao He took on all the aggro by himself. After he shouted, the zombies stopped abruptly. Some of them stopped too suddenly and fell over. Most of the zombies that didn't fall slowly turned around and ultimately chose six over two.
The six people who finally became the leaders of the zombie army ran towards the cafeteria without saying a word!
After defeating four lingering zombies, Qiao Siqi and Zhou Yilu circled back towards the cafeteria from the side!
After a few back and forths, the two sides actually met up about 300 meters away from the cafeteria!
Under the bright moonlight, the sight of eight male students running side by side was quite spectacular.
However, soon, some people rushed out while others fell behind, forming the first, second, and third groups.
The leaders were naturally Zhao He and Wu Zhou, but as they ran, they discovered that there was another person, Qiao Siqi, beside them.
Zhao He stared wide-eyed, and in the whooshing wind created by his sprint, he exclaimed loudly while eating air, "Qiao Siqi, you shouldn't have entered the Foreign Languages Department! You're a hidden gem of our Sports Department!"
Wu Zhou nodded vigorously and agreed, "The phrase 'a hidden gem in the ocean' is used very skillfully!"
Zhao He: "Can't you get to the point?!"
He Zhiwen couldn't empathize with Zhao He's sentiments because he was the last one running! There were so many comrades between him and Shen Lu Qiao that he couldn't even see their heels! He was just praying he wouldn't get bitten! And why was Qi Yan, carrying a tape recorder, faster than him? This world is too cruel to defenseless, chubby straight men!
Amidst the chaos of war, the canteen came into view!
Joss opened his mouth wide in ecstasy, whether as a sigh or a cheer, but in the end he accomplished nothing and almost coughed up his lungs—he was too excited and choked on the wind.
Zhao He shouted for him, "Huang Mo! Open the window—"
I'm only 100 meters away from the familiar first-floor window of the cafeteria!
The window remained still.
Song Fei thought this might be related to Zhao's overly husky and sexy voice: "Little landmine—mine—mine—"
As the echoes faded into the sky, the cafeteria remained quiet, but a window had quietly opened, and a frying spatula was sticking out halfway, swaying gracefully.
The eight people saw this and were delighted. More importantly, the cafeteria lights were on!
Qiao Siqi, Zhao He, and Wu Zhou were the first to run to the window. Zhao He, with his long legs, was the first to dart in, followed closely by Wu Zhou. Qiao Siqi was good at running but not jumping, so he had to be third. After Wu Zhou went in, he used both his hands and feet to climb in.
But just as he put one leg up and before he could even lift himself off the ground, Lin Dilei, who was there to catch him, cried out in alarm, "Watch out!"
A cool breeze followed!
Qiao Siqi subconsciously looked in the direction the wind was coming from, but before his eyes could focus, a dark shadow attacked. Then he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder, and to make matters worse, it was the same spot where he had been bitten by a zombie in Luban Tower!
Song Fei, who arrived shortly after, slashed the zombie to the ground and killed it. Seeing that Qiao Siqi was still in a daze, he and Zhou Yilu each grabbed one of his legs and forced Johns inside!
The eight people filed in and it took them very little time. The zombie that was following the closest was still twenty or thirty meters away from the cafeteria when Lin Dilei closed the window.
As Lin Dilei lowered the blinds, Wang Qingyuan, Li Jingyu, Luo Geng, Huang Mo, and other classmates from the two martial arts troupes had already gathered around, ready to hug and greet each other. But Qiao Siqi suddenly rushed out of the crowd and ran to the corner of the wall!
"Don't come any closer—"
The sudden turn of events left all the friends completely bewildered.
Qiao Siqi suddenly realized what he was saying and immediately changed his words: "No, no, you guys come here quickly—"
"Should I go or not?!" Zhou Yilu was going crazy.
"Come here, come here, tie me up quickly!" Qiao Siqi's voice was already trembling with tears, "I've been bitten..."
Everyone's expression changed instantly.
"Where did it bite?" Zhou Yilu asked, feigning composure, but his voice was visibly trembling.
Qiao Siqi's legs went weak and he sat down on the ground, bursting into tears: "Shoulder..."
"What the hell can you do?!"
"I'm about to die and you're still cursing at me—"
"Fuck your mother!"
Song Fei took the backpack and turned it upside down. Then he picked up the rope that had fallen to the ground and went forward to tie up Qiao Siqi.
Zhou Lu was furious: "Song Fei—"
"What else can we do! Who will do it if it mutates? You stab it or I stab it!" Song Fei shouted back, his eyes red.
On Monday, I turned my eyes away, tears streaming down my face.
Qiao Siqi was already sobbing uncontrollably: "Tie, tie it tighter... then, then... don't poke the face... just poke the back of the head..."
"Get lost!" Song Fei shouted.
Qiao Siqi pouted and remained silent.
Finally, once the ropes were securely tied, Song Fei sat down facing him. Without saying a word, he said fiercely, word by word, "I'll just stare at you like this and see what you can become."
Qiao Siqi was crying so hard he couldn't speak.
Zhou Lu kicked the wall hard.
Five minutes later.
Song Fei stared at Qiao Siqi.
Joss cried.
Silence was maintained on Monday.
Ten minutes later.
Song Fei stared at Qiao Siqi.
Joss cried sometimes and didn't cry sometimes.
Silence was maintained on Monday.
Fifteen minutes later.
Song Fei remained silent.
Qiao Siqi stopped crying.
Zhou Yilu walked over and sat down, staring at Qiao Siqi.
"Uh," Zhou's gaze was so terrifying that Qiao couldn't take it anymore, "It's so strange, how come it hasn't changed yet, hehe…"
"Which shoulder?" Zhou Yilu suddenly asked.
Qiao Siqi didn't react: "Huh?"
Which shoulder did the zombie bite?
"Right... Hey, why are you being a pervert?!"
In the blink of an eye, Johns's bare shoulder was exposed. There was a noticeable red mark around it, but it was definitely not broken.
Zhou Lu took out a tissue from his pocket and blew his nose.
Qiao Siqi twisted his neck with difficulty to look at his shoulder, and after a long while, his eyes slowly widened, filled with undisguised ecstasy: "It's not broken, it wasn't bitten through! Hahahaha—"
Discarding the snotty tissue, Zhou Lu slowly squinted his eyes.
Under Da Zhou's watchful gaze, Qiao Siqi gradually stopped laughing and felt a chill creep down his spine.
"Um," after thinking it over, he chose Song Fei, "Could you help me untie the rope first…"
"No." The refusal was decisive. "What if it mutates?"
You reap what you sow; the only way is to be honest and ask for forgiveness.
"I really didn't mean to lie to you. It hurts a lot when I get bitten. I knew it would bleed. Would I joke about something like that? You agree, right?"
Song Fei rolled his eyes.
Qiao Siqi looked at Zhou... but decided against it.
Given that these two were the most emotionally deceived, Joschi decided to start with his comrades who were less hurt.
"Aren't you all right? Little Landmine, you're the most understanding; Luogeng, you're the most rational; Little Whale, you're the kindest; Wang Qingyuan, you're the most objective; Huang Mo, you're the most insightful; Fu Xiyuan, who's next to you?"
Qiao Siqi was stunned as he looked around at his comrades. He belatedly realized that in the huge kitchen, there were not only two martial arts students, but also more than a dozen new faces!
Not only Qiao Siqi was startled, but so were the other seven comrades who came in with him. Song Fei and Zhou Yilu were too busy with their own life-and-death separation to be surprised. Although Qi Yan and the others were not as excited, their attention was also focused on the startled Qiao Siqi. Only after being reminded did they realize that there were thirteen unfamiliar classmates in the base camp!
The radio team was shocked, a
nd the thirteen new students weren't much better off. They just wanted some peace and quiet to think about what had just happened.