The campus was filled with laughter and cheer, as lively as ever.
No one would know that, according to the original storyline, tomorrowโjust twenty-four hours from now, oh noโTang Tang glanced down at the countdown timer on her phone, her brow deeply furrowed.
Now there were only twenty-three hours left before this place would be overrun by zombies.
Before, she always thought that this was all just a dream, but now Tang Tang has completely fallen into that dream and entered into a nightmare.
Time waits for no one. She couldn’t afford to waste any more of it here.
Tang Tang knew all too well that, given her reputation, even if she warned everyone about the apocalypse tomorrow, no one would believe her. They might even accuse her of spreading panic and rumours. With this in mind, she turned around and ran toward her dormitory.
As she ran, she checked the hidden space she had just obtained.
The hidden space was roughly 27 cubic meters in size and was currently empty. According to the system, it was a growth-type space, meaning it would expand as her abilities increased. It could store items, but for now, it could only hold non-living objects.
This was the result of her spending an hour bargaining with the system. It had to be said, the system was not only deceptive but also stingy!
Earlier, it had said that it would give her more help, but when she said she wanted a hidden space, it refused to fulfill its previous promise.
It said that the hidden space was already a very powerful existence, and providing her with additional help would affect the normal order of this world. Tang Tang tried to persuade the system in every possible way, but in the end, she couldn’t convince it because it flew away abruptly without a word.
Damn it.
***
The dormitory was about a twenty-minute walk from the playground, but Tang Tang ran as fast as she could and managed to reach the dormitory building in ten minutes.
The university campuses cover vast areas, and since this was a newly built school, the dormitory buildings were tall and brand new. The walls were covered with white, reflective tiles that mirrored the low trees and shrubs along the road, creating a fresh and attractive scene.
But now was not the time to admire the scenery.
Tang Tang quickly swiped her campus card and ran into the dormitory building.
She now needed to go to her dorm room to retrieve the bank card stored in her locker, then rent a small apartment outside, and take a trip to the nearest wholesale market.
Since she only read a few chapters of the book, she didn’t know what would happen in the apocalypse. However, it’s usually a good idea to shop for supplies and food ahead of time.
The dormitory was a four-person room, but only two were there at the moment. When they noticed her coming back, they looked at her with contempt and began to make sarcastic remarks.
“Some people are just shameless. They used to fawn over Jiang Zhu because he was the young master of the Jiang family, but now that he’s been kicked out, they immediately turn their backs on him.”
“Exactly. After receiving so many gifts from Jiang Zhu, she acted all high and mighty when breaking up with him today. Why doesn’t she have the decency to return everything?”
“She has no decency at all, just shameless.”
โฆ
During their relationship, they had all witnessed how well Jiang Zhu treated Tang Tang. Being liked by someone like Jiang Zhuโhandsome, from a good family, and extremely devotedโwas something to be envied and jealous of. Especially since this person was right next to them, as roommates, they had long been green with envy.
When what happened today happened, they certainly wouldn’t miss the opportunity to mock Tang Tang.
But Tang Tang didn’t have time to listen to them. She quickly opened her locker, took out her wallet, and stuffed it into her pocket.
After doing all this she walked towards the door.
She had intended to walk straight out the door, but she stopped just before reaching it.
Although they weren’t particularly close and she knew they probably wouldn’t believe her, they had been roommates for quite some time. So she still gave them a subtle warning before leaving.
“I heard from others today that there have been some robberies happening nearby recently. Be careful when you go out and take some self-defense tools with you.”
Her hand on the door handle paused for a moment, then she turned and walked back.
She bent down and carefully took out a small cardboard box from the bottom shelf of the cabinet. Gently brushing off the dust on top, she then placed it into her backpack.
“I won’t be back tonight. Make sure to lock the door, and if there’s any noise outside, don’t open it unless you know who it is.”
Facing their mocking gazes, Tang Tang finished what she had to say: “Tomorrow is Sunday[1]. You might want to prepare some extra food today.”
“Tang Tang, do we need you to tell us what we are going to do? Ugh…” Wang Fen shivered exaggeratedly and rubbed her arms, “I feel so sick every time I call your name.”
“Who knows what you’re up to when you don’t come back at night. You didn’t just dump Jiang Zhu and then go climb into someone else’s bed, did you? Disgusting!”
The two of them echoed each other, and Tang Tang couldn’t tell if they actually remembered what she had said.
She opened her mouth, thinking of reminding them again, but the two had already turned around, each putting on their headphones, ignoring her.
Tang Tang held her breath, but in the end, she pressed her lips together and walked out.
After the door was closed, the two took off their headphones. They took turns cursing Tang
Tang for a while and only stopped when they got tired.
Wang Fen looked out the window and asked, “Has anyone come to rob people nearby recently?”
“I don’t know,” Zhao Li shrugged, “but this place is so remote. I bought a small knife last time and it’s still in my drawer.”
Everything went smoothly afterward. Tang Tang rented a house near the wholesale market, and as soon as she secured the rental, she went shopping for items. Once everything was moved into the house, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. She then quickly stored everything in the hidden spaces, neatly organizing and categorizing them.
It wasn’t until she finished all these tasks that Tang Tang realized she was drenched in sweat.
The summer weather was scorching, and besides, she had been running back and forth all day without any time to rest. Now that she finally had a moment to herself, she quickly turned on the air conditioning in the room.
Feeling the cool breeze from the air conditioner, she wondered if this would be the last time she’d use it in this life.
For a moment, she felt a pang of sadness, overwhelmed by a mix of emotions.
Finally, it turned into a wave of anger:
As expected, all this was caused by that damn system!
It ran away pretty fast. If it had the guts to show up in front of her now, she’d strangle it!
The 27-cubic-meter hidden space was now completely packed, with not an inch of free space left.
Tang Tang thought for a moment. She had bought a lot of food and daily necessities, prepared plenty of self-defense tools like knives, and even had warm blankets and clothing. It seemed like she was well-prepared for now.
But looking at all these items in the hidden space, she still felt uneasy.
What she holds in her hand is just a cannon fodder script, one destined to die early in the apocalypse. In the original book, after the apocalypse begins, not only would zombies appear, but some people would also undergo mutations.
This meant the emergence of individuals with supernatural abilities.
Just like the female lead’s healing ability, which not only protects herself but also heals others, it’s considered a fantastic power. In the harsh environment of the apocalypse, it’s not an exaggeration to say such an ability would be highly sought after.
The male protagonist, Jiang Zhu, was likely to be very powerful as well. However, since the novel was written from the female lead’s perspective and Tang Tang dropped it early, she doesn’t know what his abilities are. She only knows that he is incredibly formidable and nearly invincible.
But now she faced the biggest problem: as a cannon fodder destined to be torn apart by zombies, what would her ability be?
Wait! Hold on a second!
Let her think carefully about what the system told her three years ago when she first arrived hereโ
What were the exact words again?
The memory from three years ago was a bit hazy, but Tang Tang had a gut feeling that whatever the system had said back then wasn’t something that would comfort her now.
It seemed to be something like: “You won’t awaken any abilities at all, and in the end, you’ll be devoured by zombies.”
!!!
Damn it!
Tang Tang abruptly sat up, her whole body tense and uneasy.
No way, right?
No, no, that can’t be right. Her memory must be wrong! Yes, that’s it!
Even though she tried to convince herself of this, it did nothing to comfort her.
Tang Tang couldn’t sit still anymore. She turned off the air conditioner and hurriedly ran towards the school.
***
[1] “ๅๅจๆฅ” (shuฤng zhลu rรฌ) literally translates to “biweekly Sunday” in English. This term is commonly used in the context of schedules, events, or activities that occur every two weeks on Sunday. It implies a regular, recurring event that takes place on Sundays every other week. This kind of scheduling is typical for meetings, classes, or gatherings that are designed to happen on a consistent, biweekly basis. T/N: Actually, I don’t know if itโs an accurate definition. well, I learned something.
***
Translation by NightOwll
***
Que sistema maldito!!!