IDMLA 03

Although she hadn’t paid much attention to any apocalyptic-related content before, she had occasionally heard others mention it. In situations where all resources are scarce, human nature often becomes extremely fragile. Therefore, crowded places might not be safe in an apocalyptic world.

Their school was built on the outskirts of the city. Apart from this school, the surrounding area consisted mostly of abandoned factories or unfinished residential buildings, with very few streetlights at night.

Due to these conditions, many “idle individuals” had gathered near the school. Incidents of robbery targeting students and the few residents nearby were no longer a rare occurrence. Although the apartment Tang Tang rented was quite far from the school, it was still a considerable distance from the city center.

Moreover, the original owner’s parents had passed away early, and her family relationships were somewhat complicated. The original owner had long since cut ties with those relatives. If she went to the city center and the apocalypse struck, she would truly be fighting alone.

Relatively speaking, taking a ride back to the school from here was a safer option.

The sturdiness of the school’s buildings and facilities went without saying. More importantly, the school had supermarkets, cafeterias, and other places that could provide food in the short term. Additionally, there were relatively fewer people outside the school. If the school were surrounded by zombies, they could still take refuge in the empty buildings nearby.

Tang Tang quickly analyzed the current situation. Taking advantage of the evening light before it grew completely dark, she hailed a taxi and headed straight for the school. What still concerned her was not knowing the signs of the impending apocalypse or where the zombies would first appear.

When she read the novel, she followed the protagonist’s perspective, but the protagonist wasn’t in this city, so she couldn’t make any judgments.

Based on what she had read in the novel, Tang Tang only knew that there would be signs related to the environment, electricity, water, and such, but the origin of the zombies in this city wasn’t clear.

This was crucial. What if the zombies first appeared inside their school? Wouldn’t that mean it would fall from the very beginning? But if the outbreak started in the city first, then going to the school would give her a better chance to survive a little longer.

As she pondered these thoughts, the taxi had already come to a stop at the school gate. After paying the fare, she opened the car door and had just stepped one foot out when she came face-to-face with several familiar figures.

At the same time, the group of boys across from her also noticed her and stopped walking out of the school.

They were the guys who got along pretty well with Jiang Zhu. Tang Tang had met them a few times before, but like everyone else, they looked down on her as “materialistic and vain,” so she wasn’t close with them.

Tang Tang steadied her nerves, got out of the car, and closed the door.

By then, Yan Chen and the others had already walked over. They had gone out to have fun in the morning and only found out about Jiang Zhu being dumped after returning. They were still thinking about where to track down this materialistic woman and teach her a lesson when they unexpectedly ran into her right then.

What a stroke of luck.

Several tall guys formed an imposing, oppressive presence as they walked toward Tang Tang. Just by looking at their demeanor, Tang Tang knew exactly what they were planning to do, and for a moment, she felt a bit nervous. If it really came to a fight, even with ten knives in hand, she probably wouldn’t be able to take them on!

Moreover, the apocalypse hadn’t arrived yet. Pulling out a knife, especially against fellow students, was definitely not an option.

Tang Tang’s mind raced, searching for a solution, but before she could come up with a plan, Yan Chen had already reached out and grabbed her by the collar. Her slender body was effortlessly dragged forward.

Tang Tang: …

“Look down on Jiang Zhu? Call him trash?”, Yan Chen glared at her fiercely.

“Who gave you the guts?!”

It was the system, all the system’s fault! Tang Tang was on the verge of tears. Why was this guy so fierce? Even Jiang Zhu, who was set up as a ruthless character in the original book, had never been this harsh with her…

“I… I know I was wrong. It’s all my fault. I lost my mind for a moment. Please let me go, okay? I can go apologize to him right now!”

Tang Tang quickly squeezed out a few tears and cried as she spoke.

“Stop crying! Young Master Jiang doesn’t care about your apology. Get lost! Don’t let me see you again.”

All the guys disliked weepy girls. Yan Chen gave her a disgusted look, then let go and pushed her aside.

Tang Tang quickly agreed, “Okay, okay.”

“Pathetic.”

Only after running a good distance and confirming that the guys were no longer behind her did Tang Tang stop, gasping for breath. She thought to herself, it seemed the school wasn’t as safe as she had imagined. If others found out about her hidden space after the apocalypse arrived, then… That would be far too dangerous.

Tang Tang had originally planned to return to her dorm, but the appearance of Yan Chen and the others just now had reminded her. Her reputation at school wasn’t good, and her relationship with the three girls in her dorm wasn’t great either. Even though they shared a room, once the apocalypse hit, there was no telling who might turn on whom. And now, there was also the hidden danger of her hidden space.

Yes, this was a huge danger, even more terrifying than zombies.

Tang Tang realized she had been too naive before. She thought the school, with fewer people, would be relatively safer. But in reality, wherever there were people, the level of danger wouldn’t diminish in the slightest.

After the apocalypse arrived, food would definitely be a major issue. If zombies happened to surround them from outside, what would a group of people on the brink of starvation do?

They would fight for food.

It was as if a switch had been flipped in Tang Tang’s mind, and countless details began to fill her thoughts.

She had previously thought that having a hidden space would simply increase her chances of survival. But now, it was clear how childish she had been. This hidden space absolutely could not be used lightly. She absolutely must not use it unless she is on the verge of starvation.

Unless she possesses enough power to intimidate everyone.

But Tang Tang still doesn’t know whether she will awaken any superpower abilities after the apocalypse arrives. If she doesn’t awaken any abilities, she would just be an ordinary person.

This is truly a troublesome matter.

Tang Tang walked to the lawn in front of the dormitory building and sat down, thinking carefully for a long time. In the end, she decided to go to the cafeteria first. After the cafeteria closed, she would sneak over to the supermarket.

It was now eight o’clock in the evening. The cafeteria closed at midnight, and it took more than ten minutes to walk from the cafeteria to the supermarket. If she ran, it would take about six or seven minutes. The supermarket was open 24 hours a day, and because it was a large supermarket, it had a relatively large warehouse.

She had seen the warehouse once by chance before, it had several doors, and the locks were very sturdy.

There were still 11 hours until the apocalypse arrived. If signs of the apocalypse appeared within these 11 hours, and assuming the supermarket employee happened to be imaginative enough to think of the apocalypse, the closer she was to the employee, the more likely she would have a chance to get lucky and hide in the warehouse.

Moreover, the warehouse had plenty of stock, so she shouldn’t have to worry about running out of supplies in the short term.

Having made up her mind, Tang Tang slapped the grass and stood up. As she was brushing the grass off her clothes, someone suddenly appeared in front of her.

The next second, her collar was grabbed again.

***

Translation by NightOwll

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[OP:08/04/2024][Edited:07/13/2026]