The atmosphere in the dorm room suddenly turned eerie.
Then they saw—
The door was still intact.
There were no zombies in the room either.
Everything was still as it had been, and they were still safe.
Phew—That scared me to death—
They were all startled and let out a long breath. Their backs were covered in sweat in those few seconds.
Yan Chen was the first to react, wiping the sweat from his forehead, then grabbing his clothes with his hand and shaking them, separating the fabric from his sweat-drenched back.
“What’s wrong?”
The moment the words left his mouth, he found the answer.
All three boys in their dorm had crowded over, but Tang Tang was still standing in place, not moving an inch.
Yan Chen immediately grew annoyed.
“What are you spacing out for over there? Get over here!”
Tang Tang heard his voice and saw Yan Chen waving at her, but after glancing at Jiang Zhu, who was still staring at her, she was actually still uncertain.
When Jiang Zhu had called them over earlier, she had been about to crowd in too, but the moment she moved her foot, Jiang Zhu’s icy gaze locked onto her.
Immediately, she froze.
Tang Tang guessed in her heart that Jiang Zhu probably didn’t want her to join their discussion?
That made sense, she had just publicly dumped him in front of everyone this morning and scolded him so harshly. Jiang Zhu had probably never suffered such humiliation in his entire life…
The more Tang Tang recalled, the more she wanted to cry.
Did this mean she was about to pay the price for her actions?
She was about to be pushed into a pile of zombies and die…
No, maybe she wouldn’t die right away. She’d become a zombie, then get chopped with countless slashes until her flesh was mangled, her head and limbs severed…
So painful!
Just thinking about it made her feel like she was dying of pain, wuwuwu—
The others had no idea what was going through Tang Tang’s head. They only saw this girl standing there foolishly, not moving an inch, her whole body radiating an aura of sorrow and despair.
Meanwhile, Jiang Zhu wore an expressionless face.
Yan Chen and the other two looked left and right, not understanding what those two were up to.
Finally, Jiang Zhu shifted his gaze, his eyes landing on the paper on the desk.
“Come here,” he said.
When those words reached her ears, Tang Tang thought she’d misheard, until she saw Yan Chen and the other two all signaling for her to hurry over. Only then did she quickly scurry to the desk.
The desk in the dorm wasn’t very big, and with five people standing around it, it was a bit cramped. Since Tang Tang was the last to arrive, the only spot left was a small space right next to Jiang Zhu.
The two of them stood pressed close together, making physical contact inevitable.
Their arms accidentally brushed against each other, and Tang Tang clearly felt him stiffen, followed by Jiang Zhu’s icy gaze sweeping over her.
Tang Tang: !!
Startled, Tang Tang quickly and obediently tucked her arm closer to her chest.
Aside from Yan Chen, no one would have noticed this little exchange between the two.
Soon, the five of them began discussing escape plans.
“First, I must make this clear!”
Jiang Zhu tapped the desk lightly with his fingers, his voice cold and clear.
“The premise of these plans is that the five of us stand united. If any one of us betrays the group…”
Jiang Zhu paused mid-sentence.
Then he looked at each of the other four in turn.
Tang Tang wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but she felt like Jiang Zhu’s gaze lingered on her for a few extra seconds.
…He still suspected her!
Damn system! You’re dead!!
“Of course we’ll be united! Who would dare betray us? Watch me beat them to death first!”
The fierce-faced guy rolled up his sleeves and immediately declared his stance.
“Yeah, yeah, me too. I won’t betray any of you!” The simple-looking guy also quickly pledged.
“I’m with you all too. In a situation like this, unless someone’s an idiot, who would… but then again, you never know.”
Yan Chen paused, then shifted his words, suddenly turning his attack toward Tang Tang.
“There’s still one person here we don’t know at all.”
The others looked at him.
Yan Chen continued, “Our food is limited, and so is our time.”
By this point, it was already obvious. Tang Tang knew that Yan Chen didn’t trust her at all.
That was understandable.
Yan Chen had always looked down on her to begin with, let alone after what happened this morning. Even though she had obediently followed him here tonight to persuade Jiang Zhu to eat, at the end of the day, she was still the one who had caused Jiang Zhu to refuse food and water.
Not to mention, this was now the apocalypse.
Food was scarce, water was insufficient, and one more person meant one more share of resources.
Although the four boys seemed like they didn’t need to worry about what a frail girl like her could possibly do, once she formed a team with them, it meant she would also need to consume their daily food and water.
And when food and water gradually dwindled, while they remained trapped here unable to escape, that would be trouble.
So, what they meant was: since someone as weak as her, who provided basically no help at all, was dispensable, why should they make her their teammate and consume the resources that kept them alive?
Tang Tang analyzed in her heart.
So what would they do next?
Just push her out the door?
Tang Tang felt a sharp pain in her chest. Damn system, get out here right now!!
“Um…”
In the silence, the scowling boy spoke up again.
He scratched his head. “You don’t mean… you’re not going to give up on her and leave her to fend for herself, are you?”
Everyone turned to look at Yan Chen at once.
“This is the apocalypse now,” Yan Chen said, not answering the question, merely stating that fact calmly.
Indeed, this was the apocalypse, completely different from normal times. Every step they took, every action they made, could not afford a single mistake. One wrong move, and their hope of survival might vanish for good.
The atmosphere was heavy.
Tang Tang’s heart was heavy too.
She instinctively looked at Jiang Zhu.
But he seemed completely indifferent to the outcome of the discussion about her, all his attention fixed on the paper in front of him.
Tang Tang’s heart grew cold again.
So, was the fate destined for a cannon fodder character truly impossible to change?
Even without the system’s urging anymore.
“You’re right!”
The scowling boy suddenly slapped Yan Chen on the shoulder.
“This is the apocalypse!”
Tang Tang glanced at Jiang Zhu again, but he was sitting sideways to her with his head lowered, most of his face was hidden in the shadows, impossible to see clearly.
She probably knew her ending by now.
Yan Chen let out a sigh of relief.
He looked at Tang Tang, who was standing across the table from him.
She was very pretty—the prettiest girl he had ever seen so far.
He had expected to see a look of panic or fear on her face, but instead, the girl seemed as if she didn’t understand what those words meant, her delicate face still calm.
Yan Chen suddenly felt a strong sense of guilt.
But he quickly shook his head, casting that thought aside.
Though it was a pity to give up on a life like this, the screams continuously coming from outside the door, along with faint, strange roars like wild beasts, all reminded him.
This was not the time to be soft-hearted.
Jiang Zhu’s fingers twitched slightly.
***
Translated by NightOwll
***