IDMLA 11

Running to the gym six days later was only a spur-of-the-moment decision.

No one knew what would happen during those six days.

Even Tang Tang didn’t know.

It was now close to midnight, and since the internet had gone down, the screams outside hadn’t stopped. Whether people were trying to boost their own courage or were simply too terrified to stop, it was anyone’s guess.

The zombies were probably slow-moving and had finally made it to the tenth floor. A loud *bang-bang-bang*on the door, pause, then more knocking. Whether it was the same zombie or different ones passing by and taking their turn, no one could tell.

“Our dorm door should be decent quality, right? Haha, if we can’t even survive tonight, I might as well just lie flat and let them trample me.”

The silence was suffocating, no one spoke. Whether it was because they were all shocked by this sudden apocalypse or because the earlier discussion about Tang Tang had chilled the atmosphere, it was hard to say.

Qin Zhang tried to crack a joke to lighten the mood.

But the joke clearly didn’t land. Everyone glanced at him, then silently looked away.

Qin Zhang scratched his head, realizing he didn’t have the gift for humor, and shut his mouth too.

Tang Tang sat by the table, her arms resting on the surface, chin propped in her hands as she stared into space.

It was already past midnight, yet she felt no trace of drowsiness. She wasn’t the only one, everyone else in the dorm was the same, even Jiang Zhu, who usually kept a strict sleep schedule.

She was feeling conflicted now, wondering whether she should continue the apology she’d started earlier.

But what would she even say if she continued? Was she supposed to admit that she’d done it all because the system had pushed her, because the script she’d been given said so?

Never mind whether Jiang Zhu would believe her, the system definitely wouldn’t let her off the hook.

When the system had left, it had warned her repeatedly: she absolutely could not let anyone in this world know about it, or it would take back her hidden space.

But if she didn’t tell the truth, the apology would seem insincere, like she was only doing it to seek protection. Jiang Zhu probably wouldn’t accept that either.

Tang Tang could sense the heavy atmosphere in the dorm. It was probably because having an outsider like her here made everyone uncomfortable. And on top of that, she’d just dumped Jiang Zhu…

It was really awkward.

Now she was starting to regret it. She should’ve just charged out the door more decisively earlier.

She wondered if the zombies outside would have wandered off by tomorrow morning. If she rushed out fully equipped, could she carve a path to freedom?

As she thought this, her gaze shifted to face the door.

She stared at it, as if she could see through it to what was actually happening outside.

Of course, she couldn’t see anything.

From the information the system had given her earlier, zombies were highly sensitive to the scent of living humans. Their eyes had basically lost the ability to see, their hearing was greatly diminished, and their mobility varied depending on their rank—but none of them seemed to move slowly.

Probably because they never got tired.

Although not every dorm was guaranteed to have supplies, she figured very few people would dare rush out to find food tomorrow. After all, everyone was facing this situation for the first time. Those who went out first had no idea what they’d be up against.

So Tang Tang guessed that tomorrow would be when the fewest people were outside.

With that thought, her mind started working again.

What if she sprayed herself with pungent perfume, put on a thick raincoat, wore a high-quality hard helmet that couldn’t be smashed, pulled on agile combat boots, and swung two half-meter butcher knives, then slipped out silently…

Heh heh.

Somehow that sounded sketchy.

Going out in six days was obviously a good option too. By then, Jiang Zhu would probably have awakened his ability, and most people outside would have already fled. The remaining zombies, held back by abilities, wouldn’t be much of a problem.

That was probably how the original plot was set up.

But she was different, she didn’t even know if she had an ability, and besides…

Tang Tang thought this and secretly glanced at Jiang Zhu, who was sitting on another chair beside her.

Besides, given her current relationship with Jiang Zhu, she probably had no standing to ask for his protection.

So… maybe she should just run on her own tomorrow morning?

…She was such a jerk.

Jiang Zhu, who was in the middle of mentally mapping out every location on campus where food could be found, noticed the gaze from beside him. His pen paused, and he turned his head slightly.

His brows furrowed.

That expression again.

Tang Tang glanced at him, then looked away, returning to staring blankly at the door.

The girl’s delicate profile was hidden in the soft, warm glow—serene and beautiful, but her eyes were completely vacant, as if she were thinking about something, or simply zoning out.

This wasn’t the first time Jiang Zhu had seen her like this. Sometimes when they ate face to face, she’d be in the middle of a meal and suddenly drift off. Other times, she’d zone out while walking and almost walk into a tree without noticing…

He’d once asked her if she was lost in thought, but she’d just giggled and changed the subject.

At their last dinner together yesterday, she had spaced out for the longest time. Basically the moment she picked up her chopsticks, she froze entirely. He had to call out to her several times just to get through the meal.

Then the next day, this morning, in fact, they broke up…

Thinking of this, Jiang Zhu’s gaze turned cold.

Tang Tang was in the middle of figuring out how to broach the subject of having to make the first move tomorrow when something suddenly poked her arm. She turned around and saw a note being handed to her out of nowhere.

Written on it in elegant handwriting were the words: My bunk is right next to yours. Go rest.

Huh??

Tang Tang was startled. Of course she recognized that handwriting—it was Jiang Zhu’s.

She took the note, then looked over at Jiang Zhu beside her, pointing at herself and mouthing: Me?

Jiang Zhu’s gaze remained cold. He said nothing, only gave a slight nod.

Tang Tang continued to be surprised, tentatively writing on the paper: You’re worried about me??

Jiang Zhu glanced at the note and this time simply ignored her.

Tang Tang pressed her lips together, a little confused about what was going on in this man’s head.

She quickly wrote: You can’t actually be worried about me, right?? I haven’t even apologized to you. Why would you care about me?

Tang Tang’s pen paused for a moment, then she lowered her head and wrote again: You should just go rest early yourself.

Awakening one’s ability required energy. Jiang Zhu hadn’t eaten or drunk anything all day. If he didn’t get some sleep, he might end up dying mid-awakening.

Tang Tang felt she was being quite thoughtful and cautious. It was just that Jiang Zhu’s sudden concern had startled her. She had originally assumed that out of everyone here, he would be the one most eager to throw her into a pile of zombies.

After all, that was how the story went.

“Go rest!”

Jiang Zhu didn’t want to discuss the topic of “caring” or not. He grabbed her wrist to pull her along. But just as he stood up, a scream erupted from outside the window, more piercing, more blood-curdling than any before.

“Ah—ah—help me, ahhh—help me—”

“Don’t come near me—ah—”

The two exchanged a glance and immediately rushed toward the window.

But it was pitch black outside, nothing could be seen.

The screaming was very close, sounding like it was coming from right next door.

Tang Tang pulled out her phone, turned on the flashlight, and slowly moved it toward the glass.

In an instant, she was so startled she nearly dropped her phone.

“What’s wrong? What’s wrong?”

Hearing the commotion, the other three rushed over as well. All five of them crowded around the window, urgently asking what was going on.

Jiang Zhu’s expression was more grave than ever. “A zombie is climbing up.”

“What?!” The three of them were shocked.

“Seriously? Zombies can climb walls?? This is the tenth floor!!”

Yan Chen quickly raised his phone to shine a light over, and there at the bottom edge of the window was a face twisted in a ferocious snarl, with a huge bite mark on its cheek…

“Th-this is a zombie?” He felt his own voice trembling. The dinner he’d eaten was about to come back up.

Zombies had virtually no vision, so the flashlight beam did nothing to them. But the sudden gathering of human presence excited it greatly, and its climbing movements quickened. As it climbed, it pounded with its hands and slammed with its head.

The window rattled and shook with each impact, feeling like the zombie would break through at any second.

And once the window shattered, countless zombies would likely come swarming by scent…

Tang Tang jolted in realization, and the next second her body moved faster than her mind.

She raised her hand and shoved the four boys beside her hard backward, not caring whether they’d trip from her sudden push, then quickly retreated herself as well.

“What are you doing?” Yan Chen snapped angrily.

Tang Tang looked back and realized she had accidentally stepped on Yan Chen’s hand while backing up.

Not only that, she had pushed four people, but Yan Chen was the only one she’d actually knocked to the ground, and he’d fallen rather ungracefully at that. His other hand was pressed against the back of his head, probably having hit the table behind him when he fell.

Tang Tang: …

She really hadn’t meant to.

“Sorry, sorry. I guess I used too much force.”

“Hmph!”

Yan Chen suspected this woman was still holding a grudge over what happened earlier and was now getting her revenge!!

“Does your dorm have any perfume?”

Seeing that the zombie’s face was nearly pressed against the glass, Tang Tang was so anxious she nearly jumped, quickly asking.

“Do we look like the kind of people who’d use perfume?” Yan Chen shot her an annoyed glare as he pushed himself up from the ground. “We only have some cooling oil from last summer. Want it?”

Tang Tang didn’t care if it was from today or last year—as long as it had a smell.

“Yes, yes!”

Grabbing the cooling oil, Tang Tang quickly unscrewed the cap and poured it all over the windowsill, letting the pungent scent drift out through the cracks in the window. Then she opened another bottle and sprinkled it across the glass.

After doing all that, she wiped the sweat from her forehead.

The zombie that had been pressing against the window, desperately trying to get in, twitched its nose. Then, as if triggered by something, it suddenly stopped moving. A few minutes later, as if it had found nothing worthwhile, it stretched its stiff limbs and crawled upward.

Everyone let out a long sigh of relief.

Finally gone.

Now, the glass should be safe for tonight, right?