City D – Bright Elite School
Su Yan returned to her room and went straight to the bathroom to wash off the foul-smelling substance covering her body.
After finishing her bath, she put on a bathrobe and walked back into her bedroom. She glanced at the clock and saw that it was already 9:05 a.m.
She quickly dried her hair and body, then changed into long pants and a shirt.
Without wasting any time, she rushed out of her room and went straight to Su Jin's room.
She knocked on the door.
But there was no response.
The room was completely quiet.
"Miss Su, are you looking for Young Master Su?" one of the maids asked while passing by.
"Isn't it obvious?" Su Yan replied with slight annoyance.
The maid quickly answered.
"Young Master Su said he had to go to school today because he had an important assignment to collect. He said you can take him to the place you mentioned tomorrow instead."
"Damn it," Su Yan muttered.
"You can go do your work."
"Yes, Miss Su."
Su Yan pushed open Su Jin's bedroom door and quickly gathered some of his important belongings and clothes, storing them inside her space.
After that, she returned to her own room, grabbed her phone, and hurried downstairs.
When she reached the living room, she saw her stepmother and stepsister sitting on the couch.
"Where are you going in such a hurry?" her stepmother asked.
Su Yan didn't even look at her.
"It's called none of your business."
"You—!"
"I'm busy," Su Yan interrupted coldly before walking out of the house.
She used the family driver, Jack, to leave.
Jack was only twenty-three years old and had been working for their family for a short time.
As the car drove farther away from the house, Su Yan suddenly spoke.
"Stop the car."
Jack looked confused but obeyed.
"What is it, Miss Su?"
Su Yan looked at him seriously.
"Do you have any relatives?"
"Yes," Jack replied.
"I have my parents and a younger sister."
"Then you should hurry and go home," Su Yan said.
"And make sure you lock all the doors."
Jack frowned.
"What do you mean, Miss Su?"
Su Yan quickly made up an excuse.
"In a few hours, the world might become chaotic. My father heard some news that something dangerous could happen. It might even turn into a world war."
"You should stay inside your house and don't open the door for anyone."
Jack looked shocked.
"Really, Miss Su?"
"Yes," she said firmly.
"That's why I'm telling you to go home now. I'll go pick up Su Jin myself."
"Go."
Jack nodded gratefully.
"Thank you, Miss Su!"
He quickly left to return to his family.
After he was gone, Su Yan took the driver's seat and drove the car herself.
She headed straight toward Bright Elite School, where Su Jin studied.
While driving, she used her phone to call her father.
The call connected quickly.
"Hello, Su Yan."
"Dad, where are you right now?" she asked urgently.
"I'm at a hotel," Su Jimo replied.
"I'm meeting a client in a few minutes."
"Dad, listen to me carefully," Su Yan said.
"You need to leave immediately and stay as far away as possible from large groups of people."
There was a pause.
"Why?"
"I received some news from a friend," she continued.
"The apocalypse has already begun."
"People will start turning into zombies and attacking others."
"Make sure you don't get scratched or bitten by them. If that happens, you might turn into one of them."
"Some people may awaken abilities instead, but that's rare."
"The only way to kill zombies is to destroy their heads."
"Don't hesitate."
"Don't be soft-hearted."
"Stay safe."
Her father sounded confused.
"Is your friend crazy or just obsessed with apocalypse movies?"
"There's no time to explain, Dad," Su Yan said urgently.
"I'm on my way to Su Jin's school right now. Communication networks might shut down soon."
"So remember what I said."
"Stay away from crowds."
"If you can't fight them, hide."
"Later, survivor bases will be established. You can go to one of them."
"In City D, people have already started biting each other and spreading the infection."
"It's only a matter of time before it reaches your area too."
"This is a real apocalypse, Dad."
"Please stay safe and—"
Suddenly, the call disconnected.
Su Yan looked at her phone.
The signal had disappeared.
She glanced at the time.
12:31 p.m.
The exact moment the apocalypse had begun in her previous life.
Su Yan tightened her grip on the steering wheel and sped toward the school.
When she arrived at Bright Elite School, the entire campus was eerily silent.
Too silent.
Su Yan stepped out of the car and quickly entered the school building.
Her heart pounded nervously.
Please don't let me be late again…
She headed straight to Class 3-D, which was her brother's classroom.
But when she arrived, the room was empty.
No students.
No teachers.
Only silence.
Su Yan's anxiety grew stronger.
She began searching through the entire school building, checking classroom after classroom.
Finally, when she entered one of the quiet classrooms, she noticed something.
A small girl was hiding under a desk.
"Hey," Su Yan called softly.
The girl trembled violently.
She looked about ten or eleven years old.
"Please don't eat me!" the girl cried, tears streaming down her face.
Su Yan quickly shook her head.
"I'm not going to eat you."
"I'm looking for my little brother. His name is Su Jin, and he's from Class 3-D."
"Do you know him?"
The girl nodded nervously.
"Y… yes."
"Do you know where he is?"
"I think… they're still in the laboratory."
"What happened here?"
The girl wiped her tears.
"I was also in the laboratory class, but I needed to go to the bathroom, so I left."
"When I came back, Teacher Emmy looked… scary."
"She was eating the students."
"So I ran and hid here."
Su Yan's expression darkened.
"What's your name?"
"Huang Nian."
"Little Nian," Su Yan said gently.
"That wasn't your teacher anymore."
"She became a zombie."
"It's lucky you hid well. Otherwise, she would have eaten you too."
The little girl started crying again.
"I'm scared. Can I follow you?"
Su Yan nodded.
"It's okay."
"I'm going to find my little brother."
"I'll protect you."
"Okay, pretty sister," Huang Nian said, quickly standing up.
Guided by the little girl, Su Yan soon arrived outside the laboratory building.
The room had large glass windows, allowing people outside to see inside clearly.
Su Yan carefully looked through the window.
Her heart sank.
Inside the laboratory were fourteen to sixteen zombies.
Most of them were students wearing school uniforms.
They wandered around the room aimlessly.
But many of them were gathered near a smaller room, repeatedly banging on the door.
There must be survivors inside that room, Su Yan thought.
I hope Su Jin is there…
She quietly moved around the building and looked through another window.
Inside the locked room, she saw three children.
One girl and two boys.
They were curled up in the corner, trembling in fear.
Without hesitation, Su Yan raised her arm and smashed the glass window.
CRASH!
The loud sound echoed through the laboratory.
Inside the locked room, the children looked up in shock.
One of the boys suddenly stood up.
Tears filled his eyes.
"Big sister!"
Su Yan's heart tightened.
It was Su Jin.
"Little Jin!"
She smiled warmly.
"I'm here to take you home."
"Hurry!"