Lu Zhao's "escape plan" was not going smoothly.
Either the locations were too remote, or the rent exceeded his budget. After browsing online all night until his eyes burned, he still hadn't found anything suitable. This frustration reached its peak the next day when Jiang Jin returned from the training base.
"Liangzi, here you go." Jiang Jin placed a shoe box bearing the logo of a famous sports brand on Gu Xun's desk. His bronze skin still glistened with sweat from his workout, his smile bright yet carrying an air of non-negotiation. "Limited edition. I waited in line forever for these. Try them on and see if they fit."
Gu Xun was leaning against his bedhead reading. At the words, his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, his gaze never leaving the page. "No thanks, Jiang Jin. I have enough shoes."
"This color scheme really suits you," Jiang Jin seemed oblivious to the refusal, opening the box and pulling out the boldly designed sneakers. "Just try them on. If they don't fit, I'll go exchange them."
The fervor and persistence in his tone made Lu Zhao, who was pretending to tidy the desk nearby, stiffen. An invisible, palpable pressure radiated from Jiang Jin, tightening even the bystander's breath.
Gu Xun remained silent for several seconds before finally setting down his books. His voice was flat and emotionless. "Jiang Jin, I said no. You don't need to."
This time, the refusal was clear and cold.
The air in the dorm room instantly froze.
Jiang Jin's smile faded. Something dark and heavy flickered in his usually bright eyes. He stared at Gu Xun, his voice lowering slightly. "I bought it especially for you."
"I didn't ask you to buy it for me." Gu Xun lifted his eyes to meet Jiang Jin's, his gaze as clear and icy as a frozen lake in winter. "I appreciate your kindness. But please, take it back."
Lu Zhao held his breath, so absorbed he didn't notice he was holding his book upside down. He felt like an observer who'd stumbled into a minefield, his foot on a detonator, frozen in place. Gu Xun had actually rejected Jiang Jin so bluntly? Hadn't she always... tacitly accepted before?
Jiang Jin's fingers tightened around the shoe box's edge, knuckles turning slightly white. He said nothing more, only fixed Gu Xun with a deep, complex gaze that sent a chill through Lu Zhao. It held disappointment, confusion, and a hint of... offended anger.
Finally, Jiang Jin slammed the shoe box back onto his desk with a dull thud. He turned, grabbed a towel and basin, and stormed out to the washroom without a word.
The door slammed shut with a loud bang, making Lu Zhao's heart skip a beat.
He stole a glance at Gu Xun, who had already picked up his book again, as if the silent confrontation had never occurred. But Lu Zhao noticed the fingers clutching the pages were clenched slightly tighter than before.
That night, Lu Zhao had a bizarre dream. There were no zombies, only endless, scorching fog that hissed like boiling water. He heard Gu Xun calling his name urgently from within the mist, but he was swept away by a fierce wind. He tried to draw closer, only to be pushed back by a searing force...
He jolted awake, heart racing, his forehead drenched in cold sweat.
Outside the window, the sky was still a murky gray, not yet fully light. An inexplicable sense of panic seized him.
He couldn't wait any longer.
He sat up abruptly. With no classes this morning, he decided to go out and look at apartments. Even if the conditions were a bit rough, it was better than staying in this increasingly eerie dorm room.
The campus carried a hint of coolness in the early morning air, with few people on the paths. The agent Lu Zhao had contacted wasn't open yet, so he decided to wander around the old neighborhoods near the school, looking for rental notices posted directly by landlords.
Just as he craned his neck to read a sign hanging from a balcony, a piercing scream—utterly inhuman—shattered the dawn's tranquility!
Lu Zhao froze, whipping his head toward the source—the building diagonally across from him!
Immediately followed by more chaotic sounds—terrified cries, the dull thud of heavy objects hitting the ground, the shattering of glass... mixed with a low, beast-like growl he had never heard before.
The few pedestrians on the street stopped in their tracks, exchanging bewildered glances, their faces frozen in disbelief.
"What's going on? A fight?"
"Doesn't sound like it..."
"Look! What's that?!" someone screamed in terror, pointing at a window in the building across the street.
Lu Zhao followed the direction of the finger and saw a figure inside a third-floor window contorting in an unnatural pose. Suddenly, it smashed through the glass, tumbling down from above amidst a shower of shards!
"Thud!" The heavy impact echoed in everyone's hearts.
Before anyone could react, an even more bone-chilling scene unfolded—the fallen "person," its limbs clearly broken and twisted at grotesque angles, yet seemingly impervious to pain. Using what remained of one arm to brace itself against the ground, it abruptly jerked its head up. Revealed were eyes utterly clouded, devoid of any human spark. Opening a mouth dripping with blood, it emitted a hoarse, guttural growl before lunging at the nearest, petrified passerby!
Shrieks erupted once more, blood spattering instantly!
Chaos erupted on the street!
"Monster! Monster!"
"Run!!"
The crowd scattered like a swarm of bees from a ruptured hive. Car horns blared, collisions echoed, cries and shrieks mingled, composing a chaotic prelude to the apocalypse.
Lu Zhao's mind went blank. Paralyzed by sheer terror, he stood frozen, watching helplessly as that "thing" tore into innocent victims. More "infected" staggered or sprinted out from stairwells and nearby shops, lunging at living flesh.
Apocalypse? The word pierced his mind like an ice spike. Last night's eerie dream, those deleted "rabies" news articles online... The fragments suddenly snapped together, revealing the full, despairing picture. A wave of overwhelming regret washed over him—Why hadn't he moved away sooner? Why today of all days?
His phone vibrated frantically, the screen flashing Gu Xun's name.
Lu Zhao pressed the answer button almost instinctively. On the other end, Gu Xun's voice remained calm yet tinged with urgency:
"Lu Zhao, where are you? Something's happened outside. Get back to the dorm immediately! Hurry!"
Lu Zhao snapped back to reality, hung up, and turned to sprint toward the school.
But after taking just a few steps, he saw several twisted, blood-soaked "creatures" blocking the entrance to the residential complex. They were snarling and lunging toward him!
His retreat was cut off!
He scanned his surroundings. The chaotic crowd and the growing number of monsters made it impossible for him to move forward. The dormitory was within arm's reach, yet felt as distant as the horizon.
His back pressed against the cold wall, he slid down to the ground. His heart pounded wildly in his chest as a chill of terror spread through his entire body.
Moving out of the dorm? Starting a new life?
All his plans, in this moment, became a pale, laughable joke.
All he wanted now was to go back—to that dorm he'd been desperate to escape just yesterday.
But could he even go back?