Chapter Two: The Hypocrite

Shouts broke out, and only then did Chen Yi notice five or six students hiding at the turn of the staircase—boys and girls both—but the situation was too dire for him to pay them much attention. Seeing him dispatch the zombies with swift, decisive blows, they cheered and waved for him to come over.

“A bunch of idiots,” Chen Yi cursed inwardly. Sure enough, the moment the noise rose, a chorus of guttural roars erupted from the nearby classrooms. Without hesitation, he turned and headed upstairs.

The stairwell was narrow—perfect for maneuvering around zombies, but if blocked inside, it would be a dead end. He wanted to leave, but a hand clutched his arm.

“Chen Yi, please, help them, won’t you—” a girl pleaded. Her face was ashen, but her grip was desperate. She looked up at him, her expression so pitiful that it tugged at the heart.

“Get lost!” Chen Yi snapped, unceremoniously spitting out the word at the girl who was delaying his escape.

“But Chen Yi, we’re all classmates—” she tried again.

Chen Yi, hearing her persistence, aimed a kick at her stomach. With a gasp of pain, she let go, eyes filled with disbelief. Clearly, she hadn’t expected him to kick her aside.

He ignored her. All that mattered now was that the zombies upstairs hadn’t been roused by the commotion.

At that moment, the students who had been hiding dashed over. They helped the girl up, muttering curses under their breath.

“Damn it, I never thought Chen Yi was this kind of person. We’re classmates, and he just leaves us to die. What the hell is wrong with him?”

“Pfft, he just thinks he’s tough because he has a fire axe. If I had one, I’d slice through zombies just as easily.”

“Don’t be scared, Rain Rou, we’ll protect you,” one boy assured, while the others—two boys and three girls—joined in, their displeasure obvious. “Yeah, I always knew he was no good. Lucky you didn’t say yes to him, Rain Rou, or who knows what he would’ve done to you.”

Rain Rou forced a smile, her face still pale. But before she could say more, the zombies in the classrooms burst out with wild roars. Faces drained of color, the group forgot their complaints and hurried upstairs.

By then, Chen Yi was already standing on the rooftop.

Just as he’d predicted, few students ventured here in the afternoon. The few aimless zombies wandering the roof were easily dispatched. All he needed now was patience—to lie low and wait for noon.

Though the world was shrouded in red mist, the hour around midday was when zombie activity was at its lowest; their senses dulled, and they responded sluggishly to sound. Every day, at noon, the red mist would also recede.

At that time, something else would appear—something that would shatter all of humanity’s long-held beliefs and usher in the age of evolution.

The Wheel.

Chen Yi’s eyes glinted. Just then, a pair of hands suddenly shoved him from behind.

“Chen Yi, how can you be so cold-blooded? Didn’t you hear Rain Rou pleading for help? You pushed her away—aren’t you afraid she’ll be bitten to death by those monsters out there? How did we never realize you were this heartless? I can’t believe I used to speak well of you.”

“Yeah, we never thought you’d be like this. If we hadn’t run, we’d have been bitten by those things already. We’re all classmates—how can you be so cruel?”

“Thank goodness Rain Rou never agreed to date you. Scumbag.”

“Chen Yi, you’re not even human.”

Chen Yi turned to see the students from before had come up to the roof. One of the girls was jabbing a finger at him, berating him.

He paused, finally registering their faces. These were all students from Class 3, Grade 11, before the disaster—and the one pointing at him, her name was Han Mei, best friend to Rain Rou, the girl he’d just saved.

Before the calamity, Chen Yi had been all but invisible in class—average grades, hardly noticed. Rain Rou, on the other hand, was the class beauty, always surrounded by admirers wherever she went.

Like any infatuated youth, Chen Yi had once harbored feelings for Rain Rou; he’d even confessed, but she’d never given him a clear answer, keeping him dangling in her circle of admirers.

When disaster struck, terror descended. Chen Yi had been quick to act—instinctively protecting Rain Rou and becoming her devoted follower. He’d risked everything to save her and her friends, but Rain Rou was a manipulator, binding him with guilt and obligation.

Back then, he’d been blinded by love, convinced that rescuing her would win her heart.

But alas.

A single, dismissive “You did it of your own accord” from her had erased all his efforts.

She’d even taken up with the other sycophants—then, as they escaped the school, Rain Rou had pushed Chen Yi toward the horde of zombies to lure them away.

If not for his luck, Chen Yi would have died the day the disaster began.

“What a small world,” Chen Yi sneered.

Having lived through it all once before, he would never let himself be blackmailed by these parasites again.

“Hey, I’m talking to you—are you deaf?”

“Get over here and apologize to Rain Rou right now! Maybe she’ll forgive you. Chen Yi, this is your only chance—don’t be ungrateful.”

The more Han Mei spoke, the angrier she got, reaching out to shove him again.

Her hand hadn’t even reached his shoulder.

“Get lost!”

Slap.

The sound rang out, and Han Mei was stunned.

“You—you dare hit me?” Han Mei clutched her cheek, unable to believe the normally silent Chen Yi would dare strike her.

“Chen Yi!” Rain Rou’s voice was displeased. She gently soothed Han Mei, then said, “How could you do that? I must have been blind to ever call you a friend. I never thought you could be so cold. Mei Mei just spoke her mind—how could you hit her? You already refused to help, but we’re classmates. Thank goodness I never agreed to be your girlfriend.”

“Yeah, Chen Yi, don’t go too far,” the other students chimed in, as if he were some irredeemable villain.

Chen Yi was almost amused.

“Well, I should thank you for that. I couldn’t tolerate a manipulative girl like you anyway.” He sneered, his gaze sweeping over the group. He still had scores to settle with them from his previous life, and here they were again, trying to shame him into submission.

“You…you’re insulting me?” Rain Rou’s eyes widened in disbelief.