Chapter Five: One Word—Get Out

Chen Yi’s brows furrowed as he noticed that Pei Yurou, who had been curled up in the corner, was now approaching him once more. After the initial panic, Pei Yurou had regained her composure.

“Is there something you want?” Chen Yi asked, frowning.

“Chen Yi, you don’t have to act like this. Fine, I admit it, you’ve won, okay?” Pei Yurou replied.

At her words, Chen Yi’s frown deepened. Truth be told, he had no desire to continue dealing with Pei Yurou; nothing was more important to him than what he needed to do next.

Unexpectedly, his silence made Pei Yurou’s heart leap with joy. Her gaze landed on the discarded chocolate wrapper at her feet as she continued, “I know you’re angry with me. You’re upset because I didn’t accept your confession earlier.”

“I just wanted to test you a little more, that’s all. Chen Yi, don’t be mad at me, alright? I promise, I’ll say yes—does that satisfy you?” Pei Yurou’s voice was soft and sweet, making Chen Yi chuckle dryly.

Even now, Pei Yurou believed he was someone she could manipulate at will. As long as she was willing, a little coaxing, a hint of sweetness, and he’d become her eager follower.

“Get lost,” Chen Yi snapped coldly.

“You—!” Pei Yurou’s ingratiating smile froze at the corners of her mouth. Her lips parted in disbelief; she could hardly imagine that Chen Yi, who had been eager to please her mere moments ago, would change so much. Pei Yurou wanted to turn and leave. She had plenty of eager admirers like him.

But the situation was dire. Though she didn’t know why, Chen Yi’s calm and capable demeanor during the outbreak was far superior to that of Ning Lei and the others, who were utterly useless.

“Chen Yi…” she began.

“Don’t make me repeat myself,” he interrupted.

“You… you’ll regret this,” Pei Yurou gritted out, biting her lip.

Chen Yi responded with a cold laugh, about to retort, when his gaze suddenly sharpened as he looked into the distance. His pupils contracted. Instantly, his left hand tightened around the handle of the fire axe, and he stood up.

Pei Yurou jumped in fright, recalling the terrifying scene of Chen Yi striking Han Mei’s neck earlier. She stumbled back, collapsing to the ground.

But Chen Yi never spared her a glance. His eyes were fixed on the direction of the sports field, where a mass of crimson mist was spreading, swallowing everything in its path like a giant maw.

“It’s here,” Chen Yi murmured, taking a breath as he strode to the edge of the railing.

His movements caught the attention of the other students.

“What are you doing?” Ning Lei asked, trying to muster some courage.

Chen Yi shot him a glance, not even bothering to respond, and vaulted over the railing, gripping the edge as he slid downward.

There was no other way. Though the school building had quieted during the brief lull, any disturbance would attract the zombies’ attention. The number of students at this high school equaled the number of zombies in the building. Chen Yi had yet to awaken his powers; even if he had, armed with his weapon, he wouldn’t risk taking the school’s interior routes.

The rooftop’s drainage pipe was the perfect escape.

Chen Yi intended to leave alone, but Ning Lei and the others were unwilling. Chen Yi’s performance during the disaster’s outbreak was undeniable; the group’s survival owed much to him. At the very least, the fire axe he wielded offered a sense of safety.

Now, seeing that Chen Yi planned to climb down to the first floor along the drainage pipe, the others instinctively rose to follow. But as they reached the railing, their bodies froze—this was the sixth floor, after all.

“Chen Yi, you can’t go,” Ning Lei called out, trying to block him.

“Do you want to die too?” Chen Yi replied, casting him a light glance.

Ning Lei’s face flushed dark red, and he dared not utter another word.

To Chen Yi’s surprise, Chu Yunxi clumsily began to follow his example, crawling down after him. As Pei Yurou and the others’ figures faded, Chen Yi shook his head and sneered. If nothing unexpected happened, once the lull ended, these former classmates would likely become food for the zombies.

At that moment, Chu Yunxi jumped down from the drainage pipe as well. Compared to Chen Yi’s swift descent, the delicate Chu Yunxi was far more awkward. Now, she looked at Chen Yi with tearful eyes, as if she might burst into tears.

“Chen Yi…”

“Enough talk. If you want to follow, keep up.” Chen Yi tossed the words behind him and strode swiftly into the darkness.

By now, the surrounding zombies had been alerted, their claws reaching out as they lunged at the pair.

Chen Yi expected Chu Yunxi to panic and scream, but to his surprise, she followed closely behind, trembling in fear but biting her lip to suppress any sound.

Chen Yi nodded silently, saying nothing more.

The fire axe in his hand was ready; his unparalleled combat skills made him a force to be reckoned with. With his weapon, these newly mutated zombies were no match for him.

The two moved quickly across the field.

Meanwhile, from the west side of the sports field, inside the equipment storage room, several pairs of eyes watched them intently through the glass window, tracking their progress.