F City.
Saint Sakura Academy, a private aristocratic school.
On a bench inside the campus—
“You useless servant, what took you so long?”
“Sorry, Young Lady! There were too many people in the cafeteria!”
Tang Cheng came running, drenched in sweat. Sitting on the bench in front of him was a girl whose eyes held a faint trace of resentment.
She wore the school’s uniform: a white shirt and black short skirt. Her long, straight black hair framed an icy, arrogant face—an unmistakable young lady. Her long legs, crossed beneath the skirt, were clad in over-the-knee black stockings.
This girl was Chu Ruoyun, heiress of the Chu Corporation. Her maternal grandfather, Chu Minghai, was one of the wealthiest tycoons in the country. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that most of the hotels, real estate, and airports in F City were owned by her family.
Even this prestigious Saint Sakura Academy, one of the top noble academies in the city, was private property belonging to the Chu family.
Raised in a prominent household, Chu Ruoyun had long developed a temperamental and haughty personality. She was notoriously difficult to serve.
“Aren’t you going to give me the bread?”
“Oh.”
Tang Cheng hurriedly handed the bread to Chu Ruoyun.
But she didn’t take it. Instead, she gave him a cold glare. “You haven’t even opened it. How am I supposed to eat it?”
“Ah… right.”
Though frustrated, Tang Cheng quickly tore open the bread’s plastic wrapper and respectfully offered it again.
Only then did Chu Ruoyun take the bread. She gracefully took a small bite with her pink lips—
Only to notice the boy in front of her swallowing hard as he stared at her.
“What? Does a lowly servant like you want a bite too?”
“Young Lady… you haven’t fed me in two days. I’m really starving…”
Tang Cheng stared longingly at the bite mark she’d left on the bread. Ever since he became a servant in her household, this proud and arrogant heiress had been tormenting him. She’d even gone days without giving him any food.
How did he end up as her servant in the first place?
That all started with his scumbag father, Tang Shi.
Tang Shi had worked as a chauffeur for the Chu family. When Tang Cheng was little, he’d lived in the Chu household and gotten along fairly well with Chu Ruoyun back then.
But when Tang Cheng turned six, his worthless father ran off with Chu Ruoyun’s biological mother. A scandalous affair between the servant and the lady of the house—
Not only that, he took fifty million yuan with him.
A veteran “driver” eloping with the mistress of the household? Naturally, this enraged the Chu family. They took it out on the innocent Tang Cheng, holding him hostage and forcing him into labor to “repay” the debt.
Fifty million yuan!
Chu Ruoyun’s father had already passed away from illness before she was even born. And now, her mother had run off with a chauffeur. So all her resentment, naturally, fell on Tang Cheng.
She enslaved him, tormented him, using every possible method.
No food for days. No salary.
Since he was six, the most money Tang Cheng had ever possessed was one yuan. And even that, he had to snatch from a stray dog’s mouth.
“Young Lady… just one bite. Just one, and I’ll give it back to you!”
Tang Cheng stared at the bread still touching Chu Ruoyun’s lips, hunger clouding his eyes.
“Give it back? You’re seriously disgusting,” Chu Ruoyun said coldly, her eyes filled with contempt as she looked at the drooling Tang Cheng. “You want to eat? Fine~”
With that, Chu Ruoyun released her delicate, snow-white hand, letting the bread fall to the ground right in front of her white legs.
“If you want it, pick it up from the ground.”
“Young Lady, you’re underestimating me. So what if it’s on the ground? I can still eat it!”
Tang Cheng quickly bent down and reached for the bread.
But just then, Chu Ruoyun raised her slender, noble leg and stepped on the bread with the sole of her shoe.
“Still want it now? You filthy servant.”
“Of course I do!”
After Chu Ruoyun removed her foot, Tang Cheng still picked up the bread.
The round bun was now covered in dust, with one bite missing—bearing the faint lip gloss of the girl who had bitten it.
He didn’t hesitate. He took a big bite.
Immediately, the sweet scent of cream filled his mouth.
“Ah… So this is what rich people’s bread tastes like. No wonder it’s so good!”
Tang Cheng had never eaten his fill in his life. His pockets had never seen money. To him, bread was a luxury only the wealthy could afford.
Chewing on the high-class, delicious bread, his face lit up with a happiness he’d never known before.
“Hmph. You’re really shameless, huh? Even eating bread I stepped on like it’s some delicacy.” Chu Ruoyun crossed her long legs and sneered with contempt.
Just then, two students emerged from the corner.
“Hey, servant. Who are they?” Chu Ruoyun tensed, standing up from the bench and moving behind Tang Cheng.
The two upperclassmen walking toward them had their heads down and bloodstains all over their uniforms. Their steps were staggered and unnatural.
“Huh?”
Tang Cheng looked over while still chewing, “From their uniforms, I think they’re seniors from the philosophy♂ club?”
But just then, the two upperclassmen suddenly raised their heads.
Their faces were decaying. Blood poured from their eyes, nose, ears, and mouth. They looked less like humans and more like walking corpses.
“Zombie cosplay? Looks pretty realistic…”
Suddenly, the two zombies let out a chilling howl and charged toward them, baring their decaying teeth.
“Holy crap, that’s terrifying! Don’t tell me they’re real?!” Tang Cheng started to panic.
“Eek!” Chu Ruoyun screamed, trembling as she hid behind Tang Cheng. “Hey! Do something, servant!”
“Of course—run!”
Stuffing the rest of the bread into his mouth, Tang Cheng grabbed Chu Ruoyun’s hand and bolted toward the teaching building behind the garden.
The two zombies snarled and chased after them.
As they rounded the garden, they were shocked to find the entire campus already in chaos.
All around them, students in uniforms—now with rotting faces—were biting into others’ necks. Blood flowed. Screams echoed.
“Help!”
“Aaaahhhh—!”
Everywhere, zombies were feasting on helpless students, tearing off limbs and bathing the ground in gore.
“What… what the hell is going on?”
“Zombies?”
Watching the nightmarish scene unfold like a movie, Tang Cheng stood frozen in shock.
“Hurry… take me to the board building! There’s a helicopter there!” Chu Ruoyun screamed in panic—but even now, she used that same high-and-mighty tone.
“Yes, yes, Young Lady Chu…”
Holding tightly onto Chu Ruoyun’s hand, Tang Cheng sprinted toward the board building.
Whatever this was, something terrible was clearly happening!
There were zombies outside the board building too, but fortunately, they were scattered.
Tang Cheng picked up a baseball bat lying on the ground and pulled Chu Ruoyun toward the metal gate at the building’s entrance.
“Young Lady, this way!”
Several burly men in black suits stood guard under the gate. They were bodyguards from the Chu family, holding handguns and blowing off zombie heads with practiced precision as they tried to break into the board building.
“Hurry up and take me there!” Chu Ruoyun’s body trembled with fear. Her pale face had completely lost its color.
“Young Lady, don’t worry.” Tang Cheng swung the baseball bat with all his strength, smashing the skulls of the approaching zombies. As long as the head was destroyed, they stopped moving.
Still holding Chu Ruoyun’s hand, he ran toward the board building’s main gate. Behind them, more zombies were steadily gathering.
Suddenly, a particularly fast zombie came charging at them—it was one of the building’s security guards. Probably due to his regular training, his physique was far stronger than the average zombie.
Tang Cheng blocked the lunging zombie with his bat.
“Young Lady, go in first!”
He motioned for Chu Ruoyun to run ahead. The Chu family’s bodyguards had already cleared a path in front of the board building, so it was relatively safe.
Chu Ruoyun didn’t hesitate. She stumbled forward, running with all her might.
Tang Cheng swung his bat again, slamming it hard against the security guard zombie’s head. It collapsed to the ground moments later.
But the howls behind him grew louder—more zombies were closing in.
Tang Cheng sprinted for the gate. It was the only path to survival. But then—
The two heavy iron gates began to close.
“Wait! Young Lady! I’m still outside!”
Tang Cheng shouted in panic, picking up speed. But the iron gates continued to shut fast—like the jaws of death cutting him off from the world of the living.
“Young Lady, wait for Tang Cheng! There’s still time!” one of the black-suited guards hesitated.
“Close the gate! Shut it now!” Chu Ruoyun shouted, trembling. Her terrified gaze stayed locked on the horde of zombies swarming outside.
“Young Lady, please wait!” Tang Cheng ran desperately. If she really closed the gate now, he would be left to die.
“I said close it! Now!” Her cold voice came again from inside the gap.
Just as Tang Cheng was a few steps away—
Boom!
The heavy iron doors slammed shut.
The zombies behind him leapt viciously.
Tang Cheng was immediately dragged down to the ground.
Through the sliver between the closed gates, he saw Chu Ruoyun’s emotionless eyes staring back at him.
Sigh… I really wanted one more bite of bread…
Falling to the ground, Tang Cheng felt cold teeth tearing into his body and limbs. Flesh was ripped away. Blood sprayed everywhere. His consciousness blurred.
The unbearable pain of dying slowly faded—
Until finally, his eyes lost their light completely and sank into the darkness of death.
Time flowed in silence.
The vast school grounds were devoid of the screams that once filled them.
The wandering zombies shuffled aimlessly.
The world was now utterly dead.
It was unclear how many days passed.
But suddenly—
The boy lying in front of the board building stirred.
His heart twitched. His fingers trembled.
Blinding light pierced his eyes—Tang Cheng opened them at last.
“Ah! Zombies!”
As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw a swarm of rotting zombies wandering nearby. He scrambled backward in panic—only to bump into another zombie behind him.
“AAAAHHH!”
He shrieked and rolled frantically on the ground. Everywhere he looked, there were zombies.
Are all the students dead? There’s nowhere to run!
Clutching his head, he curled up on the ground in terror.
But strangely—none of the zombies attacked.
Even though he was right in the middle of them.
“…Huh?”
Slowly, he looked up.
The zombies continued to shuffle around, paying no attention to him.
Even after all that noise, they acted as if he didn’t exist.
What… what’s going on?
Why aren’t these zombies attacking me?