Lu Dongnuan had always known how to leave herself a way out; trusting no one was her style.
She would neither listen to Zhuo Lei nor Xiao Fang—just as she’d said from the start: kill, loot, and take away all the supplies.
She picked up a shard of glass, wrapping a cloth around the part she gripped to increase friction and prevent it from slipping.
Though her body couldn’t withstand intense combat, she needed the brains to come up with ways to avoid it.
When Zhuo Lei came back with an empty bag and saw that she’d disappeared, where would he go?
The corners of her lips curled up slightly.
If there really was an exit on the fourth floor, as the only other person who knew this, she should naturally head there—so he would definitely go after her to the fourth floor.
After making sure the glass wouldn’t slip from her hand, she slowly walked back to the original meeting place.
By now, she would probably run into Xiao Fang, who had gone to the fourth floor ahead of time.
Of course, it would be best if they met on the fourth floor—if it happened on the third, there might not be enough time.
Whether a fierce fight would break out was uncertain, but an argument was inevitable.
If there was no argument, or if they happened to miss each other, she would be very frustrated.
“Goddess of Fortune,” she silently prayed, raising her hand to her lips as her mouth curved into a mischievous arc, “please, make sure you’re on my side.”
She carefully retraced her steps, avoiding the staff passage Zhuo Lei had taken her through earlier and choosing a longer, but possibly safer, public route.
After not walking far, a huge, dust-covered viewing window came into view.
Outside was a bleak, lifeless City street.
She approached the window sill and looked down.
Zombies were still crowded together, churning through the street like a rotting tide.
There were many of them, but with the stationary stream of cars as cover, there was still room to weave through if one was careful.
However, in this hopeless sea of corpses, a scene so out of place suddenly seized her gaze.
A girl in a blue and white school uniform—she looked like a high schooler—carried an enormous, bulging backpack, a lollipop dangling nonchalantly from her lips, and gripped a coldly gleaming Long Knife resting on her shoulder.
Her movements were agile like a swift, her demeanor as relaxed as if she were strolling through her own backyard—she paid the Zombies no mind at all.
Lu Dongnuan’s pupils shrank.
This scene was simply unbelievable.
Why weren’t the Zombies attacking her?
It was as if the Zombies couldn’t even see her—or at least, felt no desire to attack!
They still staggered and howled around her, occasionally bumping into her, yet treated her as one of their own, or a harmless wisp of air, brushing past and continuing their aimless wandering.
Only the very few who got so close they were about to collide would be casually dispatched by the girl with a flick of her blade.
This overturned everything Lu Dongnuan thought she knew about this disaster!
The girl seemed to sense someone staring down from above.
Suddenly, she looked up.
Across a layer of filthy glass and a vast distance, Lu Dongnuan met a pair of exceptionally calm eyes—eyes tinged with laziness and indifference.
The girl stood where she was, quietly watching her, the lollipop in her mouth.
Then, she actually raised her free hand and waved lightly in Lu Dongnuan’s direction.
The motion was casual and natural, as if greeting an acquaintance.
Lu Dongnuan’s heart thundered in her chest—not from fear, but from a massive, almost absurd sense of shock.
She gripped the glass and stabbed her own arm.
Blood flowed instantly.
The pain snapped her quickly out of her daze.
This discovery was vital, but it couldn’t solve her immediate predicament.
The girl had vanished, and the crisis inside the mall still remained.
She took a deep breath, forcing her gaze away from the window, her eyes becoming sharp and cold again.
“First, first, first…let’s not worry about her.” Lu Dongnuan swallowed and shook her head.
“Damn it, I really put on a show there.”
Though a bit of time had been wasted, she should still have enough.
She quickened her pace and returned to the meeting spot.
There she saw Sister Jing lying on a pile of clothes.
Lu Dongnuan hid the glass behind her back.
Hearing footsteps, Sister Jing slowly sat up.
When she saw it was Lu Dongnuan, her eyes were incredulous.
“Dr. Lin? Back already?” Sister Jing’s voice was weak, but her eyes sharply scanned behind Lu Dongnuan.
“Where’s Brother Lei? And where’s Xiao Fang?”
Lu Dongnuan didn’t answer.
Her face held its usual, slightly distant gentle expression as she walked straight toward the backpack where the supplies were kept.
“Eh? Dr. Lin, are you…moving the supplies?” Sister Jing watched her head straight for the goods and grew even more guarded, struggling to sit up straighter.
Lu Dongnuan squatted in front of the backpack, efficiently checking its contents—mainly food and water.
She didn’t directly answer the questions about Zhuo Lei and Xiao Fang.
Instead, she said, “Don’t come over. Or I’ll kill you.”
Sister Jing frowned, pressing further, “What are you doing? Did something happen to Brother Lei and Xiao Fang?”
Her fingers nervously clutched the clothes beneath her, betraying her inner anxiety.
Lu Dongnuan quickly packed up the most valuable items, leaving behind some water and food.
She couldn’t delay here—Zhuo Lei and Xiao Fang could return at any moment.
“They’re fine. They just need some time to deal with their differences.” Lu Dongnuan’s voice was quiet but carried an undeniable, calm authority.
“As for me, I’m just preparing for the worst.”
Sister Jing stared at her, fingers whitening from the force of her grip.
“Preparing for the worst? Dr. Lin, what are you really trying to do? Aren’t we in this together?”
“Together?” Lu Dongnuan repeated the word softly, a barely-there smile touching her lips.
“Sister Jing, at a time like this, ‘together’ is a luxury.”
She shook the shard of glass wrapped in cloth in her hand, its sharp edge gleaming coldly in the dim light.
“I just want to survive—my own way.”
She took two steps back, putting a safe distance between herself and Sister Jing.
“I don’t want to kill you. The water and food I left will last you a while. Whether Zhuo Lei or Xiao Fang comes back, you’ll have something to explain to them.”
Sister Jing looked at her, her gaze complicated—fear, anger, and a dawning sense of despair all tangled together.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end just lowered her head in defeat, clutching a wrinkled jacket tightly in her hands.
Lu Dongnuan didn’t hesitate any longer.
She grabbed the backpack full of vital supplies, turned, and strode quickly toward the passage leading to the fourth floor, her steps firm, not once looking back.
‘Harden your heart, Lu Dongnuan,’ she muttered inwardly, her nails digging deep into her palm, “Make yourself ruthless. Haven’t you seen it? This world has already changed. If you don’t do it, someone else will.”
Just as she reached the corner of the passage, a sharp whistling cut through the air from behind!
She reacted instantly, crouching down and dodging while fiercely stabbing backward with the glass shard.
“Ah!” Sister Jing’s shrill scream echoed down the hallway.
The glass plunged deep into her thigh.
Blood gushed out at once, dark red in the dim light.
Sister Jing curled up in pain on the ground, the Steel Pipe in her hand clattering to the floor.
Lu Dongnuan panted heavily, her eyes landing on a Baseball Bat not far away.
Without hesitation, she rushed over, picked it up, and, under Sister Jing’s terrified gaze, brought it down hard on the back of her head.
The scream stopped abruptly.
Silence returned to the passage, broken only by Lu Dongnuan’s ragged breathing.
She looked down at Sister Jing’s fallen body, her hand shaking as she gripped the Baseball Bat, but her eyes grew steadily colder.
“This is the Apocalypse.” She let out a breath.
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