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A sharp slap landed on the school doctor’s cheek, leaving a vivid red imprint that deepened with time.

“We have to go, now! He’s already dead!” Lin Feng’s voice was filled with urgency as he grabbed the doctor’s shoulders.

There was a momentary silence before the doctor replied, “Under the entrance mat, there’s a spare key. It works for both locks.”

“We need to stay focused. I promise, I’ll get us out safely,” Lin Feng vowed.

Driven by the situation’s gravity, Lin Feng swiftly made his way down the stairs, retrieving a shining key hidden beneath the mat. The chilling wails of the encroaching zombies grew louder. Without hesitation, he unlocked the pharmacy.

His eyes darted across the array of drugs, “Antipyretic…Why do all these boxes look the same?!”

Finally, he found the drug in question but his heart plummeted upon seeing the vital medicine locked inside a glass cabinet. In a frantic attempt, he clawed at it, causing his nails to tear and bleed.

“****.”

Driven by sheer desperation, Lin Feng struck the cabinet with his fist, leaving his hand cut and bleeding profusely.

Pushing through the pain, he quickly gathered the essential medicines into his backpack, discarding whatever he could to make space, even his precious fish snacks. Then with another quick grab, he also stuffed in bottles of alcohol, disinfectant, and gauze.

“Doctor! We have to go, now!” he shouted, readjusting his backpack and taking a quick look outside. Their escape path was open for the moment, but the haunting chorus of the approaching zombies intensified.

“Doctor – ****!”

Upstairs, an alarming sight greeted him: the school doctor, with scissors dangerously poised at her own throat.

Their gazes locked. She appeared unyielding in her intent. Activating his time-slowing ability once more, Lin Feng threw a stone at her wrist. Although he intended to knock the scissors away, the scissors, as if to mock his desperate attempts, ended up nicking her neck anyway.

A blend of relief and remorse flashed across the doctor’s face as she began to slump. Without hesitation, Lin Feng caught her in his arms, swiftly tearing a piece of cloth from his trousers to create a makeshift bandage to slow the bleeding.

Carrying the injured doctor, the gravity of their predicament hit him hard. The incessant pounding of the hungry horde threatened to break down the already weakened door.

Fueled by adrenaline, Lin Feng dashed to an adjacent room, shutting the door with force.

The haunting creak of the main door surrendering its resistance resonated, and soon after, the zombies poured in, shattering medicine bottles and overturning furniture.

Cornered and with the burden of the doctor pressing on him, Lin Feng’s desperate eyes flitted between the compromised door and an inviting window nearby.

Despair loomed overhead, with the haunting thought, “****. Is this where it all ends?”

The window on the second floor hinted at freedom but was coupled with a harrowing 4-meter drop. Solo, Lin Feng might have chanced it, but the added weight of the wounded doctor painted a far grimmer picture.

The relentless pounding from the encroaching zombies continued, and the weakened middle of the wooden door began to splinter. Through the emerging gap, Lin Feng glimpsed their grotesque, hollowed faces.

Would he really leave the doctor behind?

Never!

“Heavens, be with us.”

Summoning his courage, Lin Feng threw open the window, letting out a desperate cry as he leaped into the void below. The impact from the fall jarred him, causing his legs to buckle. Losing balance, the doctor he was carrying was jolted from his grip and landed beside him.

The surrounding undead, sensing new victims, quickened their advance. Others from the second floor, lacking Lin Feng’s agility, clumsily followed through the window, splintering on impact. Those that remained mobile began their haunting crawl toward him.

“Ah!”

Lin Feng grimaced, feeling the sharp sting from his contorted ankle. Summoning every ounce of strength, he balanced on one foot, supporting both himself and the injured doctor.

The doctor’s gaze met his, filled with a complex mix of remorse and gratitude. Her attempt to end her life had missed the essential arteries, so while she was physically intact, her spirit had been crushed. However, seeing Lin Feng’s indomitable will rekindled a flicker of hope in her.

With newfound determination, she managed to sweep Lin Feng into her embrace and made a beeline for a section with fewer undead looming.

“Head for the main building. The corridor by the lotus pond offers some cover,” Lin Feng gritted out, every word laden with pain.

She responded with a firm nod, determination evident even as blood trickled from her pressed lips. With Lin Feng secure, she traversed the relatively cleared path to the teaching building, skillfully evading the few remaining zombies and making her ascent up the stairs.

“The rooftop… my friends are waiting,” gasped Lin Feng, feeling darkness encroach on the edges of his vision. To maintain clarity, he shook his head forcefully, drew a handgun, and took aim at an advancing zombie.

Despite never having handled a weapon, Lin Feng recalled scenes from movies he’d watched. The trigger yielded beneath his grip, but his weakening state caused his aim to waver.

Click.

The dreaded sound of an empty magazine resonated in the silence. In desperation, he hurled stones from his pocket. They might not be lethal, but they could distract.

The duo took shelter in an adjacent classroom, with the doctor barricading the remnants of the door.

“Song Zhe! Mr. Liu!” Lin Feng shouted, hope evident in his strained voice.

They were beneath an access point to the fifth floor. Alone, Lin Feng couldn’t climb. As they held their ground at the classroom entrance, footsteps echoed from above. Mr. Liu appeared, lowering a ladder, while Song Zhe, adrenaline surging, engaged the zombies near the threshold.

“Damn, look at you now. This is the school doctor. Please… take care of her,” Lin Feng murmured before blacking out.

Distress evident in his eyes, Song Zhe examined Lin Feng’s injuries. “Hang on, Feng,” he implored.

The doctor, voiceless due to her own injuries, signaled to Song Zhe to reassure him. He then truly observed her – poised, elegant like a mature beauty, and more importantly, only dressed in a coat. The contrast caught him off guard, eliciting a shy blush from Song Zhe, the young man that he was.