Chapter 1
Chapter 1
Before we could even react, the system voice rang out again-
[Notice: The Zombies outside will only knock five times. Once they finish knocking, they will enter.]
[Zombies will only come once a day, for a total of four days.]
[Each meme sticker can only be used once. Each dormitory can only hold four people. Only those who survive the four days will pass the trial.]
[No dormitory member is allowed to leave the dormitory building.]
[The knocking just now was merely a warning. The Zombies will officially arrive in 10 minutes.]
The voice vanished.
The dorm room became so quiet that I could hear the heartbeats of all four of us.
Trembling, I tapped open my phone and looked at the first meme sticker in my WeChat collection-
It was my ex-boyfriend’s face.
It was a photo from his high school days that I had specifically stolen from his phone back then. I’d added some kaomoji to turn it into a goofy meme sticker.
The seventeen-year-old Lin Yu had his school jacket zipped all the way to the top, his bangs sticking up, smiling at the camera with a mouthful of white teeth.
Back in high school, Lin Yu didn’t even know me yet.
“Let me see what yours is?” Jiang Miao, from the bed across from mine, leaned over.
Me: “My ex-boyfriend.”
Jiang Miao’s expression faltered for a subtle moment.
Then, she looked down at the Avatar on her own phone, the corners of her mouth twitching upward.
“Thank goodness. I’ve been rewatching old movies lately, so I saved a few Avatar meme stickers.”
Zhou Xing flipped down from the top bunk and showed her phone. Her meme sticker was Briar-clumsy and cute, but with a sturdy, powerful build.
Chen Jiayu, from the top bunk opposite her, was the last to show hers-the Armor Hero, Flame Dragon Armor, its red plating shimmering with a metallic luster.
“My Briar can at least tank some damage,” Zhou Xing said, a hint of irrepressible relief in her voice.
The three of them looked at each other. The more they talked, the more enthusiastic and certain they became-Avatar, Briar, Flame Dragon Armor. Every single one was a combat type that could both fight and take hits.
They even started discussing what skills their meme stickers might release, how long they could hold out, and whose attack power was higher.
No one looked at me.
Meanwhile, the dormitory building’s group chat exploded.
Messages flooded in like a tide-
“Oh my god, is this real? It’s like an apocalyptic novel coming to life.”
“It doesn’t feel like a joke. I just tried calling the police, but I couldn’t get through at all. Whose meme sticker is actually useful?!”
“Mine is a cat meme! What am I supposed to do?!”
“Then I’m even more screwed. My meme sticker is a hate-edit of my favorite idol’s rival…”
“Does anyone have a combat-type meme sticker? Please carry me!!”
“It won’t work. The system said each meme sticker can only be used once. The Zombies are coming for four days, and we’re in four-person dorms. That means everyone’s meme sticker must be useful for everyone to survive.”
As soon as those words appeared, the group chat went silent for a second.
Everyone realized it was true.
If they wanted to live, then every single person in the dorm had to have a useful meme sticker.
Beside me, Jiang Miao’s eyes darted around. She suddenly sent a voice note to the group: “I’ve got it. We should group the people with useful meme stickers together and the people with useless ones together. That way, the survival rate will be highest.”
The people in the building chat responded quickly.
“Agreed. Our dorm has Captain America and Iron Man. we can take two more combat-type meme stickers.”
“Ahhh, I’m the only one in our dorm with a useful meme sticker. Is there any dorm that can take me in…”
…
Jiang Miao scrolled through the group messages and spoke up. “It looks like redistributing the dorms based on meme sticker combat power is inevitable.”
“What about our dorm?” Zhou Xing asked.
“The three of us have combat-type meme stickers,” Jiang Miao said. “Dorm 310 next door happens to have only one person with a useful meme sticker. We can let her join us.”
“What about Zhao Yaozhi?” Chen Jiayu suddenly asked.
The room went quiet for a second.
Jiang Miao glanced at me, her voice flat. “Zhao Yaozhi can just go to 310. The other three people in their dorm have useless meme stickers. Zhao Yaozhi going over there fills the empty slot perfectly.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” Zhou Xing looked at me. “Zhao Yaozhi, hurry up and go over there. We only have ten minutes total.”
I tried to advocate for myself. “My meme sticker isn’t completely useless. When the Zombies come, I can throw my ex-boyfriend out to feed them.”
He was a heartbreaker anyway; he deserved to die.
The three of them rolled their eyes at me.
“The Zombies will be here in ten minutes,” Jiang Miao said, a hint of impatience in her voice. “Hurry up and go get settled, Zhao Yaozhi. It’s not that we’re heartless, but you don’t want us to die with you, do you?”
“Zhao Yaozhi, 310 is right next door. Just go.”