Chapter 12
Chapter 12
Chen Yuhui and An Xiaolin made their way through the sewer, the cold glow of their phone screens illuminating two grime-covered faces.
Filthy water surged around their calves, sending waves of icy cold through them. They had already tried opening several manhole covers, only to find the surrounding areas packed with lunatics.
Just then, a message popped up on both their screens.
Chen Yuhui stopped and swiped it open. “Qingshui… Qingshui sent us a message!”
An Xiaolin immediately crowded closer, breathing hard.
The message was from Qingshui: “Wei’an and I found Lin Hao. We’re trapped in the storage room on the east side of the Administrative Building’s second floor. Lin Hao’s car is in the underground parking garage. It’s a black SUV. We need you to get to the garage, take the car, and come pick us up. I’ll throw the key down to you from above. Where are you?”
Chen Yuhui’s fingers trembled as she typed, quickly describing their approximate location: “We’re in the underground passage between the Administrative Building and the library.
“I think we’re directly beneath… the sculpture near Block C of the Administrative Building.”
A few seconds later, Qingshui replied: “Understood. I’ll climb somewhere high and throw the key toward the sculpture. Watch for your chance to retrieve it. Once you have it, go straight to the underground garage. Use the car to draw those lunatics away, then circle back here to pick us up. Be careful and stay in contact.”
The next message contained a photo of Lin Hao’s car interior and its license plate number.
“I’ll wrap the key so it won’t make much noise when it lands. I’ll draw the nearby lunatics’ attention. Be ready.”
Chen Yuhui stared at the screen and took a deep breath before turning to An Xiaolin. “Let’s go.”
But An Xiaolin stood frozen in place, her gaze wavering. Her phone screen went dark, taking the light from her face with it.
Chen Yuhui stared coldly at her without saying a word. The only sounds in the sewer were the flowing water and the laughter filtering down through the earth above them.
“Do you hear that?” An Xiaolin suddenly laughed, though her smile looked more miserable than tears. “They’re still laughing… They never stop laughing… We can’t escape. It’ll be the same no matter where we go… We might as well… We might as well…”
Slap!
A sharp slap cut her off.
An Xiaolin’s head snapped to one side, and a red mark quickly bloomed across her cheek. Clutching her face, she stared at Chen Yuhui in shock.
Chen Yuhui’s hand was still trembling slightly, but her gaze was hard as iron. “Are you awake now?”
Her voice was low. “Listen carefully, An Xiaolin. Qingshui and Dorm Leader are still up there waiting for us. They risked their lives to find the radio and the car. They carved out a path for us.”
She stepped forward and grabbed An Xiaolin by the collar, forcing her to meet her eyes. “You want to die? Fine. I won’t stop you. Stay here and wait for them to find you, or starve to death, die of thirst, and rot in this sewer.”
“But if even the smallest part of you still wants to live, wants to see your parents, wants to see the sun one more time…” Chen Yuhui released her and pointed into the darkness ahead. “Then come with me. We’ll get the key, start the car, and bring them out.”
She gave An Xiaolin one last, searching look, then turned and strode away without looking back.
“You’re on your own.”
Her footsteps echoed through the passage and gradually faded into the distance.
An Xiaolin remained where she was, her cheek burning. She watched Chen Yuhui’s silhouette disappear around the corner, then lowered her gaze to the cold, damp phone in her hand.
The black screen reflected her bedraggled face.
I might as well die.
The thought was so clear. So tempting.
But the faces of her parents flashed through her mind, followed by Li Wei’an’s comforting expression, Qingshui’s icy gaze as she pressed the knife into her hand, and Chen Yuhui’s cold expression moments ago, along with those words: “see the sun one more time.”
“Ah… Aah…” A trapped, anguished whimper escaped her throat. Tears streamed down her face, mingling with the filth on her skin. She scrubbed her face with her sleeve, clenched her teeth, and stumbled after Chen Yuhui.
…
Chen Yuhui stopped at the bottom of an iron ladder in a vertical shaft and looked up. An extremely faint sliver of light seeped in around the edge of the manhole cover above.
She tried pushing the cover open. With her limited field of view, she could only barely determine that she was probably still within the plaza.
Chen Yuhui did not dare stick her head out. The laughter and running footsteps above were unmistakable, as was… the rhythmic thud of something heavy striking the ground.
It all proved that the lunatics were still prowling nearby.
She took out her phone and sent Qingshui a message: “I think I’m close. There’s movement above me. The lunatics are still here. How are things on your end?”
The few seconds she spent waiting for a reply felt unbearably long.
At last, Qingshui replied, “Get ready. I’m heading up now. When you see the keys land, don’t come out right away. Make sure it’s safe before you move. I’ll draw them away.”
Chen Yuhui: “Understood. Be careful.”
She switched off her screen and waited on the vertical ladder. In the darkness, another set of staggering footsteps approached.
An Xiaolin stopped beside her, panting. She said nothing, merely retreating silently into a corner.
Chen Yuhui glanced at her but didn’t speak.
The two of them waited in silence, surrounded by darkness and stench.
…
Inside a storeroom in the Administrative Building.
“Qingshui…” Li Wei’an’s lips parted and closed. In the end, all she managed was a strained, “Be careful.”
Qingshui nodded. She wrapped Lin Hao’s car keys in several layers of thick fabric torn from a curtain, then tied the bundle securely with a thin cord to make sure it wouldn’t make much noise when it landed.
She tucked the bundle into an inner pocket, rolled her wrists and ankles, then gripped the window frame with both hands and vaulted lightly outside, once again landing on the narrow, treacherous concrete ledge.
The night wind was bitterly cold.
She looked up. Although the outer wall of the Administrative Building was smooth, its distinctive brickwork had subtle ridges and grooves. The air-conditioner brackets and decorative reliefs offered enough places for her to gain leverage.
She drew a deep breath, her gaze sharpening with focus. Gripping the bracket above her with both hands, she drove power through her thighs and launched herself onto the outdoor AC unit diagonally overhead.
The movement was so fluid it was almost instinctive.
The familiar height and sensation of hanging in midair made her feel as though she had returned to her previous life. To escape zombie hordes, she and her teammates had scaled taller buildings and far more dangerous walls. Those memories had long since seeped into her blood, becoming her soul’s most reliable response in a desperate situation.
Floor by floor, muscle memory guided her steadily and swiftly upward.
At last, she hauled herself onto a projecting platform halfway up the Bell Tower.
Qingshui immediately flattened herself near the platform’s edge and looked down.
With her extraordinary eyesight, she quickly pinpointed the target area.
She took out her phone and sent Chen Yuhui one final message: “I’m on the Bell Tower platform. About to throw. Move in three minutes.”
After sending it, she took the cloth-wrapped keys in one hand and tested their weight while gauging the distance and wind direction.
The night wind stirred the damp strands of hair against her forehead. She closed her eyes, and scenes from her previous life flashed through her mind: the countless times she had thrown weapons or tossed supplies to others.
Now!
Her eyes snapped open. She drew her arm as far back as it would go and tightened her core. The bundle shot from her hand like an arrow, streaking through the dark night toward its target!
At almost the exact same moment, Qingshui sprang to her feet and kicked the rusted bell frame beside her!
“CLANG!”
A deafening metallic boom erupted through the night!
Every madman below was instantly drawn by the sudden, piercing noise. As one, they raised their heads.
Under the moonlight, a clearly visible figure stood atop the Bell Tower platform.
Qingshui even took two steps forward, cupped her hands around her mouth, and shouted with all her strength at the sea of crimson eyes growing frenzied below.
“Look over here!”
“I’m right here!”
Her voice rang clear through the night, carrying an almost playfully provocative edge.
“Piggy! She’s up there! She’s up there! Aaaah!”
“Hee hee hee! She climbed so high! Jump down! Jump down!”
“Catch her! Drag her down and tear her apart!”
The madmen below erupted into a frenzy. Like hyenas catching the scent of blood, they surged toward the Administrative Building’s main and side entrances. Another group began hurling blood-red organs at Qingshui.
The area around the statue cleared out considerably.
Qingshui dropped flat against the platform, dodging the bloody organs flying toward her.
Down in the sewer, Chen Yuhui and An Xiaolin heard the tremendous toll of the bell, followed by Qingshui’s clear shouts.
They exchanged a glance, each seeing the same resolve in the other’s eyes.
Chen Yuhui drew a deep breath and pushed hard with both hands.
“Creeeak-clang!”
The heavy manhole cover lifted just enough to leave a narrow gap. She cautiously poked her head out.
Moonlight spilled across the flagstone path, illuminating the wreckage strewn everywhere. Not far away, two madmen stood with their backs to her, staring up at the Bell Tower and flailing their limbs in excitement.
Something lay in the bushes about five meters to the east.
Chen Yuhui locked her gaze on that spot.