Chapter 3 Bitten

In the dark classroom, everyone shrank back, staying as close to the wall as possible. Several girls huddled together, softly crying, while the boys remained silent. These children, who had never left the campus, were faced with such a disaster. Every one of them was feeling agitated. They stared out the window with wide eyes, breathing lightly in fear. Outside the window, wailing sounds could still be heard. It was as if monsters were feasting on corpses close to the door, emitting the sound of chewing. It wasn’t until an hour or two passed and the hands on the wall clock showed that it was half past eleven that it became quiet outside. There was deathly silence in the air. One courageous boy cautiously approached the window to take a look, then he hurried back with his hand covering his mouth. “What’s going on? It’s terrifying. I want to go out, I want to go home.” Everyone’s face turned pale. Once someone voiced their thoughts, others would also do so. Everyone chimed in, ‘Who doesn’t want to leave here and go home?’ “I’ve watched zombie movies, and it feels like this is a zombie apocalypse. Getting bitten means getting infected. If the school has become like this, it may not be safe outside. Maybe even our homes…” “Shut up! Nothing will happen to our homes for sure. Does anyone have a phone? We can call for help!” Everyone turned their gaze towards Ruan Shiheng, who was silently sitting at the table. Ruan Shiheng was taken aback by their attention, but he reached into his pocket, grabbed his phone, and threw it over. Unlike the helpless and hopeful NPC children, Ruan Shiheng knew there was no hope outside. The biggest hope was right beside him. But according to the plot in the book, it seemed that people would only awaken their abilities after being bitten. So, Luan Yu needed to be bitten first. It wouldn’t be enough for them to stay here. They definitely should go outside, and then Luan Yu must get bitten for the rest of the plot to make sense. Ruan Shiheng: “Little Sprite, do I have an ability?” The System hesitated and said, “Technically, you don’t have one because you’re the cannon fodder who dies the earliest.” Ruan Shiheng: “I think I should have one. If I don’t have the ability, how can I follow the Protagonist around later on? The Protagonist’s harem will have abilities. What if I can’t beat the men he steals from?” System: “You’re right! I’ll apply for one for you right away!” After speaking, there was silence from the System. The corner of Ruan Shiheng’s eye twitched. He felt that the Little Sprite was truly unreliable. Ruan Shiheng lowered his head to see how the Protagonist would react in this situation, only to find Luan Yu still lowering his head, as quiet as ever. Ah, this was the moment where one could see the difference between the Protagonist and ordinary people. Everyone else was terrified and panicking, waiting anxiously to make phone calls. But Luan Yu seemed to be blending into the darkness, making no sound at all. If it wasn’t for Ruan Shiheng still holding Luan Yu’s hand and staring at him, he might not even feel his presence. Although Ruan Shiheng didn’t know whether the Protagonist was scared or not, out of humanitarian concern, he gently rubbed the inside of Luan Yu’s wrist with his thumb as a way to comfort him. Luan Yu felt the warmth moving on his wrist and was somewhat surprised by the care Ruan Shiheng expressed. He gave the other party a strange look. Those children took turns making phone calls; some could get through, while others couldn’t. Each one of them was filled with anxiety. “Let’s not talk for now, so we don’t attract those monsters. Let’s stay here for the night and check the situation tomorrow.” Ruan Shiheng listened to their whispers and felt a buzzing inside his head. He gestured for them to be quiet. Ruan Shiheng was a well-known school bully, with a tall and sturdy body that was larger than his peers. He had a somewhat fierce face that had always made everyone fear him. At this moment, in the classroom, his presence made the dozen or so people feel relieved. No one dared to say anything, all remaining silent. In contrast to the others, who were cowering like quails, Ruan Shiheng sat confidently in his chair. He even pulled Luan Yu into his arms and placed him on his lap. Everyone glanced over. Ruan Shiheng’s actions caused Luan Yu’s face to turn red, a mix of embarrassment and anger, as he kept his covered eyes fixedly on Ruan Shiheng. However, Ruan Shiheng calmly looked at him and softly said in his ear, “It’s warm like this. Go ahead and sleep.” Luan Yu’s head was pressed against Ruan Shiheng’s chest, his face hitting the other party’s soft pectoral muscles, listening to his heartbeat. Luan Yu didn’t understand why the person who always bullied him would make such a gesture. The abnormality of today made him completely puzzled. Luan Yu could only define it as Ruan Shiheng being his true self, just pretending to be a big shot in front of others, but was a slut who likes men behind closed doors. Luan Yu lowered his gaze, hiding the darkness in his eyes. In the middle of the night, the Little Sprite gave Ruan Shiheng some good news! It got him an ability! Ruan Shiheng: “That’s it?” It wasn’t something related to gold, wood, water, fire, or earth, but it was bloodletting. System: “This is already the best I could get for you, Host, sob sob sob. There were two more options. One is a healing ability with a long cooldown time, and the other is a spatial ability with a small space storage. Which one do you choose?” Ruan Shiheng: “Let’s stick with this one, then.” The ability that the Little Sprite got for him wasn’t exactly an ability. His blood had a special deterrent effect on zombies. Even if Ruan Shiheng got bitten, he wouldn’t get infected. Although it didn’t sound cool at all compared to the other support-type abilities, Ruan Shiheng thought that this one wasn’t that bad. It was going to dawn soon. Ruan Shiheng looked out from the window. Only a few unsightly corpses were lying sideways in the hallway, which was unsettling. The intertwining stench of decay lingered heavily in the air. Ruan Shiheng opened the door, preparing to step outside. “B-b-boss, are you just going to walk out like this?” Follower No. 1 couldn’t help but ask as he watched Ruan Shiheng’s actions. He looked at the situation outside, filled with apprehension. “What else can we do? We can’t stay here waiting to die forever. At least we should go out and see what’s going on. We really can’t not go out. We still need to find something to eat. Sitting here is just waiting for our deaths.” Ruan Shiheng took the lead, pulling Luan Yu along as they walked out. The three little followers immediately followed when they saw this. Others who were left in the classroom, some with more courage, some unwilling to act alone, also joined them. Ruan Shiheng didn’t say anything when he noticed four or five people following behind. They cautiously made their way through the hallway. When passing the teacher’s office, Ruan Shiheng went in and grabbed a mop. He dismantled the bottom part and used the stick as a weapon in his hand. Others followed suit and did the same as him. Luan Yu found a fruit knife in one of the teacher’s drawers and held it tightly in his hand. One of the boys who came out with them didn’t get a weapon. He had his eyes on the fruit knife in Luan Yu’s hand. “Hey, you there, give me your knife. You’re so weak, it’s useless in your hands. It’s better off with me.” Ruan Shiheng looked at the person speaking. One could tell that he was cannon fodder at first glance, and I just gave him a cold look. Brother Cannon Fodder didn’t notice Ruan Shiheng’s gaze and tried to snatch the knife directly from Luan Yu’s hand. Luan Yu remained silent, clearly refusing. Ruan Shiheng’s little followers, who were used to bullying Luan Yu, obviously lacked insight. They didn’t even notice that their boss was already standing up for Luan Yu. They impatiently spoke. “Luan Yu, be sensible. Quickly hand it over. What can you do with that, you useless person? Can you even swing it? Don’t end up feeding the monsters before even stabbing them.” Several boys were saying this, and the two girls who also followed them were urging him as well. Luan Yu’s heart grew cold, and his grip on the knife tightened. “Talking so much nonsense? If you can’t find one, keep looking. Take your time. Let’s go.” Ruan Shiheng grew impatient. He grabbed Luan Yu’s hand and continued to walk outside. The little followers couldn’t believe it and couldn’t help but ask, “Why are you protecting him so much, Boss?” “Fucking dead duck(male prostitute) who sells their ass.” Brother Cannon Fodder couldn’t find a knife, then cursed in a conspiratorial manner. The next moment, Ruan Shiheng kicked him to the ground. No wonder he’s cannon fodder. He talks nonsense like that. If he doesn’t die, who will? Ruan Shiheng couldn’t be bothered to pay attention to him anymore. He still didn’t know if any zombies were lurking in the corner. Ruan Shiheng swiftly descended the stairs, keeping close to the wall. Luan Yu followed behind him, staring at Ruan Shiheng’s back. Luan Yu’s lips moved, but he didn’t say anything. The light in his eyes grew brighter. The others didn’t dare to care about that boy. They quickly followed Ruan Shiheng as he ran. When Brother Cannon Fodder got up and tried to catch up, his leg was grabbed. He couldn’t help but turn around and let out a scream of agony. The screams from behind made the group fleeing downstairs run even faster. They hurriedly escaped from the school building. The campus was no longer as it used to be. Bodies were lying on the ground, and blood splattered on the trees and on the sidewalk. Everyone hurriedly ran towards the school gate. But before they even reached the gate, they saw the zombies wandering there had discovered them. “RUN!” A staggering army of zombies chased after them. Ruan Shiheng pulled Luan Yu and ran quickly towards a certain road, spotting the warehouse on the sports field with sports equipment inside. “This way!” The attracted horde of zombies was much larger than Ruan Shiheng had expected. It could be seen that those zombies, their original appearances couldn’t be made out and reeking of decay, almost grabbed their clothes. Ruan Shiheng suppressed the urge to vomit and used the stick to fend them off, one by one. “Quickly run inside.” Ruan Shiheng gave Luan Yu a hard push, telling him to open the door, while he dealt with the zombies in front of him, trying hard to imagine that he was just playing a holographic game and fighting monsters. Luan Yu stumbled from the push. He looked at Ruan Shiheng, who was blocking the horde of zombies for him. Luan Yu’s heart was pounding so fast it felt like it would explode. He quickly pushed open the door to the equipment room. But Luan Yu didn’t expect that there would be zombies inside the equipment room as well. Seeing the zombie pouncing towards him, Luan Yu was momentarily bitten on the arm. He gritted his teeth and kicked the zombie away. Then, Luan Yu stabbed its head with the knife and pushed it aside. He looked at the dark tooth mark on his arm, feeling panicked. Luan Yu grabbed Ruan Shiheng, who was coming towards him, breathing heavily and sweating, then closed the door. There was a fierce banging sound from outside the door. Luan Yu looked at Ruan Shiheng, who was catching his breath and wiping his sweat, then slightly turned his body to cover his injured arm. It was just a bite; it doesn’t necessarily turn someone into a monster. Luan Yu reassured himself in his mind, but the heavy sense of darkness and despair grew stronger. “Scared shitless, huh?” Ruan Shiheng waved his hand in front of Luan Yu. He looked at Luan Yu’s pale face, not knowing what he was thinking. Ruan Shiheng made a joking remark. Ruan Shiheng didn’t have any specific plans, he just hoped that this brother in front of him would awaken soon and start killing everyone. “Why did you suddenly decide to help me?” Luan Yu looked straight at Ruan Shiheng, his eyes dark and his voice somewhat hoarse. Luan Yu didn’t think he had any particularly good relationship with Ruan Shiheng. Luan Yu was surprised that Ruan Shiheng didn’t decide to throw him into the group of zombies to be zombie fodder. “Probably because your dick is bigger, it would be a pity if you died.” Ruan Shiheng’s response was quite frivolous as he looked at Luan Yu with a lewd gaze. This absurd answer seemed like the only answer in the absence of any other answers. Luan Yu was stunned, unable to describe the mix of emotions in his heart. He felt angry and resentful, finding it ridiculously absurd. But Luan Yu also felt grateful and dependent. All these emotions burned inside him and made him feel panicked in his heart. All Luan Yu could do was curse inside his mind, calling Ruan Shiheng a slut! How could there be such a lascivious and despicable person who would say these kinds of things at a time like this? Does that mean if Ruan Shiheng meets someone with a bigger dick than him in the future, he would protect them? Luan Yu thought about this possibility, feeling a sour bitterness and resentment inside his heart. He sat silently on the ground beside Ruan Shiheng. Ruan Shiheng felt slightly regretful when he saw that Luan Yu didn’t respond. He thought the current situation was quite suitable with just the two of them. It was especially suitable for having sex.