Chapter 17

On my way back to the dorm, I swung by Wen Yu’s place.

Not there? Kid must be in my room again.

Sure enough, I hadn’t even dug out my key before Wen Yu came bounding over to open the door.

"Second Sister! Come have some fruit! I just washed it!"

I ignored him and glanced at Little Green Lotus sitting dazed on the bed. After a moment’s thought, I pulled out my phone and typed.

​​"What’s her deal?"​​

Wen Yu opened his mouth to answer, but Little Green Lotus suddenly lunged forward, hands outstretched to grab me.

I was about to dodge, but Wen Yu was faster. He shoved her back hard, his face darkening. "Don’t touch my sister."

Blocked, Little Green Lotus screamed, "It was you, wasn't it?! You did it, didn't you?!"

Oh, word travels fast. I thought it was something major.

I nodded indifferently. So what if it was me? What’s the big surprise? Should I have called zombies to eat them? Or just dumped the bodies in the wild for the base to find? Do I look like an idiot?

Little Green Lotus seemed on the verge of a breakdown.

"I’ve had it! I can’t stand this anymore! I never want to be with a zom—"

Wen Yu and I shot her identical warning glares.

I was dead certain: if she uttered that word even once, I’d snap her neck without hesitation.

She was smart enough to shut her mouth. For half a month, she’d avoided others and steered clear of us. Now, faced with our cold stares, she clamped down again.

She slumped back onto the chair, muttering to herself.

"Them dying is for the best... They should all just die... I’ll die too... I didn’t tell anyone... I’m next..."

See? That’s what happens when you isolate yourself and don’t talk to anyone. You go crazy. Not that I ever said I’d kill her.

"What happened?"

Yang Mo rushed in, shocked to find our dorm crowded and a pool of blood on the floor. Her eyes instantly snapped to Wen Yu and me.

I shook my head silently. This time, really not me.

The district leader answered her question. "Don’t worry, Teacher Yang. Your siblings are fine. It’s your roommate... likely suicide due to extreme psychological pressure."

Honestly, it happened often. Every few days, someone in the base cracked. But today was a mess. First, the zombie attack at the northwest corner killed two squad leaders, and now this suicide.

Someone in the crowd muttered, "Hey, the two dead squad leaders and this woman... weren’t they part of the same group when they arrived?"

Just as I heard this, I locked eyes with a pair of unnervingly calm ones.

Weird. Not sure. Needed another look. Oh! Spotted! Should I pretend to be scared? But... I don’t know how. I lowered my gaze, picturing Yang Mo chasing me around trying to force-feed me, ignoring her increasingly dark expression. Yeah, deep fear achieved.

​​*Whack!​​* Yang Mo smacked me upside the head.

"What are you—" she started, then caught the stares of everyone in the room.

Yang Mo slammed on the brakes. "What are you doing?! Why didn't you stop her?!" She then delivered a solid thump to innocent bystander Wen Yu. "And you! Your sister can't talk, but couldn't you call for help?!"

Wen Yu and I both covered our heads pitifully.

A kindly auntie in the crowd spoke up. "Oh, Teacher Yang, why hit your siblings? If someone wants to die, no one can stop them. Besides, you live so far out. Even if they screamed, who'd hear? They must be scared stiff."

Others chimed in with agreement. "Yeah, exactly."

Yang Mo maintained her stern, strict elder sister persona, silent.

Somehow, we got away with it.

The district leader took charge. "Well... what's done is done. We deeply regret this. This room needs cleaning and won't be habitable for now. We'll arrange new quarters for Teacher Yang and Le Tian shortly."

I nodded vigorously. Good, good! I just wanted some fresh air. The coppery stench was overwhelming.

The district leader urged people to leave. "Everyone, head back! Unless it's urgent, stay indoors today!" He gave me a subtle glance. "Everyone, please believe, humanity will overcome this crisis! Hold onto that belief! Now, please disperse!"

"Let's go, let's go." The crowd slowly filed out.

The district leader looked at us. "You two, pack your things and come to my office. I'll see which dorms have space."

"Mm-hmm. Thank you, District Leader Lin."

As he walked away, Yang Mo noticed Wen Yu had been unusually quiet. She pinched his cheek. "What? Really scared silly? What’s going on in that head? It’s all jumbled; I can’t make it out."

Wen Yu looked terrified, his face pale. He tugged Yang Mo’s sleeve. "Sister... maybe we should leave."

"I mean, leave this place."

I agreed.

"You too?" Yang Mo was confused. "What's going on?"

I’m exposed.