"Yeah. Before today, I, Zhao Tianlei, was always bullied by you, always living under your ridicule. If not for this apocalypse, I would have gone around you whenever I saw you. But now that the apocalypse has arrived, your, Lin Mu's, era is coming to an end too. If you think you can keep bullying me, Zhao Tianlei, like you did in peaceful times, then go ahead and try. Let's see whether this ax in my hand, which has chopped through God knows how many zombie heads, will chop you in half."
After Zhao Tianlei cleaved through the railing in one strike, the words he spat out shocked everyone present even more. After all, no matter how much of a bully Lin Mu was, he had only ever bullied people. As for killing someone, even Lin Mu, as bold as he was, would never dare do it. Especially when they had just faced the zombies' attack, Lin Mu had nearly been scared shitless, yet Zhao Tianlei had actually dared to charge into the Zombie Horde and lure them away, even raising his ax to hack at them.
That single action from Zhao Tianlei was enough to shock everyone present. What surprised Lin Mu most of all was that this poor kid downstairs, who had always been bullied by him and never even dared fart in response, actually dared to risk his life against him in public. In the past, Lin Mu would have taken people downstairs to teach him a lesson long ago. But the fire ax in Zhao Tianlei's hand was like the scythe of the Grim Reaper, making Lin Mu stop in his tracks.
In the eyes of outsiders, it seemed that the reason Lin Mu feared Zhao Tianlei was the fire ax. In reality, what truly made Lin Mu wary was Zhao Tianlei's tightly fixed gaze. It felt as though he were deep in a forest, being watched by a vicious wolf.
Perhaps because he was intimidated by Zhao Tianlei's threat, Lin Mu suddenly changed his tune and said, "Hmph. Since we're classmates, I'll do as you say. Anyway, it's the end of the world now. From here on out, everyone can look after themselves. But you people on the first floor, listen up: if anyone tries to sneak upstairs, we'll assume you're here to steal our things and throw you straight down from the second floor. If any girls can't stand the hunger and want to offer themselves in exchange, we'll gladly welcome them unconditionally. Hahaha..."
After saying that, Lin Mu turned to several of his followers and said, "What are you standing around for? Hurry up and find something to block the stairs with. If you find anyone coming up, kill them immediately. And you idiots, don't you have eyes? The apocalypse has arrived, and even that poor kid downstairs knows to find a powerful weapon for self-defense. Hurry up and find something to protect yourselves with."
Thus, with Zhao Tianlei stepping forward, the campus tyrant Lin Mu's arrogance was actually curbed in front of everyone. After the crowd dispersed, Ye Sitong's body nearly gave way. Fortunately, Zhao Tianlei was beside her and swiftly caught her in his arms, preventing her from falling and suffering the embarrassment.
"Sitong, what's wrong? Are you all right?" Zhao Tianlei immediately asked worriedly.
Ye Sitong quickly pulled away from Zhao Tianlei's arms and sat down in her previous spot, shaking her head. "I'm fine. I was just a little startled."
It was no wonder Ye Sitong had reacted that way. Before the apocalypse, the campus had been harmonious. The students had gotten along peacefully and even helped one another. But as soon as the apocalypse arrived, all kinds of dark human nature had been exposed. In this short span of time, Ye Sitong had already been threatened by both Qian Hao and Lin Mu.
Qian Hao had merely struck her once, while Lin Mu's actions had clearly involved some filthy intentions. If Zhao Tianlei had not stepped in to stop him, and Lin Mu's group had really made a move, the consequences would have been unimaginable. Thinking of this, Ye Sitong could not help feeling a lingering terror.
Zhao Tianlei naturally knew the reason for Ye Sitong's reaction as well. He said calmly, "During peaceful times, everyone lives in comfort, spending each day seeking entertainment and happiness. But after the apocalypse breaks out and everyone faces the threat of death, some timid people will live only for themselves. If anyone threatens their safety, they will inevitably fight back fiercely. That's how their dark side emerges. Ye Sitong, you need to change the personality you had in peaceful times. If you keep going like this, you'll die before those people do."
Zhao Tianlei's words drifted into Ye Sitong's ears, immediately making her tremble all over. Clearly, his words had shocked her.
Zhao Tianlei then crouched down and lightly patted Ye Sitong's shoulder. "All right. With me here, I won't let anyone bully you, including Lin Mu. But for the sake of safety, we should avoid interacting with them too much, so we don't provoke those people. If a fight really breaks out, we'll suffer too. However, you have to promise me that you won't meddle in other people's business anymore. Otherwise, if trouble happens again, I won't take care of you."
At that moment, Ye Sitong nodded repeatedly at Zhao Tianlei's words, almost like an obedient child. What Zhao Tianlei did not know was that his warm reassurance had been seen and remembered by someone in a distant corner. That person was none other than the one Zhao Tianlei had been desperately searching for.
After comforting her, Zhao Tianlei suddenly said to Ye Sitong and Wu Bin, "All right, it's already twelve. You two must be hungry, right?"
As soon as Zhao Tianlei mentioned hunger, Ye Sitong and Wu Bin's stomachs began to growl. Normally, it would have been time to eat anyway, but they would not have been this hungry. After the zombie crisis erupted early that morning, all the students had run desperately for their lives. Combined with the constant fear, their physical strength had been consumed rapidly, so naturally they became hungry much faster than usual.
After hearing Zhao Tianlei, Wu Bin immediately shook his head. "It's already twelve, so of course I'm hungry. But you saw it yourself just now—the food in the library was all seized by Lin Mu's people. And the first floor had already been picked clean by the other students. I wanted to get some water earlier, but the water dispenser had already been drained, without a single drop left. Where are we supposed to find food?"
Zhao Tianlei lowered his voice. "Heh. Just because other people can't find food doesn't mean we can't."
The two of them froze when they heard Zhao Tianlei's words, then hurriedly stared at him in disbelief. Ye Sitong quickly asked, "Tianlei, what are you planning to do?"
Zhao Tianlei gripped the fire ax. "Wu Bin, you two come with me. Go guard the stairwell by the emergency exit at the back door. I'm going out for a while."
As soon as she heard Zhao Tianlei, Ye Sitong immediately understood what he intended to do. She shook her head emphatically. "No, absolutely not. There are zombies everywhere outside. It's too dangerous for you to go out looking for food. If we're hungry, we just need to hold on for a while. But we absolutely can't let you take such a risk."
Unexpectedly, Zhao Tianlei ignored Ye Sitong completely. He immediately led the way toward the stairwell, and Wu Bin followed close behind. Seeing that the two of them would not listen, Ye Sitong stamped her foot and followed as well, seemingly intending to continue dissuading Zhao Tianlei and Wu Bin.
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