Scratched by a Zombie

"What are you all standing around for? Do you want to feed the zombies? Wu Bin, hurry and open the window, let's go! That door won't hold for long." Seeing them frozen in fear, Zhao Tianlei couldn't help but shout.

Even the library's main entrance and the fire exit door behind it could be breached by those zombies. So, the bathroom door wouldn't last long. Before a few more knocks, the door began to shake. Fortunately, under Zhao Tianlei's roar, they reacted. Wu Bin quickly opened the window and peered out, spotting the platform Zhao Tianlei had mentioned.

Zhao Tianlei suddenly said again, "Wu Bin, you go first. Stand on the platform to help them. Remember not to shout, so the zombies don't find you."

Wu Bin didn't dare to delay and quickly climbed down the pipe. After Wu Bin went down, Ye Sitong suddenly said to Shen Xinyu, "You two go first, I'll stay until the end."

For Ye Sitong's concession, Shen Xinyu gave her a complex look before squeezing out the window and starting to climb. Having filmed action scenes and done wirework before, climbing down from the second floor using a water pipe wasn't difficult for Shen Xinyu; she completed it with ease. Afterward, the female assistant had some trouble climbing down, especially due to her weight, nearly falling twice.

"Bang."

Just as the other three had gone down, leaving only Zhao Tianlei and Ye Sitong, there was a sudden crash as the door Zhao Tianlei had been desperately holding back was ripped open by zombies, creating a large hole. A zombie's hand immediately reached in and grabbed Zhao Tianlei's arm. Seeing this, Ye Sitong rushed forward, wanting to help.

Seeing Ye Sitong approach, Zhao Tianlei angrily shouted, "Stop! What are you doing? Hurry up and go! If you don't go now, I won't be able to hold on."

Ye Sitong quickly replied, "I'll help you. There are too many zombies, you can't do it alone. One more person means one more bit of strength."

Zhao Tianlei immediately grew anxious, "Go! You staying here will only drag me down. Go with Wu Bin and the others, quickly! Don't waste my efforts."

"No, if you don't go, I won't go either. I'll stay with you." To his surprise, Ye Sitong suddenly acted petulant, insisting on arguing with Zhao Tianlei at this moment.

"You women are so troublesome."

Looking at Ye Sitong, Zhao Tianlei almost wanted to kick her out the window. However, Wu Bin's earlier words echoed in his mind: "Tianlei, our beautiful class monitor might be interested in you."

"Sitong, thank you. I didn't expect you to like me at the onset of the apocalypse. But I can't escape anymore, you should hurry and leave. Don't do anything foolish with me. Don't let my sacrifice be in vain."

Saying this, under Ye Sitong's confused gaze, Zhao Tianlei reached out and tore off his sleeve. Several terrifying scratches appeared on his arm. Zhao Tianlei said again, "As long as you're scratched or bitten by these zombies, you'll turn into one of them. So, I can't leave anymore."

Upon seeing the scratches on Zhao Tianlei's arm, Ye Sitong immediately covered her mouth in fright. It was obvious that the zombies had inflicted them when they broke through the door. Ye Sitong, almost in tears, said, "No, Tianlei, you'll be fine. We'll escape together, go to the hospital, find a doctor. They can definitely cure you. You won't die, and you won't turn into those zombies."

"Ye Sitong, calm down! At a time like this, still being willful. Do you want me to have saved you for nothing? Don't let my death be wasted, okay? Thank you for always looking out for me. I like you too, hurry and go."

Towards the end, Zhao Tianlei's voice was almost a roar. Facing Zhao Tianlei like this, Ye Sitong didn't know what to say. She could only sob and walk towards the window, squeezing out and preparing to climb.

Perhaps fearing Ye Sitong would turn back, Zhao Tianlei directly stepped forward, cupped the tear-streaked face of Ye Sitong who was holding onto the pipe, kissed her lips, and then said to Wu Bin below, "Wu Bin, my good brother, take good care of them for me. We'll be brothers again in the next life."

With that, without waiting for anyone's response, Zhao Tianlei heavily slammed the window shut from the inside and locked it. Ye Sitong was already in tears. The door, already broken, now swayed like a small boat in a storm under the zombies' pounding, threatening to capsize at any moment.

After locking the window, Zhao Tianlei walked directly towards the door. He took a deep breath, gripped the fire axe, and let out a roar as he flung the door open and darted inside. The zombies who had been pounding and crowding to get in stumbled and fell. Zhao Tianlei stepped on their bodies and ran back into the library. The entire library was already in chaos, a scene that could only be described as hell on earth, especially at the stairs from the first to the second floor, where there were scattered limbs, broken pieces, and flowing blood.

Zhao Tianlei clearly intended to lure the zombies away, giving Wu Bin and the others a safer chance to escape. He had emerged from the hidden bathroom. As Zhao Tianlei stepped out, a seemingly weak zombie lunged at him. Since he had already been scratched by a zombie, Zhao Tianlei knew he would soon turn. His heart filled with despair, he no longer cared about his life, only hoping to use his death to buy his companions more time to escape.

Zhao Tianlei dodged the zombie's lunge, causing it to miss. Before the zombie could turn around, Zhao Tianlei swung his axe, cleaving it to the ground. Immediately, zombies from all around began to approach. Zhao Tianlei started heading towards the third floor via the escape route.

The first floor was already overrun by zombies. Wu Bin and the others had also reached the corridor at the back door entrance after descending the pipe. If Zhao Tianlei were to flee towards the first floor exit now, it would lead the zombies to the first floor. From there, they would be very close to the fire exit. If the zombies didn't leave, Wu Bin and the others wouldn't be able to escape from the platform. That's why he ran towards the third floor, to attract more zombies to the third floor and create more opportunities for Wu Bin and the others.

As Zhao Tianlei ran towards the third floor via the fire escape, the zombies pursued him relentlessly. Although their speed was slow, they maintained a steady pace, following him. If Zhao Tianlei stopped, he would eventually be caught.

"Sitong, you're down. Where's Tianlei? Where is he?" Seeing Ye Sitong successfully descend, Wu Bin couldn't help but ask her. After all, Zhao Tianlei's shouts from the window had given Wu Bin a sense of unease. Especially when Zhao Tianlei later closed the window, it made Wu Bin feel even more apprehensive.

"Wu Bin, Tianlei was blocking the door with his body to buy us time. The door was broken by the zombies outside, and they scratched his arm. There were several bloody marks. Tianlei said he would turn into one of those monsters because of it, so he wouldn't be coming with us. We should go. Sob..."

"What? I don't believe what you're saying. Tianlei would never turn into one of those zombies! I'm going back to save him. He saved my life, I can't just abandon him."