Beauty of the Art Department

"Are you here to save me? Please, take me with you. I'll do anything you want. There are zombies everywhere outside, it's too terrifying. Those doors won't hold for much longer. I'm begging you." Looking at Zhao Tianlei, the girl saw him as her only hope for survival, almost to the point of kneeling and kowtowing.

Listening to her words, and hearing the sound of zombies banging on the door, Zhao Tianlei could tell that the doors wouldn't hold for much longer. The "creak, creak" sound of the wooden door hinges, in particular, indicated it was on the verge of collapse.

Zhao Tianlei quickly urged, "Hurry up and get over here, come with me to the room next door. It's safer there."

With Zhao Tianlei's reminder, the girl was overjoyed and scrambled to climb towards the window. Whether it was due to her legs being inconvenient or some other reason, the girl clearly struggled while climbing, or rather, lacked the strength. Seeing her like this, Zhao Tianlei had to reach out and pull her up, which took some effort during the crossing.

To encourage the girl, Zhao Tianlei emphasized, "Remember not to look down. Besides, it's not high here, only two stories. Follow me slowly along the windowsill. Once we cross this window, we'll be there. I'll go first, then I'll pull you over."

The girl was clearly touched by Zhao Tianlei's reminder. Without a word, she kept nodding at him and then followed him along the edge of the window. Zhao Tianlei went first, with the girl behind him. To accommodate her, Zhao Tianlei slowed his pace considerably. Just as Zhao Tianlei crossed the windowsill and climbed into the office he was hiding in, a loud "clang" and a powerful burst of force echoed as the door to the room the girl had been hiding in was smashed open by the zombies outside.

"Ah."

The sudden breaking of the door startled the girl, who was climbing along the window. In her shock, her foot slipped, and her whole body almost fell from the windowsill. Fortunately, Zhao Tianlei reacted quickly. The moment the girl screamed, Zhao Tianlei dropped the fire axe he was holding and leaned half his body out of the window, without hesitation extending his hands to embrace the girl's delicate body.

"Don't be scared, don't move around. I've got you," he said quickly, seeing the girl struggling and shaking.

After Zhao Tianlei's reassurance, the girl finally stopped shaking and instead tightly gripped Zhao Tianlei's arms with her small hands. Zhao Tianlei felt that the position of his hands was somewhat awkward, but judging by the softness, even an idiot would know where his hands were. However, Zhao Tianlei was definitely not doing it on purpose. The situation was too sudden, and he had acted purely on instinct to save her.

Now, hearing the "uh, uh" sounds from the room next door after the door was broken, Zhao Tianlei knew that a large number of zombies had flooded in, searching for the scent the girl had left behind. To avoid attracting their attention, Zhao Tianlei gritted his teeth, holding the girl from behind, and with a surge of strength, grabbed her soft spots and pulled her over in one go. They both tumbled into the room, the girl's body landing heavily on top of Zhao Tianlei.

Fortunately, the floor was covered with a thick carpet, and the girl's body was that of a petite and lovely young woman. Even with the impact of falling on Zhao Tianlei, he didn't feel too much pain.

However, the girl, terrified, quickly got up from the floor and helped Zhao Tianlei up, repeatedly nodding and apologizing, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I was really scared just now, and I caused you trouble. Thank you for saving me."

Seeing the girl's nervous state, Zhao Tianlei shook his head and smiled slightly, "It's okay, you don't need to be so nervous. It's alright. We're safe now, but you must be quiet. Let's not talk too loudly or make any noise, or we'll definitely attract the zombies' attention."

"Okay, I'll be careful."

Seeing the girl's continued nervousness, Zhao Tianlei, wanting to understand the situation, began to ask, "By the way, what's your name? And why were you hiding in the office next door, and without any clothes on?"

To Zhao Tianlei's surprise, the girl started to cry softly again. Zhao Tianlei was afraid she would start sobbing loudly and attract the zombies to break in, so he quickly comforted her, "Okay, okay, please don't cry anymore. Your crying is what attracted the zombies to break in just now. If you cry again now, I'll throw you out."

Zhao Tianlei's threat clearly worked. After hearing his words, the girl stopped crying and pleaded, "Okay, I won't cry anymore. Please don't throw me out to the zombies, they're too terrifying."

Zhao Tianlei deliberately put on a serious expression and said to the girl, "Alright, if you want me to save you, you have to tell me the truth. Who are you, and what happened?"

The girl slowly began to speak, "My name is Cheng Yao. I'm a sophomore in the art department at our school. Yesterday, my classmates and I came to the library to borrow books. Who knew this terrifying thing would happen at the school? Many people had gathered in the library, so I hid here with everyone else. Later, because we couldn't get out, I was very hungry. Then, a senior male student I know came and told me that if I behaved and pretended to be his girlfriend, I could go to the second floor and ask the rich second generation, Lin Mu, at the school for food."

At this point, the girl's expression clearly darkened. She paused and continued, "At first, I didn't think much of it, and my good friend was urging me. With that senior male student and Lin Mu as our shield, we could survive. But when that senior male student took us upstairs to ask Lin Mu for food, I realized everything wasn't that simple. Lin Mu and his cronies used food to tempt my sister and me, demanding we do a strip dance. We refused, so they beat us. When we resisted, they all insulted us. My sister and I were too weak to resist."

"The more we resisted, the more it incited their beastly nature. In the room next door, they destroyed our purity. Finally, my good sister used the excuse of going to the restroom, and when they weren't paying attention, she opened the door and ran out. They chased after her, and I later heard she jumped from the building and died."

"Then, not long after, I heard the sound of zombies below, and many students screaming. Lin Mu, that senior male student, and I hid here together until early this morning. After some zombies dispersed, they tied several bedsheets together and tried to climb down from the second floor. Afraid the bedsheets wouldn't be strong enough, they tied my clothes together with them and climbed down from the second floor, leaving me behind."