A few minutes later, everyone gathered in Lu Qingyuan's apartment.
Despite having been neighbors for quite some time, it was Chu Yian's first time stepping inside. The room was... practically empty.
Aside from a bed, a table, a kitchen, and a bathroom, the only other things were cardboard boxes stacked neatly on the floor. Most of them were still sealed, with writing on them in a language she couldn't read. Only one or two had been opened.
Apparently, Teacher Lu wasn't doing that well either. He looked put-together on the outside, but life was rough on the inside.
Chu Yian felt a brief pang of sympathy—then started unpacking the four self-heating hot pots she'd brought.
Two were spicy duck intestine Mao Xue Wang, the other two were beef hot pot.
At a time when some people barely had food, and others were starving, these hot pots were an absolute luxury—filling the room with a rich, mouthwatering aroma.
This was the taste of happiness.
Chu Yian took a bite and instantly choked on the spice, gasping and wheezing.
Lu Qingyuan handed her a bottle of water without saying a word.
"Teacher Lu, you've got quite the spice tolerance,"
Chu Yian rasped, guzzling the water.
He sat there perfectly calm, while she looked like she was breathing fire.
As she tilted the bottle back, her eyes caught something on the surveillance feed behind him.
"Teacher Lu! Outside!"
She shot upright, pointing at the screen.
There—right outside the door—were eight or nine muscular men, crowding around the entrance.
So much for midnight snacks.
"Grab your weapon. We're leaving."
Lu Qingyuan stood up and picked up a metal rod leaning against the wall.
Wait… that rod looked familiar.
Chu Yian glanced down at the metal stool she was sitting on.
Looked at the rod.
Looked at the stool again.
No wonder there were four rods by the door earlier—he'd unscrewed all four legs from the stool to make weapons.
"Teacher Lu, I've got a better one at my place."
Her eyes met his—an open invitation.
And so, Teacher Lu was handed a weapon worthy of the God of War himself—
The legendary halberd: Fangtian Huaji.
Lu Qingyuan stared at the towering weapon, silent for a moment.
"Don't just stand there! Suit up!"
They'd be exposed once they stepped outside.
With the virus still rampant, nothing was more important than protective gear.
Lu Qingyuan took the hazmat suit from her, pausing once more.
"Where did you even get all this?"
"Details, details. Don't worry about it."
Chu Yian zipped up her own suit, slung a backpack over her shoulder, grabbed her baseball bat, and shoved a giant suitcase toward him.
Lu Qingyuan was clearly a little thrown by how well-prepared she was.
Meanwhile, the metal clattering at the eastern door grew louder.
Chu Yian knew—they were running out of time.
"Teacher Lu, there's an electric scooter downstairs. If no one's taken it, it should still be there."
They could probably make it if they left now.
The real question was: where to?
"Do you have somewhere safe in mind? If not... how about the university?"
When the outbreak started, everything shut down—including schools.
The classrooms would be empty. They could probably hole up there for a couple days.
"We're heading to the underground parking garage," Lu Qingyuan replied.
He grabbed the suitcase with one hand, and the halberd with the other, moving fast.
"Follow me."
Instead of choosing the far side of the building, away from the incoming attackers, he went straight for the elevator right next to the door those men were about to break through.
He removed the elevator's safety lock, crouched down, and started tinkering.
Outside, the men couldn't pick the lock, so they began ripping the frame off the door.
They were close—Chu Yian could hear them whispering.
"Old Li, if there's nothing in there after all this trouble, we're screwed."
"Relax. That girl on this floor—she stockpiled a ton before the outbreak. I saw her carrying bags and boxes more than once in the elevator."
"Yeah! The delivery guy said she even bought five liters of disinfectant."
"The way she's locked in there—what else could it mean? She's definitely hoarding. We're not walking away empty-handed."
Chu Yian's back went cold.
So they'd been watching her for a while now.
No wonder—with so many homes in the compound, they chose hers.
She'd been too visible.
Too well-stocked.
Now it all came down to one thing—was Lu Qingyuan faster at hacking the elevator than they were at breaking through the door?
Chu Yian gripped her bat and stood at the door, heart pounding.
Ding—
A soft chime echoed.
The elevator had arrived.
"What was that?!"
"Sounds like the elevator's moving!"
"Shit! Hurry!"
On their side, a section of the doorframe had already come loose.
Chu Yian could even see one of the men's dark gray sneakers through the gap.
"Let's go!" Lu Qingyuan shouted.
Chu Yian bolted into the elevator with him.
Just as the doors closed—bang!
The intruders burst through.
But they were too late.
They rushed to the elevator shaft, only to watch the cabin descend rapidly out of sight.
"Damn it, they escaped!"
"They had to be carrying a load of stuff! Shit!"
"It's two people—how much could they have taken? Search the place! Tell the guys downstairs to cut them off!"
The leader cursed and stormed inside.
None of them noticed the small black box mounted overhead, its red light flashing silently.
They didn't notice—until it was too late.
Midway down the corridor, a piercing, unnatural sound ripped through the silence.
It hit like a blunt object striking the brain—sudden and overwhelming.
The intruders vomited uncontrollably, their stomachs and intestines emptying in waves of blood and bile. The stench was unbearable.
Five burly men—fine one second, collapsed the next.
Lying motionless in the hallway of the twelfth floor.
Meanwhile, Chu Yian and Lu Qingyuan had made it to the underground parking garage.
Just when Chu Yian thought they were safe—
She spotted several corpses scattered around.
Their faces twisted into horrible expressions of pain.
"Stay close to me," Lu Qingyuan warned, dragging the suitcase forward.
In the quiet space, the suitcase wheels clattered loudly—far too loudly.
They turned a corner—
Only to find themselves blocked.
Several men—young to middle-aged—stood in their way, armed, eyes locked on their protective suits and luggage.
"Knew it. All that waiting finally paid off,"
one of them sneered.
"Got ourselves a big fish."