Ch54 - Different Choices

Translator: transcendentwings

The nineteenth day of the corpse tide outbreak, night, clear.

At the end of the great battle, the twelve warriors sat down or laid down, were terrified or out of breath. In the vast kitchen, in the mess left behind by the chaos of war, victory did not bring them joy. The unusually silent air was filled with solemnity, there was even a hint of desolation and depression.

The abnormally brutal fight gave them no time to think. Only now, when the dust settled, did they truly realize that the classmate who had scaled the tree and fought with them side-by-side not too long ago was now the brain-smashed corpse in front of them.

He was once so lively and healthy.

Just like themselves.

No one knew when it was infected and the fear caused by this silent mutation was far more terrifying than a fierce battle with zombies.

For the first time, the feeling that this was the apocalypse finally felt so distinct and real.

Not a crisis, not a disaster, but the apocalypse—Powerless to resist, nowhere to run.

“I haven’t finished all my moves, twelve against one-ah. . . I won’t get tired at all~~I still want to dance for another three days and three nights~~Now my emotions are so light that I think they can fly~~ F*cking hell, even these lyrics I’m singing are against my convictions! OK, OK, join me~~ NO K, NO K, dancing from day to night. . .”

Fu Xiyuan’s singing had long been out of tune and the distorted notes drifted into the night sky. Together with the wind and the cacophony of the zombies downstairs, it converged into dance music with a peculiar style.

Song Fei sighed and had no strength to look at Zhao He: “Tell him that the battle is over and that there is no need for anymore remote assistance.”

Zhao He leaned against the corner, exhausted. He didn’t even want to move a finger: “Did you not listen to him sing, not tired at all, able to dance for another three days and three nights.”

Song Fei made a face.

Feng Qibai, who was at the base of the window, raised his head and hollered with good intentions: “It’s over la—”

The singing upstairs stopped swiftly and not long after, Huang Mo probed: “Are you all safe—”

Feng Qibai: “Safe, how about you guys?”

Huang Mo: “I’m good.”

Asking about two, but only answering for one. Feng Qibai furrowed his brow: “Fu Xiyuan ne—”

Huang Mo: “Sang to the extent of hypoxia.”

The sudden termination of the singing and the loud Q&A between upstairs and downstairs, attracted the zombies back to pound on the window again. The companions ended their conversation and kept silent. After about ten minutes, the tranquility outside the window was gradually restored. Feng Qibai secretly separated a gap between the blinds. Most of the zombies had already left.

“All gone?” Zhao He, who was the furthest away, asked.

“Not yet, but pretty much.” Feng Qibai turned around and sat on the ground again. He felt a lot of emotions in his heart, but when he wanted to pour it all out, all that was left was a sigh, “This fight, ai.”

A throbbing pain suddenly pulsed in his ankle. Qiao Siqi subconsciously rubbed it with his hands and was caught by Song Fei’s sharp gaze.

“Sprained?”

Qiao Siqi didn’t speak and just nodded slightly. In fact, it was already sprained when Yu Zisheng tripped him, though it wasn’t very serious. It didn’t affect him when he fought recklessly, but after resting like this, the painful soreness indicative of a twisted ankle became more distinct.

“Due to him tripping you ba.” Zhou Yilu disdained lightly. Although he was still hung up on it, he was no longer as strongly indignant as before.

“It doesn’t matter anymore.” Qiao Siqi shrugged.

The deceased was gone, good or bad, righteous or wicked, all didn’t matter anymore.

Just in case, after Li Jingyu smashed the zombie to the ground, Wang Qingyuan approached and stabbed it in the head for extra measure. After finishing, he sat down on the spot facing the corpse where he’d be able to see it in its entirety if he just lowered his head.

In fact, he did have his head down the entire time. The keen eyes behind the lens didn’t spare a single detail on the body.

However, it still wasn’t enough.

Sighing helplessly, Wang Qingyuan ultimately gave up and called out to Qi Yan as he raised his head: “This art requires expertise, you’ll have to do it.”

Qi Yan understood, got up and went to Zhao He to retrieve his gloves, then donned them as he strode towards the remains.

Wang Qingyuan made way when he saw him approach.

The location where Li Jingyu smashed it with the wok belonged to the border of their futon, which was the area where the squad resided. Just in case, Qi Yan bunched the clothing at the shoulders of the carcass and dragged it to the other end of the kitchen, which was the empty lot where he had dissected the muscles of the zombie to study its metabolism earlier when they had initially barreled into the canteen.

Over there, Qi Yan stripped the clothing on the cadaver and rinsed away the blood stains with clean water.

Under the rushing liquid, blood-colored liquid flowed towards the floor drain.

Over here, Wang Qingyuan picked up the mop, soaked it, then scrubbed the blood stains on the floor bit by bit.

The rest of the companions exchanged looks and felt like they should also find something to do. Some picked up the pots and pan, some tidied up here and there, and others organized the loot from the Express Pickup Point. As a result, they realized as they cleaned up that the woven bag full of winter clothes that Yu Zisheng was carrying was still beyond the window ne.

That was what Yu Zisheng dropped when he ran over here for the first time and was waiting to enter through the window. After he couldn’t come in, was forced to dash away again, then sprinted back from tripping Qiao Siqi, the bag became forgotten outside. Later, when Song Fei, Qiao Siqi, and Qi Yan returned, they didn’t pay any attention to it, so it became completely abandoned.

Fortunately, there were only two or three zombies as weak as kittens left over. Zhao He went to the window at the other end to lure them away, and Song Fei leapt out to retrieve it easily. At this time, the bag had already toppled over sideways on the ground, completely submerged in the dark shadow cast by the wall, it was no wonder that the three of them didn’t notice it when they made it back.

“Don’t put it back.” Observing that Wu Zhou was about to put the pristinely scrubbed murdering wok back onto the stove, Qiao Siqi, Lin Dilei, Li Jingyu, and Zhou Yilu stopped him in unison.

Wu Zhou was a little confused: “Aren’t there a dozen stoves paired with these industrial woks ma, if you don’t use this one, won’t it be wasted.”

Qiao Siqi: “Nonono!”

Zhou Yilu: “You’re putting it back in such a proper manner, after one or two days, we’d still remember, but what about after three or five?”

Lin Dilei: “It’s very likely that we let our guards down at some point and accidentally use it.”

Wu Zhou: “So what? It was the bottom of the wok that was stained, not the interior, we wouldn’t get infected.”

Qiao Siqi, Zhou Yilu, Lin Dilei: “It’s a psychological block, so. . .”

Li Jingyu: “Please unhand my weapon.”

Zhao He, who had just returned from assisting Song Fei distract the enemy, was met with a strong bear hug from Wu-tongxue. The other party was so emotional and desperate that Zhao He could barely breathe.

“What’s wrong?” Zhao He’s heart was in his throat.

Wu Zhou recalled the four against one and felt infinitely sad and wronged: “Your bro here was bullied. . .”

Zhao He’s face darkened: “Who was it?”

Wu Zhou didn’t spare a single name: “Qiao Siqi, Zhou Yilu, Lin Dilei, Li. . . what was it again, well, anyway, it’s the one that went Hulk with the wok!”

“Oh. . .” Zhao He rubbed the hair of his comrade who wasn’t much shorter than himself and his tone softened: “We won’t lower ourselves to their level.”

Wu Zhou pushed the other away and lifted his face with a dark expression: “Isn’t it a rule in our major that if one of us is tyrannized, a unit will be recruited to beat the other party before right or wrong is determined first!”

Zhao He scanned the sky then surveyed the ground, just avoided looking at Wu Zhou at all costs: “Strictly speaking, we aren’t actually from the same major. . .”

Wu Zhou finally saw the truth and couldn’t help looking down on the other any more than he already had: “That all-rounder Zhao, who wasn’t afraid of the heavens nor hell before, is no longer!”

Zhao He sighed: “All-rounder Zhao isn’t dead, but all-rounder Zhao is only unafraid of the heavens and hell, while the others are directly defying the heavens and hell. Haven’t you seen through their strength?”

Wu Zhou: “. . .”

Zhao He: “I won’t talk about anything else, just mentioning the action of spraying the Hualushui in the winter, would normal people be able to think of it?”

Wu Zhou: “. . .”

Zhao He: “There are also those gas masks and protective goggles. Other than the mentally deranged, who the hell would buy them at school and even purchase ten sets in one go?”

Wu Zhou: “. . .”

Zhao He: “I also noticed a suitcase just now. Dragging a suitcase along when you’re running for your life, what kind of psychological quality is this, laughing in the face of life or death, treating the apocalypse as a vacation.”

Wu Zhou: “. . .”

Zhao He: “Now let’s discuss the singing. . .”

Wu Zhou: “I’ll go help them scour the floor immediately!”

When the kitchen was almost completely tidied up, Qi Yan and Wang Qingyuan also got their results. Yu Zisheng’s body was washed clean and the various wounds all over his body were unveiled. Basically all the marks could be linked with their causes. Such as the lacerations between the fingers from being cut by the spear when it was snatched and the stab wound on the arm, etc. Because the head was bludgeoned into a mess, it wasn’t easy to distinguish, but following the memories of the battle, they could still roughly recall that before being bashed by Li Jingyu, only the corner of the mouth was injured by Qiao Siqi’s fist and that the cheek was punctured when it was pressed against the sink.

Of all of these, only that strike from Qiao Siqi was made before the mutation.

“I’m sure that absolutely no zombie saliva is on my hand.” Qiao Siqi, as the student who cherished being alive the most in Class 1, let alone the fatal matter of getting stained with drool, even coming in contact with a zombie’s clothes would make his heart skip a beat and become engraved in his memories, “It did take a bite of my arm once, but it certainly didn’t touch my hand, and I didn’t touch the place it bit with my hand either.”

The companions who were sitting in a circle looked at Qi Yan and Wang Qingyuan in confusion and waited for the two researchers to offer an explanation.

Wang Qingyuan observed and studied throughout the entire process, occasionally lending a hand, but only as an assistant, so he didn’t express his opinion and just waited for Qi Yan.

“Then there’s only one possibility left.” The latter pondered for a moment then lifted his gaze, “There’s a small wound on the back of its right hand. If this is the source of infection, then it should be from when he hit the zombie with his fist and accidentally got scratched by its teeth. However, because the abrasion was minute, he didn’t notice.”

“So he was still so agile after being infected, because he was only bitten shallowly?” Song Fei still held lingering fears when he thought of the earlier battle.

“Not necessarily,” Luo Geng mulled it over and conjectured, “It should still have something to do with the basic foundation of a body ba. Remember the one who climbed into my dorm room, wasn’t it because of dance practice in the past that the body was still soft and flexible after the mutation. He practiced sports, so the physique was originally much stronger than the rest of us, it’s not surprising that it was still stronger than us after the transition.”

“But he also knew how to dodge and make his head avoid our attacks. He knew to pick Little Landmine and Li Jingyu to strike first too. Is this also related to physical fitness?”

“That. . .” Li Jingyu interrupted Song Fei, “The fact that I am the weakest in our class, to be precise, I even have to be ranked behind Little Landmine, is something that doesn’t have to be constantly stressed.”

Qiao Siqi made a face: “It seems that you are the one emphasizing it yourself.”

Zhou Yilu sighed: “And the highlight was very careful and comprehensive.”

Wang Qingyuan happened to be sitting next to Li Jingyu and patted him on the shoulder comfortingly. He was about to turn his head to join the discussion between Luo Geng and Song Fei, but Qi Yan was one step ahead of him—

“Earlier, on the way to the Express Pickup Point, the zombies in the bushes already knew how to hide when they heard noises or even to ambush us. To a certain extent, they were very similar to Yu Zisheng’s condition after the change.”

Wang Qingyuan was stunned, forgetting what he wanted to say and exclaimed incredulously: “You mean the zombies have evolved?”

“We are constantly enhancing our abilities in battle to adapt to this new environment. Conversely, viruses are the same. They are also adapting to their new environment and improving their survivability.” After saying this, Qi Yan paused, “But there is one point that I am resolute about.”

Wang Qingyuan: “What?”

Qi Yan: “No matter how the virus evolves, it won’t allow zombies to truly possess human wisdom. Whether they could be indifferent to music, learn to ambush, or protect their heads, they are essentially more like beasts seeking advantages while avoiding disadvantages as they hunt.”

Wang Qingyuan stared fixedly at him: “Sometimes, people may not be as cunning as animals, not to mention that they also have fangs and claws.”

The corner of Qi Yan’s lips curved into an arc: “As long as people want to be sly, there is no species in this world that can decimate us.”

Subtle ripples undulated in the hearts of the companions. These obviously weren’t good words, but they inexplicably felt excited ah!

Song-tongxue also felt stormy waves beat against the shores of his heart. After breaking up, still finding that his ex-boyfriend was handsome was a disease, no, it was a f*cking terminal illness!

Every time a new situation cropped up, the companions of Class 1 would sit down and hold a seminar like this and were accustomed to such actions. But this was the first time the Class 2 students participated. The serious, lively, united, and tense atmosphere of the meeting left a deep impression and they benefited a lot as well. He Zhiwen had even asked to borrow a pen and half a piece of paper from Class 1—The companions only departed from the supermarket with one small notebook thus tearing out a page was one page less making them economical about it whether it was for personal use or if they were lending it to others—He jotted down the key points, preparing to bring Huang Mo and Fu Xiyuan up to speed when they returned.

It was late at night, the temperature dropped, and there were no more zombies beyond the window.

The four classmates of Class 2 returned safely using the ropes dropped down by their class along with the spoils of war they brought back from the Express Pickup Point.

The eight companions in Class 1 each shook and spread out a piece of clothing to isolate the cold. Some made the bed, others washed up, only Qi Yan was left behind at one end staring at Yu Zisheng’s remains in a daze.

Who knew when it started, any business related to the zombies had become Qi Yan’s exclusive field. The entire process of cleaning, checking, and discarding the corpse was part of his domain.

With a sigh, Qi Yan walked to where the head of the body rested, bent down, put his hands under its armpits and hauled it upwards. The corpse that should only have had its upper body separate from the floor suddenly had its entire body removed from it. Qi Yan keenly noticed the shift in the weight on his hands and when he raised his head, he found that it was Song Fei who suddenly came over at some unknown time to lift the feet.

“Why are you looking at me,” Song Fei was amused by Qi Yan’s silly expression, “Let’s go ah.”

Qi Yan returned to his senses and hurriedly approached the window.

Song Fei cooperated in coordinating with him and moved it bit by bit.

One may not necessarily be unable to retreat from a grand large-scale battle completely unscathed, but in the moment of rest and respite, death stuck to them like a shadow. Yu Zisheng’s transformation not only brought about a hard fight, but it also made them unable to dare relax for even a moment. Their tense nerves during every minute and every second made them feel suffocated.

Qi Yan wasn’t sure how long they’d be able to hold on, but he hoped that this transient tranquility could be maintained longer, even just a bit longer: “We all need to be fine.”

Song Fei shook his head and bared his teeth: “It’s not need, it’s will.”

Qi Yan was taken aback and then he smiled. It was shallow, but the gentleness reached his eyes.

Song Fei turned his head away and hated that he wasn’t a referee—This sort of smile should absolutely be marked as a foul. It should cause a yellow card to be issued and any more should trigger a red card to be sent off!

The two threw the corpse out the window with their combined forces and happened to hear Qiao Siqi and Zhou Yilu deliberate in hushed voices when they shut the window—

Qiao Siqi: “Why do I have to lure the zombies away every time? Could it be that the more worn, the greater the responsibility?”

Zhou Yilu: “No.”

Qiao Siqi: “The lighter the weight, the greater the responsibility?”

Zhou Yilu: “Also not it.”

Qiao Siqi: “The faster the running speed, the greater the responsibility?”

Zhou Yilu: “Definitely not. You can’t just view a problem so shallowly, we aren’t so superficial!”

Qiao Siqi: “Then what is the reason in the end ah?”

Zhou Yilu: “The greater the wealth, the greater the responsibility.”

Qiao Siqi: “. . .”

The friendly chat developed into a huddle with indecent and improper actions of beating and tearing each other apart in between.

Song Fei retracted his gaze, was silent for a long time and whispered: “I think he tripped Qiao Siqi.”

Qi Yan contemplated it for a while and expressed ambiguously: “Perhaps ba.”

“That’s true,” Song Fei smiled bitterly, slightly embarrassed, “The person has already passed on, so it’s pointless to pursue these matters any further.”

Qi Yan grabbed hold of Song Fei who wanted to go back.

Song Fei raised his eyebrow in confusion.

Qi Yan stated quietly: “No matter if he tripped Qiao Siqi or not, if he didn’t run back when Qiao Siqi fell, if he had chosen rescue like you did, maybe he wouldn’t have run into that zombie when he climbed the window, maybe he wouldn’t necessarily have returned with a punch, and wouldn’t. . . have been infected.”

Song Fei shook his head: “Even if he had a second chance, he still wouldn’t have saved Qiao Siqi. In the face of danger, giving himself priority, from the dormitory to the supermarket, from the supermarket to the canteen, was what he had abided by all along.”

“That’s why I said if.” Qi Yan looked into Song Fei’s eyes and lamented softly, “However in this world, there is no such thing as if.”

In the same desperate situation, in order to survive, some would choose cruelty, while others chose conscience. There was no way to judge which was more effective because both could create opportunities for survival while interspersed with danger.

It can only be said that we have to be responsible for our own choices.

An emergency meeting examining evolution, ruminating over hypotheticals brings an exhalation!

The translator has something to say: the uncomfortable feeling of seeing someone getting their just desserts in such a cruel way. . .