Chapter 11: Each Displaying Their Unique Skills

Jiang Yao forced a smile. “What a coincidence.”

As she spoke, she surveyed the surroundings. The study room was quite spacious, currently holding about a dozen people gathered in small groups. Their faces were listless, showing little emotional reaction to their arrival.

Curious, someone approached. “Did you come from outside? What’s the situation at school? Has anyone come to rescue us?”

The bespectacled young man finished speaking, and others quickly wore hopeful expressions.

It was clear they were trapped in the library, with little knowledge of the outside world.

Under their gaze, Jiang Yao shook her head slowly and said, “We came from the girls’ dormitory’s north campus. There hasn’t been any rescue. I think everywhere in the country is overwhelmed right now, and everyone has to fend for themselves.”

Disappointment gradually filled their eyes.

Jiang Yao turned to Xiang Yu, frowning. “You’ve been here all this time? You have so many people — why haven’t you all worked together to find a way out?”

Conditions here were harsher than in the girls’ dormitory—no water, no food. Staying long-term wasn’t an option.

Xiang Yu’s eyes were complicated. “We tried, but...”

“With so many zombies outside, it’s not easy to break through. Besides...” Xie Huaili picked up her words, tapping his fingers lightly on the back of his hand, his eyes shadowed with secrets. “There’s something strange about this building.”

Jiang Yao and Ji Yuanyuan were both taken aback.

Jiang Yao noticed the subtle fear in everyone’s expressions.

Ji Yuanyuan naively asked, “What kind of strange?”

Xiang Yu took a deep breath. “We’ve organized escape attempts more than once. Each time, when we finally reach the door, we find ourselves back where we started.”

Jiang Yao’s eyes flickered with suspicion. “You mean like a ghost trap?”

“Something like that.”

Ji Yuanyuan shivered and clung tightly to Jiang Yao’s arm, nervously glancing around. “Ghosts? Where are the ghosts? We shouldn’t talk nonsense! We have to be scientific!”

Xie Huaili raised an eyebrow. “Do you think zombies are scientific?”

Ji Yuanyuan was speechless.

Now that he mentioned it, it didn’t sound very scientific.

The atmosphere suddenly fell silent.

Jiang Yao hesitated for a moment. “Could there be another reason?”

She still found the ghost explanation too mystical.

Xie Huaili said cryptically, “You’ll know when night falls.”

“Why wait until night?”

The bespectacled young man analyzed seriously. “From our observation, zombies are less active after dark. Their reactions and speed become sluggish.”

“More importantly, the library’s magnetic field becomes chaotic at night.”

He pulled out a compass from his pocket, staring seriously as the needle spun wildly. For a moment, he looked like a mystic.

Jiang Yao and Ji Yuanyuan were deeply impressed.

Ji Yuanyuan cautiously asked, “What’s your major?”

“Physics, Class of 2018. Dou Zimo.”

Ji Yuanyuan breathed a sigh of relief. That made sense; their school didn’t have a feng shui department.

Jiang Yao pondered quietly. Her system’s store seemed to sell feng shui compasses. History majors needed to study archaeology, which involved some feng shui theory.

But those tools were quite expensive.

...

Jiang Yao and Ji Yuanyuan had brought plenty of food, and each shared some with Xiang Yu. After all, all the supplies came from their dormitory, so everyone deserved a share.

As for the others, Jiang Yao showed no mercy. Even if their hungry eyes pierced like daggers, she simply ignored them.

They were hungry, yes, but not starving to the point of chaos. Order had not broken down, and no one had tried to steal.

If anyone did, Jiang Yao wouldn’t hesitate to make an example.

The three of them hid in a corner, barely filling their stomachs as they waited for nightfall.

During this time, Jiang Yao befriended a sophomore history major with a completely different skill: communicating with relics. The definition of “relic” was broad—as long as the object was old enough.

Jiang Yao found this fascinating and realized that even within the same major, everyone’s abilities varied.

As dusk settled, the library quieted.

Footsteps rustled in the corridors. Clearly, many shared their intent to attempt a nighttime escape.

A light flickered on. Jiang Yao turned to see Dou Zimo handing out his homemade flashlights.

Having a physics major was a real boon—no worries about power.

Everyone huddled close and tiptoed out of the study room.

Many others did the same in the hallways.

Jiang Yao thought, no need to worry about blending in with zombies—they were obvious. The sneaky, furtive ones were clearly students.

Compared to them, zombies were brazen, roaring and lunging at any sound.

Strength in numbers gave them courage. With some experience fighting zombies, everyone used their skills to take down the nearby undead.

Jiang Yao wielded a wrench skillfully. Nighttime zombies were indeed easier to handle, and with her enhanced stamina, their attacks seemed slowed down.

“Don’t get careless.”

Xie Huaili’s teasing voice came from nearby. She focused, offering no retort.

Before they knew it, they reached the first floor.

In the lobby, zombies wandered like corpses, sluggishly glancing toward the staircase at the noise.

“Heh heh.”

The undead gathered enthusiastically.

“That’s quite a crowd!”

The dense mass of bodies gave goosebumps.

Charging blindly into melee was impossible.

Jiang Yao exhaled slowly. She hadn’t used her skill yet.

Watching the zombies climbing the stairs, she said firmly, “It’s do or die.”

Dou Zimo, unaware of her skill, looked surprised. “You even shout slogans before fighting? This lady knows how to rally people!”

Jiang Yao was speechless.

She had no time for jokes, eyes fixed on the zombies.

The first three zombies froze in confusion.

The rest were frustrated, stomping their feet, wishing they could slap the blockers aside.

“Move aside if you’re not eating!”

Xie Huaili moved swiftly and plunged a scalpel neatly into a zombie’s brain.

Others snapped out of it and started using their own abilities.

Ji Yuanyuan sang loudly, “Under the bridge in front of the door, a group of ducks swim by, come quickly, count them, two, four, six, seven, eight...”

Xiang Yu calmly recited legal code: “Article 234 of the Criminal Law: Intentional bodily harm shall be punished with imprisonment of up to three years, criminal detention, or control...”

Dou Zimo muttered physics formulas one after another.

Setting aside their predicament, the scene was oddly comical.

Jiang Yao covered her ears, swinging the wrench harder.

God only knew why a music major like Ji Yuanyuan only knew children’s songs!