In the top-floor room of the school building， the teachers and a few villagers were tending to the wounded.
Some say that when three women get together， it's like a hundred ducks quacking. In the corner， there were 200 ducks chatting，“I just got angry with my husband this morning. He never helps with the chores. Even if the oil bottle at home falls over， he won't pick it up. I'm almost ready to divorce that lazy bum， but now I just want to go home and cook him a meal!” Her voice carried a mix of helplessness and tenderness.
“Yeah!” another woman said，“Every day something bad happens to me. Today， a bird pooped on my head， and tomorrow， the clothes I hung out to dry will be blown away. Every time， I get angry for half a day， but now， I feel like I'm just a boring woman who complains about nothing!” Her tone was full of self-mockery.
“Isn't it strange? Normally， when I see a wolf， I get scared to death. Today， that wolf was so close to me…” She gestured with her hands to illustrate，“I wasn't scared at all!” Her eyes sparkled with a mix of surprise and confusion.
“Ladies， keep your voices down. There are injured people here. Go outside if you want to chat!” a male villager said with a smile. His voice was deep and gentle， trying to ease the atmosphere. The women rolled their eyes at him and then moved to another room， continuing their chatter， leaving him shaking his head in resignation.
Dan lay on a makeshift bed of desks， his chest， arms， and legs wrapped like a mummy， yet he still grinned， boasting loudly about his exploits to the girls around him.
“Ha! Did you see that punch of mine? Sent that bastard flying!“
Sitting in the corner， A-Lai's arm burned with pain， already bandaged in pristine white. He felt lucky today—just in time， that special girl was nearby. Being classmates， it was natural for her to tend to his wounds. She was cleaning his shoulder wound， the antiseptic stinging and making A-Lai wince slightly.
“Does it hurt?“ she asked， slowing her movements and looking apologetic.
“Not at all!“ A-Lai smiled understandingly， his heart racing faster than during the fight， a warm sweetness welling up inside him.“She really cares about me，“ he thought.
Dan watched jealously as the girl tended to A-Lai's wounds with delicate precision， comparing it to the rough， bark-like hands of the old woman quickly bandaging him. His envy and bitterness grew.
“Hey， girl， after you finish with A-Lai， could you bandage me too?“ Dan said， grinning cheekily.
The girl glanced at Dan， her face flushed with anger.“If it weren't for you， A-Lai wouldn't be hurt. How dare you ask me to bandage you?!“ She returned to tending A-Lai，“Be more careful next time， don't just charge in recklessly!“
“Yeah，“ A-Lai blushed， avoiding her gaze， though her hair brushed against his face， its fragrance filling his senses， making him miss her words entirely.
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“Fools have their own kind of luck!“ Dan sighed loudly， jealousy evident in his voice.
The girl shot Dan a glare， packed up her things， and softly told A-Lai，“Come by the classroom later. I brought some treats， including some for you!“ With that， she left.
Dan's ears perked up at the mention of treats， his mouth watering as he called after her，“Do I get some too?“ But she didn't even look back.
A-Lai looked at the pretty bow on his bandage， feeling conflicted. After a moment， he stood to leave but then turned to Dan.
“Dan， do you think Master will come?“
“Brother， I don't know if Master will come， but I know she definitely likes you!“ Dan said， winking.
“Stop joking!“ A-Lai's face turned red as he nervously glanced around， only relaxing when he saw the girl had disappeared inside.
Dan laughed heartily，“I also know you definitely like her!“ All the troubles of young love were written plainly on his face.
Suddenly， three distant， thunderous chimes echoed through the night sky， and the countdown clock reset to 60 minutes. Everyone stared at the sky in fear， as if awaiting their fate.
Outside， the air buzzed with the sound of countless mosquitoes coming from all directions. A-Lai anxiously looked out the window. Dan's expression changed as he urged A-Lai，“Hurry back to the classroom and protect your classmates!“
“What about you?“
“Don't worry， I won't die!“ Dan sat up， stretching his limbs as if fully recovered.
As A-Lai reached the door， Dan called out，“A-Lai， stay alive!“
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All the surveillance devices focused outside the school building， where the sky was thick with flying machines. Unlike Earth's drones， these were metal discs， the size of a bowl， spinning rapidly. Equipped with surveillance and computing equipment on their undersides， and metal legs for agile movement on the ground， these autonomous killing machines were seeking attack angles to begin their slaughter.
Mr. Kim stood before the observation screen， a cold smile playing on his lips. He had always admired the precision and ruthlessness of machinery， and these aerial killers were his ideal tools.“The design is simply perfect，“ he said，“killers that follow you like shadows. There are hundreds of these machines surrounding the building now; it's chilling.“ His eyes narrowed as he scanned the survivors on the screen， a sneer of disdain crossing his face.“Look at the odds. It seems no one has much hope for these survivors.“
Caron added fuel to the fire，“These aerial killers can easily slice through 5 millimeters of iron. I saw one turn a fat guy into sausage slices. Just thinking about it makes me sick.“ His eyes glinted with mischief as he raised his voice，“And our opponents? A bunch of primitive natives. What are their weapons? Table legs? Books?“ His remark drew a burst of raucous laughter， and Caron felt quite pleased with his humor. Yet， deep down， he felt a twinge of unease—these“primitive natives” had already proven their resilience and cunning.
As the countdown clock ticked past five minutes， the aerial killers couldn't wait any longer. A few of them shattered the first-floor windows and stormed into the building. The first floor was mostly empty， with most villagers gathered on the third and fourth floors. The principal， sweating with anxiety， had been directing everyone to turn over tables and use them to block the windows， moving room by room with warnings.
Upon hearing the sound of breaking glass， A-Lai knew trouble was coming. Responding to the principal's loud calls from upstairs， he and his classmates quickly constructed defenses with desks and chairs in the precious few minutes they had. Soon， the air around them was filled with the sound of wind whistling and the gleam of cold metal. The aerial killers， like harbingers of death， flew toward the windows with relentless menace. These intelligent flying machines hooked their slender metal legs onto the boards and window frames， their spinning discs cutting through anything that stood in their way.