“Wait, bro, hold on! Don’t rush to the supermarket just yet!” Wang Han grabbed Jiang Ye’s arm, panting heavily. “Can we take a break? I’m out of breath from all that running earlier! I’m not some monster like you with superhuman stamina.”

Jiang Ye stopped in his tracks and looked at Wang Han’s exhausted face with a hint of exasperation. Sheathing his Lingfeng Sword, he replied calmly, “Fine, let’s rest for a bit. But not too long—the outside world won’t wait for us.”

Wang Han collapsed into a chair, gasping for air. He grabbed a bag of chips from the table, tore it open, and shoved a piece into his mouth. “Man, you’re not even human, are you? You run so fast even the zombies can’t keep up with you.”

Jiang Ye tossed him a bottle of water and remarked, “The difference is, I trained for twenty years while you avoided every chance to move. Maybe try running more?”

“Yeah, yeah, mock me all you want.” Wang Han grinned while munching on chips. “But hey, at least I’m contributing as the team’s stable energy reserve.”

“Eat less.” Jiang Ye didn’t humor his joke, instead turning to check the supplies in the room. He organized a few bottles of water, two sodas, and some spare food into a bag. “Pack everything useful. We’ll need it.”

Wang Han swung the metal pipe in his hand and sighed. “Bro, this thing’s barely useful. If I face another zombie, I might as well wave a twig at them.”

Jiang Ye glanced at him and then turned toward the door. “There’s a fire safety box in the stairwell. I’ll see if it has a fire axe.”

“You want me to come with you?” Wang Han offered, sounding a little uneasy.

“You stay here and organize the supplies. Take the chance to rest a bit more,” Jiang Ye said as he unsheathed his Lingfeng Sword and cautiously stepped out of the room.

The dormitory corridor was eerily quiet, with only the faint sound of wind rustling outside. Jiang Ye’s footsteps were light and deliberate, his body taut and ready for action.

At the stairwell, he found the fire safety box intact. Using the hilt of his sword, he carefully shattered the glass and pulled out the fire axe. Testing its weight and balance, he nodded in approval. “This will do.”

After ensuring there were no nearby threats, Jiang Ye quickly returned to the room.

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“You really brought it back?” Wang Han’s eyes lit up as he grabbed the axe and gave it a few swings. “This thing feels solid! Finally, something I can actually use.”

“Don’t get cocky,” Jiang Ye warned. “This is for surviving, not showing off.”

Wang Han laughed but soon grew serious. “Bro… what about our parents? What if the same thing is happening back in China?”

Jiang Ye hesitated, then suggested, “Try calling. Maybe we can get through.”

The two each dialed their parents’ numbers, their hands trembling slightly. Wang Han stared at his phone as it rang endlessly with no answer.

“It’s probably because it’s the middle of the night over there,” he said, forcing a weak smile. “They might not even know what’s happening here.”

Jiang Ye’s call went unanswered as well. Taking a deep breath, he switched to voicemail and left a message:

“Dad, Mom, it’s Jiang Ye. There’s been an outbreak here. People are turning into zombies. I’m okay for now, and I’m still alive. Please call me back when you hear this. Stay safe.”

Wang Han followed suit:

“Dad, Mom, I’m fine, don’t worry about me. But please, if you get this, call me back.”

After putting down their phones, the room fell silent. Wang Han finally broke the quiet, his voice low. “What if… they’re already…”

“Don’t think about it.” Jiang Ye’s tone was firm, almost commanding. “Worrying doesn’t help. We don’t know anything yet. We’ll just have to wait.”

Wang Han bit his lip, then asked softly, “But if something has happened to them… what can we do?”

Jiang Ye’s gaze turned sharp, his voice steady: “We focus on surviving. If we can’t keep ourselves alive, there’s no way we can help anyone else.”

Wang Han exhaled deeply and picked up his backpack, gripping the fire axe tightly. “Fine, you’re the boss. But man, your heart is cold as steel.”

Jiang Ye didn’t respond. Instead, he sat cross-legged on the floor, closed his eyes, and began meditating. His breathing slowed, and a subtle energy flowed through his body as he adjusted his internal balance.

Despite his rational mind telling him that the zombies were no longer human, the image of slaying them lingered in his thoughts. Blood and severed bodies flashed through his memory, weighing on him heavily.

“Stay calm,” Jiang Ye told himself silently. “If you lose focus, you won’t survive.”

After about ten minutes, he opened his eyes. His expression was steadier, his mind clearer. Standing up, he looked at Wang Han. “Ready?”

“Let’s go,” Wang Han replied, patting his backpack. “This time, I’ll try not to slow you down.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it.” Jiang Ye adjusted his sword and backpack, then headed for the door.

As they stepped into the corridor, a distant growl echoed from somewhere in the building. Wang Han tightened his grip on the fire axe and asked nervously, “Bro, do you think these zombies will… evolve? Like in movies, where they get faster and stronger?”

Jiang Ye paused, glanced back at him, and said plainly, “I don’t know.”

After a brief moment of silence, he added, “But if novels and movies are any indication… they’ll only get stronger.”

Wang Han opened his mouth to reply but stopped, a heavy sigh escaping him instead. Without another word, he followed Jiang Ye, the two of them disappearing down the shadowed hallway as the looming threats of the apocalypse grew ever closer.