There were eight men in front of them—young, strong, all armed. But the most terrifying part wasn't their weapons. It was the trail of dead bodies Chu Yian and Lu Qingyuan had just passed on the way here.
It was very likely these men had already killed someone.
Chu Yian's face went pale.
She and Lu Qingyuan didn't stand a chance against eight trained-looking guys.
She made a quick decision: give up the goods, save their lives.
"Hey brothers… listen," she said quickly, forcing a nervous smile. "We couldn't survive in the building anymore. We're just trying to get out to the countryside, stay with relatives. The suitcase is all supplies. Just let us keep a little food for the road—everything else is yours."
"Hah! Finally, someone with a bit of sense,"
the man in front laughed, giving her a look that made her skin crawl.
Chu Yian immediately had a very bad feeling.
"If this was yesterday,"
he said, dragging out the pause,
"maybe I'd have let you go. But now…"
His grin twisted into a snarl.
"I'm infected. Already a dead man walking. If I'm going down, I'm dragging someone down with me!"
Only then did Chu Yian realize—none of them were wearing masks!
Too late.
The man and his crew lunged.
"Teacher Lu, RUN!"
Chu Yian screamed, bolting forward without hesitation.
It wasn't betrayal—it was survival. In that split second, she couldn't afford to think of anything else.
She ran and ran, not daring to look back—
Until she realized…
No one was chasing her.
She turned around—
Only to see Lu Qingyuan standing alone, holding his Fangtian Huaji, blocking all eight of them.
No—fighting all eight of them. Alone.
He looked like a figure from a historical epic.
Like Lü Bu reborn, standing tall in the face of a mob.
In ancient times, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei fought Lü Bu three-on-one.
Now, in modern times—Teacher Lu was going one-on-eight.
Chu Yian stood frozen, watching him move.
With a powerful thrust, Lu Qingyuan stabbed the halberd straight into the ringleader's chest.
In just thirty seconds, two of the eight were down.
The remaining six stared in shock—completely overwhelmed by the speed and ferocity of the attack.
They looked at each other—then panicked and scattered like rats.
Lu Qingyuan turned to Chu Yian, who had run back in time to witness the end.
"Let's go."
No one dared stop them.
Lu Qingyuan walked to his car—a spacious, low-profile SUV.
He tossed in the suitcase and the halberd, got in with Chu Yian, and drove off.
No one dared block their path.
Under the cover of night, theirs was the only vehicle to leave the compound.
Behind them, dark windows watched.
In those shadows, people were suffering, committing crimes, or sitting in silence, hoping desperately that they wouldn't be next.
Chu Yian glanced in the rearview mirror.
It was the first time in over ten days that she had left the compound—and she knew, without a doubt, she would never return.
The SUV merged onto a main road.
The dim streetlamps cast long, eerie shadows, and the trees on either side looked like clawing monsters.
They passed a wrecked car, still abandoned at the roadside.
No one had touched it.
More and more dark, strange creatures crept along the asphalt. When the headlights approached, they scattered, vanishing into the dark.
Chu Yian sat in silence for a long time, then finally asked the question:
"Teacher Lu… where are we even going?"
"My place."
"You have a house?"
She said it reflexively.
Lu Qingyuan gave her a sharp look.
"No, no—I meant, if you had your own place, why were you renting that unit in the compound?"
"Storage."
He said simply.
"Just moved stuff in when the outbreak hit and everything locked down."
Lu Qingyuan's real residence was in a villa district in the western suburbs—about a 40-minute drive away.
The road grew darker and emptier.
Here and there, they passed people lying on benches, on the grass, or sprawled on the road.
In the darkness, it was impossible to tell if they were sleeping… or dead.
And frankly, neither of them wanted to know.
Eventually, they pulled into a secluded driveway.
The moment the car approached, Lu Qingyuan swiped across the vehicle's touchscreen—
And the pitch-black villa lit up like a beacon.
The gates opened automatically, welcoming the return of its owner.
The level of high-tech automation left Chu Yian stunned.
After the car rolled into the garage, Lu Qingyuan led her outside to the garden.
He turned on an outdoor faucet—clear water flowed freely.
He handed her the hose.
"Spray me down."
His protective suit was stained with the blood of the infected.
Chu Yian nodded and carefully hosed him off, making sure to rinse every spot.
Then she handed the hose back and turned around so he could wash her too.
She hadn't fought, so the only real risk was the bottom of her shoes.
(After all, she'd run like hell earlier.)
Lu Qingyuan glanced at her spotless suit.
He sighed, but still gave her a rinse.
When he was about to start taking off the hazmat suit, she stopped him.
"Wait!"
She ran back and grabbed the Fangtian Huaji, washed the blood off it, and dried everything thoroughly.
Then she pulled out a bottle of disinfectant from her backpack.
She sprayed them both down until they reeked of sodium hypochlorite, then finally felt safe enough to step inside.
"First floor is the living room and guest rooms.
Second floor's my office and study.
Third floor's my bedroom."
Lu Qingyuan gave her a quick rundown.
"You'll stay in the guest room. There's an intercom inside—call me if you need anything."
"Okay, sounds good!"
Chu Yian nodded earnestly.
She looked around the enormous house, stunned that anyone still used intercom phones inside their own home.
Apparently, Teacher Lu was loaded.
By the time everything was settled, it was already 4 a.m.
Chu Yian picked a guest room, showered, and collapsed into the soft, luxurious bed.
She took a deep breath… and fell asleep instantly.
Sleep had never felt so good.
No matter what came next—it could wait until morning.
Meanwhile, on the third floor, the master bedroom lights remained on.
What Lu Qingyuan was doing in there…
No one knew.
Game: Day Eighteen
Chu Yian didn't wake up until midday.
After days of fear and anxiety, last night had been the first peaceful sleep she'd had in forever.
And of course—she was now starving.
She wandered downstairs and eventually found the kitchen.
She glanced toward the upper floors—felt awkward rummaging through someone else's house—and decided to call Lu Qingyuan.
He picked up almost immediately.
"What is it?"
"Teacher Lu, it's already noon. Mind if I use your kitchen?
I'll whip up something for both of us."