Although the cafeteria's rolling shutter was already closed, the monsters gathered outside showed no signs of leaving. They hammered against the aluminum alloy door with their bodies and weapons, the sharp, deafening noise ringing out incessantly.
Before anyone could get a clear look at Tong Yang, they noticed the bloodied hand reaching for her from behind. If that hand dragged her into the horde of monsters, it went without saying—Tong Yang would be dead.
Thud!
Amidst the stunned silence, Tong Yang swung her spiked club, smashing the hand into a gory mess. A severed finger tumbled to the ground, leaving behind a vivid trail of blood.
"Ah!"
The crowd scrambled backward, terrified of getting any of the filth on themselves.
Tong Yang leaped down from the window and landed in front of them.
"Tong-jie, are you okay?" Sun Ye asked, trembling.
Tong Yang shook her head. "I'm fine."
"Do you know something? What the hell is going on?"
"Why is the school empty? And why does it look completely different?"
Perhaps because Tong Yang had remained eerily calm since the incident began, accepting the bizarre rules without question, everyone’s eyes turned to her.
Ignoring the dozens of desperate gazes, Tong Yang walked through the crowd and took a seat on a chair. She set down her backpack, pulled out a brand-new notebook and a pen, then looked up at them.
"Those things outside won’t get in for a while. Before I answer your questions, line up and pay me the 200-yuan service fee."
"Are you serious? This is life or death, and you’re still thinking about money?"
"Tong Yang, our priority is dealing with those things outside!"
Tong Yang shrugged. "Mostly, I’m worried you’ll die before paying me."
"Holy shit! Don’t say it like that! There are so many of us—if we stick together, we should be fine, right?"
"Yeah, and those things outside just look scary. They’re not actually that strong."
Tong Yang sighed regretfully. "Fine, consider it an IOU."
"Ask away."
Her unshakable composure left the others both frustrated and speechless. The monsters outside could break in at any moment!
"What is this place?"
Tong Yang answered, "A parallel dimension? Or maybe Third High School decades in the future."
"Parallel dimension? What kind of nonsense is that? Have you been watching too many horror movies?"
"But this really does feel like something out of a horror movie..."
"Why are we even here?"
Tong Yang said, "No idea."
She genuinely didn’t know how they’d ended up in this place.
"Are those things outside human or ghosts?"
"No idea."
"Why do they keep moving even after we kill them?"
"Maybe they’re not dead yet. You didn’t hit the vital spots."
"How do we get out of here?"
Tong Yang paused before replying, "Maybe if we survive until after the college entrance exams, we can go back."
"Wait a minute—doesn’t that mean we’re missing in the original world? Won’t the school call the police to look for us? Maybe once they find us, we can leave!"
Tong Yang didn’t agree. According to the news in the gossip group about the terrorist attack, only their corpses had been found. That meant neither the school nor the police knew they’d disappeared during the exam. And based on the original timeline, all thirty-three examinees present were destined to die on June 7th.
"Don’t get your hopes up. If you want to go back, focus on surviving until tomorrow afternoon."
Boom!
Suddenly, a heavy thud echoed from the back of the crowd.
Terrified, everyone turned to see a mangled, flesh-torn figure rolling in through the window Tong Yang had smashed open. Its right leg was severely damaged, twisted as if someone had snapped it in half. The grotesque creature expressionlessly pulled itself up, gripping a sharp weapon tightly as it dragged itself toward them—its ghastly appearance surpassing even the most vengeful spirits.
Meanwhile, more bloodied figures were climbing through the window.
The sight made everyone suck in a sharp breath, instinctively retreating.
Tong Yang glanced at their reactions and lazily yawned. "What are you standing around for? This is a golden opportunity. They’re coming in one by one—easy pickings."
"Damn it! Don’t act all high and mighty! If you’re so tough, why don’t you kill them? Ugh—!"
"I’m your creditor," Tong Yang said, packing her things and slinging her backpack over her shoulder. "But if you want me to do it, 300 yuan per kill."
"You’re seriously obsessed with money."
Chu Shiyu watched Tong Yang’s nonchalant demeanor with mixed emotions. Faced with such danger, she remained unshaken, as if she had everything under control—no trace of fear or panic.
Even in this unbelievable situation, she acted no differently than usual, making Chu Shiyu feel all the more childish for the petty schemes she’d once plotted against her.
And, though she didn’t know how to put it… she thought this version of Tong Yang was incredible.
"Sun Ye, show them how it’s done," Tong Yang commanded lazily, reclining in her chair.
Sun Ye flinched at his name, his face twisting in misery. Despite his terror and reluctance, he shakily picked up the machete Tong Yang had thrown in earlier. The handle was slick with sticky blood, reeking of iron. Disgusted, he wrinkled his nose and hesitantly approached the gory monster.
Standing before it, his hands trembled violently. He raised the machete but couldn’t bring himself to swing, staring at the creature’s mangled face as nausea churned in his gut.
"Pathetic," Tong Yang scoffed. "Any slower, and the next one’ll be inside."
"I—I can’t do it…" Sun Ye whimpered.
Just then, Chu Shiyu, who had been standing at the back of the crowd, suddenly strode forward. She snatched the machete from Sun Ye’s hands, bit her lower lip, and—with only the slightest tremor—swung it down hard on the monster’s neck.
Squelch!
The blade cleaved through flesh, sending blood spraying across her face. The decapitated head thudded to the ground, rolling into the crowd.
After finishing the motion, she abruptly turned to look at Tong Yang.
Tong Yang raised an eyebrow, surprised. The pampered young miss, who’d never lifted a finger for menial work, was far more useful than Sun Ye.
"Not bad. Next one’s coming in."
At the praise, Chu Shiyu flushed slightly. "It—it wasn’t hard."
Perhaps inspired by his crush’s bravery, Sun Ye suddenly felt a surge of determination. Grabbing the weapon from the corpse, he spun around and stabbed the next monster crawling through the window.
With Chu Shiyu and Sun Ye leading by example, the others tentatively picked up weapons and attacked the endless stream of monsters. Since only one could come through the window at a time, they hacked away at each one that dropped in. Learning from earlier, they struck harder this time—making sure the creatures wouldn’t get back up.
When the commotion outside finally died down, the cafeteria had turned into a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. Flesh and gore were scattered everywhere, the air thick with the pungent stench of iron—yet they seemed accustomed to the smell, unfazed by the horror before them, even maintaining an eerie calm.
"Finally, it's over!"
"My arms are sore from all that hacking."
"Damn it, I’m never playing zombie games again. This is exhausting."
Just as everyone began to relax, searching for a quiet corner to rest, they noticed Tong Yang—who had initially been close by—had moved to a spot untouched by the bloodshed. There, head bowed, he was scribbling furiously on paper.
Curious, they approached and found several test papers spread across the table, densely covered in... equations!!
