Chapter 226: Chapter 208

n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Jun Zishu had noticed that some of the zombies had already made it through the windows when she fled back into the corridor, so she promptly said to the others:

“Block the door.”

Everyone else nodded and leaned their backs against the iron door. Shortly after they did so, the sound of nails scratching against the iron door came from the other side, the harsh noise causing everyone to get goosebumps.

In addition to scratching, the zombies also rammed their bodies against the door, causing the door to shake one time after another. Although the door was a one-way door that opened into the stall area, the girls still pressed their backs against the door, hoping that they could dampen the force of the impacts with their bodies even by a little. After all, it’d be their death if those monsters broke through the door.

Fortunately, the door was opaque, and the girls had sprayed themselves with a thick layer of cologne. After the zombies on the other side failed to sense any prey for some time, they eventually stopped assaulting the door and scattered.

Once the danger was over, Liu Manman and the others slid to the floor, cold sweat covering their foreheads.

“That scared the hell out of me.”

“I nearly thought we were goners.”

Liu Manman and the others spoke in soft voices, worried that they might alert the zombies on the other side of the door.

Meanwhile, Jun Zishu went to the kitchen to grab a water bottle. Then, after taking a few mouthfuls from it, she passed the bottle to Ren Nanying.

When Ren Nanying touched the bottle’s mouth with her lips, she inadvertently thought about how she was sharing an indirect kiss with Jun Zishu. However, she quickly shook that thought out of her head and took several large gulps of water, quenching the thirst she built up.

There were only two quilts but five people. Fortunately, all five of them were girls, so they could simply squeeze together when they slept.

With their sleeping problem solved, what they needed to consider next was food.

Similar to lunch, they continued to have microwaved steamed buns for dinner. Lin Su also picked up the spatula to stir-fry some vegetables.

Based on her previous inspection of the kitchen, Lin Su found a pot of peeled peas in the refrigerator. Fortunately, power was still available at this time, so everything in the refrigerator remained edible.

Liu Manman moved the peas out of the refrigerator. Although there was meat inside the refrigerator, none of them dared to eat it. After all, nobody knew how long the meat had been there already, and the food court’s meat always had a strange taste.

“It’d be great if this bowl of beans could turn into Peashooters. We’d be able to use them to beat those zombies outside in that case,” Liu Manman said in a melancholy tone as she stared at the peas.

“In that case, I want to plant some potatoes to block the door,” Xu Qiu said as she pointed at the bag of potatoes in front of her.[1]

“Stop dreaming. You guys speak as if you have sunflowers. Hurry up and bring the peas to me,” Lin Su said as she rolled her eyes at her silly friends.

Jun Zishu chuckled a little at this sight.

“Actually, I prefer the Snow Pea more,” Ren Nanying said. She felt that the Snow Pea was much more powerful than the standard Peashooter.

“I think Chili Free is good as well,” Jun Zishu added her own two cents.

Unfortunately, real life was different from the Plants versus Zombies game. They didn’t have any Sunflowers they could collect Suns from. They also didn’t have any way of transforming peas into Peashooters.

Instead of fantasizing about impossible situations, it’d be better if they faced reality. So, after a short round of bantering, the five girls began eating their steamed buns and stir-fry peas.

After dinner, Liu Manman, Lin Su, and Xu Qiu took on the responsibility of doing the dishes once more. Then, once everything was taken care of, the girls spread the two quilts across the kitchen floor and sat on them. Both of the quilts came in two layers; a thin one and a thick one. So, they used the thick layer to cover the floor and the thin layer as blankets.

The nights gradually got colder, but it wasn’t exactly unbearable when everyone huddled together.

“How many days does this make today?” Liu Manman asked as she hugged her knees and stared at the quilt.

“Six.”

“Only the sixth? It feels like a lot more time has passed.”

Even though they looked relatively fine on the surface, they had spent every day living in fear and anxiety. It was especially true once their surroundings grew quiet. Their minds would constantly think of negative thoughts.

“How long do we have to continue waiting before help comes?”

Nobody answered.

“Actually, there was a time when I was stuck with eighth-grader syndrome. I thought life was boring during that period, and I looked at everything pessimistically. I even thought that it might be better to just die once and for all. But now that I’m actually facing the threat of death, I don’t have even the slightest urge to die,” Liu Manman said with a wry smile.

Life was such a wonderful thing. There were still many things she hadn’t eaten, many sights she hadn’t seen, many friends she hadn’t made, and many conversations she hadn’t had. Yet, her past self had wished to abandon all of these things. When Liu Manman looked back to how immaturely she behaved in the past, she couldn’t help but have an urge to beat up her past self.

“My case is way worse than yours. I had gone as far as researching which method of dying was the least painful. Thankfully, every method seemed painful, so I got scared of dying, and I’m still alive until now,” Xu Qiu said as she held Lin Su’s arm.

“Whenever my mom scolded me for scoring poorly in a test, I would always think of jumping off a building,” Lin Su said as she rubbed her nose awkwardly. At the same time, she couldn’t help but miss her home a little.

“Will we die here?” Liu Manman asked in a small but clear voice.

This was a heavy topic they had to face sooner or later. This was because their lives had never been weaker than this moment. So long as they got bit by one of the zombies outside, then they, too, would become one of those monsters.

“We won’t. We won’t be dying here,” Jun Zishu said in a definitive voice, her expression looking as calm as always. “Although I don’t know when the apocalypse will end, it will end sooner or later.”

“Will it really?” Lin Su asked.

“It will,” Jun Zishu affirmed.

“How are you so certain?”

Lin Su wasn’t trying to doubt Jun Zishu. She was just curious as to why Jun Zishu was so confident.

“Because we have no other choice but to believe it. All we have to do now is to do our best to survive until rescue comes.”

“That’s right. Nobody from 412 will be left behind.”

Liu Manman nodded and stretched out the back of her hand.

“Mhm, it’s a promise. Not a person less.”

Lin Su put her hand on top of Liu Manman’s, and Xu Qiu followed suit.

“I’m putting in an application to join Room 412,” Ren Nanying said.

“Application approved.”

Dorm Leader Jun Zishu nodded, approving the application of Supplementary Member Ren Nanying.

Afterward, Jun Zishu put her hand on top of Xu Qiu’s, and Ren Nanying put hers on top of Jun Zishu’s.

“Hoorah!”

The girls cheered in crisp and clear voices. Though, they dared not be too loud since there was still a horde of zombies lurking nearby.

Nobody could fall asleep right now, and nobody was interested in playing with their phones, so they simply sat in a circle and stared at each other.

However, when girls gathered in a group, they could always find things to talk about. One second Liu Manman and the others were still talking about celebrities. In the next second, they suddenly switched to talking about their past relationships.

“I get angry just talking about this. Cheating scumbags should just die.”

Liu Manman had dated a boy during high school, and the other party was her first love. However, she eventually broke up with him because he cheated on her.

This was something everyone in Room 412 knew about. This was because Liu Manman had never bothered keeping this matter a secret. Whenever they talked about relationships in the dormitory, she would never fail to bring it up.

“But I still prefer boys with big eyes. Although my first love was a scumbag, his eyes were really pretty,” Liu Manman said, sighing. Then, she looked toward Lin Su and asked, “What kind of boy do you like, Susu?”

“Someone who can study well,” Bookworm Lin Su curtly answered.

“And then the two of you can die studying together,” Liu Manman said, rolling her eyes.

“I like those who are calm and collected. It’d be great if they liked studying as well,” Xu Qiu said after giving the matter some thought.

Since they were on the topic of relationships, it was inevitable that their attention shifted toward Jun Zishu.

“What type do I like?” Jun Zishu asked rhetorically while rubbing her chin.

Everyone perked up their ears to listen, including Ren Nanying.

“I like ones who like me.”

“That’s too broad of a condition. Who wouldn’t like someone who likes them back?” Liu Manman blurted. However, she quickly realized her blunder after she finished speaking.

Jiang Mubai didn’t like Jun Zishu, yet Jun Zishu liked him. Ren Nanying also didn’t like Jiang Mubai, yet Jiang Mubai liked her.

Not everyone would like the person who liked them. However, when a person liked someone, they would hope that the other party would reciprocate their feelings.

Liu Manman was worried that Jun Zishu would feel awkward after recalling Jiang Mubai, so she quickly turned to Ren Nanying and asked, “What kind of person do you like, Cousin?”

Liu Manman was honestly rather curious about this question. After all, Jiang Mubai was not only handsome, but he was also talented at singing and playing various instruments. He also looked like a gentle person. Yet, Ren Nanying had rejected his confession. In that case, what kind of person did Ren Nanying like?

When Ren Nanying noticed that Jun Zishu was also looking at her with an expression of interest, she momentarily turned mute as she forgot what she was going to say.

What kind of person do I like?

Ren Nanying looked like she was seriously pondering over Liu Manman’s question. However, in reality, her head was blank as she had never thought about this topic before.

After a while, Ren Nanying gave up thinking and said, “I’ve never thought about it. I was never interested in relationships in the past.”

“What? Did nobody ever catch your eye? What about celebrities? Do you have any that you like?”

“None. If you must have an answer, I think I like the type who is calm and has great leadership abilities. I’d also prefer if they’re gentle and good-looking,” Ren Nanying said as she stated her ideal type of partner.

“Good-looking? Gentle? Isn’t that Jiang Mubai?” Liu Manman blurted out her thoughts again, only to get pinched by Lin Su.

“I don’t like him,” Ren Nanying hurriedly answered. Then, she turned toward Jun Zishu, a hint of envy in her heart. For some reason, she didn’t wish for Jun Zishu to like Jiang Mubai.

“Why are you looking at me if you don’t like him? I don’t like him, either,” Jun Zishu said, shrugging. Unlike everyone else, though, she knew who Ren Nanying truly liked. Then, she said, “Rather than falling in love, let’s focus on beating zombies instead.”

After saying so, Jun Zishu leaned against Ren Nanying and placed a hand on Ren Nanying’s back.

“Right, right, right! What’s the point of falling in love? It’s much more productive to fight the zombies outside!” Liu Manman readily agreed with Jun Zishu while inwardly berating herself for bringing up Jiang Mubai time and again.

[someone’s approaching from outside, Host.]

Little Fairy suddenly reminded. Immediately afterward, the only window in the kitchen opened.

The window’s bolt was broken, so it could be opened from the outside. However, the window was a small opening situated at the top of the wall, so it’d take at least two people to reach it.

When Jun Zishu and the others heard the window opening, they promptly stood up and looked toward the window warily.

Someone climbed through the window and landed in the kitchen a moment later. Then, when Liu Manman saw who it was, her eyes immediately widened in shock.

“Jiang Mubai?!”

…

TL Notes:

[1]potatoes: Fyi, the brown walls in PvZ aren’t potatoes, but walnuts(wall-nut) instead. But they’re commonly mistaken as potatoes, and walnuts wouldn’t fit the context, so I didn’t bother correcting this mistake.