Chapter Twenty-Seven: Your Deaths Are Worthless

As soon as Qin Sheng spoke, the people who had been clamoring just moments ago instantly fell silent, their earlier menacing demeanor vanishing without a trace.

Wang Yu, well aware of Qin Sheng’s temperament, was not particularly surprised. After confirming the location, he took the lead, guiding some of the elderly and the women toward the storeroom.

"Wait," Qin Sheng suddenly called out, stopping Wang Yu just as he was about to leave.

"What is it?"

Qin Sheng pressed her lips together and asked softly, "Do you know a girl named Xia Tian?"

"Xia Tian?" Wang Yu repeated the name thoughtfully, searching his memory but finding nothing that matched. He shook his head.

Concern flickered in Qin Sheng’s eyes. She had been here for some time; if Xia Tian were present, she surely would have seen her by now. Strangely, there was no sign of Li Wei, let alone the Xia Tian she was looking for.

"Do you know about two people who came here from the convenience store a couple of days ago? One was Li Wei, the owner of Lawson, and the other was Xia Tian." Qin Sheng tried to be as specific as possible, hoping to jog Wang Yu’s memory.

Wang Yu scratched his head, unable to recall seeing the girl Qin Sheng described in recent days.

"Two people from the convenience store? I know who you mean," a boy beside Wang Yu suddenly spoke up, as if a memory had just surfaced.

Qin Sheng’s face brightened. She asked quickly, "Did you see her today?"

The boy shook his head helplessly. "They came into the cafeteria on my shift that day, so I remember them. But with so many people in here every day, I can’t possibly remember everyone I’ve seen."

Disappointment and worry mingled in Qin Sheng’s eyes, but at least she could be sure Xia Tian was still inside and hadn’t left the cafeteria.

"I’ll get back to work," Wang Yu said to Qin Sheng, then hurried off to organize the evacuation into the storeroom.

Qin Sheng tightened her grip on her Tang sword and glanced at Jiang Miaomiao and the others, who were still holding back the zombies. Without hesitation, she joined them.

Yet the speed of the zombies’ assault was increasing. Even with Qin Sheng and Jiang Miaomiao both fighting, they were struggling to keep up, narrowly escaping injury several times.

"Sheng Sheng, this isn’t working. If this goes on, we won’t make it out," Jiang Miaomiao said, her hand clutching the dagger trembling from exhaustion, though she refused to give up.

Qin Sheng decapitated the nearest zombie, shot a glance at Wang Yu who was still ushering people into the storeroom, and said decisively, "Hold on a little longer."

Jiang Miaomiao hesitated only a moment before diving back into the fray. Though she’d spent days training under Qin Sheng, the intensity of this battle was beyond her strength. Still, if Qin Sheng asked her to persist, she would, regardless of life or death.

"Miaomiao, Granny, we’re here!" The voices of Lin Xing and Chu Xingyu rang out, filling Jiang Miaomiao with hope.

"Did you find Xia Tian?" Qin Sheng never forgot the true reason for her being here.

Lin Xing nodded, and he and Chu Xingyu quickly joined the fight. With their support, Jiang Miaomiao finally caught her breath.

"You all go. I’ll cover the rear," Qin Sheng said, noticing the evacuation was nearly complete, turning to Jiang Miaomiao and the others.

Lin Xing wanted to protest but, meeting Qin Sheng’s resolute eyes, knew it was pointless. He quickly signaled everyone to retreat toward the storeroom.

In the blink of an eye, Qin Sheng was left alone facing the horde.

She gripped her Tang blade tightly as the zombies fixed their ravenous gazes on her. Every single one was fixated on the same goal: devour Qin Sheng.

"Come on, then!" Qin Sheng sneered, tightened her grip, and charged into the zombie horde.

She had never believed herself capable of saving everyone—not that she dared, nor desired such a mantle. Yet she always seemed to be confronted with this dilemma.

To save, or not to save?

Qin Sheng always chose the first.

She could not be completely selfish, so she bore the burden.

With no one left to block them, the zombies surged into the cafeteria. The storeroom door, which had been left ajar for Qin Sheng, slammed shut in an instant.

Staring at the tightly closed door, Qin Sheng could not quite name the feeling in her heart, nor was there time to dwell on it. Before her now stood a hundred-strong horde.

With clean, decisive strokes, Qin Sheng hacked down the nearest zombies, but her strength was waning, and the zombies, as if injected with adrenaline, kept charging relentlessly.

They clearly meant to wear her down and then enjoy a defenseless meal.

Cutting them down one by one was futile.

Her gaze landed on a nearby canister of cooking oil. An idea flashed. She turned, sneered at the oncoming zombies, and scoffed.

A meal? Never.

She sheathed her sword, slid across the slick tiles of the cafeteria floor, and evaded the lunging zombies, seizing the barrel of oil.

She twisted off the cap and doused the area where the zombies were pouring in. Agility like a cat, she darted around, evading their grasp, and soon every zombie was slick with oil, the floor awash with it.

"Enjoy your last meal," she murmured.

From her space, she produced a lighter and tossed it toward the zombies. In an instant, flames roared to life, engulfing the horde. Fire spread rapidly, the zombies burned, and soon the blaze reached the gas line in the kitchen.

"Damn," Qin Sheng muttered, frowning as the fire licked at the gas.

The next second, a massive explosion ripped through the cafeteria. With a thunderous roar, the flames consumed every zombie and destroyed their last refuge.

In the underground storeroom beneath the cafeteria—

"Granny!" Lin Xing’s tears fell in time with the explosion above, the hope in his eyes dimming.

Jiang Miaomiao and Chu Xingyu gritted their teeth, struggling to keep their emotions in check, though their trembling shoulders betrayed them.

"Lin Xing, calm down, Sister Sheng…" Chu Xingyu tried to comfort Lin Xing, though he himself was barely holding on.

Lin Xing’s gaze fell on the young man who had shut the door, and in the next moment, he lunged at him, fist drawn back, only to be stopped by Jiang Miaomiao.

He stared at her in disbelief, unable to stop himself from shouting, "If he hadn’t shut the door, Granny could have made it in!"

"Lin Xing!" Jiang Miaomiao’s eyes glistened with tears and her voice rose. "What good does it do to blame anyone now?"

She too blamed herself for not noticing the door shutting.

But she knew it was too late.

Lin Xing released the boy, slumping into a corner like a soulless shell. Jiang Miaomiao and Chu Xingyu exchanged a look and sat down on either side of him.

"If he hadn’t closed the door, it wouldn’t just be Qin Sheng who died," someone muttered in the crowd, pushing Lin Xing over the edge.

"If it weren’t for Qin Sheng, you’d all be dead! Who do you think saved you? Yourself? Could you even take on a single zombie?" In the dim underground, Lin Xing couldn’t even find the speaker, so he rose and shouted to everyone.

Jiang Miaomiao tugged at his sleeve. Seeing Chu Xingyu shake his head, she let go, allowing Lin Xing his outburst.

"You’re not worthy to be called human. You should have died in the zombies’ jaws, because your lives are worth nothing," Lin Xing said, his tone eerily calm. With that, he slung on his backpack and headed for the exit.

"Lin Xing, you can’t go out now—there could still be zombies outside, and the air after the explosion might be dangerous," Jiang Miaomiao said quickly, blocking his way, with Chu Xingyu joining her.

Expressionless, Lin Xing replied, "So we’re just going to leave Granny out there alone?"

Jiang Miaomiao felt a stab of pain, unable to answer. She wanted to search for Qin Sheng more than anyone, but to go out would be to betray Qin Sheng’s instructions.

Qin Sheng’s words were as important as Qin Sheng herself.

"Brother Xing, the situation outside is unclear. Tomorrow, I’ll go with you to find Sister Sheng. She’s so strong—she’ll be fine," Chu Xingyu said, gently taking Lin Xing’s things to calm him.

When Lin Xing was finally soothed, Chu Xingyu let out a breath of relief.

Having been so harshly scolded by Lin Xing, no one dared speak at first, but gradually some found their voices, and the bolder ones began to murmur. Some, overcome by emotion, clung to their companions and wept, both girls and boys.

In one morning, they had lost their last sanctuary and were forced to huddle in the cramped underground storeroom, where even breathing felt suffocating.

There were some who pitied Qin Sheng.

The sudden apocalypse had made everyone irritable, impatient, and devoid of compassion. Anxiety and selfishness became the only emotions swirling around them.

Only Qin Sheng would rush into the zombie horde for everyone’s sake, willing to lay down her life.

"When trouble comes, raise your left hand…"

"The left hand points the way, never bowing to hardship…"

"When the left hand meets the right, our steps find rhythm…"

"When the right hand clasps the left, our strength finds its source…"

In the gloom, someone began softly singing "Left Hand, Right Hand." The tense atmosphere slowly eased. Those who knew the song joined in; others hummed along. For one fleeting moment, selfishness was not all that remained.

Though Lin Xing seemed asleep, tears slid from the corners of his tightly closed eyes, and faintly, it seemed his left hand rose ever so gently…