Chapter 22: Is He Here to Save Us?
"Qiangzi!" Shen Jiabin scowled, his voice a low growl. "Sit down! We're discussing our next move! We're almost out of food. Now is not the time for you to be thinking about that kind of thing!"
Although Shen Jiabin's words seemed to be defending Lin Mancha, they actually held a hidden meaning.
No one present was a fool; on the contrary, they were all the elite of Jiangcheng University. Everyone could understand the implication of Shen Jiabin's words.
If they found food, Shen Jiabin might not stop Zhuang Qiang if he tried to force himself on Lin Mancha.
"Yeah, Qiangzi, you're going too far!" another handsome boy in a basketball jersey chimed in to stop him. "And you'd better watch your attitude when you talk to Jingyan next time!"
This boy was Gu Fanghua. Everyone present knew he had been pursuing Tang Jingyan for a long time and was a complete sycophant.
Whenever it involved Tang Jingyan, he would be the first to stand up for her, unconditionally fawning over her no matter what she said.
The only reason Tang Jingyan dared to speak to Zhuang Qiang like this was because she had the protection of Shen Jiabin and Gu Fanghua.
Shen Jiabin was Tang Jingyan's cousin, a fact the other boys on the basketball team were well aware of, which was why the other two hadn't made a move on her.
Zhuang Qiang's cheek twitched slightly. He reluctantly sat back down on the ground, shot a cold glance at Gu Fanghua, and said nothing more.
It was clear that Zhuang Qiang was somewhat wary of Shen Jiabin.
As for the center of this dispute, Lin Mancha hugged her knees tightly, her eyes filled with despair and struggle for the future, her hands constantly tugging at her dance skirt.
Because of this incident, the atmosphere grew heavy, and the group fell into a sudden silence.
Just then, the girl in yoga attire, who had not participated in the discussion, stood up, pointed into the distance, and screamed excitedly, "Look! That weirdo is running towards us!"
From her vantage point, she could just see Xiao Yi's figure sprinting at high speed.
Xiao Yi was incredibly fast. Ordinary zombies had no time to attack before he flashed past them. Even if a zombie happened to be directly in his path, he would decisively cut it down with a single strike.
Hearing the girl's scream, the others stood up in surprise and looked in the direction she was pointing.
"Who is that guy? How come we've never seen him before? Is he a student at our school?"
Tang Jingyan gazed at Xiao Yi's agile figure and said curiously, "If there was someone this capable at our school, we would have known about him by now! If he's willing to join our team, our chances of surviving this apocalypse will be much greater!"
"Hmph! What's so great about him? He's just a bit braver, that's all!" Gu Fanghua picked up a pair of binoculars, took a look, and said with a sneer, though his words were tinged with jealousy. "I remember this loser tried to sign up for our basketball team before, but Brother Bin drove him away. He almost became a laughingstock for the team! Just a useless 'Level 10 cripple.' What's so special about him?"
"At least he has the courage to fight his way out! I even saw him save a girl and take her to that strange city yesterday!" Lin Mancha said with a hint of admiration. "That's what a real man is like!"
Lin Mancha glanced fearfully at Zhuang Qiang; she had said that intentionally for him to hear.
"Hmph! A real man? Hahahaha!" Zhuang Qiang let out a burst of mocking laughter. "That kid had better not fall into my hands. If I run into him next time, I'll beat him like a dog!"
"Hmph! If only I had a knife like that, I could kill as many of these stupid zombies as came my way!"
Shen Jiabin stared hotly at the long-handled Mo Dao in Xiao Yi's hand, a blade that could cut through iron as if it were mud, and said enviously, "If a 'Level 10 cripple' like that can move through a horde of zombies so easily, it should be even easier for the few of us!"
"He's getting closer! It looks like he's coming this way!" Tang Jingyan exclaimed in surprise. "What does he want? Could it be... is he here to save us?"
By now, the others had also noticed that the powerful man, brandishing his Mo Dao, was running towards the gymnasium at high speed, getting closer and closer.
"Hmph! Save us?" Shen Jiabin scoffed, still resentful over the fact that they had called out to Xiao Yi for help before, but he had completely ignored them. "Do we need to be saved by a 'Level 10 cripple' like him? I think this loser couldn't survive out there on his own and has come to join us!"
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