Chapter 104: After School

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Yi Chen sped toward the place where the mountain lion had caused trouble. To save time, he avoided taking any form of transportation. The shortest path between two points is a straight line; he cut through alleys and shops, climbed over walls and fences in the fastest way possible.

It was just about the time for work to end and school to let out, so the streets were gradually filling with people.

Yi Chen had finally caught a faint lead and couldn’t afford to care about anything else.

The enemy had eliminated his informant; naturally, they must know he was tailing them somewhere. If he let them slip away now, he would have only warned them off, and next time they would be even more cautious, making it harder for him to find any clues.

He bulldozed through the crowd without restraint, baffling the passersby.

With their eyesight, no one could track Yi Chen’s rapid movements.

Most people only felt a gust of wind; the more alert might catch a glimpse of a shadow flickering by, but by the time they focused, Yi Chen had already vanished.

As he drew closer to the target area, Yi Chen was surprised to find it was near the Ivory Tower.

The Ivory Tower was undoubtedly one of the most iconic buildings in the inner city of Nanchuan.

He had once seen the entire pure white tower from afar while riding in Bai Ge’s car. That sacred and dignified spire echoed with the solemn chimes marking students’ coming and going.

The battle between humans and the infected was destined to continue, but how many years it would last, no one could say.

This was only the beginning of the apocalypse, and the Ivory Tower symbolized Nanchuan’s future—in a deeper sense, it was humanity’s hope and trust placed upon the next generation.

“Could the enemy be hiding inside the Ivory Tower?” Yi Chen had to prepare for the worst; he had no precise location before.

The bells rang—signaling the end of the school day.

Yi Chen slowed his pace and merged with the tide of students pouring out of the Ivory Tower’s main entrance.

The lowest floor housed the elementary division, the middle floors the middle school, and the top levels the high school. As for university students, they were not part of the future education plan.

On the day the black rain fell, the population had plummeted to less than a tenth of what it had been.

Survivors from various cities gathered in Nanchuan, and every industry was severely understaffed. The city could not operate without manpower. University students, who were eighteen and able to support themselves, were no longer on the list of those protected to continue their education.

They were thrown directly into the brutal reality and complex society, forced to mature quickly. Bai Ge and Ling Zhe were such examples.

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Facing a sea of lively, laughing faces, Yi Chen felt a faint stir within his heart.

These students looked carefree, not much different from before the apocalypse. As they passed by him, their snippets of conversation still revolved around “homework,” “teachers,” and “the school beauty and handsome guy from the next class.”

Did they really have no sense of danger? Yi Chen felt somewhat helpless.

In just a few years, these students would leave the Ivory Tower and confront the ugly truths of the outside world, wrapped in colorful candy wrappers. He wondered if they would still be able to smile and joke like they did today.

Among the crowd, Yi Chen felt like a fish swimming upstream, utterly out of place. Forget finding someone—moving quickly was already a challenge.

The infected who had killed that mountain lion was clever, choosing this place and time. Various surrounding smells masked the faint stench of decay on them. Yi Chen’s sharp sense of smell and perception were failing him for the first time.

“Don’t panic. They can’t have gone far,” Yi Chen calmed himself.

He hadn’t taken long to get here. Unlike him, the enemy didn’t have swift legs and couldn’t have gotten far.

“Yi Chen? What are you doing here?” A gentle, soft voice called out with surprise.

The subtle fragrance that accompanied her seemed to momentarily block out all other odors.

Yi Chen found no clues anymore; his mind was filled only with her.

“Mu Qing…” Yi Chen hadn’t expected to see her here.

Actually, it wasn’t that surprising—school had just let out—but what puzzled him was that out of so many people, Mu Qing had spotted him.

Since defeating the infected last time, he hadn’t seen her again or even had any contact.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to reach out; after what had happened, he was afraid of getting too close and putting her in danger.

Yi Chen noticed the slender, fair wrist of Mu Qing was still wrapped in bandages, and his heart tightened painfully.

“How’s your injury?”

“Oh, it’s nothing serious. My dad’s making a fuss and making me keep it bandaged.” Mu Qing stuck out her tongue and waved her hand to reassure him.

“What brings you here today?” Mu Qing tilted her head slightly; her smooth long hair fell like silk over her chest.

“Uh… I’m looking for someone.” Yi Chen averted his gaze awkwardly, recalling the last time he had held her close, feeling embarrassed.

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“Looking for someone? Need help?” Mu Qing’s eyes darkened.

Now that she knew Yi Chen was infected, she would normally avoid crowded places. Whoever he was searching for here had to be very important to him.

Who could it be?

“Mu Qing, who is he?” Two girls next to Mu Qing curiously scrutinized Yi Chen.

They were not their former classmates. After survivors from several cities were sent to the Ivory Tower, the classes were reshuffled, and few original classmates remained together.

“Oh… he’s my old classmate, Yi Chen,” Mu Qing briefly introduced him.

Yi Chen nodded to them in greeting. His search for the infected was officially a dead end; he had no leads left.

“Yo, isn’t that Yi Chen?” A cheerful voice came from nearby.

Yi Chen turned to see Lu Yu, slinging his backpack over one shoulder, wearing a dazzling smile that was both handsome and bright. Yet, incongruously, he waved his hand excitedly like a fool.

Yi Chen’s face darkened. What was going on today? One familiar face after another appeared. He hadn’t even figured out how to get away from Mu Qing, and now Lu Yu had joined in.

“What’s up? Seeing my photo of the Ivory Tower made you want to come back to school?” Lu Yu asked as he approached, noticing the stunning girls standing with Yi Chen—especially Mu Qing, whose charm easily made her the school’s most beautiful.

“Ah, this is…” Lu Yu thought he might be spoiling his friend’s chances and quickly straightened up to ask seriously.

“You came just in time—I was looking for you to play ball,” Yi Chen said hurriedly, fearing Lu Yu would say something reckless. Explaining back and forth would be troublesome.

“Play ball?” Lu Yu glanced again at Mu Qing, wondering if Yi Chen had lost his mind.

With such a beautiful girl here, and he still wanted to play ball?

“Well, I better get going,” Yi Chen quickly said goodbye to Mu Qing.

“Wait, leave me your latest contact info.” Mu Qing proactively gave him her phone number.