Chapter 80 – The Art of Betraying Teammates

Carefully making their way across the Square and then slipping through the side entrance into the Gymnasium’s lobby, Ling Mo had only one thought on his mind: find a place to sit and rest.

However, the harshness of the Apocalypse forced him to stay alert and lead the group further inside.

Staying near the entrance was too risky; it could easily attract Zombies.

These Zombies didn’t just have unimpaired vision; their eyesight was actually sharper than that of ordinary people. Though they usually wandered around like phantoms, once they spotted a target, it was like they were injected with adrenaline.

So, despite being exhausted, Ling Mo and his group quickly headed upstairs, guided by Lin Luanqiu.

According to Lin Luanqiu, apart from some exercise equipment in the lobby, the second floor of the Gymnasium housed an indoor volleyball court and a Taekwondo Gym.

To Ling Mo’s relief, they didn’t encounter any Zombies on their way up. It seemed that the Survivors who had fled the Gymnasium during the initial outbreak had drawn the Zombies away.

“That Taekwondo Gym was under renovation and closed off before the Apocalypse. You can observe the outside through its floor-to-ceiling windows,” Lin Luanqiu suggested. “It might be a bit dirty inside, but I think it’s the best place for us to rest.”

Ling Mo nodded, then looked at Lin Luanqiu with some surprise. “How do you know so much? This campus is huge, and you’re just a freshman. How are you so familiar with these details?”

“I talked with everyone while I was with the Rescue Team. I asked about anything related to the number of people and the layout of buildings, both before and after the outbreak,” Lin Luanqiu smiled slightly. “A girl has to put in more effort to survive better, even if she has a Superpower. From the beginning, I didn’t want to stay trapped in one place. I thought of many ways to escape, but most of those plans were impractical, so I chose to flee.”

“I hope you recover soon,” Ling Mo said sincerely after a moment of reflection.

Although they hadn’t known each other for long, Ling Mo admired Lin Luanqiu’s intelligence and independence.

She was like Xia Na, strong-willed and idealistic. People like them, regardless of gender, deserved respect.

Hearing Ling Mo’s words, Lin Luanqiu smiled slightly. “Thank you.”

The group quickly made their way down the corridor and arrived at a door marked “Under Renovation.” This must be the Taekwondo Gym.

But just as Ling Mo grabbed the door handle, he suddenly stepped back and looked at the door cautiously.

Seeing Ling Mo’s reaction, Xia Na silently moved to the side, raising her Long Knife high.

Lin Luanqiu immediately understood what was happening. With a hint of surprise on her face, she whispered, “I didn’t know there would be Survivors here…”

Ling Mo didn’t respond. Instead, he kept his eyes fixed on the door. The moment he touched the handle, he felt a slight tremor from the door, indicating that someone was behind it.

Sure enough, as soon as Ling Mo let go of the handle, the door swung open, revealing the haggard face of a middle-aged man. “Which department are you from?” he asked.

Ling Mo frowned and glanced past the man into the room. Inside, he saw about a dozen people sitting around listlessly, lacking any energy.

Directly opposite the door was a large floor-to-ceiling window. It was clear they had spotted Ling Mo’s group through this window. The man at the door still appeared slightly wary, and Ling Mo understood their thinking.

They likely didn’t want to interact with Ling Mo’s group, fearing that additional people would increase their burden…

But to their surprise, Ling Mo’s group had come directly to the Taekwondo Gym, making it impossible to avoid a confrontation. This wasn’t entirely a coincidence, though. In this Gymnasium, the Taekwondo Gym was the best location, offering both a good vantage point for warnings and enough seclusion, with one side connected to the corridor and the other close to a secure staircase.

At that moment, Shi Bin suddenly exclaimed with joy, “Xu Cai! Is that you, Xu Cai?”

Hearing Shi Bin’s shout, one of the guys facing the window quickly turned his head. After squinting at Shi Bin for a moment, a smile cracked across his previously grim face. He almost eagerly scrambled to his feet, looking genuinely delighted.

As this person approached the door, Ling Mo noticed that he was a tall, muscular guy, likely from the Physical Education Department or at least an avid athlete.

“Shi Bin? You’re still alive?” Xu Cai exclaimed, eyes wide with surprise as he sized up Shi Bin. Then he let out an exaggerated laugh and turned to the man who had opened the door. “Teacher Luo, this is Shi Bin from my department!”

Teacher Luo glanced at Shi Bin, then lost interest quickly. “We barely have enough food for ourselves…” he muttered under his breath, seemingly wary of the muscular Xu Cai.

“That’s great! Where have you guys been?” Xu Cai continued, not hearing Teacher Luo’s complaint and still full of enthusiasm as he chatted with Shi Bin.

“Uh… we just came from Red Light Street,” Shi Bin said, a hint of pride flashing in his eyes.

Xu Cai, once a star student in the Physical Education Department, had participated in numerous city-level martial arts competitions and earned impressive results. He was popular with girls and had many friends. Although he appeared outgoing and friendly, people like Shi Bin had always secretly envied him. Now, seeing Xu Cai and the others trapped here while he himself had managed to make it back from the outside, Shi Bin couldn’t help but feel a bit smug.

Not only did Xu Cai look surprised, but the others in the room also stood up in astonishment and gathered around.

It was only then that someone noticed Ling Mo and the others standing behind Shi Bin. One person immediately recognized Ye Lian. “Isn’t that Ye Lian?”

“The Campus Belle… What’s she doing with Shi Bin?”

“And that guy next to her… He’s from our school too, right?”

Shi Bin, feeling quite pleased with himself, suddenly felt a tug on his sleeve. He quickly turned around and met Lin Luanqiu’s warning gaze.

A chill shot up Shi Bin’s spine, making his scalp tingle. When he turned to look at Ling Mo, he indeed saw Ling Mo wearing a slightly impatient smile, with an icy look in his eyes.

“Uh, everyone, let’s not argue!” Shi Bin quickly tried to stop the commotion. He glanced nervously at Ling Mo and sheepishly stepped aside.

Xu Cai, perceptive as ever, noticed Shi Bin’s strange reaction and turned his curious gaze toward Ling Mo. “Excuse me, which department are you from?” he asked.

Ling Mo shook his head. “I’m not from your school; I just have some business here.”

Though his expression was calm, Ling Mo was inwardly cursing Shi Bin furiously. When they first met, Shi Bin had blabbed all about Lin Luanqiu’s background. Now, he was spilling the details of their journey to this group of Survivors. This guy was a professional team-seller! “Just came back from Red Light Street”? That was basically advertising their ability to cross half the campus, inviting others to latch onto them for a free ride out.

Boasting isn’t a crime, but it’s a problem when you’re a burden with zero skills and still pretend to be the one in charge!

Fortunately, most people probably wouldn’t take his words too seriously…

Ling Mo had noticed Lin Luanqiu’s earlier warning to Shi Bin. However, this didn’t change his poor impression of Shi Bin.

He thought it might be best to leave Shi Bin here. But this matter needed to be discussed with Lin Luanqiu first, as they were partners. It was only polite to give her a heads-up.

Sure enough, Shi Bin’s earlier words had caused quite a stir among the group. While they were no longer loudly discussing, their eyes were now fixed on Shi Bin with intense interest. Some even seemed eager to step forward.

Unfortunately, Xu Cai’s broad frame nearly blocked the entire doorway. “Oh, it’s fine. Now we’re all in the same boat, right? We’re all humans. Since you’re here, it means we were meant to meet. Come in and take a seat.” Despite his muscular appearance, Xu Cai was quick-witted. He suspected that Ling Mo was likely stronger than Shi Bin, though it was hard to gauge how much stronger. Ling Mo didn’t seem particularly notable, but Xia Na, with her Long Knife and fierce eyes, appeared formidable.

Xu Cai thought the strongest among them might be this girl. However, when he looked at Xia Na, she returned his gaze with a peculiar look. For some reason, Xu Cai felt like he was being eyed as prey, prompting him to quickly avert his gaze and finally settle on Ye Lian.

The Campus Belle, recognized by everyone, was even more stunning in person than in the photos circulating online. Moreover, Ye Lian seemed quite formidable as well. But he had never heard anything about the Campus Belle being skilled with a knife…

Seeing Xu Cai staring fixedly at Ye Lian, Ling Mo frowned. “What are you looking at?”

Xu Cai, momentarily stunned, glanced at Ling Mo before turning to Shi Bin for an explanation. Shi Bin, realizing he might have already offended Ling Mo, spoke in a subdued voice, “He’s Ye Lian’s boyfriend.”

“Boyfriend?” Xu Cai looked surprised but quickly regained his composure. “Haha, sorry, I didn’t realize. Are you coming in? It’s not very spacious, but you can make do.”

Ling Mo, having lost all goodwill towards Xu Cai, merely snorted and said, “No need, we’re just taking a break.”

“You can rest inside too…” Xu Cai started to insist, but Ling Mo had already turned to Lin Luanqiu. “Is there another place we can go?”

Lin Luanqiu nodded, glanced at Xu Cai, and then said to Ling Mo, “Follow me.”

With that, she turned and led the way down the corridor. Ling Mo shot Xu Cai a cold look before following her with Ye Lian and Xia Na.