An eerie atmosphere reigned on the large open-air terrace. More than 70 students and teachers sat around the perimeter, and not a single pair of eyes were dry. The calamity that had befallen the world was simply too much to bear.
Xiao Ya leaned into her best friend's embrace, tears running down her delicate cheeks: "I just want to see my family again... Rong Rong... he turned into one of those monsters before me and tried to kill me... So many people died... I'm so scared..."
Her friend smiled weakly, fighting back her own tears. She stroked Xiao Ya's long silky hair in a soothing rhythm.
"Don't worry; the state will send help soon. And we have President Wu Xiuying. She will keep us safe with her unmatched strength." But deep down inside, she wondered if even someone as powerful as the renowned President Wu Xiuying could overcome this unprecedented catastrophe.
"But Kong Lei... Someone as powerful as him, struck down?" whispered Xiao Ya, sobbing: "What kind of monster could have defeated him?"
This was the final blow. Although Kong Lei's lecherous ways had not won him friends among the ladies, they all knew of his formidable strength.
He had been one of those who helped clear the way to the terrace at the beginning of the apocalypse; with his metal bat, he had slaughtered the monsters with ease.
Now, to hear that even he had fallen, the student scion they had all believed to be indomitable... despair threatened to choke the breath from their throats. If a man of his might could not face the darkness outside, what hope did ordinary people like them have?
The students around them wept and wailed. Some looked away with blank, traumatized eyes, their inner light dimmed by the horrors they had witnessed. Others clutched their heads as if trying to silence the madness that had consumed their once-peaceful world.
It seemed that only a moment ago, they had been happily enjoying each other's company in the sunlight, lazily discussing mundane things like exams and romantic conquests. Now, their only desire was to find a place to hide from the madness raging outside.
After a few minutes, all eyes quickly turned to the sound of approaching footsteps. The expressions of several students and teachers brightened as they watched President Wu Xiuying advance with elegant coolness. Others fixed their gazes on a crimson-eyed young man following her. Were it not for his human features, they might have mistaken him for one of the monsters that prowled the High School.
Wu Xiuying strode confidently toward the center of the restless crowd, her calm composure unwavering as the icy heart of a glacier. All eyes were irresistibly drawn to her flawless face, a mixture of hope and apprehension swirling in their depths.
"Everyone, he is Dai Zen." She announced, with the crimson-eyed boy at her side. His gaze and the sword he wielded were reminders of the monsters lurking down there: "He's coming to join our quest, marching with us to the Safe Zone."
Uneasy murmurs whispered through the crowd like an icy wind. They exchanged wary glances, anguish evident on haggard faces. The demonic trials of this Apocalypse had inflicted wounds challenging to heal, and now their radiant leader was imposing another variable on their shattered lives.
Fang Mu, the self-proclaimed second-in-command, stepped forward with a scowl. His suspicious gaze was riveted on Dai Zen.
"Are we sure about this? How do we know we can trust someone who looks like those... monsters? He also attacked Kong Lei."
Wu Xiuying's eyes were cold as she met Fang Mu's defiant gaze; the man wanted to cause more disturbance by taking advantage of this moment: "Looks can be deceiving. As you know, we don't all look the same as we used to." A golden flash reminded her that even she had been altered by the Apocalypse: "If Dai Zen wanted to harm us, he would have acted by now. I think he will be a useful ally, and that puts an end to this discussion."
Fang Mu's cheeks flushed, but he swallowed further protests.
The onlookers seemed torn between relief at Wu Xiuying's cold assertion and lingering unease. In that world where death could emerge from any shadow, caution in the face of the unknown could make the difference between survival and a grisly end.
Then, two figures pushed their way through the crowd to stand in front of Dai Zen. Unlike Dai Zen and Wu Xiuying, the savagery of the apocalypse had caused no change in their forms.
The woman possessed locks of glossy black hair that cascaded down to her waist and eyes of the night that sparkled with lively interest. Her male counterpart presented a stark contrast: a corded frame of muscle and stern countenance.
"Welcome to the group, Dai Zen." The woman greeted him, her pale face lit by a radiant smile as she narrowed her dark eyes: "I'm Hua Mei, and this is Lian. We are Evolved, like Wu Xiuying. I can use revitalizing power to heal allies, and Lian controls earth and rock."
"We were wondering if you'd have skills too." Lian added bluntly, looking Dai Zen up and down as if he were a peculiar new species: "Since you don't seem very.... normal."
Among a group of survivors, exceptional skills could be an advantage or a threat. Until one or the other was proven, it was wiser to be wary.
Dai Zen's eyes swung between appraising glances, betraying nothing: "My skills are my own business."
In doing so, his aloofness, so out of place amid desperation, probably only amplified the others' distrust.
"Really?" Fang Mu folded his arms, standing next to Hua Mei and Lian in a show of confrontation. Hostility shone in his eyes as he saw an opportunity to attack a stranger and show him where he stood.
"How kind of you to deign to join us and then refuse to share what you know how to do or even introduce yourself properly." His words were hidden knives under a veneer of polite disapproval: "We open our ranks to you, and this is the attitude we get? Forgive me if I do not hasten to welcome you."
"I did not ask for your welcome." Replied Dai Zen, meeting the aggression with indifference: "I agreed to accompany Wu Xiuying's group to the Safe Zone. Nothing more."
Wu Xiuying looked at Fang Mu: "That's enough. We need all the help we can get, and pointless conflict will only hinder us." Her golden gaze drifted to Dai Zen: "For now, we will accept your company and leave your skills, or lack thereof, to speculation. Unless they are relevant, what you can or cannot do is your business."
Hua Mei bit her lip, looking between Wu Xiuying and Dai Zen with uncertainty. But Lian scoffed and turned away, disengaging himself from Dai Zen. Fang Mu merely frowned, resentment burning as he bit his tongue at the leader's rebuke.
Satisfied that her pronouncement had ended the dissension, Wu Xiuying proceeded to make introductions to the rest of the group.
Dai Zen paid little attention to remembering most names; they were fleeting allies of circumstance, not genuine companions.
His thoughts returned again and again to Xue'er, and though he had allied himself with these survivors for the moment, they were not his priority.
He would stay with them as long as he remained useful to their goal, but no longer. When they reached the Safe Zone, he would continue to search for Xue'er, with or without them.