The students were reluctant to accept reality and still wanted to argue their case. But when Zhang Yi shook the gun in his hand, they quickly fell silent. A group of them could only watch with envy, jealousy, and resentment as Lu Keran and Yang Xinxin followed Zhang Yi out. They glanced at each other, faces twisted with anger, yet helpless due to their lack of strength, unable to do anything.
As Yang Xinxin and Lu Keran passed by Liang Yue, they bowed their heads in gratitude. "Teacher Liang, thank you for taking care of us during this time!"
Although their classmates were quite ruthless, Liang Yue was indeed a responsible teacher who had looked after them well. However, Yang Xinxin knew that Liang Yue wouldn't abandon the others to leave with them, so she didn't invite her to join them. Liang Yue was too exhausted to speak; she just nodded slightly. Yang Xinxin and Lu Keran said no more and followed Zhang Yi out.
After walking a short distance, Liang Yue, who had finally caught her breath, struggled to stand up. "Follow them! I'm severely weakened now, and that monster must be in a bad state too. While it doesn't dare to come out, we should follow them. At the very least, we might find a way out of here."
The group of students suddenly realized that this was their only chance to survive. Two girls came over to support Liang Yue, and the group followed Zhang Yi and his companions outside. They had previously considered leaving, but the cave system in the snow was vast and interconnected, all dug out by that monster. They had no idea which path led out. With Zhang Yi and his group leading the way, they no longer feared getting lost.
Noticing the others following behind, Fatty Xu whispered to Zhang Yi, "Those people are following us. What should we do?"
Zhang Yi smiled, "What? Do you pity them?"
"No, not really."
"Then do you want to get rid of them? With your strength, you could easily collapse this place and bury them alive."
Fatty Xu was startled, "No, I didn't mean that. They haven't done anything to me."
Zhang Yi shrugged, "In that case, just ignore them! If you succeed, you help the world; if you fail, you just protect yourself. We don't have the ability to feed dozens of people."
Fatty Xu thought Zhang Yi made sense, so he continued following Zhang Yi forward. The marks Zhang Yi had made earlier now proved useful. They followed the marks on the walls and returned to the snowy surface.
Zhang Yi didn't want to linger any longer and immediately took out two snowmobiles. He said to Fatty Xu, "You go ride with Uncle You!"
Fatty Xu grimaced, "A motorcycle? It's too cold for that!"
Zhang Yi put a helmet on his head, "How about now?"
"Oh, this feels much better! Haha, I've been wanting to take a ride anyway!" Fatty Xu eagerly ran over and sat in the passenger seat with Uncle You. Zhang Yi then opened the passenger door and gently lifted Yang Xinxin inside, storing her wheelchair as well. As for Lu Keran, she sensibly sat in the back.
"Let's go! We're heading back!" Zhang Yi honked the horn and reminded Uncle You to set off together. The snowmobiles roared to life and quickly left Tianqing Academy behind.
Not long after, Liang Yue and the others also climbed up the snowy path. They initially had some plans for Zhang Yi, hoping to follow him back, even if it meant pestering him. As long as they could survive, that was all that mattered. But when they emerged, all they saw was the trail of exhaust left by his vehicles. The group was stunned.
"What...what do we do now?" A girl asked in bewilderment. Although they had made it out of the underground, all they could see around them was a vast expanse of snow. At least underground, they had shelter and food. Now, they had nothing.
Wu Chengyu stepped forward, smiling as he pulled out his phone. "Now, it's my turn!" Outside, he had a signal again. He planned to contact his influential father to send someone to pick them up and take them to the Xishan base.
...
On the way back, Yang Xinxin and Lu Keran sat comfortably in the warm car, gradually relaxing their faces. After being trapped underground for over a month, frequently facing monster attacks, Lu Keran was utterly exhausted. Seeing their dirty and disheveled appearances, Zhang Yi smiled and with a flick of his wrist, produced two bottles of mineral water, some chocolate bars, and bread.
"Eat something to regain your strength! But don't eat too quickly; be careful not to get a stomachache. If you fall ill in this situation, it will be excruciating."
Tears of joy welled up in Lu Keran's eyes. "Brother, you're such a good person! Thank you!" She was a bit of a tomboy, but her straightforward personality made her easy to get along with. Yang Xinxin, who seemed more delicate, was clearly very hungry, yet she politely thanked Zhang Yi before beginning to eat. Zhang Yi glanced at the rearview mirror, his smile growing wider.
Once they had finished eating and were resting contentedly in their seats, Zhang Yi finally spoke. "Xinxin, you're really amazing!"
Yang Xinxin looked puzzled. "Brother, are you talking about me? I don't think so." She smiled gently, like a blooming crabapple flower.
"I've always been a burden to everyone. If it weren't for Keran protecting me, I probably would've died a long time ago."
Lu Keran laughed, "We're best friends, so there's no need to be so polite!"
Zhang Yi smiled faintly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with Yang Xinxin's words. "Is that so? But I think you're the more impressive one."
"Hmm? Brother, why do you say that?" Yang Xinxin was curious, and Lu Keran leaned over, equally puzzled by Zhang Yi's words.
Zhang Yi calmly explained, "You have been paralyzed since childhood due to polio, unable to move your legs, and confined to a wheelchair. Yet, despite the threat of that monster, you've managed to survive until now. Isn't that impressive?"
Before Yang Xinxin could respond, Zhang Yi continued, "You might say it was just luck or the protection of your friend here. But in over a month, that monster attacked at least a dozen times, didn't it? Once might be luck, twice might be luck, but after three or five times, it becomes suspicious. The fact that you've survived this long can't be just a coincidence."
Zhang Yi glanced at Yang Xinxin beside him, a smile playing on his lips. "Am I right?"
The pure smile on Yang Xinxin's innocent face slowly faded. "Brother, you're really smart! No wonder you've survived this long and even managed to keep those two foolish sisters alive." Her smile turned somewhat twisted, and her demeanor changed instantly, as if she were a different person altogether.
Lu Keran's eyes widened. "What...what are you two talking about?"
Zhang Yi chuckled. "It's not that I'm particularly clever; it's just that, as an outsider, I noticed too many coincidences. Especially earlier, when your teacher was fighting the monster, you told me to 'stop their fight.' If you wanted to protect your teacher, you should have asked me to help her kill the monster, right? But you didn't do that, which means the one you wanted to protect wasn't your teacher, but the monster. So, based on these two clues, I think it's safe to say that you've been nurturing that monster all along, haven't you?"