Fifth Floor.
"Liu Yuan... Liu Yuan."
"Ruoruo, I'm here, I'm here!"
In the corner of the classroom, Han Ruoruo leaned toward Liu Yuan, her eyes red, lips pressed together, looking like a frightened deer. "Liu Yuan... Why did they lock us up?"
"Li Yifei... Li Yifei said one of us might be a monster!" Liu Yuan gritted his teeth, glaring fiercely at the few boys outside the window.
"Liu Yuan..."
"Mm?"
"I... I'm so scared..."
Looking at her pitiful eyes, Liu Yuan felt his heart soften. His hatred toward Lin Qiye burned like a raging fire, uncontrollable.
Why... Why!
Han Ruoruo should have been mine!
You, an outsider who has only been here for a few days, why do you get to be with her?
I won't accept it!!
Liu Yuan suppressed the flames of anger in his heart and spoke gently to Han Ruoruo, "Don't be afraid. I'm here. It's okay."
"Liu Yuan, you're so good." Han Ruoruo rested her head on his chest, her gaze slightly resentful. "Unlike that Lin Qiye, when danger came, he just ran off and didn't care about me..."
"Lin Qiye? Hmph, he's a scumbag." Liu Yuan sneered.
"I've made up my mind." Han Ruoruo lifted her head, gazing into Liu Yuan's eyes, a faint blush spreading across her cheeks. "I'm going to break up with him. He's not reliable at all!"
Liu Yuan trembled, his eyes filled with joy, "So... you..."
"I... I like you, the kind of guy who makes me feel safe." Han Ruoruo lowered her head, shyly.
Liu Yuan felt as though he was about to ascend to heaven. He suddenly pulled her into an embrace, speaking earnestly:
"Ruoruo, I like you! Be my girlfriend! I'll be a hundred times better than that Lin Qiye!"
Han Ruoruo nodded softly, then leaned back into his arms.
Liu Yuan's heart blossomed with joy!
"Liu Yuan..."
"What's wrong?"
"I don't want to stay here anymore. I'm so scared."
Liu Yuan froze, looking at the few boys standing by the door, his expression conflicted. "But... they won't let us leave. They say one of us might be a monster..."
"Liu Yuan, do you think I'm a monster?" Han Ruoruo looked up at him with eyes full of grievance, as though she might cry.
Liu Yuan swallowed hard, shaking his head firmly, "No."
"Then are you a monster?"
"I'm not!"
"Then why are we staying here? Li Yifei says we have to? Why does he think we're suspicious?" Han Ruoruo grabbed his hand, crying and begging, "Liu Yuan, I... I really don't want to stay here. Please, take me out of here!"
Each word struck Liu Yuan's heart, and her pitiful eyes ignited a fierce protectiveness within him.
He took a deep breath, stood up, and grabbed her hand firmly, speaking with determination:
"Don't worry, I'll get you out. I'll prove to you... I'm braver than Lin Qiye!"
With that, he walked toward the door of the classroom and knocked loudly.
"Liu Yuan, what are you doing?!" The voice of a boy came from the window.
"Let us out!" Liu Yuan shouted angrily.
"You can't go out. Li Yifei says one of you might be a monster!"
"You're talking nonsense!!" Liu Yuan pointed at the boy, "Li Qiang, open your eyes and see, I'm Liu Yuan! She's Han Ruoruo! We're classmates! You locked us up just because Li Yifei said so? Do you know what that's called? It's called illegal imprisonment! If you don't let us out, you're breaking the law! If Li Yifei's a madman, does that mean you're going to break the law with him?"
Liu Yuan's voice echoed through the floor, attracting the attention of all the students. The few students in charge of watching Liu Yuan and the others looked uneasy, hesitating.
They were still students, and they didn't feel right about imprisoning their peers, especially since they were classmates. It seemed excessive.
"Liu Yuan, don't slander us! This is a special situation. You saw how many classmates turned into monsters. Who can guarantee that one of you isn't one?" Li Qiang remained unyielding.
"Why is it us?" Liu Yuan sneered, pointing at everyone present. "You're all suspects too, aren't you? How does Li Yifei know one of us is a monster? Does he have X-ray vision?"
"You!!"
As the two argued, a loud crash came from the hallway to the right!
Everyone's hearts jumped, and they turned, fear in their eyes.
Was it a monster breaking through the defense?
"It's Lin Qiye! He's going crazy killing monsters, and Li Yifei and the others are following him!"
Shouts echoed from the hallway, and everyone exchanged stunned looks, hardly believing their ears.
Lin Qiye?
Killing monsters?
Boom——!!
Another loud crash followed, and the desks and chairs in the hallway were knocked over like a small mountain, making loud clanging sounds that sent the surrounding students backing away in fright. The rising dust blurred everyone's vision.
Dust filled the air.
A boy in a blood-stained school uniform, holding a knife in his right hand, slowly emerged.
His eyes burned like a furnace.
The moment they saw those eyes, everyone felt as if they were being stared down by an ancient, ferocious beast. They dared not even breathe.
The golden light in Lin Qiye's eyes gradually faded, and the heavy weight pressing on their chests disappeared.
Behind him, a few boys ran up, including Li Yifei and An Qingyu.
"Li Yifei? How did you guys get up here? What about the monsters on the fourth floor?!"
Someone in the crowd quickly recovered, speaking anxiously.
Li Yifei looked at the fire axe in his hand and chuckled. "They're all dead. My brother Qiye killed his way through the entire fourth floor. Now the whole building is cleared!"
All eyes turned to Lin Qiye, their expressions full of disbelief.
"How is that possible? So many monsters..."
"He killed them all by himself?"
"Look at the knife in his hand, and all that blood on him! It must be true!"
"Wow! Did you see his eyes just now? So cool!!"
"What was that? Superpower?"
"..."
While everyone was whispering, Lin Qiye's gaze swept over the crowd, landing on the indignant Liu Yuan.
For some reason, Liu Yuan trembled and instinctively took a step back.
Lin Qiye, holding the knife, walked toward him expressionlessly.
Without thinking, all the students in the hallway cleared a path for him, and the whispers gradually died down.
When Lin Qiye reached Liu Yuan, the hallway fell into dead silence.
"You... What do you want?" Liu Yuan stammered, "I'm telling you! Han Ruoruo broke up with you! She's my girlfriend now!"
Lin Qiye raised an eyebrow, seemingly indifferent to who was someone's girlfriend. "I heard you want to take her away from here?"
Han Ruoruo lowered her head, avoiding Lin Qiye's gaze.
Liu Yuan gritted his teeth and mustered up courage. "Yes! I'm taking her with me! Are you trying to stop me?!"
Lin Qiye quietly observed him for a moment, then sneered.
He stepped aside, gesturing with his hand.
"I won't stop you. You can go."
Then he added, with a cold smile:
"By the way...
I wish you both happiness."