After a moment of silence, I arrived on the fifth floor. The corridor was pitch black, with only a faint light at the end.

The difference was that this time, the atmosphere was no longer eerily quiet. Laughter and voices of men and women could be heard from the staircase classroom, adding some vitality to the lifeless campus.

The main entrance was locked from the inside, and I had no intention of acting rashly. Following Xu Jing's instructions, I went to the classroom next to the staircase, planning to use the same old trick of climbing in through the air conditioner unit into the large classroom.

"Are you sure the window on this side of the classroom is open? What's the situation inside?"

"It's open. There are only three people inside. Their vigilance is low, and they're still chatting... Wait a minute." Xu Jing paused. "I think I know the people inside."

"You know them?" My heart tightened. If they were acquaintances of Xu Jing, I would have to approach them differently.

"You know them too. They were our high school classmates, Ding Zhen, Chen Ying, and Wang Yuan."

"Oh, then I won't hold back."

Having prepared the ropes in advance, I crouched on the machine, observing the situation inside the room.

A girl with big wavy hair pouted and said, "Brother Wang, how long do we have to stay in this lousy place? No signal on our phones. I'm so bored."

"Don't worry, baby. I'm here with you." Wang Yuan, with dyed blond hair, hugged her. "My uncle said we should lay low here for a few days. Someone will come to pick us up soon."

"That's right, Zhen Zhen. The residential buildings are all surrounded by those eerie things. The classroom is much safer." Chen Ying chimed in.

Ding Zhen looked disdainful. "It's creepy here at night. How can it be safe? Besides, the curtains keep moving, just like someone is behind them... Damn, there really is someone behind the curtains!"

The three of them immediately looked towards the curtains, and as they stared in horror, I jumped in from outside the window.

"You guys continue."

"Jiang Jin?" Chen Ying was the first to recognize me. "What are you doing here? And why are you holding such a big knife? What do you want to do?"

"Don't worry, I don't have a reason to harm you." I glanced at her. "After all, I don't like to bully others proactively. It tends to invite retribution."

"Heh, the daughter of a butcher is tough indeed." Ding Zhen stood up like she stepped on a tail. "It's been only a few years, and you still have that rustic look. Do you really think you can inherit your father's legacy just by holding a knife?"

"Zhen Zhen, don't provoke her." Chen Ying frowned and reminded her.

"What can she do if I provoke her? Her father is a farmer, a pig butcher. I don't know how many people he begged just so she could go to school! It would be a piece of cake to kill her. She didn't even dare to fart when she did something so outrageous back then!"

I calmly looked at the furious Ding Zhen. At that moment, Wang Yuan also spoke up, "Jiang Jin, where's your lackey, Xu Jing? Why aren't you together with that sissy today?"

The earpiece remained silent, and I reassured them, "Don't worry, it's not time to deal with them yet."

"Deal with us? Are you out of your mind?" Wang Yuan exclaimed in surprise. "With your small frame, I can handle you easily!"

"Wang ge." Chen Ying tugged at Wang Yuan's clothes. "The curtains... seem to be moving."

The curtains... were moving.

Everyone immediately fell silent and looked at the curtains with tense anticipation. The curtains swelled slowly, forming the shape of a person.

The figure behind the curtains twitched twice, revealing a small patch of black-red bloodstains, small but enough to send a chill down one's spine.

"Be careful!" Xu Jing's cry came from my ear, and I rushed out.

The curtains lifted, revealing the head of a grotesque monster. Perhaps it was a former teacher or a headmaster. Its body showed signs of gigantism dueto malnutrition and decomposition. Its eyes were missing, leaving behind empty sockets filled with darkness.

The creature let out a low, guttural growl as it lunged towards Ding Zhen, its arms stretched out like decaying branches.

"No!" Chen Ying screamed.

Without hesitation, I threw the knife in my hand, aiming straight at the monster's head. The blade flew through the air, piercing through the creature's forehead and pinning it to the wall.

The monster twitched and convulsed, emitting a final screech before falling limp to the ground, lifeless.

Ding Zhen, Chen Ying, and Wang Yuan stood frozen in shock, their faces pale and eyes wide with terror.

I walked over to retrieve the knife from the wall, wiping the blood off on the monster's tattered clothes. "You should be more careful. These creatures are attracted to noise and movement."

"Wh-what was that thing?" Chen Ying stammered.

"A result of the chaos that has befallen the world," I replied grimly. "They used to be people, but now they're nothing more than mindless monsters."

"We need to leave this place," Ding Zhen said, her voice trembling. "I can't stay here anymore."

"I agree," Wang Yuan added, his bravado replaced with fear. "Let's go. We'll figure out a way to survive together."

I nodded. "Good. Stick close and stay quiet. We'll make our way out of here."

Together, we left the classroom, stepping cautiously over the fallen monster. Little did we know that our journey was just beginning, and the horrors that awaited us outside were far worse than anything we had encountered thus far.