Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“Son, stay in school and wait for your mom and I to come and pick you up. We will leave now and head to the airport…”
“Son, there are no more plane tickets. We’ll take the train over…”
Nan Yuan City was the capital of Jiangnan Province. Du Gang came here to study at boarding school. His hometown was in Luo An City, also within Jiangnan Province, and was more than 500 kilometers away from Nan Yuan City.
As soon as the news spread, Du Gang’s parents couldn’t wait to go to Nan Yuan City to look for their son. A disaster was about to happen, so the least a family could do was stay together.
“Son, there are no more trains heading south. We will find a way to drive over!”
On the other end of the phone, Du Gang had already checked. Highways everywhere were thoroughly congested and cars couldn’t drive at all. He refused his parents, saying: “Mom, Dad, there are still three hours before dark, so even if you get on the highway, you can’t reach here in time…”
He thought about it and continued, “You guys just listen to the officials and stay at home. I’m staying in the school dormitory and not going anywhere!”
Upon hearing Du Gang’s response, his parents calmed down, saying: “All right. Little Gang, hurry to the supermarket and grab lots of food and drinks. Buy as much as possible and store them in your dormitory…”
After some discussion, the three of them finally decided that, for the time being, they would stock up food and get through the coming night first.
After hanging up the phone, Du Gang put on a set of work-site camouflage clothes and hurried to the school supermarket.
He had grabbed the set of camouflage clothes from the building that was still under construction. Although it was a tad small, it still beat running around in just a pair of underwear.
Upon arriving at the supermarket, the boss was no longer around. Only about four to five students who also lived in the dormitory were moving things.
They exchanged looks in silence, while stuffing food and drinks into their bags.
Fortunately, the school supermarket was huge enough. The amount of stuff the students took was like a drop in the bucket.
Three hours had gone after he transformed.
Since the news blew up three hours ago, almost everyone in school had run off.
Even though this Experimental High School was a full boarding school, most of the students were local and had basically returned home by themselves or were picked up by their parents.
The students who were left behind were basically like Du Gang, who came from another city. Even so, there were still some who ran away.
After loading a few bags of food and drinks, Du Gang immediately ran back to the dormitory.
He thought of heading to a higher floor to stay, but there wasn’t a good spot. He didn’t know where to go. Even though the school dormitory had only six floors, he was familiar with its environment and layout.
Arriving at the sixth floor of the dormitory and pushing the door open, he saw Ma Li sitting and crying on the edge of the bed.
“Ma Li, what’s wrong?”
As soon as Ma Li saw Du Gang, he sighed with relief and poured his heart out. “My parents can’t come over…”
Du Gang slightly puckered his brows and urged: “Hurry and tell your parents to stay at home. There are still three hours before dark, and those monsters will appear!”
Du Gang’s and Ma Li’s parents lived in the same building as neighbors for years. The two young men grew up together, so it went without saying that their parents contacted each other in times of crises.
“I told them. They said your father looked for them and that they are staying together now…”
“Then what are you crying about?”
Du Gang put down his bags and comforted, “Don’t cry, now follow me to the supermarket to stock up on necessities!”
After Ma Li saw the bags of food and drinks on the floor, he finally woke up to reality, stood on his feet, and followed Du Gang.
When the two arrived at the supermarket again, there were still the same four to five students. They didn’t think much of it and went to grab stuff off the shelves right away.
Soon after, the two of them carried a whole bunch of items in their arms and ran back to the dormitory.
This time, after putting down the items and heading downstairs, Du Gang couldn’t help but shout: “Those of you who are hiding in the dormitory, hurry up and grab some food and drinks from the supermarket!”
Although most of the students were locals, there were still some who were from out of town. It was impossible that there were only seven to eight of them.
He guessed that they were probably scared, hiding in the dormitory and not daring to step out.
And sure enough, as soon as the students in the dormitory heard his shouting, they opened their doors and sprang into action.
When passing by the girls’ dormitory, Du Gang lifted his head and screamed the same thing.
When the two of them headed toward the dormitory with their bags of food again, there were already quite a few students running toward the supermarket.
After they saw Du Gang, they couldn’t help but smile and show their gratitude.
And just like that, most of the students started transporting food back to the dormitory, and the more timid students also finally went downstairs and joined the cohort.
When Du Gang came to the supermarket again, he saw a public address speaker. After giving some thought, he decided to use it to remind everyone.
“Students who live on the first, second, and third floors, try to move up to the upper floors. The locals are gone, so lots of rooms on the upper floors are vacant! Move into them!”
After yelling his announcement, he set it on repeat and placed it right in front of the supermarket, before carrying stuff with Ma Li back to the dormitory.
“Du Gang, you feel different now!”
Ma Li compared himself to Du Gang and realized that he had acted like an ignorant and helpless child. While he sobbed in his room, Du Gang had already thought about the way to survive. Not only that, but he also kindheartedly reminded the other students.
Du Gang didn’t notice how he was different and casually replied: “I’m on a sports committee, so isn’t it normal for me to be calmer than most people?!”
Ma Li looked closely at Du Gang and was suddenly puzzled: “Wait, why do I feel that you have grown taller again?”
“Have I?”
Although Du Gang was flabbergasted, he soon replied: “That’s normal, isn’t it? We’re supposed to be growing at this age! Perfectly normal!”
With that said, he ran with a pile of stuff in his arms.
***
Finally, when the sun was about to set, all the students had made at least three to four trips to the supermarket and wiped almost everything off the shelves in the food and drinks aisles.
Du Gang, on the other hand, ran a dozen trips with his stronger physique. Apart from Ma Li’s and his bed, the other six beds were covered in food and drinks.
Some people seemed as if they had lost their wits and were still moving things back and forth between the supermarket and dormitory. Finally, under Du Gang’s reminder, they returned to the dormitory.
Immediately after that, Du Gang found a lock in the dormitory’s office and locked the entrance on the first floor.
After returning to the dormitory, almost everyone acted the same way, pulling the curtains but leaving a slit to observe the situation outside.
This time, there was no need for Du Gang to remind them as the entirety of the dormitory building became consciously quiet.
At that moment, neither of them was in the mood to make a scene nor act silly.
And the sun, under the watchful eyes of everyone, gradually disappeared…