Chapter 10
Quietly lying on the table, Su Mo stared at the face that was so close, watching the long eyelashes flutter slightly. Her heart felt like a drum being played by a strong hand, and it beat faster with the melody.
Although Lu Jia's face had changed a bit, it was still very similar to the person she remembered.
It had been a long time since she saw that face, and she couldn't remember exactly when. She didn't even know what had happened that day. But that hug and the candy had left a mark in her heart.
She thought that the people who came with memories would quietly leave without leaving any trace, just like her biological parents. From her childhood until now, they had long been expelled from her memory, taking away the faces that held the love of family.
But Lu Jia's face, on the other hand, became even clearer. Ever since she caught a glimpse of her at the high school assembly, she had completely merged the face in her mind with Lu Jia the high school student.
Suddenly, she felt a burning desire to live seriously. It felt as though her entire life was waiting for Lu Jia to appear.
Her life, which was once still and dirty, filled with impurities, and even disgusted her, might still have a chance to turn around.
Maybe her life was still there, waiting for her when she saw Lu Jia.
Lu Jia had entered the school with the highest scores in middle school, so she, who used to find studying uninteresting, made extraordinary efforts to get Lu Jia's attention, to be able to rank side by side with him on the leaderboard.
Only like this, she could have her name beside Lu Jia, during the school assembly, she could sit next to Lu Jia, even if she couldn't say anything.
Throughout the three years of high school, she never seemed to get close to Lu Jia, but somehow she felt close to her in certain ways.
It wasn't until college that she dealt with things she shouldn't have carried, and she started trying to get closer to Lu Jia, even though every attempt ended in failure, she still carried on.
Her trembling hand reached out towards Lu Jia's face, but before making contact, she pulled back, repeatedly using a tissue to wipe away her nervousness.
At that moment, her face turned slightly red, her whole body felt hot, as if she had entered a steam room, as if she were about to evaporate like a water droplet.
The pupils in her eyes were gradually becoming indiscernible.
Her hand reached out towards Lu Jia once again, trembling slightly, and touched Lu Jia's nose, then quickly bending her fingers, creating a separation between her fingers and the nose, until finally, she slowly extended her fingers once more.
Her actions were so careful, as if she were afraid of waking up the person in her dream, or perhaps she was just afraid.
In the bright light of the dormitory, Lu Jia's nose was covered with a layer of almost transparent whiteness, flowing down from her nose, to the grooves of her lips, and her lips themselves, seeming to be enveloped in this layer of whiteness, until it faded into shadow.
Su Mo's movements were gentle, as if she was caressing a precious treasure, afraid of breaking it if it was too heavy, and afraid of not feeling it if it was too light.
Perhaps she was really starting to lose the ability to feel.
Su Mo could feel her body getting hotter and her breathing becoming more difficult, as if she was being suffocated.
She struggled to stand up, unsure if she should be thankful for the discomfort in her body, as she seemed to have no feeling in her injured left leg.
With one hand supporting Lu Jia's back and the other passing through her knees, Su Mo lifted Lu Jia horizontally and carried her onto the balcony.
Carefully placing her down, allowing her back to lean against the wall.
Luckily, it was summer now, so even if she lay here directly, it wouldn't be easy to catch a cold.
In this moment, Su Mo's eyes had completely turned grey, her breathing became heavy, and the figure in front of her started to blur.
She lightly stroked Lu Jia's face before finally getting up, locking the balcony and completely separating it from the bedroom.
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She began to regret her reckless bravery. Even if Su Mo's leg was broken, Su Mo was still a zombie, and compared to Lu Jia, who was weak and helpless, she was much safer, as Lu Jia would easily become a meal for zombies once they encountered her.
Overwhelmed with regret, she turned back.
Not far away, a male zombie with its arms tightly pulled together was clumsily approaching her.
Upon seeing this, Lu Jia quickly turned around and imitated a low growl, trembling and walking unsteadily as if she might fall at any moment.
Luckily, her acting skills were good, and her body still had traces of zombie matter and liquid, so it didn't trigger a chase.
As she stepped onto the road and saw the playgrounds on both sides, all she could think was, "Oh my goodness."
Both playgrounds were filled with zombies, packed together like a school gathering. What scared her was not knowing if they were zombies or just another school event.
The playgrounds on both sides were filled with zombies, they were crowded together, just like everyone at a school gathering. What frightened her was not knowing whether it was zombies or a school gathering.
Lu Jia finally understood why there were not many zombies where she had walked before. All the feelings were gathered here.
"Roar~"
A sound came from behind, making Lu Jia involuntarily hold her breath. Her entire back straightened up straight away. She roared twice and continued to tremble as she walked forward unsteadily.
She didn't know if she was walking too slowly or if the zombie behind her had increased its speed, but in any case, they soon started walking side by side.
Nervously, she swallowed a few mouthfuls of saliva and walked as if nothing was happening on the surface. Inside, her tears were filled with "excitement." Even her legs were affected, trembling with each step she took.
Heavens and Buddhas, Lao Tzu, Bodhisattva Guanyin, please save me.
She muttered in her heart, starting to find a temporary spiritual reliance for herself.
It was already difficult to walk, but now the zombie's almost broken arm was hitting her back and legs with each of its movements.
If it weren't for the zombie, Lu Jia would have suspected that the person beside her was doing this on purpose.
Because she was a zombie, she had to endure it and not be eaten.
Perhaps she should be grateful because having zombies by her side made her journey through the crowded zombie playground much easier.
In front of the cafeteria, there were three paths leading to the main entrance and the doors on the left and right sides.
Nowadays, Lu Jia couldn't turn easily, so she had to walk straight towards the main entrance. Surprisingly, the zombie turned a corner and walked away. Lu Jia was so happy that she couldn't help but speed up her steps towards the inside.
In the distance beside her, the zombie that used to be separated from her stopped and turned its head towards her. It paused for a while before continuing to walk forward.
Thanks to the company of the male zombie before, Lu Jia realized to some extent that as long as she didn't go too far, she could hide herself next to the zombie.
So she continued to walk into the cafeteria in a zombie-like manner.
Under the serving window in the cafeteria, the dishes were in disarray. There were even several pots of food directly spilled on the ground, with bowls scattered everywhere.
It was summer, and the vegetables spoiled so fast that it seemed as if no matter what kind of dish, once it was cooked, it would be completely finished and eaten.
As I got closer, the smell of decay became stronger.
The smell on her body mixed with the sour smell of rotten vegetables. Lu Jia felt like she had had enough today. She felt sick and uncomfortable, not knowing whether to throw up or not.
The cafeteria was very quiet. Besides the sound of flowing water, it seemed like there was nothing else. Lu Jia walked inside, and here it felt like the only sound was her heartbeat.
There were usually a few lunchtime chefs in the cafeteria, but today, Lu Jia didn't see any of them. This made her feel strange because she thought there would always be a few zombies here.
Lu Jia didn't really want to see zombies, but it was too quiet here. The less there was, the more it made her mind wander.
On the far left side of a series of food display windows, there was a big door that could fit three or four adults side by side. Usually, the food was brought out from there, and this place connected to the school cafeteria's refrigerated room for dishes.
At this moment, the door was slightly ajar, leaving only a small opening like Lu Jia's arm. Lu Jia looked at it and felt a sense of fear coming from inside. It made her nervous all over, and she even held the sword on her back in her hand.
Holding tightly onto the tool that could help her survive, she slowly walked through the door.
One step, two steps, three steps.
Her heart was pounding and tight, making it difficult for her to breathe for a moment.
She focused her gaze tightly on the crack of the door, worried that something might run out, causing her to not pay attention to her steps.
Snap~
Her right foot stepped on a porcelain spoon, and the spoon broke in half.
The sound of the spoon cracking echoed in Lu Jia's mind, even expanding to the entire cafeteria (someone's nervous imagination).
The cold sweat soaked her back faster than Lu Jia had imagined, her heart hanging in suspense, and at this moment, even her breath stopped.
Roar~
Just when she thought nothing was wrong, a roar shattered the tranquility of the entire cafeteria, followed by clattering sounds.
Lu Jia alertly looked in the direction where the sound came from, and a half body with a chef's hat crawled out from under the cupboard using its hands.
The zombie's hand touched the pots and pans that had fallen to the ground, making a loud noise.
But the zombie's size hindered its movements, and it couldn't get close to Lu Jia with just its hand.
Despite this, Lu Jia still chose to approach the zombie, just to be on the safe side.
The loud noise would attract other zombies, and it would be too dangerous to leave the situation unattended.
Slowly raising the hand holding the sword, the zombie's face became clear in front of her.
It was the aunt who was always gentle when cooking. She would always smile, showing her slightly yellow teeth, and with one scoop of her spoon, it would be a full scoop. The uncle who cooked with her would always laugh and say she was too honest, but she would just smile and repeat the phrase, "She's just a child, she's growing up."
Lu Jia was a regular customer at the aunt's window because the aunt always treated her with the warmth of an elder relative.
The hand holding the sword gradually lowered.
The roar in her ears continued, and with a slight hesitation, the agitated zombie lunged towards her legs.
