Zombie Siege: The Road to Survival Begins at School - Chapter 9

Zhang Wei got his hands on a large ring of keys from the dorm supervisor.

It included spare keys to every room from the first to the sixth floor, as well as keys to the gated entrance on the first floor and the iron door leading to the rooftop from the sixth floor.

This was his plan from the beginning—to use the entire dorm building as a temporary base.

He would slowly check each dorm room for potential dangers.

The rooftop on the seventh floor was crucial, as it was the only place he could collect water.

After the school’s water supply was cut off, rainwater became the only source of clean water.

He had moved two boxes of bottled water—48 bottles in total.

But a good portion had already been wasted by Xu Long and his crew.

It was summer, and even with strict rationing, one bottle a day was the minimum.

Going back to get more water was no longer realistic. Zhang Wei needed to stay away from those people in the dorm.

He tiptoed to Room 512, picked out the right key from the bundle, and unlocked the door.

The room was quiet and tidy, clearly untouched so far.

Zhang Wei remembered Zhou An used to love pickled mustard beef-flavored instant noodles. He began opening the storage cabinets in 512 one by one.

Finally, in the second-to-last cabinet, he found a cardboard box of instant noodles.

Inside were three unopened tubs.

On the balcony, he spotted the water dispenser for 512—part of the room’s setup.

These 5-yuan refillable jugs were far more cost-effective than the 2-yuan bottled water sold downstairs.

There was about a third of a jug left on the dispenser.

The power was still on throughout the school. Zhang Wei checked—the heating indicator light on the dispenser was still glowing.

So, he made himself a bowl of instant noodles.

While eating, he lightly tapped his fist against the wall.

On the other side was his old dorm, Room 511.

This was how he and Zhou An used to communicate.

Back in the day, they often snuck out together at night to go to an internet café.

This knocking was their signal to move out.

Of course, Zhang Wei usually worked part-time at the café to make some extra cash.

“Zhou An, you should recognize this sound,” Zhang Wei muttered softly.

“Come over if you can,” he said, tilting his head back to gulp down the soup, slurping loudly on purpose.

…

“That sounded like a zombie…” Qin Shaofeng in the next room pressed his ear to the wall.

“Zhou An, do you know who in your dorm turned into a zombie?” Xu Shuai grabbed Zhou An by the collar.

The slurping coming from next door was creepy. Was it someone eating flesh or drinking bl00d?

“I don’t know…” Zhou An was spooked. Was someone hiding inside who had turned?

Could it be Zhang Wei?

But Zhou An wasn’t sure if it was him.

He instinctively reached into his pocket and clenched his fist around something.

Liu Feng noticed the movement. “What are you holding?”

“Just… just a key…” Zhou An opened his hand. The plastic tag on the key read: 512.

“Why don’t you go check it out yourself?” Qin Shaofeng said mockingly.

“No way! I’m not going over there. That’s a zombie room… I’d rather die!” Zhou An shouted, panicking.

“Not your choice to make,” Xu Long said menacingly.

“He’s friends with Zhang Wei. He’s not trustworthy either. Just toss him outside—our supplies won’t last long with so many freeloaders.” Zhang Ya stood up, limping, and made a suggestion.

Zhang Wei hadn’t come back after going downstairs—he probably ran into trouble somewhere on the way.

Throwing Zhou An into the hallway now was basically sentencing him to death.

“Zhou An, make a choice. We’ll either throw you off the balcony or you walk out on your own.”

“Can I stay in the bathroom instead?” Zhou An knew they were trying to force him out.

He wanted to separate from them, like Zhang Wei had done earlier.

“No. Your only option is to leave—go back to your own dorm. If there’s a zombie in there, drag it out and get inside. Just don’t get bitten,” Qin Shaofeng offered a terrible idea.

“What if I do get bitten? That’ll just make things worse for all of you!” Zhou An protested.

He still remembered Zhang Wei’s words—if Zhang Wei came back, he had to open the door for him.

“Then figure something out. There are empty buckets in the bathroom. Use one as a shield or something,” Zhang Ya opened the bathroom door and gestured toward the buckets.

“Can I bring anything else?” Zhou An swallowed nervously. Fighting a zombie with a bucket sounded insane.

“What do you want?” Xu Long frowned.

“I want Zhang Wei’s backpack, some food, and his blanket to wrap around myself…”

They had already searched Zhang Wei’s bag—there wasn’t anything valuable in it, just some random daily items and medical supplies. So they casually tossed it to Zhou An.

Zhou An unzipped it and started packing.

He had just stuffed in a few sausages and two bottles of water when Xu Long stopped him. “That’s enough. You’re taking too much.”

Xu Long figured Zhou An was as good as dead anyway. Giving him more would be a waste.

Next, Zhou An went to grab the blanket from Zhang Wei’s bed.

That was the only bed he was familiar with.

“Wait. If you take that, what are we supposed to sleep with?” Li Xiaoqian crossed her arms. She had slept there the night before.

“Then I’ll—” Zhou An turned to grab another blanket.

“That one’s mine,” Zhang Ya blocked him.

“Check the storage cabinet. Zhang Wei’s cabinet is that one.” Dorm leader Xu Long spoke up.

Zhou An opened it and found a heavy cotton quilt. Clumsy as it was, it was better than fighting a zombie bare-handed.

He dragged it out.

At the door, he hesitated.

Seeing this, Xu Long picked up Zhang Wei’s pillow and threw it hard, hitting Zhou An and making him flinch.

Zhou An quietly picked up the pillow and hugged it to his chest.

Then he left Room 511 and walked to Room 512, pulling out his key with trembling hands to unlock the door.

Xu Long and the others immediately locked their door and barricaded it with a bed.

They all lay on their beds, listening intently.

“Aaaah—!” A sharp scream came from next door, followed by some weak, unknown growling noises.

It sounded like a zombie chewing.

…

Zhou An remembered that the moment he opened the door, a figure tackled him to the floor.

Before he could even finish screaming, a hand clamped over his mouth.

It was a living hand—warm and smelling faintly of instant noodles.

But Zhou An couldn’t see clearly. The thick quilt wrapped around him blocked his view.

“Shhh!” Zhang Wei hushed him quietly.

Zhou An finally realized it was Zhang Wei, who had just gone downstairs earlier.

But how had Zhang Wei gotten into Room 512? The key had been in Zhou An’s pocket the entire time, and the lock hadn’t been forced.

“You… you ate my instant noodles?” was the first thing Zhou An blurted out.

“Just one. Only one!” Zhang Wei admitted. He still wasn’t full—he’d even finished the soup.

But this was the apocalypse. Everything had to be used sparingly.

“Talk about perfect timing!” Zhang Wei grinned, eyeing the quilt and pillow Zhou An had brought.

“Here. I brought your backpack too,” Zhou An said, slipping it off his back.

“Thanks,” Zhang Wei replied casually, giving it a quick check. Most of his supplies were still inside, except the disinfectant, which Zhang Ya had taken.

“How did you even find the stuff I hid in the quilt and pillow?” Zhang Wei asked, suddenly serious.

Zhou An froze.