30: Chapter 30: Where Did Teacher Bai Go?

Ten minutes later.

The evolutionary eagle had already flown far away.

After confirming it was safe, Lin Yuan led the sisters out of the ruins.

"Brother Lin Yuan..."

Ye Qingyue whispered.

"That... that monster just now..."

"Can... can you defeat it?"

Lin Yuan was silent for a few seconds.

Then he shook his head.

"I'm not sure."

He said honestly.

"That level of evolutionary creature..."

"is already beyond my judgment."

"If we really fought..."

"I might die."

Once these words were spoken, both sisters fell silent.

It was the first time they had heard Lin Yuan say he "might die."

This man, who had always been powerful, calm, and omnipotent, also faced existences he could not contend with.

This made them even more afraid, and at the same time, it made them rely on Lin Yuan even more.

If even Lin Yuan could not contend with that kind of monster, then ordinary people had absolutely no hope at all.

"Therefore..."

Lin Yuan continued.

"In the Apocalypse, having strength alone is not enough."

"You also have to know how to judge."

"What can be fought, and what cannot."

"What should be avoided, and what should be fled from."

"Only by surviving does life have meaning."

He looked at the sisters.

"Remember this."

The sisters nodded.

Their eyes were filled with admiration as they looked at Lin Yuan.

It was not just because of his strength, but even more so because of his rationality.

Such a man was the only one who could truly survive in the Apocalypse.

...

They walked another two kilometers.

The three of them finally saw the outline of Jiangcheng University.

That once-prosperous campus had now turned into a pile of ruins.

Half of the buildings had collapsed.

The playground was piled high with snow.

Everywhere there was broken glass and twisted steel bars.

It was dead silent.

"We're here."

Lin Yuan said.

"In which direction are the teachers' apartments?"

Ye Qingyue pointed ahead.

"Over there... that building to the east..."

Lin Yuan nodded.

"Let's go."

"But be careful."

"There might be more evolutionary creatures here."

The three of them advanced cautiously, staying vigilant of the movements around them at all times.

Every step they took could lead to danger.

But Lin Yuan remained calm.

He walked at the very front, using his body to shield the sisters from all possible dangers.

Ye Qingxue and Ye Qingyue looked at his back, a tremendous sense of security welling up in their hearts.

With this man around, they could truly survive.

The snow was still falling, but in the eyes of the three of them, there was nothing but hope.

Was Teacher Bai Xingli still alive?

The answer lay ahead.

...

Another ten minutes passed.

The three of them finally arrived at the foot of the teachers' apartment building.

It was a ten-story building.

The outer walls were covered in ice and snow.

Most of the windows were broken, and it was a scene of chaos everywhere.

Lin Yuan stopped and observed the surroundings carefully, searching for any possible danger.

After a few seconds, he confirmed that it was temporarily safe, then turned to look at Ye Qingyue.

"What floor does your teacher live on?"

Ye Qingyue whispered in reply: "The eighth floor... Room 803..."

Lin Yuan nodded.

"Let's go."

The three of them entered the hallway.

It was pitch black inside, with only faint light filtering in through the broken windows.

The air was filled with a rotting stench and the smell of blood.

Ye Qingxue and Ye Qingyue pinched their noses, their faces pale.

Lin Yuan walked at the front, vigilantly observing the surroundings.

On the stairs, there were bloodstains everywhere, along with some remains of corpses that had been frozen into blocks of ice.

When the sisters saw this, they trembled with fear, but they gritted their teeth and did not make a sound.

The three of them slowly walked up: first floor, second floor, third floor...

With every floor they ascended, the smell of blood in the air grew stronger, and Lin Yuan's vigilance also increased.

He knew there might still be living evolutionary creatures or living humans in this building; regardless of which one it was, it could be dangerous.

Finally, the three of them reached the eighth floor.

Lin Yuan stopped and signaled the sisters to wait at the stairwell, then walked towards Room 803 alone.

The door was closed, but there were obvious, deep scratch marks on it, as if left by some kind of giant beast.

Lin Yuan frowned.

He knocked on the door gently: "Knock, knock, knock—"

Three times, not heavy, but very clear.

Then he waited for one second, two seconds, three seconds, ten seconds.

There was no response.

Lin Yuan knocked again: "Knock, knock, knock—"

Still no response.

Ye Qingyue couldn't help it anymore; she walked to Lin Yuan's side and whispered: "Teacher Bai! Teacher Bai, are you there? It's me, Ye Qingyue!"

Her voice echoed in the hallway, but there was still no response.

Tears streamed down Ye Qingyue's face.

"It can't be... it can't be... Teacher Bai must still be alive..." she said, trembling.

Lin Yuan looked at the door, silent for a few seconds, then made a decision.

"Step back," he said calmly. "I'm going to break down the door."

Ye Qingyue and Ye Qingxue immediately stepped back.

Lin Yuan took a deep breath, then—

"Bang!"

With one kick, he struck the door lock heavily!

"Click!"

The lock shattered instantly, and the door was kicked open.

A stale odor rushed towards them.

Lin Yuan frowned and walked carefully into the room.

The sisters followed closely behind him.

The room was very messy, with overturned furniture everywhere, and the floor was covered in dust and bloodstains, but there were no corpses, nor were there any living people.

"Teacher Bai!" Ye Qingyue rushed into the bedroom, but it was also empty inside.

She rushed into the kitchen, the bathroom, searching every room, but there was nothing.

Teacher Bai Xingli was not here.

Ye Qingyue knelt on the floor, tears streaming down her face.

"No... no... Teacher Bai... where did you go..." she said, crying.

Ye Qingxue's eyes also reddened; although she wasn't as close to Teacher Bai as her sister was, seeing her sister so sad made her feel very bad too.

Lin Yuan stood in the middle of the room, observing the surroundings carefully.

He noticed that the windows were closed, and although the door lock had scratch marks, it hadn't been destroyed, which indicated that Teacher Bai Xingli had left on her own, rather than being dragged away, or she was already dead and her body had been dragged away by other creatures.

But Lin Yuan inclined towards the first possibility because although the room was messy, there were no significant signs of a struggle, and it looked more like she had left after hurriedly packing her things.

"She might still be alive," Lin Yuan said suddenly.

Ye Qingyue raised her head abruptly, hope sparkling in her eyes: "Really?!"

Lin Yuan nodded. "There aren't many signs of a struggle in the room. It's very likely she left on her own. She might have gone to a Shelter, or some other safe place."

Hearing this, Ye Qingyue saw hope again.

"Then... then let's go find her!" she said immediately.

But Lin Yuan shook his head. "No. It's too dangerous outside. And we don't know where she went. Searching blindly will only put us in danger."

Ye Qingyue bit her lip; although she was unwilling to give up, she knew Lin Yuan was right.

"Then... what should we do..." she asked in a low voice.

Lin Yuan pondered for a few seconds. "First, find a better Shelter," he said. "Wait until I become stronger. Then come out and search for her. With my current strength... it's not enough."

Speaking of this, Lin Yuan thought of that evolutionary eagle that blotted out the sky; he still couldn't contend with that level of monster right now, so he had to become stronger to truly survive in this Apocalypse.

Ye Qingyue nodded; although disappointed, at least there was still hope—Teacher Bai might still be alive, and as long as she was still alive, they could still find her.

"Let's go," Lin Yuan said.

The three of them left Room 803 and returned to the hallway.

The reason they came here first instead of going to Ye Qingxue's home was mainly because the school was closest to them, and if they traveled normally to the villa where Ye Qingxue and her sister lived, it would take them over half a day.

The journey itself wasn't difficult; the difficulty lay in the crises that could appear at any moment, as the risk was too great.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak—"

A strange sound instantly broke Lin Yuan's train of thought.

The sound came from upstairs.

Lin Yuan instantly became alert.

He made a "quiet" gesture, then looked up towards the floor above.

A giant rat—no, an evolutionary rat, at least half a meter long—was crouching on the stairs, staring at them with blood-red eyes.

The sisters were so scared their faces turned pale, but Lin Yuan remained calm.

He slowly stood up, his gaze cold.

"You guys go downstairs first," he said calmly. "I'll handle it."

The sisters immediately turned around and ran downstairs.

While Lin Yuan faced the evolutionary rat, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Come on," he whispered. "Let me see how strong you are."