22: Chapter 22 One person is missing

"My hands hurt so much, it feels like they've been shaken apart..."

"I can't even feel my arms anymore!"

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

An even denser barrage of impacts struck. Both of Chu Xuan's hands were numb from the shock. He immediately realized that more than one monster was ramming the door.

"Hey! Did someone slack off? Hold the line! I'm squeezing so hard I'm about to shit myself!" Tang Zheng shouted loudly.

Hearing the low groans of pain from those around him, Chu Xuan barked in a deep voice, "Everyone, hold on! The monsters' goal is to eat people. As long as we hold out, they won't waste time here; they'll definitely go elsewhere to find targets!"

Chu Xuan's words were just a guess—he wasn't actually certain—but he had to say them now to give everyone some mental encouragement, even if the statement was a bit cruel.

As he spoke, Chu Xuan glanced at the time display on the System page. Less than ten minutes had passed; the upcoming ordeal would still be very long.

Another two minutes passed...

The monsters seemed tireless, while everyone's physical strength was severely depleted. Although Chu Xuan still had enough stamina, if the others ran out first, he wouldn't be able to hold on for long by himself.

Crash! Screeech—

Following a loud bang was the tooth-aching sound of metal scraping against the floor.

This impact caused the iron bunk bed they were collectively holding to shift back several inches. Chu Xuan let out a low growl and shoved forward with all his might.

With a loud thud, the bunk bed slammed back against the iron door.

Chu Xuan gritted his teeth and growled, "Our lives are in our own hands. If you don't want to die, you have to hold on even if your hands break... As long as we make it until daylight, I'll find a way to get you out!"

Perhaps Chu Xuan's words acted as an inspiration; everyone seemed to summon a final breath of resolve. The iron door wasn't forced open again, but listening to the low, muffled groans around him, Chu Xuan didn't know how much longer they could last.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The sounds of the iron door being rammed and pulled rang out in succession, interspersed with the piercing screech of metal on metal.

Watching the time change on the System page, Chu Xuan had never felt time pass so slowly. Every single second was an agonizing torment.

Chu Xuan felt his hands becoming sticky; the webbing between his thumbs and forefingers must have split and started bleeding. Just when he thought the monsters would break through at any moment, the banging abruptly stopped.

The hallway outside instantly fell silent. He could only vaguely hear the distant, blurred sounds of chaos and screams, along with the buzzing electrical hum from the emergency exit sign outside.

But soon, these sounds were masked by the increasingly heavy breathing of the people inside the room.

"Don't let your guard down. The monsters are cunning; they might be waiting for us to relax before striking suddenly."

Chu Xuan warned the group, but he sighed inwardly.

They were all just ordinary college students who had basically never encountered any real setbacks or trials in their lives.

Suddenly faced with such a world-shattering, terrifying, and bloody scene—watching classmates they spent every day with being brutally hunted one by one—both their bodies and minds were being severely ravaged.

It was already quite a feat that they hadn't completely collapsed and were still able to follow instructions.

Even for Chu Xuan himself, if it weren't for the existence of the System and knowing so much information in advance, which allowed him to establish clear goals early on, he probably wouldn't have been able to maintain this level of composure.

"Sob... I can't take it anymore, I really can't! Chu Xuan, just give me a quick end, kill me. I don't want to hold on anymore..."

Whimpering came from beside him. Chu Xuan vaguely remembered the voice; it seemed to be the tall, thin guy.

"Shut your mouth! If you aren't even afraid of dying, what else is there to fear?" Tang Zheng cursed. "When a man dies, his balls face the sky! Act like a man. Even if you die, you die standing. What the hell are you crying like a girl for? Pull yourself together for me!"

"Sob..."

The tall, thin guy didn't argue, but the sobbing continued. This low mood was like a contagion; soon, more whimpering sounded around them, and a layer of gloom settled over everyone's hearts.

Chu Xuan cursed inwardly.

Morale was flagging. If the monsters chose to ram the door again now, they would likely fail to hold it, and all their efforts would be for nothing.

"Whether you want to live or die is your own choice, I won't force you... I'll only say one thing: if we keep holding on, there's hope. If you give up, you're just waiting for death. Those who want to live, hold the line with me. Regardless, I will absolutely never give up until the moment I die."

Chu Xuan took a deep breath and said no more after that. He was someone who had already died several times, yet at this moment, his will to survive was still incredibly firm.

"Chu Xuan and Tang Zheng are right."

Xu Zhiyou roared as if he'd been injected with adrenaline, "Think of our martyrs who endured enemy torture and marched the Long March! What does this count for? It's not like we're fighting to the death; we're just blocking a door. Why can't we hold on? Hope is just ahead. As long as we keep the faith, we will definitely survive!"

Whether moved by the emotion or finding a renewed desire to live, the others gradually stopped crying.

The dark room fell into an oppressive silence, leaving only the sound of heavy breathing.

"Did the monsters really leave?" someone asked in pleasant surprise.

The monsters didn't suddenly ram the door as Chu Xuan had speculated. Instead, they remained silent. As several more minutes passed, there was no movement outside the door, and even the distant, blurred screams had vanished.

"They're really gone, they're really gone..."

"They haven't hit the door for so long, they must be gone."

"Great, we're going to live!"

Everyone was incredibly excited.

"Still, don't let your guard down. In fifteen more minutes, the night will end." Chu Xuan spoke, providing a relatively clear timeframe to everyone in the pitch-black environment.

The others didn't question it, assuming Chu Xuan had been silently counting the time. The atmosphere in the room grew much lighter, and a few people began to whisper.

Chu Xuan frowned. He felt something wasn't quite right. As time ticked by, the unease in his heart grew stronger. He tilted his head to listen to the outside. After a moment, his heart suddenly skipped a beat.

"Wait, everyone be quiet!"

Chu Xuan's sudden words immediately made everyone's newly relaxed hearts tense up again. The room became so quiet you could hear a pin drop. After about ten seconds passed without Chu Xuan saying anything else, someone couldn't help but ask.

"Wha... what's wrong?"

Chu Xuan took a deep breath. "Listen carefully. Are there still sounds outside?"

"No... they're gone! Doesn't that just prove the monsters have left? Could they still be out there, waiting for a chance to suddenly ram the door?"

"No, that's not it! The buzzing of the emergency exit sign in the hallway is gone. It was there just a moment ago!" Chu Xuan's voice was terrifyingly grim.

"It seems... it is gone, but what does that prove?"

What did it prove?

Chu Xuan looked around, but everything before his eyes was pitch black; he couldn't see a thing. His spine felt chilled, and his hands and feet went cold.

A terrifying thought surfaced in his mind.

Chu Xuan's voice suddenly rose: "Everyone, count off starting with me!"

"One!"

Tang Zheng's voice followed: "Two!"

"Three!"

"..."

"Ten!"

Ten numbers were called out in succession. There was a brief silence in the room before someone asked urgently, "Why are there only ten people? There were clearly eleven of us here. How is one missing? Who didn't count off?"