25: Chapter 25 Decision

"No time to deal with this."

Chu Xuan shook his head. Perhaps because his stamina attribute had increased significantly, although he felt pain, it wasn't as unbearable as he had imagined.

In particular, there were still some glass shards embedded in his flesh. In the past, he would have been gnashing his teeth in agony, but now it was merely a slight pain and a discomforting sensation of foreign objects.

Seeing that everyone was ready, Tang Zheng held two long-handled homemade fluorescent lamps. The phones wrapped inside acting as light sources still had enough battery, and their brightness hadn't diminished.

Chu Xuan's heart suddenly stirred, and his gaze carefully swept across the surroundings once more.

He remembered that during university, in order to get on the good side of the Dormitory Manager to make it easier for him to open the door when he occasionally returned late, he had gifted the old man a multi-functional high-intensity flashlight.

The Dormitory Manager liked it very much and carried it with him every time he did his midnight rounds. Since it was a frequently used item, it should be placed in a relatively convenient spot.

Found it!

Chu Xuan's gaze quickly locked onto a translucent small storage box on the corner windowsill, where the faint outline of a cylinder could be seen.

Chu Xuan's eyes lit up. He tucked the damaged fruit knife into his waistband and stepped forward quickly to pick it up.

This multi-functional high-intensity flashlight wasn't large, but its light intensity was impressive. As the switch was flipped, an extremely powerful beam of light shot out; its floodlight capability could illuminate a large area, comparable to a searchlight.

After a quick check of the flashlight's condition, he found all functions intact and two bars of battery remaining. Chu Xuan felt quite heartened.

With this thing, the safety factor for their subsequent actions would be greatly improved.

The others noticed this as well and were all overjoyed. Xu Zhiyou asked, "What should we do next? The exit door is sealed shut by some unknown power. How exactly are we supposed to leave this place?"

Feeling everyone's expectant gazes, Chu Xuan didn't hide anything and said directly, "There's only one way to leave this place: climb to the roof and then jump off."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's expressions changed drastically, unable to believe their ears.

"Jump... jump off the building? This dormitory is eleven stories high. Isn't jumping off just suicide?" someone asked in alarm.

"This... are you sure we can really leave that way? Where did you learn this?" someone questioned, but not wanting to be too direct, they asked tactfully, "It's not that I don't believe you, it's just..."

Chu Xuan waved his hand. "I've already fulfilled my promise to tell you the way to leave, and I've demonstrated the homemade lamps for you. Whether you choose to believe me is your decision. I have other things to do next; let's part ways here."

Hearing this, Tang Zheng was only slightly stunned before his expression returned to normal. The others, however, began to get nervous and started whispering among themselves.

Ignoring the crowd's reaction, Chu Xuan had already exchanged for another attribute point while speaking. Improving his strength was the most important thing right now; these were his capital for survival.

[You have exchanged for 1 attribute point.]

[Remaining spirituality value: 4]

Considering the awkwardness he felt when facing the skinny monkey's Berserk state earlier, Chu Xuan didn't hesitate much and put this sole attribute point into agility.

[You have used 1 attribute point.]

[Your agility +1]

[Current agility: 6]

[Remaining attribute points: 0]

As the System notifications flashed by, a tingling sensation swept through his entire body, like his ligaments and fascia were being pulled hard. Chu Xuan couldn't help but shudder. Fortunately, it was only a single attribute point increase, and the sensation soon dissipated.

Chu Xuan stretched his body. His muscles, which had felt slightly swollen and were almost bursting through his clothes, gradually settled down. However, the sense of power didn't diminish at all; it felt contained yet ready to erupt. His body felt much lighter, and his flexibility had significantly improved.

"This is..."

Although the change in Chu Xuan was subtle, everyone's nerves were on edge and they were watching him constantly, so they naturally noticed the anomaly. The people who were whispering earlier were suddenly astonished.

"I believe Chu Xuan!"

Xu Zhiyou suddenly shouted, "Don't you guys have any awareness? The crisis we're facing can't be judged by common sense at all. One wrong step and we could die. At a time like this, we can only trust Chu Xuan!"

After speaking, Xu Zhiyou stared straight at Chu Xuan and said with utmost seriousness, "Chu Xuan, I don't care what the others think. In short, I believe whatever you say. But I hope you'll let me follow you in your next actions. To be honest, letting us face those monsters on our own is a bit terrifying; it's nowhere near as safe as being with you..."

"But my next actions will be even more dangerous," Chu Xuan said flatly.

"I'll accept the danger. This is my own choice." Xu Zhiyou quickly added, "Don't worry, I definitely won't cause trouble. No matter what you tell me to do, I will execute it without reservation. I'm begging you!"

The others also began to chime in:

"Chu Xuan, let me follow too. Even if you want me to scout the way, it's fine."

"Me too. After all, with so many of us, we can always lend a hand. There's strength in numbers."

"Same here."

Seeing everyone strongly expressing their desire to follow him, Chu Xuan nodded slightly. "We've just shared life and death together. Since you trust me so much, I certainly won't let you down. But let me be clear: in this life-or-death moment, there can only be one voice. Everything from now on must center around me. You must unconditionally follow any of my orders, otherwise don't blame me for turning hostile."

"No problem!"

Everyone spoke in unison, fearing Chu Xuan might change his mind.

"Good, follow me!"

Chu Xuan checked the time; three minutes had already passed. He immediately led the group out of the Dormitory Manager's room.

"The sound-activated lights in the hallway are completely out of power, and my flashlight can only shine forward, leaving the back unattended. To avoid being ambushed by monsters from behind, no matter what happens, you must not panic. We must ensure the light remains stable."

Although Chu Xuan felt urgent, he understood that sharpening the axe wouldn't delay the woodcutting. He said to the group, "To be safe, let's make a few more long-handled fluorescent lamps!"