26: Chapter 26 Swords

On the first-floor corridor of the dormitory.

Compared to before, there were a few more corpses, but it was still far from the gruesome scene on the fourth floor where severed limbs were piled everywhere; the students on this floor had mostly died inside their rooms.

Perhaps they didn't even know what killed them until the moment they died.

Chu Xuan saw clearly that most of the doors had been smashed open; some people inside died on their beds, others on the floor, and their deaths were all quite similar.

There were also a few doors that weren't smashed but were fully open; without exception, these rooms had at most three corpses, and most had died on their beds.

Perhaps the missing person was the monster!

Just how many monsters were there in this dormitory building?

Chu Xuan's thoughts raced. While leading the group to collect fully charged phones and mop handles, he explained the next part of the plan.

"I'm looking for a woman named Qin Qing. She's in this dormitory, but I don't know exactly where, let alone her current condition. If we search room by room together, it'll not only be a huge drain on our stamina, but we definitely won't have enough time."

"Also, this building has two stairwells located on either side of the elevators. If we go up the left stairs while Qin Qing happens to be coming down the right, we'll miss each other."

"So, I've decided to assign tasks to everyone."

Hearing this, Xu Zhiyou and the others grew anxious. Didn't this mean some people were destined to be separated from Chu Xuan? Those who weren't with him would be in much more danger.

However, Chu Xuan's next words put them at ease.

"There are six of us in total. We'll still move together in the corridors, but when we enter a floor, one person will run to the other stairwell and shout Qin Qing's name, while two others will quickly scout both sides of the hallway."

"We just went through another period of darkness, and most of the rooms on the first floor are already open; the other floors are likely the same. We can see inside from the outside, so the search won't take too much time. The key is to watch for any rooms that haven't been opened yet; there's a high probability of survivors inside, and Qin Qing might be among them."

"The remaining three will be on standby. By rotating like this, we can save stamina while checking every room and finding as many survivors as possible. As fellow students, we'll save whoever we can and bring them along, but on one condition: they must be obedient, otherwise, we'll abandon them immediately!"

"And to prevent monsters from disguising themselves among the survivors, we'll conduct a light-off test before entering the stairwell!"

"That's our plan of action for now; we'll adjust based on the situation! In short, our main goals are three things: first, find Qin Qing; second, search for survivors; and third, kill the monsters. I'm done; any questions?"

Xu Zhiyou immediately raised his hand and asked, "What if we encounter a door that won't open? Like what happened to us just now, being completely cut off from the outside, where we can only get out by killing the monster. If Qin Qing is trapped in a room like that, what should we do?"

"There's also another possibility: what if she's already dead? With so many dead people here, we can't check every corpse..." Tang Zheng said pensively. "When you asked for Han Meimei's name earlier, I thought you were interested in her. Now it seems you're looking for this Qin Qing person, but clearly, you've never met her. How can you be sure she's still alive?"

"She couldn't possibly be trapped, and she is definitely still alive!"

Chu Xuan said with absolute certainty, "Because she is the key to dealing with the source of the monsters here!"

Everyone looked at each other, not understanding why Chu Xuan would stay behind to do these things when he couldn't even guarantee his own life. It couldn't be because he was just that altruistic, could it?

However, after everything that had happened, no one spoke up to question him anymore. They all nodded in understanding.

"Since no one has any objections, it's settled."

While speaking, Chu Xuan had already led the group to a vending machine in the first-floor lobby, which was filled with mineral water, milk, and other drinks.

With a sudden side kick and a loud crash, the transparent casing shattered across the floor.

Next, Chu Xuan pulled out the roll of clear tape he had been carrying in his jacket pocket.

"Making three more handles will be enough—one for each of you. I'll use this high-intensity flashlight. Now, we'll start investigating this first floor..."

Xu Zhiyou stared at the tape rolling on the floor, his eyes flickering. He suddenly looked up and said, "I remember there's a short-video blogger named Li Chao on the first floor. He's a sword enthusiast and bought several to keep in his dorm. He often takes them out to film videos, and I think they're even sharpened."

"Which dorm is he in?" Chu Xuan asked immediately. The fruit knife in his hand was already chipped and dull, basically useless. If he could get a more suitable blade, their next moves would be much more effective.

Xu Zhiyou appeared to think carefully. "I forgot the exact room number, but I remember the general location. It should be in the right corridor. I'll take you there now."

"Alright then, we'll proceed according to the plan. Xu Zhiyou, Tang Zheng, and I will scout the first floor first. Yang Huancheng, He Ruhai, and Chen Yinghao, you three will stay here as a group and make the Long-handled Fluorescent Lamps."

After speaking, Chu Xuan gestured for Tang Zheng to turn left and check the dorms, while he and Xu Zhiyou headed toward the right.

The two of them walked quickly. There were no survivors, and the dorm doors were all open, revealing the bloody scenes inside at a glance. Still, Chu Xuan shouted Qin Qing's name just in case; it would be best if she heard and came out on her own.

Seeing Xu Zhiyou walking forward with such clear purpose, Chu Xuan narrowed his eyes and suddenly said, "Actually, you know exactly which dorm Li Chao is in, don't you?"

Xu Zhiyou's steps faltered slightly. He gave an indirect answer, "I have a very good memory; I rarely forget things. Li Chao likes to show off, and he's a friend of mine—a minor influencer with 500,000 followers. I noticed him a long time ago."

"Don't beat around the bush. Just tell me where it is!" Chu Xuan wasn't in the mood for riddles.

"We're here." Xu Zhiyou took a few quick steps and arrived at the door of Dorm 115. The door wasn't damaged but was standing wide open.

Inside this four-person dorm, there were only three corpses.

Various flashy ancient costumes hung inside, and most extravagantly, there was even a set of glittering golden Bright-Mirror Armor.

Chu Xuan reached out to check it, but unfortunately, the material was just plastic and cardboard—purely for show. If it had been metal, wearing it would have provided another layer of protection.

"Li Chao's body isn't here; he might have turned into a monster... But fortunately, the swords are still here."

Xu Zhiyou looked around, walked straight to the innermost side, opened a wardrobe door, and took out three modern-made cold weapons to hand to Chu Xuan.

A straight-bladed Tang Hengdao.

A slightly curved Xiuchun saber.

And a four-foot-long eight-sided han sword.