27: Rescuing people

Qin Lin stood in the snow, looking at the System prompt and then toward the direction where the smell of smoke was drifting from.

The Library was about two hundred meters northeast of the dormitory area.

It was a five-story building with a glass curtain wall, usually one of the busiest places on campus.

Now, it stood silently in the wind and snow, like a giant ice sculpture.

The smell of smoke was indeed drifting from that direction.

It was very faint, but in the still air, it was like an invisible thread pointing to its source.

“Qin Lin?”

Su Yuran called out again.

“What’s wrong? Get in the car quickly, it’s so cold...”

Qin Lin turned his head and looked at her cheeks, which were flushed red from the cold.

“Yuran,” he spoke, “I have an idea.”

“What?”

“There might still be people in the school.”

Qin Lin pointed toward the Library.

“The smell of smoke is coming from over there. There might be students or teachers trapped there, burning things for warmth.”

Su Yuran’s eyes widened.

“Then... should we go take a look?”

When she asked this, there was worry in her eyes, but also some... anticipation?

Qin Lin caught that hint of anticipation.

Over the past few days, what he had shown Su Yuran was mostly a calm, rational, and even somewhat indifferent side.

For the sake of survival, he avoided conflict, ignored cries for help, and only made the most advantageous choices.

There was nothing wrong with that.

In the Apocalypse, this was a necessary mindset to stay alive.

It was also something he had forged through experiencing a year of the disaster in his previous life.

But Su Yuran might have been worried.

Worried that he would become completely cold-blooded, worried that the passionate youth she once liked would disappear entirely.

And now, he had taken the initiative to suggest “taking a look.”

This allowed her to see that he still had a soft part in his heart.

Qin Lin nodded. “Let’s go see. If it really is schoolmates who didn’t manage to leave in time, we’ll help if we can.”

When he said this, what he was thinking about was the System prompt and the mission.

But Su Yuran wouldn't know that.

She only knew that Qin Lin was willing to take risks in extreme conditions to help potential strangers.

That was enough.

“Okay!”

She nodded vigorously, her eyes lighting up.

“Let's go together!”

Qin Lin shook his head. “Wait for me in the car. It’s too cold outside, and there might be danger.”

“No.”

Su Yuran insisted.

“I’m going with you. Two people can look out for each other. And... if it’s a female student, it’ll be more convenient if I’m there.”

She had a point.

If it were a female survivor, Su Yuran’s presence would indeed lower the other party’s guard.

“Recover a bit first before we go.”

Qin Lin no longer objected.

After resting for half an hour, the two wrapped their clothes tightly again and walked toward the Library.

The cold wind blew against their faces like knife cuts; even with scarves and hats, their exposed skin quickly went numb.

The main entrance of the Library was a revolving glass door, which was now frozen shut, leaving only a small gap.

Qin Lin used an Entrenching Shovel to knock away the ice by the door and barely squeezed inside.

The lobby was even darker than the outside.

Under the high ceiling, the main service desk was deserted, and the computer screens were black.

The books inside were gone, seemingly cleared out.

After all, books were also a good source of burning Materials.

The smell of smoke grew stronger.

Mixed in was also... the smell of food?

It smelled like something being boiled—very faint, but definitely there.

Qin Lin pricked up his ears.

In the silence, a faint sound could be heard.

It wasn't the sound of the wind; it was the sound of people.

Very low, like someone talking, or perhaps crying.

He turned on his flashlight, the beam cutting through the darkness.

To the right of the lobby was the reading area, where tables and chairs were neatly arranged, covered in dust.

To the left were the stairs and elevators.

The sound was coming from upstairs.

Qin Lin signaled for Su Yuran to follow, and the two headed toward the stairs.

In the stairwell, the smell of smoke was even more obvious.

There were some messy footprints on the steps; they were fresh, not yet completely covered by dust.

Someone had been active here.

Recently.

The second floor was the periodicals reading room and the electronic reading area.

The doors were all closed; Qin Lin gave them a push, but they were locked.

The sound was on the third floor.

The two continued upward.

The third floor was the Social Sciences Book Area.

The main doors were wide open, and it was pitch black inside.

Qin Lin shone his flashlight inside and saw bookshelves neatly lined up.

But there were obvious drag marks on the floor.

Someone had moved the books.

Where were they moved to?

For warmth.

The sound became clearer.

It was the sound of a woman crying.

Very low, suppressed, and intermittent.

There was also a man’s voice, saying something, though the content was indistinguishable.

Qin Lin lightened his footsteps and followed the sound.

The sound came from a small room deep within the third floor.

It might have been an old staff lounge or storage room.

The door was closed, but light peeked out from under the gap.

Orange light, flickering light.

It was firelight.

Qin Lin walked to the door and looked through the gap.

The room wasn't large, about ten square meters.

A fire was burning in the middle, using books and some bed slats as fuel.

Piles of books were being torn apart and thrown into the fire.

The firelight illuminated the room.

Three people were sitting by the fire.

Two men and one woman.

Both men were wrapped in thick clothes and looked to be in their thirties; they didn't look like students, but rather faculty or campus workers.

They sat by the fire, holding iron rods, roasting something.

It looked like... a rat?

The woman sat in a corner with her back to the door, her shoulders trembling as she cried.

She was wearing a down jacket, but her clothes were filthy and her hair was a mess.

One man said impatiently:

“Stop crying! So annoying! Keep crying and see if I don't strip you naked right now.”

The woman cried even harder.

The other man sneered:

“Cry again and we’ll throw you out! It’s over forty degrees below zero out there, let’s see how long you can cry for!”

Qin Lin frowned.

These two men were clearly not good people.

The woman was likely being controlled by them.

He looked at Su Yuran.

The girl had also seen the scene through the door gap; her face was pale, and she gripped Qin Lin’s arm tightly.

Qin Lin was hesitating.

The System prompt said there was a female with a score of ≥90 nearby.

There was only one female in the room; it must be her.

But those two men were there.

If he rushed in directly to save her, a conflict might occur.

The risk was high.

But the System rewards were also very tempting.

And... Su Yuran was watching him.

“I think I know her.”

“What? Is she your friend?”

“Maybe... we should just leave, those two men...”

She was clearly more concerned about Qin Lin, afraid he wouldn't be a match for those two.

Qin Lin smiled. He pulled Su Yuran back a few steps behind a bookshelf and whispered:

“Hide well here. No matter what sound you hear, don't come out.”

Su Yuran grabbed his hand. “Are you going to save her?”

“I’ll try.”

Qin Lin patted her shoulder, then turned and walked toward the room.

He didn't push the door open directly; instead, he knocked loudly on the door.

The sounds inside came to an abrupt halt.

A few seconds later, a man asked warily:

“Who is it?”

Qin Lin lowered his voice, imitating the tone of a middle-aged man:

“Security Office! People inside, come out!”