Chapter 24: Rebuilding the Group

It didn't take long for Xu Shan and Ding Yang to turn into zombies. Neither had managed to take the other down in time, and both had transformed in agonizing pain. 

Everyone watching the scene let out a collective sigh of relief. 

"Thank god those five didn't try to force their way in. Who knows what kind of chaos that would've caused!" Ma Tao muttered, his eyes fixed on Ding Yang and Xu Shan, who were now pounding on the door. 

"Brothers, let's open the door and take them out. We can't just let them keep banging on it," Wang Lei suggested, organizing the group to deal with the two zombies. But just as they were about to act, Ding Yang and Xu Shan seemed to receive some kind of signal. They turned and walked away from Building 10 without a backward glance. 

The group stared in stunned silence, exchanging confused looks. 

"Maybe they heard something from Building 7 and are heading that way," Wang Gang offered, scratching his head and breaking the awkward silence. 

No one responded. They simply turned and headed back to their rooms. 

Once back in his room, Wang Gang pulled out his phone and sent a message to the group chat. 

"Should we create a new group? We don't even know how many people are dead or alive in the current one." 

Ma Tao chimed in, recounting the events of the morning. 

"True. If it weren't for Ding Yang and Xu Shan leading those ten people to stay in the cafeteria, our building wouldn't have lost so many." 

"Alright, I'll create a new group. I'll post the QR code in the chat. Everyone still alive, make sure to join. If you don't, you'll be considered dead," Wang Lei declared, promptly sharing the QR code. 

The survivors quickly scanned the code and joined the new group. 

"Shuang'er, don't join. I don't want them tagging you every time someone gets sick or injured," Huang Ming advised. 

"Got it. I'll follow your lead," Liu Shuang'er replied. 

Huang Ming scanned the code and entered the new group. Within seconds, someone tagged him. He glanced at the notification—it was Gao Weiwei. 

"Well, well, Huang Ming! Still alive, huh? Lucky you!" 

Huang Ming ignored her. His only reason for joining the group was to signal that he was still alive, so no one would try to break into his room out of curiosity. 

But sometimes, the quieter you are, the more your enemies provoke you. Wang Lei soon posted a short video in the group. 

Huang Ming opened it. In the dim light, Gao Weiwei was completely naked, rolling around in bed with Wang Lei, who was filming every detail, not missing a single expression. 

The sounds coming from the video made Liu Shuang'er and Gu Anqing blush furiously. They weren't naive—they knew exactly what was happening. 

"Huang Ming! Gao Weiwei's mine now. You better stay holed up in your room like a coward. Hahaha!" Wang Lei taunted. 

"Damn, Lei! When did this happen? That's wild! Her body... impressive!" 

A creepy guy in the group commented, lying in bed and replaying the video repeatedly, clearly enjoying himself. His old roommate had given him the nickname "Golden Right Hand." 

"Easy, guys. Last night's achievement. Gao Weiwei's under my protection now. If you're interested, go find someone else. There are plenty of other girls in the group," Wang Lei declared, encouraging the other guys to pick their own "companions." 

"Lei, you're so mean! How could you post such a private video in the group? I'm so embarrassed!" Gao Weiwei pretended to be shy, but her act was unconvincing. 

Gao Weiwei had changed completely. In the two weeks since the apocalypse began, she had learned a lot. To survive, she needed a man to rely on, and her greatest asset was her body. 

"Stop pretending. You're not the only one. All the girls will end up the same way. No need to be shy!" Wang Lei said, growing more excited. He acted like some ancient nobleman, believing he could control everyone's fate. 

"Zhou Ting, you still have food, right? When you run out, just let me know. I'll take good care of you. Hahaha!" Wang Gang chimed in, his eyes fixed on Zhou Ting. He had been lusting after her for a long time, and the thought of her running out of food excited him. 

"Wang Xue, Wang Xue! I know you're still alive. You're mine. I've got food here. When you're desperate, come find me! Hahaha!" Ma Tao added, not wanting to be left out. He had his eyes on Zhou Ting too, but since Wang Gang had claimed her first, he settled for Wang Xue. 

Zhou Ting and Wang Xue sat quietly on the couch, staring at their phones. They exchanged helpless and despairing glances. 

In the group chat, the men shamelessly picked their "companions." The apocalypse had stripped away all morality and order, leaving only dirty transactions. Surviving without a unique skill was nearly impossible. 

Out of the remaining 26 men, excluding Huang Ming and Li Chang'an, only 24 were left. Surprisingly, there were more women—55 of them still alive. 

"They're really something. It's sad for the other girls in the group. They think they can survive just by moving supplies from the cafeteria once. And your ex... she's really gone all out," Liu Shuang'er said, leaning against Huang Ming as they scrolled through the chat. She couldn't help but feel grateful that Huang Ming had chosen her. Otherwise, she might have suffered the same fate. 

"I actually hope those two live a little longer," Huang Ming said. 

"Why?" Liu Shuang'er asked, her beautiful eyes filled with confusion. 

"Think about it. The longer they live, the more despair they'll feel when they realize how well we're living. The contrast will be delicious," Huang Ming explained. 

"You're really something. That's worse than killing them outright..." 

Gu Anqing rolled her eyes. At that moment, they realized Huang Ming was a man who could destroy others without shedding blood—calm to the extreme, but also cold to the core.