Xie Li, calm down—I can't go into heat right now

Xie Li could feel Jin Zhaoye's hand wrapped around the back of her neck.

Her head was pressed down against the other's shoulder, her cheek touching the cool fabric of a black vest, and the warm body beneath it.

Their breaths tangled together, restrained and suppressed.

Xie Li listened to the steady heartbeat in Jin Zhaoye's chest, beat after beat, slow and strong. Unlike hers, which was racing so fast it felt like it would leap out of her throat.

Jin Zhaoye seemed to notice Xie Li's tension. The hand resting on her neck shifted slightly, fingertips brushing inadvertently over the slightly raised gland, making Xie Li's heartbeat quicken further.

Her pheromones began spilling out uncontrollably, and the small Space was instantly filled with the scent of lime and mint.

'Calm down. It hasn't noticed us.' Jin Zhaoye lowered her head, leaning close to Xie Li's ear, speaking in a breathy whisper.

Xie Li wanted to control it, but she simply couldn't.

Just like she couldn't control her racing heart, she couldn't control herself when she caught Jin Zhaoye's pheromones.

Her whole body began to heat up, the warmth spreading from her neck upward, blood rushing to her head, making her dizzy and lightheaded.

Jin Zhaoye's voice sounded again at her ear, now carrying a hint of hoarseness: 'Xie Li, calm down, get your pheromones under control. I can't go into heat right now.'

Not far away, the shuffling footsteps of a Zombie were still approaching, mixed with occasional low growls, tapping against Xie Li's heart and bringing a sliver of clarity to her foggy mind.

Fortunately, that Zombie didn't seem to have noticed them. Its footsteps kept wandering nearby, drifting aimlessly, not coming closer.

Xie Li had just breathed a sigh of relief when another low growl came from behind the door.

The sound was very close, just a door panel away. There was another Zombie in the room.

Xie Li's body froze instantly. Jin Zhaoye's hand on her neck tightened.

Both held their breath, turning their heads to stare fixedly at the door behind them.

Behind the door, heavy footsteps drew closer.

Xie Li gripped the Baseball Bat tightly, her knuckles slightly raised, showing just how hard she was holding on.

Jin Zhaoye pressed harder on her neck, using body language to tell her: hold steady, don't move, don't make a sound.

The two stood before the door, motionless, like two statues.

The Zombie inside let out another low growl, the sound even closer now, as if it were standing face to face with them through that thin door panel, in a silent standoff.

The next second, a pale white hand punched through the dented door panel, reaching out between them.

Its nails were black and sharp, scratching wildly, nearly catching Jin Zhaoye's slender neck.

Jin Zhaoye reacted instantly, pulling Xie Li to the side to dodge the flailing hand.

'Bang! Bang! Bang!'

The door panel was struck heavily, the noise tremendous.

The protruding hand scratched wildly, wood chips flying, the hole in the door growing larger, and the Zombie's grotesque head had already poked through the opening.

With such a commotion, there was no longer any need to hide.

The Zombie that had been wandering earlier turned around, an excited growl rising from its throat, and charged toward them.

From farther away, many more chaotic footsteps were approaching. The Zombie's banging had attracted nearby Zombies.

'Go!' Jin Zhaoye barked low, dragging Xie Li forward as she ran.

Xie Li swung the Baseball Bat, aiming at the Zombie charging toward them, and with all her strength smashed it into its skull.

A crisp 'crack'—the sound of bone shattering was very clear, the skull breaking apart on impact.

That Zombie and Xie Li could be said to have met head-on; only with the collision of two great forces could she shatter the hard skull in one blow.

With no Zombies blocking the way ahead for now, the two sprinted down the corridor, heading toward the control room.

At the end of the corridor, a stairway entrance came into their view.

'Fire Axe!' Xie Li raised her hand, pointing at the red fire cabinet on the wall.

Jin Zhaoye didn't slow down. As she rushed over, the bat was already swinging, smashing the glass door.

Shattered glass flew everywhere. Jin Zhaoye reached in and pulled out the red Fire Axe.

Her series of movements was incredibly fluid—the flying glass hadn't even hit the ground when the axe was already in her hand.

Bat in her left hand, axe in her right, Jin Zhaoye's entire presence changed.

On the staircase, Zombies that had heard the commotion were already swarming down.

'Fight our way up, to the control room on the second floor.' Jin Zhaoye barked, taking the lead up the stairs.

The axe in her hands was a weapon of slaughter.

With every swing, a Zombie's skull was split open. Red, white, and black splattered everywhere, covering the floor.

The Zombies that lunged at her were cut down one by one, each killed with a single axe stroke, as she carved a bloody path through them like chopping vegetables.

Occasionally one wasn't killed in one stroke, and Xie Li followed up with a bat swing.

The two fought against the Zombie Herd, step by step making their way up to the second floor.

Underfoot were severed limbs and shredded flesh, their ears filled with growls, the air thick with the sharp smell of blood and rot. They couldn't be bothered by the stench, just kept swinging their arms, heads down as they charged forward, carving out a bloody path by sheer force.

Reaching the second floor, Jin Zhaoye paused briefly, her gaze quickly scanning both sides of the corridor to get her bearings, then took the lead running forward.

Emergency lights in the corridor provided a faint light source. The two ran wildly through the hallway, barely shaking off the Zombies chasing them.

Perhaps because the chaos had started on the first floor, there weren't many people on the second floor. Most of the crowd had gathered on the first floor, and those Zombies had chased the living toward the exits, leaving the second floor empty instead.

Jin Zhaoye didn't stop, her eyes constantly scanning the door signs along the way.

'T This one.'

Xie Li spotted the control room sign first.

The two stopped at the door. It was slightly ajar, revealing a narrow crack, with light seeping out from inside.

Jin Zhaoye listened carefully. No movement.

She didn't push the door open rashly, afraid of being ambushed by a Zombie hiding inside. Instead, she tapped the door panel lightly with the Baseball Bat.

Immediately, a low growl sounded from inside.

There was a Zombie, but only the growl—no footsteps approaching them.

Behind them, Zombie growls sounded again. Jin Zhaoye didn't waste any more time. She used the bat to push the door open and stepped inside.

Xie Li hurried to follow, pulling the door shut behind her.

Using the light from the monitoring screens, Jin Zhaoye found the light switch and turned on the lights.

The incandescent lamp lit up, and they could finally see the room clearly.

The control room wasn't large—a Space of just over a dozen square meters, packed densely with instruments and screens taking up most of it.

Various buttons, levers, and indicator lights were arranged together. Several chairs sat before the operating console. A Zombie was wedged in the gap between the chairs and the desk, only its head visible, growling at them.

Jin Zhaoye walked over with the axe. One swing, the axe fell, the Zombie's head dropped to the ground, and the world returned to quiet.

After dealing with the Zombie, Jin Zhaoye looked up at the monitoring screens.

The screens were on, divided into dozens of small frames, monitoring various areas of the Auditorium in real time.

Xie Li leaned in to look. The first-floor hall was crowded with more Zombies again. The backstage area they needed to reach had dozens of Zombies wandering the corridor.

Another dozen or so Zombies were blocking the door of a dressing room, frantically pounding on the door panel—no one knew if there were living people hiding inside.

Xie Li looked at those images and muttered: 'Are we really this strong?'

She rubbed her chin, her tone full of disbelief: 'We actually fought our way out of such a dense Zombie Herd!?'

Jin Zhaoye turned to look at her, a hint of a smile in her eyes. 'Mm. Classmate Xie Li is very brave.'

Xie Li was pleased by the praise but still tried to be modest: 'Oh, not at all. Dr. Jin Zhaoye is the fierce one—truly a role model for our generation!'

'Oh right, there's something I've been wanting to ask. How are you so strong? How did you train? Teach me.'

Jin Zhaoye didn't answer.

She pointed at the monitoring screen, calmly changing the subject: 'Maybe we can go this way.'

Xie Li was indeed led astray. She looked at where Jin Zhaoye was pointing. 'You mean, we go through the central air conditioning duct?'

'Right.' Jin Zhaoye nodded. 'Zombies can't get up there. We can crawl straight through the duct to the rest room.'

Xie Li looked up at the ceiling.

There was a ventilation opening in the control room ceiling. 'Should I go up and check?'

'Help me hold the chair. I'll go up and look.' Jin Zhaoye pushed the chair beneath the vent and swung her long legs up to step on it.

Xie Li hurried forward, holding the chair back with both hands, afraid it might slide.

Jin Zhaoye reached up and pushed the grate. With a click, it loosened. With a slight push, she removed the grate and handed it to Xie Li.

Xie Li took the grate and set it gently on the ground, making no sound.

'I'm going up to look.'

After saying this, Jin Zhaoye took a flashlight from her pocket, turned it on, and held it between her teeth. A bright beam of light fell from her lips. She braced her hands on the edges of the vent, arms exerting force, pulling her body up.

The fitted white shirt tightened with the movement, the fabric revealing smooth, slender muscle lines beneath. Her shoulder blades rose slightly, the veins on her forearms faintly visible—every line carrying the beauty of feminine strength.

She twisted her waist and nimbly crawled into the ventilation duct.

After Jin Zhaoye's shoe soles disappeared into the opening, Xie Li finally came back to herself.

She raised a hand to touch her slightly hot cheeks, feeling a small flutter of shyness. That gorgeous lady really had an amazing figure—could anyone blame her for being a little starstruck?

After a while, Jin Zhaoye's figure reappeared at the opening.

Compared to before she went in, she now looked quite disheveled—spider webs hanging from her hair, black smudges on her cheeks.

Xie Li quickly gathered her thoughts and reached out to help her down. Once Jin Zhaoye was steady on her feet, she asked impatiently: 'How is it? Is the path clear?'

'Mm.' Jin Zhaoye dusted herself off. 'We can go. It's just a bit dirty.'

Xie Li looked at her messy appearance and held back a laugh: 'I can see that, Dr. Jin Zhaoye. You look... a little rough right now~ haha!'

Jin Zhaoye looked at her expressionlessly, her gaze cool.

Xie Li immediately stopped laughing.

She added in a small voice: 'Even dirty, you're still good-looking...'