Chrissy nervously continued monitoring the situation inside the classroom while slipping off her outer coat, leaving her upper body clad only in a creamy-white bra from the famous German brand, Triumph. She handed the coat to John but kept her eyes glued to her phone screen, terrified of missing a single frame.
John tore the coat Chrissy gave him into long strips and applied a hasty bandage to the injured student. Though he was an experienced martial artist who had competed in numerous large-scale matches, sweat still beaded his brow with tension. When he finished bandaging, his hands were slick with blood. He instinctively wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, instantly smearing his face with crimson.
“How is it? How is it going?” John asked quietly after tending to the casualty in front of him, looking toward Chrissy.
Chrissy shook her head anxiously. She turned to glare at John. “Call the police, quick! You idiot!”
John managed an “Oh, okay,” and pulled his phone from his pocket, just about to dial when he heard Chrissy’s sharp, tense voice: “John, stand up! Be careful, something’s changing!”
John nervously glanced at Chrissy’s phone screen. Inside the classroom, Zhao Yujian was still pointing the gun at Li Yundong, but he absolutely dared not fire another shot.
The modified Type 54 pistol’s magazine capacity had been boosted from eight rounds to ten. Zhao Yujian had already fired two shots, then sent five consecutive rounds toward Li Yundong, followed by one more that struck a student attempting to escape. There were two bullets left in the magazine.
Li Yundong’s agility was so bizarre, so inhuman, that Zhao Yujian simply couldn't bring himself to shoot at him again.
Even with rounds remaining, would Li Yundong’s terrifying speed give him time to reload?
Zhao Yujian leaned on his cane with one hand, the pistol aimed squarely at Ding Nan’s forehead with the other. The aggression and arrogance that had contorted his face had vanished, replaced by tension and sheer terror. The strong man wielding a firearm had instantly become the weak one.
Zhao Yujian watched Li Yundong’s every move, shouting, “Move again, and I’ll kill her!”
Li Yundong, usually easygoing and content to go with the flow, was utterly serious in this critical moment. He offered a cold smile. “Are you threatening me?”
With that, he started walking out from the back row of seats.
Zhao Yujian screamed hysterically, pressing the gun muzzle hard enough against Ding Nan’s forehead to leave a bloody impression. “Move an inch, and I’ll kill her!”
Li Yundong froze instantly. He couldn't bear the thought of someone he knew ending up in a pool of blood. “Fine, I won’t move! But Zhao Yujian, have you thought about your mother, doing this? If you destroy yourself like this, what about your mom?”
Zhao Yujian’s face twisted. He let out a few manic laughs before dissolving into sobbing tears, wailing, “Is there any turning back for me now? You can dodge bullets, but can you bring these dead people back to life?”
Like a wounded beast, Zhao Yujian cried and shouted, glancing first at Li Yundong, then turning to Zhou Qin: “Why? Why did you all push me to this? Why?”
Zhou Qin suddenly interjected from the side. “Zhao Yujian, no one forced you. You forced yourself.”
“Shut up! Shut up!!” Zhao Yujian shrieked like a madman, swinging the gun back toward Zhou Qin.
Zhou Qin stared unflinchingly at Zhao Yujian, seemingly oblivious to the muzzle pointed at her head. Only Ding Nan beside her felt a faint tremor.
“Stand up!” Zhao Yujian commanded, leveling the gun at Zhou Qin, his voice a mixture of despair and hatred. Unable to manage Li Yundong, he vented all his fury onto the two girls before him.
Zhou Qin slowly stood up under Zhao Yujian’s threat. Zhao Yujian yelled loudly at Li Yundong, “Get out! Walk slowly, don't move erratically, or I’ll shoot them!”
Li Yundong raised his hands high, his gaze locked onto Zhao Yujian, and slowly approached the doorway. Su Chan followed closely behind him, whispering, “Yundong, you distract him, I’ll make a move?”
Li Yundong jumped, horrified at the thought of letting Su Chan take such a risk. “Stop fooling around!” Li Yundong hissed quietly, shooting Su Chan a stern look.
Seeing them whisper, Zhao Yujian immediately grew tense and shouted nervously, “What are you saying! Don’t try anything funny, or I’ll kill them!”
Li Yundong immediately called out, “We’re leaving now, don’t do anything rash!”
Zhao Yujian bellowed, “Stand downstairs where I can see you! Otherwise, I’ll shoot them dead!”
Li Yundong had no choice but to comply, leading Su Chan out of the classroom.
Once outside, Li Yundong found Chrissy and a blood-soaked John rushing toward him, looking both anxious and relieved.
“What are you two doing here?” Li Yundong stammered in surprise.
John looked ecstatic, nodding repeatedly while gasping. Chrissy, eyes wide, scrutinized Li Yundong from head to toe, then grabbed his arm. “How did you manage that just now?”
Li Yundong noticed that the blonde, blue-eyed girl was bare-chested, wearing only her lingerie, and he flinched in surprise. Instead of answering, he pointed at Chrissy. “What are you wearing?”
Chrissy glanced down at herself, realizing the situation. She pointed to the student injured by the gunfire on the floor and was about to question Li Yundong when a loud shout came from inside the classroom: “Li Yundong, hurry up and stand downstairs where I can see you, or I’ll start shooting!”
Li Yundong instantly turned and snapped at Chrissy, “Did you hear that?” Then, he hurried downstairs with Su Chan. Chrissy and John exchanged a glance; Chrissy told John, “You wait here!”
With that, Chrissy snatched up her phone and ran after them.
John yelled, “Hey! I don’t want to stay here! I need to follow the Master, it’s too dangerous here!” He quickly took off his own jacket and draped it over the wounded student, urgently saying, “Hold on, help is coming soon.” Without waiting for the student to reply or even if they could hear him, he turned and bolted downstairs after the others.
Li Yundong reached the back of the academic building and waved toward Zhao Yujian, who was visible by the window, signaling that he was downstairs. “Zhao Yujian, don’t be impulsive!”
Seeing Li Yundong safely on the ground, Zhao Yujian visibly relaxed. He pointed the gun at Zhou Qin and Ding Nan. “Stand up!”
Using the pistol, Zhao Yujian forced Ding Nan and Zhou Qin out of the classroom, coldly commanding, “Upstairs!”
Zhou Qin and Ding Nan exchanged a look, their eyes filled with terror and confusion.
Leaning on his cane with one hand and gripping the pistol with the other, Zhao Yujian herded Zhou Qin and Ding Nan to the highest floor, then ordered, “To the roof!”
Zhou Qin frowned. “The roof door is locked.”
Zhao Yujian roared, “Impossible! The school roof door is never locked!”
Zhou Qin stated calmly, “The door was locked after Li Yundong climbed onto the roof last time.” She pointed to the lock on the door.
Without a word, Zhao Yujian raised his hand and fired. Bang! The lock shattered.
Zhou Qin and Ding Nan flinched violently, completely unprepared for Zhao Yujian to actually fire his weapon.
Zhao Yujian growled irritably, “Now you can open the door!”
Ding Nan dared not utter another word and immediately opened the door, leading them onto the rooftop.
Zhou Qin regarded Zhao Yujian coldly and stated, “A modified Type 54 pistol holds a maximum of ten rounds. That means you have exactly one bullet left!”
Zhao Yujian glared at her, his eyes full of venom. He pointed the gun at Zhou Qin. “Go! What is it you want to say?”
As she walked, Zhou Qin replied, “There are two of us; you can only kill one with a single shot. You need to think very carefully before firing that first bullet!”
Zhao Yujian sneered. “Who do you think I’ll shoot first?”
Zhou Qin said coolly, “I don’t know, but I’ll tell you this: if I die, not only are you finished, but your mother, your father, and every member of your family will be finished too! They will live lives worse than death from that point on. They will regret ever being born, and they will regret having brought you into this world.”
Zhao Yujian trembled uncontrollably, his gaze falling upon Zhou Qin with an expression of unfamiliar horror. His teeth chattered incessantly. “You... you are truly malicious?”
Zhou Qin stared coldly at him. “It’s not my malice; it’s the power structure behind me. Power is like a ferocious beast; the larger it is, the more it must consume. The greater the harm done to it, the stronger its recoil. This is beyond my control.”
Though Ding Nan had reached the roof first, she heard every word Zhou Qin spoke. She understood the hidden meaning: You have only one bullet. Kill Ding Nan, but don’t kill me, or my family will avenge me.
Ding Nan felt a mix of shock, hatred, fear, and regret. She was stunned by Zhou Qin’s coldness and resentful of her heartlessness. She feared death but regretted her own vanity. If she hadn't pursued superficiality by staying by Zhou Qin’s side, she wouldn't now be poised to become Zhou Qin’s scapegoat!
Zhao Yujian looked at Zhou Qin in utter despair. He suddenly felt as if he didn't know this girl at all. To win Zhou Qin’s affection, he had spent countless hours researching her preferences. He thought he understood her, that he could bring her happiness, which was why he had relentlessly pursued her. But now, Zhao Yujian realized this girl was terrifying; he hadn't understood her even a little bit! Until just this moment, he had held a sliver of hope that Zhou Qin might yield in the face of death—even a single word, even a smile directed at him, would have been something! But now…
“Hahahaha…” Zhao Yujian erupted in a desolate, despairing laugh. His smile sent a chill down Zhou Qin’s spine, and it made Ding Nan weep uncontrollably, unable to stand steady, shaking like a sieve.
“Stand near the edge of the building!” Zhao Yujian commanded, pointing the gun at the two girls.
Ding Nan shook, tears streaming down her face, unable to move. Only Zhou Qin managed to hold herself together. She walked over to Ding Nan and whispered, “Let’s go. Don’t give up.”
Hearing Zhou Qin’s words, Ding Nan latched onto them like a lifeline, a flicker of light appearing in her eyes: Was her previous cruel dialogue just a tactic to confuse Zhao Yujian?
The two girls stood trembling at the edge of the roof. By now, the ground below was packed with onlookers. Many girls covered their mouths, daring not to breathe, while the boys stared upward in horror, pointing.
Chrissy filmed the scene unfolding above while anxiously shouting down to Li Yundong, “Hurry up and think of something!”
Li Yundong took a deep breath and said calmly, “Quiet. I’ll climb up and take a look!”
Even as he spoke, Zhao Yujian was pointing the gun at Zhou Qin and Ding Nan’s foreheads, giving a tragic smile. “I only have one bullet left, and it was meant for myself. Now, you two must choose: who jumps? I won’t kill the one who stays!”
Zhou Qin and Ding Nan looked at each other. In the other’s eyes, they saw fear, wariness, and… a flash of cruelty!