Lost Land (GL)

Chapter 9: The Ninth Night

"Cock-a-doodle-doo! Cock-a-doodle-doo!" The clear, bright sound of a rooster's crow echoed through the school building.

Mo Ran knew that sound well. For the past two years of high school, that rooster's crow had been her morning alarm, the bane of her existence.

But now, thinking that she might never hear that sound again, Mo Ran felt a strange pang of sadness.

"Cock-a-doodle-doo! Cock-a-doodle-doo!" The alarm continued to blare.

The zombies' sluggish brains seemed to suddenly be injected with oil. They scrambled towards the classroom where the sound was coming from, gathering at the bottom of the building, their heads tilted up, their eyes fixed on the source of the noise.

The phone, dangling in the air, was the source of the sound. Of course, the zombies didn't recognize this piece of high-tech equipment.

They reached out with their hands, flailing in the air, their minds obsessed with grabbing the phone and stuffing it in their mouths to see if it was edible.

One zombie was drawn to the sound, then two, then three... Soon, all the zombies at the bottom of the building were lured away, leaving the area beneath Mo Ran's classroom empty.

This was their chance to escape.

Mo Ran gritted her teeth, making sure that the desk leg in her pocket was easily accessible. She didn't hesitate any longer. She climbed out the window.

The air outside was even more humid, and the occasional breeze carried a sickening stench of decay.

Each floor of the building was laid out in a similar way. The classrooms were below the classrooms, meaning the window ledges were below the window ledges.

Mo Ran swung from the rope, landing on the window ledge of the first floor. Her hands, unprotected by gloves, burned with the friction of the rapid descent.

It hurt, but she didn't dare linger. The zombies were only ten meters away, not an ideal distance.

She jumped down, trying to make as little noise as possible. When her feet finally touched the ground, she felt a wave of disorientation. She looked up at Zhang Wanying, her arms outstretched.

"Jump," she mouthed.

Zhang Wanying stared at the height, her eyes wide with fear. It was only two floors, but it wasn't like jumping over a goat.

She didn't have time to prepare herself.

Zhang Wanying gripped the rope tightly, took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and slid down, trusting the person below to catch her.

It was impossible to completely trust the unknown. Even if there was a bed waiting for her at the bottom, a person would still feel fear if they were told to fall backward with their eyes closed.

Because everything was unknown. It was like walking blindfolded on a straight path with no obstacles. You could still trip and fall.

This was a two-story drop. It was like gambling. What if Mo Ran didn't catch her?

She dared not think about it.

Her palms burned with friction, the wind whistling in her ears as she descended. In the blink of an eye, she landed in a soft embrace.

Caught perfectly.

Mo Ran stumbled, almost dropping the person in her arms. The force of the impact had numbed her arms.

Even with the rope to cushion the fall, it was a person, a living, breathing person weighing over ninety pounds!

Zhang Wanying opened her eyes and saw that Mo Ran's face was pale, her forehead beaded with sweat. She quickly jumped to the ground.