The escape room required at least four people, and a couple was among them. The man, tall and robust, was named An Zi, and the woman, petite and lovely, was Shangguan Xue.
The four changed into camouflage uniforms.
Xu Qian saw Tang Zhiyuan wearing different clothes for the first time; usually, it was a white shirt and trousers, or a white shirt and trousers.
Tang Zhiyuan was a natural clothes hanger; even in a camouflage uniform, he exuded a unique aura of heroism. He looked good in anything. Looking at herself, she felt like a child playing dress-up in a military uniform.
The story's background was a failed virus experiment at a research center, leading to an infection and a state of disconnection. Special forces were deploying them to the institute to find the serum within two hours.
The white incandescent lights flickered intermittently, bloodstains seeped slowly down the walls, and various mechanical parts were scattered messily on the floor.
Xu Qian's entire demeanor had undergone a drastic change. She was no longer the Xu Qian who acted cute in front of Tang Zhiyuan, but the Xu Qian who had endured five years of the apocalypse, weathered by storms.
She was like a sharp blade.
Despite knowing it was fake, she couldn't control herself.
Tang Zhiyuan glanced at her delicate, soft profile, then stepped forward and took her wrist. "I'll go first."
"No, we go together." Xu Qian's body stiffened. Tang Zhiyuan's hand on her wrist made her instinctively want to pull away. In this environment, she really didn't want any physical contact.
The atmosphere was extremely quiet. She and Tang Zhiyuan led the way, their footsteps light, so faint that they were almost imperceptible.
Shangguan Xue clung to An Zi's arm, trembling.
"I'm so scared, An Zi."
Xu Qian's eyebrows furrowed. The roars of zombies immediately followed. Zombies couldn't see or smell; they relied on sound to locate their prey, so if she spoke loudly, the zombies would be drawn to the sound.
Xu Qian grabbed Tang Zhiyuan's wrist and ran into the first escape room.
She turned on the flashlight.
It was an archive room, filled with dense files on numerous metal shelves. The files were disheveled, and on the floor lay a zombie's corpse, its clothes ragged, its hair a mess obscuring its face.
An old television flickered to life with a static hiss.
"Find the laboratory key on the archivist's clothing."
Xu Qian strode forward and bent down, reaching for the pocket at his waist.
The person playing the zombie on the floor was stunned. He had never encountered someone so bold; others either hesitated or carefully chose who to approach.
The actor playing the zombie intended to scare Xu Qian, but in the darkness, her eyes, which gleamed with a dark light, possessed a bloody, chilling aura. He... dared not move.
In the pitch-black environment, Tang Zhiyuan accurately gripped Xu Qian's wrist.
Xu Qian took a deep breath, suppressing the surge of emotion. You're playing an escape room, these aren't real zombies, don't act impulsively, absolutely must not act impulsively.
Xu Qian countered by gripping his hand, their fingers interlacing.
"Hm?" His voice rose slightly.
"I... I'm scared." Well, let's just say she was scared.
Her small hand was warm, contrasting sharply with his exceptionally cold one, as if a ray of sunlight had pierced his dark world.
[Ding, Tang Zhiyuan's affection +5, total affection 19.]
A faint smile touched Tang Zhiyuan's handsome eyebrows. He shielded Xu Qian behind him and swiftly retrieved the key from the zombie's clothes pocket.
A wave of warmth washed over Xu Qian.
Just as they were about to leave, a series of screams erupted.
The zombie lying on the ground seemed to receive a signal and slowly stood up, emitting a guttural growl like phlegm stuck in its throat. With vacant, pale eyes like dead fish, it stared at them, extending its blood-stained hands and shambling towards them.
Tang Zhiyuan yanked her hand and ran out of the first room.
The screams echoed throughout the escape room. Xu Qian's gaze sharpened; she wanted to sew Shangguan Xue's mouth shut.
The louder the screams, the more zombies they attracted. A few zombies slowly emerged from the rooms ahead.
The old television overhead flickered again.
"Use the key to unlock the third escape room."
Tang Zhiyuan quickly took out the key, inserted it into the lock, and turned.
Shangguan Xue's face turned pale with fright. "Hurry and open it! Hurry and open it!"
The screams were deafening.
Xu Qian was driven to the brink of exasperation by the noise.
"Shut your mouth! Don't you know the louder you are, the more zombies will come?"
An Zi quickly covered Shangguan Xue's screaming mouth. Honestly, he was also afraid of these zombies.
Tang Zhiyuan narrowed his eyes slightly. He realized the key wouldn't work.
"Give it to me."
Xu Qian took the key and knelt before the door, twisting it left and right, then pressing it down.
"Click."