Apocalypse King: Recruiting S-Tier Beauties With My Ruler System-Chapter 78: Heading To The University!

I straightened my shirt, rolled my shoulders once, and moved to the inner hallway where I’d stashed the gear for tonight’s trip. The smell of oil and canvas—leather belts, reinforced backpacks, folded black jackets—filled the air like an old soldier’s memory.

Light armour, enough to deflect a Stage 1 zombie’s claws but not the bite and still flexible for running. I pulled one of the smaller jackets from the pile and threw it over my shoulder for Qinglan.

Speaking of which, A faint tapping came from the far end of the hall.

I turned.

Mu Qinglan approached silently, already dressed in a dark body suit, leather jeans and her office shirt gear fitted snug against her body, her hair tied into a high, efficient knot. No jewellery. No ornaments. Just a woman prepared to move. To fight.

She stopped a few steps away, her electric blue eyes scanning me up and down.

"You ready?" she asked.

"I was born ready," I said, smirking.

"Then hurry up," she added, tossing a folded cloth bundle at my chest. "Or I’m going without you."

I caught it easily. Unfolded it.

A scarf—thick, dark, slightly rough.

Not fancy.

But warm.

I looked at her again, raising an eyebrow.

She rolled her eyes. "It’s cold outside. And you look like an idiot shivering."

I chuckled under my breath and wrapped it loosely around my neck.

"You’re the best, Lan’er."

"Obviously."

But I caught the faintest pink dusting her ears before she turned away, pretending to adjust the clasps on her gloves.

Affection, huh?

It wasn’t the loud, clingy kind.

It wasn’t possessive.

It was just... Mu Qinglan.

I tossed the pack into my inventory, abusing the system... the only downside is that I couldn’t remove the items while inside my system inventory.

I stepped beside Mu Qinglan when Shen Yifei, wearing something similar to Qinglan, appeared, a black bodysuit that I made using the system, then her leather jacket and loose flowing skirt fluttered with each step.

’It’s really erotic... it clings to them... like spandex...’

"Yifei, why are you here... and dressed like that?" Qinglan asked, her eyes glowing slightly as she narrowed them.

The blonde with her twintails folded shorter with hair bands looked at me.

Yifei’s lips pressed into a tight line as she stopped just short of us. Her fingers rubbed the edges of her jacket, a habit I noticed she often did while nervous.

"I’m coming," she said, voice soft but steady.

Qinglan’s eyes narrowed further. "Since when?"

"Since I decided," Yifei muttered, folding her arms under her chest, which only pushed the tightness of the suit even tighter against her body. "I’m not useless."

Mu Qinglan’s gaze sharpened, flicking from Yifei to me, then back again. Measuring. Weighing. Not out of jealousy—no, it was something else. Responsibility, maybe. The part of her that had already decided she was the shield between me and the rest of the world.

"And who approved this little plan?" Qinglan asked, voice cool enough to frost glass.

I raised a hand lazily. "I did."

That earned me a sharp glance from Qinglan, but she didn’t argue. Just let out a long breath through her nose, shoulders relaxing by an inch.

"If she slows us down," she said, tone dry, "I’m blaming you."

I smiled faintly. "I’ll take responsibility."

Yifei puffed her cheeks slightly, twintails bouncing as she huffed, "I won’t slow anyone down."

Qinglan tilted her head slightly, studying her. Maybe seeing the same thing I did—The stubborn little spark hidden under all that nervous energy.

"Fine," Qinglan said at last, turning away. "But stay close."

’Eh?’ Maybe I was wrong... the voice of Qinglan reminded me of when she used to scold new workers, but she only ever did that for people she cared about. The harsher Qinglan became, the more deeply she worried or cared about them.

Well... Yifei was the youngest of our group of four now.

Yifei blinked, clearly not expecting to be accepted so easily.

Her eyes switched between me and Qinglan before she nodded. Then grabbed her metal spear to her chest and stood behind me.

I couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride.

We weren’t a polished team.

We weren’t a perfect family.

But somehow, this awkward, stitched-together group felt more real than anything I’d had before.

"Let’s move," I said, voice low.

The corridor lights flickered once, whether from a loose wire or something bigger, I didn’t know.

Didn’t matter.

We were leaving.

And whatever waited outside Longwan’s cracked concrete skeleton...

We’d face it together.

———

???? POV

March 17th, 2025 — 8:02 PM

Longwan University – Linbei Campus, North District

—

I felt a feel the sharp pain through my chest as my bow strap dug into my shoulder, and with each step, the air became colder and smelled of damp mould and rusty metal.

I was late.

Not that anyone would say it out loud, but I could feel their eyes when I reached the courtyard.

Four others gathered by the rusted service gate. Two carried baseball bats wrapped in tape. One held a kitchen knife, its blade chipped and dulled. Only Chen Ming, the leader tonight, had a gun — an old revolver that clicked whenever he moved too fast.

No one smiled when I joined them.

No welcome. No teasing.

They just shifted aside enough to make room.

I adjusted the bowstring over my wrist, the leather guard stiff with cold, and stayed silent. I didn’t need their approval. I only needed one thing.

Medicine.

Chen Ming glanced at me, then nodded toward the west gate. "Pharmacy by Liyuan Street. Get in, get out. No fighting if we can help it."

"Quick and clean," someone muttered.

It sounded nice, but it was clearly a lie.

The metal gate creaked as we forced it open just wide enough to slip through.

Outside, Longwan looked dead. More dead than usual.

No lights.

No traffic.

Only buildings sagging under their weight, and the soft, terrible sound of the infected breathing somewhere out there.

We moved fast, ducking between burnt-out cars and smashed storefronts. Every broken window felt like an open mouth ready to swallow us whole.

I kept my eyes moving.

Windows. Rooftops. Side streets.

Anything could hide a zombie. freёweɓnovel.com

We made it two blocks before the first group spotted us.

Eight of them.

Dragging their feet, twitching at every sound. Eyes were white and empty.

We froze.

For a heartbeat, no one moved.

I notched an arrow without thinking. It brushed my cheek, familiar and cold.

Chen Ming gave a quick gesture. Left. Cut through the alley. Avoid them.

We might have made it.

Suppose the kid in the back hadn’t slipped. The crash of glass was sharp, like a slap across the face. The nearest zombie jerked its head, locking onto us with a hungry grunt. Then the others turned.

A low, wet growl rippled through the street.

I didn’t think and only wanted to survive. I couldn’t hesitate... not like before.

The first arrow flew, sinking clean through an eye socket.

The corpse dropped without a sound.

Second arrow. Another hit. Neck this time — it kept coming, but slower.

The others panicked, scattering toward the pharmacy.

I fired again.

And again.

On the sixth shot, my string snagged my fingertip. The sharp twang slapped my wrist, cutting deep as the pain shot up my arm. My fingers stiffened, the muscles screaming, but I lacked any time to cry about it.

I yanked my knife free, backing up as two zombies staggered toward me, hands outstretched like they could already taste me.

The first one fell easily — blade under the jaw, twist, pull free.

The second grabbed my jacket.

Its fingers were like iron, yanking me sideways into the street.

I hit the ground hard. Breath slammed out of me. The world tilted.

Before I could get up, something slammed into the zombie.

A bat.

I blinked up, dazed, at a boy from the archery club — skinny, cracked glasses slipping down his nose.

He swung again, shouting something I didn’t hear.

"Move!"

He grabbed my arm and yanked me up.

We ran.

Not gracefully. Not fast.

We just ran.

The pharmacy door loomed ahead, half-broken, windows shattered.

I didn’t think about the moans behind us, and couldn’t afford to acknowledge the cold growing in my fingertips.

I just ran.

Someone shouted my name—sharp, desperate.

"Zhou Xue! Hurry!"

The sound hit harder than the slap of cold air.

I sprinted the last few meters and jumped through the door. The boy slammed it behind us, jamming a broken pipe through the handle. Inside, the pharmacy was dark and stinking of spoiled medicine and blood.

But it was safer than outside.

For now.

I slid down against the wall, breathing hard, bow useless in my lap, wrist still bleeding.

It didn’t matter.

I was alive.

And for the first time in days, I allowed myself a small, bitter smile.

I still had a promise to keep.

No matter what.