Survival in the Class: I'm the Only Boy on the Bus

The girls were stunned after hearing the system notification.

Then they all looked at Wu Maiduo.

Wu Maiduo lowered her head and stroked the candy jar in her hand, smiling helplessly:

"I'm afraid that if the horde of zombies comes, they won't even be able to preserve their last shred of dignity."

"So I buried them in that C-rank dungeon."

Wu Maiduo recalled the scene of digging the hole shovel by shovel back then.

Luckily, she found a shovel at the back door of the convenience store, otherwise she would have had to dig with her hands.

Fortunately, after that instance ended, the system did not force her to leave within a limited time. The portal only opened after she had carried the children one by one into the pit and buried them.

A glimmer of hope flashed in Wu Maiduo's eyes:

"Maybe we can actually give the children a piece of candy."

The girls fell silent.

Bai Nuonuo's eyes were red, and her little nose was twitching.

The girls all turned to look at Jiang Chen, their eyes filled with anticipation.

"Sports Committee, shall we accept this task?"

"Yeah, there's no punishment anyway."

"Sports Committee Member, An'an and the others are so pitiful. Can we do something for them if we can?"

Lu Wanzhou draped her elbow over Jiang Chen's shoulder:

"Xiao Chen should accept it. He can stop by and check on the kids whenever he passes by that instance."

Bai Nuonuo ran to Jiang Chen's side, clutching the hem of his clothes with her little hands, tilting her head back, her eyes still red:

"Brother Jiang Chen, shall we accept it?"

"Nuonuo will stop eating candy from now on. She will save all the candy to take to An'an and the others."

After she finished speaking, her ahoge (cowlick) drooped down, making her look pitiful.

Sakura Hiyuki looked at Jiang Chen, her crimson pupils gleaming, and her eyes were slightly red.

For once, an expression of anticipation appeared on that cold face.

Jiang Chen scanned the area.

All the girls were looking at him, their eyes full of anticipation.

Jiang Chen nodded emphatically and tapped "Yes" on the light screen.

Anyway, this hidden quest isn't difficult, and you can get a C-grade treasure chest, which will be some consolation for those kids.

The girls cheered.

Tang Yan stood up, patted her small JK uniform-clad chest, and held her chin high:

"Hehe, it's just candy, right? Leave it to me, the lucky one."

"Don't even mention 999, even 9999, if I wanted to, I could get them for you!"

The girls started making a fuss:

"We're counting on you, Tang Yan, our lucky charm!"

"I'll save all the candy I get from opening treasure chests from now on!"

"Yes, yes, no one is allowed to steal a single one!"

"Absolutely!"

Bai Nuonuo happily shook her ahoge (cowlick), her earlier sadness completely gone.

She tiptoed and gave Jiang Chen a quick kiss on the cheek:

"Jiang Chen is the best!"

Jiang Chen smiled and patted the white, chubby little brain.

He looked at the girls with a gentle gaze.

In this cruel world, it is rare to be able to maintain that glimmer of humanity.

Even... very scarce...

Just then.

Ding-dong—

A voice call request suddenly popped up in Jiang Chen's private chat interface.

He looked down and saw that it was a message from Wang Zhaodi.

The carriage fell silent instantly, and all the girls looked over curiously.

Lu Wanzhou's ears perked up instantly, and she immediately moved closer to Jiang Chen, nudging him lightly with her elbow:

"Xiao Chen, who is it? Male or female?"

Every time Jiang Chen received a call notification, Lu Wanzhou would ask this question.

Jiang Chen felt a little helpless looking at the girls' slightly jealous eyes.

Why do I feel like I've been caught cheating?

He raised his hand and gently flicked Lu Wanzhou's forehead.

*Snap.*

"You talk too much..."

"Look, they've corrupted the ladies..."

Lu Wanzhou covered her forehead and pouted:

"What?! As the Empress, I definitely have to keep an eye on my sisters..."

Lu Wanzhou crossed her arms and raised her chin:

"Our Xiao Chen is so popular, what if some little devil kidnaps him?"

Lu Wanzhou's words swept away the heavy atmosphere among the girls, and everyone giggled.

Jiang Chen sighed and rubbed his forehead in exasperation. He then briefly explained how he met Wang Zhaodi:

"Wang Zhaodi...she is very likely one of the students sponsored by Teacher Fang."

"If it really is her, we can convey Teacher Fang's words to her."

"If they have good character, we can help them out a little."

The girls all nodded, agreeing with Jiang Chen's words.

Wu Maiduo suddenly raised her head, her eyes filled with shock, and her voice became rapid:

"Wang Zhaodi? Junior Wang? I know her!"

"She's a very sensible junior, but her life has been so hard. I can ask her a few questions to confirm her identity."

Wen Ruyan sighed softly, her fingertips clenching the hem of her blue stepmother's dress, her eyes filled with heartache.

"Wang Zhaodi? I know about her situation. She's a very good girl, but... she's had a pretty tough time."

She looked at Jiang Chen, her tone becoming serious:

"Don't tell her about Teacher Fang yet. She's already on the verge of collapse; if she finds out about Teacher Fang... I'm afraid she'll just break down."

The girls nodded in agreement, their smiles fading.

Teacher Fang's death is a thorn in everyone's side.

If Wang Zhaodi is indeed a student sponsored by Teacher Fang, they can help her in some way, which would fulfill one of Teacher Fang's wishes.

Upon hearing Teacher Wen's words, Wu Maiduo's pupils contracted slightly.

She already guessed what it was.

Wu Maiduo looked at Lan Xingyao with trembling lips, her voice shaking:

"Teacher Fang...what's wrong with her?"

Lan Xingyao sighed, took Wu Maiduo's hand, and explained in a low voice what Teacher Fang had gone through.

After hearing this, Wu Maiduo covered her mouth, her face full of disbelief.

She simply couldn't believe that Teacher Fang, who always scrimped and saved to send her to school and always encouraged her to study hard, would actually...

I haven't even repaid Teacher Fang's kindness yet.

Why did she leave first?

Lan Xingyao gently patted Wu Maiduo's shoulder.

Jiang Chen answered the voice call and pressed the speakerphone button.

...

On the dark highway, a dilapidated minibus was swaying and rocking along.

The vehicle was covered in zombie scratches, and most of the paint had been chipped away, revealing the rusty metal underneath.

The windshield was covered in cracks.

Wang Zhaodi looked even smaller in the spacious driver's seat.

She pulled the hood of her black hoodie down low, her long black hair covering most of her face, leaving only a pale chin visible.

There are fewer zombies now, not as many as when night first fell.

The minibus was finally able to drive smoothly on the dark highway.

But this car is clearly in worse condition, with only 48% durability remaining.

Wang Zhaodi glanced at the private chat interface, a hint of disappointment appearing in her eyes.

The voice call request has been sent.

She selected the headphone mode so she could hear what was happening in the back row at any time.

Wang Zhaodi glanced nervously at the rearview mirror.

Li Cuilian and Wang Yaozu were sleeping in the back seat.

Both of them had a pale yellow shield around them, which glowed faintly in the dimly lit carriage.

This is Li Cuilian's C-level talent.

Vehicle shelter

①【Active Effect: Consumes Spirit Points. When inside an allied vehicle and the vehicle is not destroyed, grants a 30-point shield to yourself and all teammates. Specific teammates can be selectively excluded from the shield. The shield lasts for 5 hours and cannot be stacked.】

Li Cuilian and her beloved son both had protective shields, but Wang Zhaodi did not.

Even though giving Wang Zhaodi a shield wouldn't consume any extra mental energy.

Wang Zhaodi continued to stare at the voice call interface.

It had been ringing for ten seconds, but Chen still hadn't answered.

Her palms were sweating with nervousness, and her thin fingers gripped the steering wheel tightly.

She was afraid Chen wouldn't answer, but she was also afraid that if Chen did answer, he would find her annoying.

Wang Zhaodi's eyes gradually dimmed, and a bitter smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.

Sure enough, who would want to talk to someone like her?

How could I possibly take Chen's kind words seriously?

After all, he was just an unwanted burden.

Wang Zhaodi's fingers trembled as she considered whether to press the hang-up button.

The next second, the voice call was connected.

A clean and familiar male voice sounded in her left ear:

"Hello..."

Wang Zhaodi froze, her eyes instantly turning red.

Chen... didn't abandon me...