I Choose to Let Them Die!
"Goddamn it! Those spoiled bitches were all lying!" Ling Xue Ya cursed inwardly. This time, she'd finally learned her lesson, kneeling obediently on the ground and following Xiao Yi's orders without a peep.
Xiao Yi tugged on the chain, settling into the chair and casually spreading his legs. He shot Ling Xue Ya a pointed look.
Tears brimming in her eyes, she crawled over meekly...
"I'm here today, obviously, to bring you all some food. But before I hand it out, we're gonna play a little game first!"
Xiao Yi's lips curved into a faint, cruel smile. "To give everyone a better shot at survival, we can't keep relying on me alone to scrounge for food and water out there, right? What if I bite it one day? You'd all starve to death. So, you need to pick someone else to step up!"
"I suggest we vote on someone to head out into the zombie hordes—just like I did—and bring back some supplies for the group."
The survivors in the warehouse exchanged uneasy glances. They weren't idiots; far from it, every one of them was sharp as a tack.
Anyone but Xiao Yi stepping foot outside was a death sentence.
This was pure revenge, plain and simple.
That's right—Xiao Yi wanted them to taste the betrayal he'd felt back then.
"Alright! Everyone come grab a slip of paper and a pen from me. Write down the name of who you think is most suitable. I'll tally the votes. The one with the most is our brave explorer!"
Xiao Yi's devilish grin sent chills down their spines as he drawled the words slowly, ominously.
"How could we make our benefactor do the tally himself? Let me handle it for everyone! As your dean, I'll sit this election out!" Du Zhi Ming simpered, his face twisted into a sycophantic grin as he crawled over to Xiao Yi's side.
Xiao Yi yanked Ling Xue Ya off him mid-effort, surging to his feet and slamming a brutal kick into Du Zhi Ming's face. "When the fuck did I ask for your input? Did I say I was taking suggestions?"
Du Zhi Ming swallowed the agony, spitting out blood and a handful of teeth as he writhed on the ground, wailing, "I know I fucked up! Please, benefactor, have mercy! I swear I won't do it again!"
Xiao Yi stomped him a few more times for good measure, then waved dismissively. "Start now!"
Papers and pens were distributed one by one. The group stared at each other, silently pleading with their eyes.
Everyone knew getting picked meant death. No difference.
No one wanted to die. Everyone prayed it would be someone—anyone—but them.
Soon, the slips piled up in front of Xiao Yi.
He'd already read the outcome in their eyes.
Glancing at Du Zhi Ming—half his teeth gone, blood matting his hair—Xiao Yi beckoned with a mocking smile. "Hey, Old Du! Get over here. You're reading the votes."
A flicker of desperate hope lit Du Zhi Ming's eyes. He scrambled to Xiao Yi's side, snatched a slip, and prepared to announce it triumphantly.
But the name on it froze him solid.
Xiao Yi cracked him across the face with a vicious slap. "Read it!"
"Du... Du Zhi Ming... one vote..." Du Zhi Ming read in a broken wail, fumbling for the next. "Du... Du... Du Zhi Ming, two votes..."
Seven or eight slips in a row—all Du Zhi Ming.
He collapsed in a heap, trembling in utter despair.
The others exhaled in quiet relief.
Xiao Yi rose with a cold sneer.
Gazing down at the kneeling crowd, he turned to Du Zhi Ming. "You've got two choices."
"One: Crawl out there and die like a good boy."
"Two: Open the warehouse door, let the zombies wipe everyone out—and maybe you get to live."
His words hung in the air. The kneelers snapped their heads up in horror, eyes pleading with Du Zhi Ming.
"Dean Du! One death beats all of us dying!"
"Dean Du! As our leader, you should sacrifice for the greater good!"
"Professor Du! We've always followed you, always respected you! You can't doom us!"
"Professor Du, didn't you always preach bold sacrifice, putting the many before the one? We've believed you're that noble all along!"
"Professor Du! You've always thrown others under the bus—your turn now, right?"
The clamor swelled, everyone urging him on with fervent hypocrisy.
Du Zhi Ming's face twisted into something monstrous, rage boiling over. "Why the fuck should I sacrifice? Why not you assholes?! Just 'cause I'm the teacher?! Fuck you all—DIE! DIE!!!"
He roared like a beast, grinning maniacally through bloodied teeth. "I choose to open the warehouse door and let you cheap whores ALL die!!!"
"Die!!"
"Go fucking die, every last one of you!!!"