Reborn As A Doomsday Villainess-Chapter 158: The library

Zombies loitered near the entrance, at least a dozen of them.

Their movements were sluggish, heads twitching toward every sound, but they hadn’t yet noticed the team crouched behind a broken fence across the street.

Qingran raised a hand, signaling for silence.

Her eyes scanned the area, the new insight system she got quietly highlighting possible paths and hiding spots. A cracked sidewalk leading around the side, a fallen tree half-obscuring a service gate. It was narrow but passable.

She turned to Xu Tianming, who was pressed low beside her, sweat beading on his forehead.

"You lead" she whispered. "You know the layout. What’s the best way in?"

Xu Tianming swallowed hard but nodded. "There’s a side entrance near the chemistry labs. They’re not locked. I used it to sneak out during lunch sometimes."

Qingran raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"If we circle left past the admin building and hop the maintenance path, we can avoid the front courtyard entirely.." he added.

"Good. Let’s do that."

She turned to the others. "Stay close. Step where he steps. Don’t draw any attention. If we’re seen, I’ll distract them. You keep moving."

Meng Nian tightened the straps on his rifle. Yu Song gripped a bat with pale knuckles, biting his lips nervously.

Chen Wei had a bat tucked under one arm, his eyes focused and grim.

Qingran took one last glance toward the shuffling figures at the gate, then gestured. "Go."

Xu Tianming led them along the broken fence line, crouched low, weaving through overgrown hedges and toppled bins.

The moans of the undead followed them like a distant hum, but none turned their way.

By the time they reached the rear maintenance path, Qingran’s back was damp with sweat.

The side gate was rusted open just enough to squeeze through. Xu Tianming motioned them in one by one.

Qingran followed last, keeping watch until the whole team was inside the perimeter wall.

The school grounds were eerily quiet.

Classroom windows stared down at them like empty eyes, the glass were either cracked or gone entirely. A basketball rolled slowly across the outdoor court on the wind, thumping once against a wall before settling.

"Where to?" she asked.

Xu Tianming pointed toward the main academic block. "If anyone’s hiding, it’ll be in the library or the infirmary. Those are the most fortified."

Qingran nodded. "We’ll check the library first."

They moved in formation, the four behind Xu Tianming fanned out in a loose diamond.

Qingran took rear guard, keeping her senses alert, fingers twitching with suppressed energy. She didn’t want to burn through her flame unless it was absolutely necessary not after yesterday.

They crossed the courtyard in silence, stepping over fallen backpacks and notebooks fluttering like broken-winged birds.

When they reached the library doors, Xu Tianming tried the handle.

It was locked, there was definitely people inside.

"Move" Qingran said softly.

She stepped forward and slid a length of slim metal from her pocket. It wasn’t a lockpick exactly just an improvised tool she’d fashioned from scrap.

After a few seconds of work, there was a soft click.

The doors creaked open.

The interior was dark and musty. Rows of shelves loomed in the shadows, paper rustling in the faint breeze.

"Hello?" Xu Tianming whispered. "It’s safe, we’re here to help!"

No response.

Then, a shuffle. Low and careful. From behind the checkout desk.

Qingran’s hand lifted, fingers flaring faintly with azure light.

A figure emerged slowly. A girl, no older than sixteen. Dirt streaked her cheeks, her uniform was torn, but her eyes were clear.

"Senior Xu Tianming?" she breathed, voice cracking.

"Zhao Xinyi!" Xu Tianming’s face lit up with disbelief.

Others began to appear , 4 more teens and a middle-aged man in a janitor’s uniform.

They looked exhausted but they were still very much alive.

"We heard noises outside" the janitor rasped. "Didn’t dare move. The first attack... took out most of the admin. We’ve been hiding ever since."

"You’re safe now" Qingran said firmly. "But we can’t stay here. We’ll move you in batches. The way’s clear.. for now."

She turned to the team. "Yu Song, stay here with with me and Xu Tianming. Meng Nian, take this people back to the hotel, call Feng Yuxi and Rina to come pick them from tie lobby, they’ll know what to do from there. We will go to the infirmary to look for people there."

Meng Nian gave a crisp nod. "Got it."

He began ushering the survivors toward the door, voice low but firm, offering support where needed.

The janitor leaned heavily on Chen Wei’s shoulder, and the teens clustered around Zhao Xinyi, clinging to one another.

They all looked at Qingran, some eyes wide with awe, others flickering with hope.

Before stepping out, Meng Nian gave Qingran a look. "Be careful."

"You too.."

He led the group away, melting into the silence of the ruined school.

Qingran waited until their footsteps faded before she turned back to the library’s dusty interior.

"Let’s move then" she said.

They exited through a side door, careful not to disturb the front again.

The sky was begin to darken, its pale red sheen filtering through broken window.

In the silence, every sound felt like thunder, the distant flutter of paper and the squeak of worn shoes.

Xu Tianming walked ahead, his gun drawn and knuckles white. Qingran could see the stiffness in his shoulders and the tension beneath his skin.

"You alright?" she asked as they slipped into a hallway flanked by lockers.

He gave a quick nod. "Yeah. It’s just weird, y’know? I used to walk these halls thinking about exams and dumb crushes. Now..."

He trailed off, his voice strained.

"Now you’re walking through them to save lives.." Qingran said quietly.

They reached the fork in the corridor, and Xu Tianming motioned left. "Infirmary’s this way. It’s in the science wing. Just past the bio labs."

Yu Song caught up beside Qingran. "There were always been rumors that the infirmaries had a secret storage room.." he muttered, like it was some sacred school gossip. "You think people could be hiding there?"

Qingran glanced at him. "Let’s find out."

As they approached the science wing, the air turned colder. The ceiling panels here were warped from water damage, wires dangling like limp vines.

The smell of disinfectant mixed with decay, and Qingran’s instincts tensed up.