C3 The End of the World Is Coming!

At Irethhone University, Jiang Shi, fresh out of class, pulled out her phone and scrolled to a number she had specially marked. After a moment's hesitation, she decided against calling.

He's probably still resting in the hospital; better not to disturb him now. I'll reach out tomorrow.

"Shishi, what are you looking at?" came a voice as Jiang Shi felt a weight on her back. She responded weakly, "Huaixi, you promised to call me 'teacher'!"

"Okay, Shishi, I remember now, Shishi," the girl known as Huaixi teased playfully. "I heard there's a delicious new hotpot place by the school gate. Will you go with me?"

Just then, a boy walking by chimed in, "Mo Huaixi, there's a new hotpot restaurant at the school entrance. Do you want to join me? My treat!"

"I've got plans tonight, so I'll pass," Mo Huaixi replied with an awkward smile. Once the boy walked away, looking dejected, she turned her attention back to Jiang Shi.

Jiang Shi sighed in resignation, "You just want Chen Hao to join us, don't you?"

"Hehe, you caught me," Mo Huaixi admitted, making a face. "But you're the only one in our class who can get Chen Hao to come out. He's so abstinent. Despite being the beauty queen of Irethhone University and the prettiest girl in our class, I've asked him out so many times, but he's impervious."

"Chen Hao is currently in the hospital, he's still..." Jiang Shi began to explain, but was interrupted by the classroom lights flickering ominously.

By now, the classroom was nearly empty, leaving just the two of them, who clung to each other in fright.

Mo Huaixi's voice shook as she asked, "Shishi, do you think someone died in here? Could it be haunted?"

"Don't be ridiculous, it's just a loose electrical connection. Come on, let's pack up and go before the security guard comes to hurry us along."

They gathered their belongings and were about to leave when suddenly, the entire building plunged into darkness.

Frozen in place, they could hear a cacophony of sounds echoing from the hallway and other classrooms.

"What's happening? Why did the power go out?"

"Hey, where's my phone? Someone use their phone to light the way..."

"Ah!"

"Damn, who's that yelling? You scared the crap out of me."

"Ah!"

A sudden shriek echoed through the entire teaching building, followed by a chorus of curses. But before the cursing could subside, another scream pierced the air.

Someone erupted in anger: "Damn it, who's trying to scare us? When the power's back, I swear I'll... Uh, who's grabbing my foot... Ah, help me!"

One scream after another sent the remaining teachers and students into a state of panic.

Within seconds, the frightened individuals began running for the stairwells, guided only by memory in the pitch-black chaos.

Subsequent screams convinced the two girls to abandon any thought of leaving the classroom.

Jiang Shi clung to the door frame and yelled out, "Everyone, stay calm! Don't run, just stay put!"

"Shishi, Shishi, what is that?" Mo Huaixi's quivering voice came from behind her.

Turning around, Jiang Shi couldn't help but start shaking.

Illuminated by the light from Mo Huaixi's phone, they saw a gigantic ant crawling in through the window.

It had come through what was left of the shattered aluminum window frame.

"Ants?"

These were no ordinary ants; each one was over half a meter long, with massive mandibles like curved sabers, effortlessly snapping the legs of desks in their path.

"Run!" Jiang Shi, being the older of the two, grabbed Mo Huaixi and bolted.

But the sight in the hallway stopped them cold; their scalps tingled and their stomachs turned.

The corridor and walls were teeming with massive ants, hundreds upon hundreds of them!

The floor was a horror show of ants, spilled blood, and bodies being devoured...

"Ah!" Mo Huaixi let out an involuntary scream before Jiang Shi pulled her back into the classroom.

They shut the door and barricaded it with desks. Jiang Shi, gripping a broom tightly, stammered, "Huaixi, quick, call the police."

"Oh, oh," Mo Huaixi fumbled with her phone and asked in a daze, "What's the number for the police?"

"110!"

But the call wouldn't go through, likely because the lines were jammed with an overwhelming number of emergency calls.

Meanwhile, the ant that had crawled into the classroom was closing in on them, and the gnawing sounds at the wooden door behind signaled another imminent threat.

It seemed they were trapped, with no way out.