Chapter 118: University: Everly Re-evaluates Her Life

Chapter 118 University: Everly Re-evaluates Life

Everly and Misha were currently on a train from Arligford State to Concard.

The journey from Dwight State to New Osebukh State had been so fraught with hardship and bad luck that no one could have imagined it. Everly sometimes even began to doubt herself, wondering if this damn schooling was really worth it... In any case, after surviving the zombie outbreak in Rad Yard City and that bizarre time-space loop out at sea, the last stretch of their journey to school was finally ahead of them.

Arligford State had a direct train line to Concard, the capital of New Osebukh State. From Concard, they could take an intercity coach to Darami City, where the university was located—minimizing transfers and relying entirely on public transportation to reach the campus.

It's public transit, so it's gotta be reliable, right?

Even if Everly was made of iron, enduring so many trials in just a few days would inevitably wear her down.

She suspected she was jinxed, and she had solid proof.

She and Misha slumped like two wilted quails on the train for over eight hours, had a so-so maple-syrup chicken pie with juice, and were both starting to feel drowsy when the train finally arrived at Concard.

The rest of the trip went surprisingly smoothly.

They stayed at a local star-rated hotel in Concard overnight, then took a Gray Wolf bus to Darami City the next day.

The following afternoon, when the two girls stepped out of a taxi and saw the classical wrought-iron gates of New Osebukh State University, the two grimy girls couldn't help but embrace each other, shrieking with joy.

The semester had already started by then.

With Old John having sent an email to the admissions office ahead of time, and both Everly and Misha able to produce certificates issued with Meihe Cruise Lines' help confirming their travel delays due to the incident aboard the Mary Jane, they finally managed to get everything done—enrollment, registration, course selection, and picking up their dorm keys—after running back and forth between the admissions office, registrar's office, and department office.

Starting tomorrow, they could go to class like any normal college student.

Another piece of good news was that because they had enrolled late, the school had already assigned dormitories to freshmen who arrived on time, so Everly and Misha—the two poor leftovers—ended up in the same dorm room.

The dorm was a double room, with a dozen rooms sharing communal restrooms and showers. Aside from being slightly larger than the high school dorms, everything else was the same—just as run-down and old.

The moment Everly entered the dorm, she pulled out various charms and trinkets for warding off evil and giving warnings from her backpack and set them up by the door, windows, walls, and headboard.

The advantage of sharing a room with Misha was that Misha never stopped her from decking out their dorm in ways that looked a little superstitious. Moreover, Misha was receptive to advice and, unlike Everly's old roommate Jessica, didn't recklessly mess with or exploit the supernatural, bringing disaster on herself and everyone around her.

The two girls gave the dorm a quick clean, unpacked their belongings, and since it was still early, left the dorm to go shopping in the area around the university.

New Osebukh State University was situated right in Darami City, with easy access to transit and solid infrastructure, so it was easy to take advantage of everything the city had to offer. The downside was less of an academic vibe, and the line between campus and city wasn't as clear.

Throughout their journey to school, apart from the valuables in their backpacks, they'd been losing luggage left and right the whole trip. Now that they'd finally arrived, they could finally shop in peace to restock.

Daily necessities, clothes and shoes, computers and phones, stationery... Shopping not only restocked their supplies but also helped the two girls get familiar with the area around campus fast.

It was a pretty small city, surrounded by pine forests, with snow-capped mountains off in the distance. Due to its high latitude and proximity to the sea, even in the hottest summer weather, the maximum temperature hovered around 27 degrees Celsius—a great place to beat the heat. However, it was said to be very cold in winter, with snow starting early.

It was a totally different city from Mikano.

Everly had already bought a city map ahead of time and mapped out her shopping plan. Using the university as their base, they drove around Darami City. When they finally couldn't carry any more, they happened to end up at a place called "178 Cross-State Auto Transport."

This was the chain Everly had used to ship her car before she left. Her Grand Cherokee had arrived—a tricked-out Jeep that was practically brand new, sitting in the shop, waiting quietly for its owner.

It was almost funny—same start and finish, yet Everly's trip had been one close call after another, while the Grand Cherokee had cruised through without a hitch, arriving even before she did.

If she'd known, why the hell would she have flown? She could've just tagged along with the Jeep and been safer... Just kidding.

After checking out the car, Everly paid the remaining balance without a second thought, told Misha to get in, drove to a gas station to fill up the tank that was only a quarter full, then took Misha to the "Top Must-Eat in Darami" pizza joint she'd scoped out on social media for dinner.

After eating their fill and finishing their shopping, when they returned to campus, they found every parking spot near the dorm already taken.

With no other choice, Everly parked in an empty spot near the teaching building, never imagining that this one move would accidentally save both her and Misha's lives.

The next day, Everly and Misha's first real day of classes, 8:53 AM. After grabbing breakfast in the cafeteria, they were about to cut across the green lawn to Building 2 for their first class of the semester.

Just then, a black car came driving in from the main gate.

The fact that it could drive onto campus meant it was registered in the school system—either a staff car or, like Everly's Grand Cherokee, registered under a student's name with an annual or semester parking permit purchased.

But even though it was on campus, the car was driving like a maniac—not only blowing past the campus speed limit of 30 km/h but also barreling right across the lawn, leaving deep ruts in the perfectly manicured lawn.

"Hey, you! You can't drive like that! Stop!"

A campus security guard who happened to be passing by held up his coffee cup and chased after the car for a few steps.

Instead of stopping, the driver whipped the wheel around, tires squealing against the pavement. After a brief pause, he floored it and gunned the car straight at the guard.

At first, the guard thought the driver was messing around and didn't move. It wasn't until the hood was almost on him, with no sign of slowing down, that he realized the driver was for real.

But by then, it was too late to run.

As if driven by some deep-seated hatred, the black car slammed into the guard, sending his body flying like a kite with its string cut, several meters through the air.

"Thud!" A dull thud—the guard hit the hard pavement headfirst, blood mixed with a nasty-looking white fluid splattering all over the couple hugging on the lawn nearby.

"Ah... AHHHH!"

After a two or three-second pause, the students who saw it finally snapped out of it, letting out one piercing scream after another.

The moment Everly laid eyes on the black car, her sixth sense sent her that familiar warning—even though Lamia was gone, the warning ability she'd left Everly was still there, which sent a bitter pang through Everly's heart.

When the black car rammed the guard, Everly and Misha were standing in the middle of the lawn, less than six meters from the car.

Realizing something was off, Everly immediately looked around.

New Osebukh State University was one of the few universities in America with walls around it.

If she called the lawn she was on Lawn A, then from Lawn A, running south less than 200 meters would get her to the main gate. But that route was a straight shot with no bushes for cover on either side—just fountains and grass. If the black car really wanted to chase her, it could catch up easily.

To the west of Lawn A, on Everly's left, was Lawn B—the same size as Lawn A, a favorite spot for students to sprawl out, read, and soak up the sun. Past Lawn B to the west was the library, a red-brick building.

To the north of Lawn A, about twenty or thirty meters from Everly, was Building 2. Classes started at 8:30, so it was the middle of class right now; there were probably a lot of people inside.

Finally, to the east of Lawn A was a big decorative lake. The water wasn't deep, just up to your waist, with pretty pebbles on the bottom and brightly colored koi swimming around.

If she was thinking about dodging the car, Everly figured Building 2 and the lake were both solid choices. The first was closer—a quick sprint and they'd be inside—while the second had a natural terrain advantage, since a car would slow way down in the water.

So which one should she pick?

Everly was still thinking when a loud "BANG!" rang out.

Everly turned and saw that after mowing down the guard, the black car, going too fast to stop in time, had slammed into the decorative statue pedestal in front of Building 2.

The hood crumpled from the impact, and black smoke started pouring out—a sure sign the car was done for.

The car's tightly shut door then swung open, and a man got out—wearing a black ballistic helmet and a black face mask, with only his eyes showing.

The helmeted guy was wearing a T-shirt and jeans, with a thick bulletproof vest over the T-shirt. He left the door open, turned his back to the car, and was casually bent over, digging around in the passenger seat.

Everly knew that getup all too well!

"Premier Model 906 riot helmet, paired with the Blank ST-series bulletproof vest—both are standard-issue defensive gear for American police. The protective equipment stacked in Old John's underground shelter was mostly of similar models, since his buying connections were his old police buddies.

Since he's even donned a bulletproof vest and helmet, it's obvious what he's bent over grabbing—no question, it's a gun!

So she'd walked right into a campus shooting?

The escape routes she'd planned earlier were based on the assumption that the perpetrator was attacking with a vehicle. If he has a gun and is about to shift his method from ramming with the car to spraying bullets, then both the teaching building and the scenic lake are off the table.

The teaching building has many rooms that could serve as cover, but isn't the primary target of a campus shooter large crowds of people? Putting herself in the shooter's shoes, Everly figured she'd definitely storm into the classroom building while students were in class and go on a killing spree.

As for the scenic lake, it's too shallow and the water too clear to hide anyone. If the criminal were so inclined, he could just raise his gun and fire a few rounds—with the water's drag, dodging would be tough.

She did consider approaching from behind while he was still bent over grabbing the gun, to take him out first.

But Everly's current position didn't allow for that.

After the earlier collision, the distance between the black car and her had stretched to about twelve meters, and the side facing her was the passenger side. That meant if she wanted to attack the person inside, she'd have to go around the front or back of the car to get past its blocking bulk, and throughout the entire process, she absolutely couldn't catch the attention of the person inside.

If the criminal spotted Everly through the passenger window, he'd only need to raise his hand and lightly squeeze the trigger, and she'd be sent flying straight to heaven on the spot."