Chapter 5 - Who Will Go

FZ-HOPE City TP High School was established in 1975 as a city-run secondary school. The school currently has 172 staff members and hosts a total of 2,230 students across 44 classes in both middle and high school. With a campus covering 19,427.7 square meters, it is lush, tidy, and elegant, providing an excellent learning environment for its students.

However, that beautiful campus turned into a living hell three days ago. Those classmates and teachers, who were once dear friends and mentors, had all become mindless, soulless zombies-creatures hell-bent on devouring human flesh and blood, ceaselessly massacring. And at this very moment, a gruesome massacre was still unfolding here!

“Roar-!” Another zombie lay unwillingly lifeless with wide-open eyes as I forcefully pulled the steel spike from its skull, allowing the red and white matter to splatter all over me.

How many has it been now? Ten? Or twenty? I didn’t know, nor did I want to know. From the moment I killed the first zombie, I began to revel in the feeling of slaughter. I knew this feeling was perilous, yet it was like an addiction, becoming more and more intoxicating, and I killed with increasing ease. Those actions-no, those killing techniques-came out as if they were instinctive, seamlessly executed. For a moment, in the corridor, blood splattered everywhere! Flesh flew in all directions! The ground was covered with a chaotic mix of gore!

“Has anyone been bitten?”

“No, no one.”

“We’re planning to leave here on the school bus. You should come with us.”

“Yes! Yes!”

Hearing such an invitation was naturally something they couldn’t refuse. In this living hell, the more people there were, the stronger the force, and forming a team was the best choice. After exchanging information about our situations, we ran towards the parking lot again, but we hadn’t gone far before we stopped once more: at least dozens of zombies were blocking the lobby!

“My experiments indicate that those zombies should no longer have vision. As long as we stay quiet, we can get past them.”

“Even if your experiments are correct, there are over a dozen of us here. It’s absolutely impossible for so many people to get past without alerting the zombies.”

“Even if we try to advance by circling inside the school building, once attacked, we’ll be trapped.”

“We’ll have to break through head-on.”

“But if we break through head-on, with so many zombies, someone will definitely-”

…

“Given the situation now, we have to find someone to test Shen Wei’s theory.”

Who’s going to go? Would anyone volunteer to be the guinea pig? If the theory is wrong, the outcome would be…

Who will go?

As I smashed the head of a zombie whose body was already split in half yet still persistently crawling towards me, another zombie in tattered sportswear, now unrecognizable, slowly moved in front of me. Just as it got close, it suddenly shed its sluggish demeanor, and its claw-like hands struck my arm with lightning speed.

If it had been the ordinary me from three days ago, it might have caught me. But, unfortunately for it, the current me slightly shifted my body to the right, narrowly evading its grasp. At the same time, I kicked out with my right foot, hitting its already shattered skull directly! “Crack!” there was a sound like a watermelon splitting open, though it wasn’t a watermelon, but the zombie’s head!

Blood sprayed everywhere, and a chaotic mess splattered the ground. The headless body fell, twitching uncontrollably, and white maggots crawled from the wound, making it quite nauseating. But seeing the splattered blood didn’t disgust me; instead, it brought a slight thrill. An eerie smile curled up my lips.

Another zombie lunged at me from behind, and I chuckled, delivering a backward elbow strike that crushed its head. A mist of blood erupted from the headless cavity, staining my hair a shade of blood red, while my face was smeared with blood.

I wiped the blood off my face with my hand, gazing at the sticky liquid on my palm, and suddenly I felt hungry! An irresistible impulse-my tongue slid out like a snake discovering its prey, or like a child greedily licking delicious ice cream, savagely licking the blood from my hand!

Fortunately, both Ye Xiang and Ling Qimeng were too preoccupied with fighting the zombies to notice what was happening with me. Otherwise, they might have chosen to take me down first! At that moment, even I didn’t realize that my once dark eyes had turned blood-red, the color of fresh blood! A violent impulse constantly assaulted my sanity, and my body began to move uncontrollably.

I became restless again, but it wasn’t my will at play-it was instinct? Or who knows.

My body started to heat up, to feel uneasy, as if only more blood could relieve this unease. One zombie after another-I lost count of how many zombies had fallen by my hands. My hair, stained by blood, had turned completely dark red, and my body was covered in bloodstains. Yet, I couldn’t stop this mad slaughter!

Under my grinding combat, all the zombies on this floor were quickly cleared out. Only when the last one fell at my feet did the blood-red tint in my eyes begin to fade. Everyone had watched my ruthless display with wide-eyed disbelief, but fortunately, no one was injured in this battle.

Ye Xiang ran over to me, playfully smacking my blood-stained shoulder with his own bloody hand. “You told me not to go on a killing spree, but you were the one having the most fun slaughtering them!” His slap, although lacking any real force, still made me grunt and collapse to the floor, drenched in cold sweat. All the strength in my body had been drained by the frenzied fight, and my major muscles were twitching nonstop, with my fingers trembling uncontrollably. If not for the cloth binding, the steel spike would likely have slipped from my grip. I knew this was a sign of overexertion.

Seeing me collapse, Ye Xiang quickly crouched down to help me up, letting me lean on his shoulder to avoid falling again. “Tiankuang, what’s wrong with you? Are you okay?” I shook my head to indicate he needn’t worry. Ling Qimeng rushed over with a concerned look, pulling out a handkerchief to gently wipe the cold sweat from my forehead. Ye Xiang took the opportunity to whistle, understanding the meaning, and Ling Qimeng blushed before turning to check on Shen Wei, who was still shaken.

Meanwhile, Shen Wei stared at her blood-stained reflection in the Grade Office’s dressing mirror, murmuring to herself, “If I get this dirty, mom will scold me. Mom, it’s enough, I’ve had enough!”

Ling Qimeng gently hugged Shen Wei and softly said, “You still have us.”

“I’ve had enough, enough!” Shen Wei was near breakdown. Liu Yonglin stood with his head lowered, silent. For a moment, the corridor fell into a dead silence, save for Shen Wei’s sobs. The scene of blood-soaked floors, scattered limbs, and the crying girl created an eerie tableau.

“Thud, thud, thud”-a series of hurried footsteps echoed from the end of the corridor.

“Damn, zombies from other areas are closing in on us. I’ll carry Tiankuang. Liu Yonglin, take my steel spike and clear the path! Move quickly!” Ye Xiang decided without leaving room for objection, lifting me onto his back and following closely behind Liu Yonglin as they sprinted down the hallway. But then, the body of someone in a driver’s uniform caught my attention on the windowsill. “Hey, wait! That’s the school driver! Ling Qimeng, check him for keys! No, Liu Yonglin, finish off its head first, just in case.”

After Liu Yonglin used the steel spike to make a hole in the zombie driver’s head, Ling Qimeng found the school bus keys on the body. Now we had everything we needed. Once we regrouped with the others at the infirmary, we could get the bus and leave this hellish place!!

There’s no time to waste! We’ve had enough of this place! Even though the Armed Forces Department won’t provide the comforts of home, it’s far better than being out here, exposed to the elements, constantly on edge, and in grave danger.

FZ-HOPE City, Armed Forces Department

The sound of gunfire was relentless, bullet casings littering the ground. The air was thick with the mingled scent of gunpowder and blood. Humans had been driven to the brink by the zombies, yet none of our soldiers retreated, for they were the soldiers of Tian Chao! Behind them were the people they swore to protect! They would neither retreat nor flee before ensuring all civilians had evacuated, even if it meant giving a final mercy shot to a bitten comrade or watching one pull a grenade to take zombies with them. They did not waver because they held steadfast to their beliefs and faith. They were, after all, soldiers of Tian Chao.

“Director Li, we can’t hold them off outside anymore. The zombies have broken through!” Xiao Wang, who had been following Li Feng, burst into the command room covered in blood. His right shoulder had a conspicuous bloody hole, and his entire right arm hung limp, clearly hit by a stray bullet during the battle.

Li Feng, sitting in the makeshift command room, was missing his entire left arm. Although it was wrapped in thick bandages, blood continued to seep through. He had cut it off himself after being bitten on the left hand.

“I see. Xiao Wang, how many years have you been with me?”

“Three years and five months!” Xiao Wang replied immediately, without hesitation.

“Hmm, you’ve got a good memory,” Li Feng smiled faintly, though the smile appeared pale due to excessive blood loss. “Now, get someone to help you move the remaining 40 kilograms of explosives into the command room. Run the fuse to my seat and block the door. Also, my final order is: everyone use up all the bullets in their guns and throw all their hand grenades. Then, you can all rest.”

Xiao Wang was silent for a moment before saluting with his left hand, his eyes red. “Yes, sir,” he said, then slowly backed out.

TP High School

“Knock, knock,” Liu Yonglin gently tapped on the iron door of the infirmary and called out, “Teacher, open the door! It’s us!”

“Teacher, it’s me and Liu Yonglin. Open the door please,” Shen Wei softly echoed.

The iron door of the infirmary had good soundproofing, making it hard for those inside to hear the soft knocks. But we didn’t dare make a loud noise, as the zombies seemed to have an uncommonly acute sense of hearing; any loud disturbance could attract them.

After nearly half a minute of steady knocking, the sound of things being moved came from inside, presumably clearing obstacles blocking the door. Shortly after, the infirmary door opened just enough for a person to slip through sideways, and the five of us filed in. The zombies trailing us, losing sight of their targets, resumed their aimless wandering.

“Whew!” Only then did we all breathe a collective sigh of relief.

After a quick cleanup at the infirmary’s sink, Ye Xiang sprawled out on one of the beds, saying, “Wow, this feels amazing! After three days on the rooftop, I’d almost forgotten what a bed feels like.” His words drew a burst of giggles from the girls.

As for me, I leaned against the pile of things barricading the door, gazing up at the white ceiling, unwilling to move. After the past few days of seeing so much red, I found the plain white, which I’d once thought so dull, suddenly quite endearing.

“What took you two so long? You said you were going to the restroom. Did you fall in?” A woman in a white coat, clearly the school doctor, stood with her hands on her hips, questioning Liu Yonglin and Shen Wei.

This school doctor wasn’t the typical kind you’d find at most schools-older or even grandmotherly. She had just graduated last year from the nationally renowned Capital Medical University in Tian Chao and was quite the beauty. While saying she had a face that could topple nations might be an overstatement, she was certainly seen as more attractive than TP High School’s campus belle. Some boys even pretended to have heatstroke during gym class just to visit her in the infirmary. Although Ling Qimeng, Shen Wei, and Xueqi were also outstanding beauties, they appeared somewhat immature compared to Ye Ling, the school doctor. It was a mystery how the principal managed to recruit such a talent.

“If you hadn’t come back soon, Xueqi, Wang Yi, and I were about to…” Though Ye Ling was very pretty, she seemed a bit too talkative, leaving Liu Yonglin and Shen Wei without a chance to respond, and making the corners of my mouth twitch in amusement. Seeing their embarrassed faces made me want to laugh, but I had to hold it in. It was quite a “painful” feeling.

Once Ye Ling finished her scolding, I finally spoke up, “Everyone, let me introduce myself. I’m Zhang Tiankuang from Class Z of the Senior Year. This is Ye Xiang, and this is Ling Qimeng, also from Class Z.”

“Zhang Tiankuang? Are you the legendary ‘Sakuragi Hanamichi of TP High School’?” asked a slender boy with a middle-part hairstyle.

“Ahem, that’s not the main issue here,” Liu Yonglin interjected, seeing my embarrassment, trying to lighten the mood. “You already know Shen Wei and me. This is Ms. Ye, and this is Xueqi from Class G. The guy with the middle part is Wang Yi from Class T.”

“Liu Yonglin, enough with the chit-chat,” Xueqi, with her long flowing hair, spoke up. “You’ve been gone for a while. Did you encounter any zombies? If so, is anyone injured? You know what happens if someone gets bitten, right?”

“No one was injured, thanks to our super fighter here,” Ye Xiang said, pointing at me. I could only respond with a wry smile.

“We got a big haul on this trip, Ms. Ye,” Shen Wei proudly announced, revealing that she had secured the bus keys. “Bus keys! Let’s get out of here quickly!” Wang Yi seemed quite excited.

“Does anyone know how to drive? I can’t, and we’re all underage, right? Definitely no driver’s licenses here. I don’t want to end up with a bloody head from a car accident. We might bleed out and die before the zombies even get us,” Ye Xiang groaned from his hospital bed.

Ye Ling chimed in, “I do have a driver’s license, but…”

“But what?”

“I haven’t driven in over a year.”

Ling Qimeng, who had been silent until now, pulled out the car keys from her pocket and handed them to Ye Ling. “Let’s treat this like a last resort! Staying here is certain death. Even if you haven’t driven in a while, it’s better than us who’ve never touched a steering wheel. So, Ms. Ye, give it a try!”

Ye Ling looked around at everyone, and after receiving their nods of encouragement, she took the keys. Time was of the essence, and although we knew there were nearly ten thousand survivors at the Armed Forces Department, we had no idea about their retreat speed. If they withdrew completely, we’d be done for. We had to move fast!

“Make sure to bring all the food and water!”

“It’s faster to go to the parking lot through the front entrance!”

“Ye Xiang and I will clear the way with steel spikes. Liu Yonglin, support us from the back with the nail gun! Everyone else, follow closely!”

“Avoid unnecessary fights. If we can bypass them, let’s do it, even if it means taking a detour.”

“The zombies are especially sensitive to sound and strong enough to break through regular doors, so if you get caught, you’re done for!”

“Keep as quiet as possible!”

Although retreating from the back of the infirmary ensured minimal confrontation, we still encountered seven or eight zombies attempting to attack us. Ye Xiang and I took them all out by smashing their heads, and any stragglers were quickly dispatched by Liu Yonglin’s nail gun.

As we turned a corner, we came across a group of over ten zombies surrounding five living people. Only two of them were armed with severely deformed metal baseball bats. If we didn’t intervene, their fate was surely sealed.

“Should we help them?” Ye Xiang asked. Watching a group of living people die right in front of me without doing anything was something I couldn’t stand.

“Dammit, we have to help! The rest of you, wait here! Ye Xiang, you’re with me!”

Ye Xiang and I, armed with our steel spikes, snuck up and punctured the skulls of two unsuspecting zombies. None turned to attack us, as one of the people had already been pinned and dismembered by the zombies. The taste of fresh blood was far more enticing than their fallen comrades, driving them even more into a frenzy.

Roars of zombies echoed from elsewhere, likely drawn by the scent of fresh blood, wanting to claim a share of the loot. After Ye Xiang and I killed three zombies, the remaining ones devoured the body on the ground until nothing recognizable was left, turning our stomachs.

The zombies finally noticed us, their heads swiveling in our direction, jaws dropping, lips curling back, and from deep within their diaphragms, they unleashed spine-chilling howls. Despite the unnerving cries, saving lives took priority, leaving no time to be distracted.

Although incredibly strong, the zombies lacked agility. With the coordination of the survivors, we quickly dispatched them. There was no time for formal introductions-just a quick exchange of information as we ran. These people had been hiding in a chemistry laboratory for three days. Driven by hunger, they ventured out in search of food only to be cornered by a wandering zombie horde.