Published: January 31, 2025
“Click.”
While advancing, Ye Zhongming replaced the empty magazine of the Type 54 pistol with another full one, a habit formed over years of surviving in the apocalypse.
The long-haired beauty behind him looked pale, as the mutated willow branch in her arms constantly emitted a bloody odor, irritating her fragile nerves.
At the base of the willow tree, two corpses used as fertilizer had been dragged there after being whipped to death by the willow branch, and there were still remnants of blood and flesh on it.
After mutation, the willow branches became flexible and strong, with leaves sharp as blades. During their run, a few leaves had already sliced through her delicate skin, but she dared not make a sound, fearing the man in front might abandon her. If that happened, her only fate would be to become food for the zombies behind her.
Ye Zhongming led the way, navigating around the cafeteria and then slipped into an outdoor fitness area, easily evading the encirclement of zombies.
This was thanks to his accurate judgment based on rich experience and the excellent vision and hearing of a one-star evolver. If it were anyone else, they would have likely been surrounded by the approaching zombies by now.
Hiding in a dark corner of a building, Ye Zhongming confirmed his direction. He had just seen the Secret Realm Key fall from the sky within the community, but the light had been blocked by tall buildings after reaching a certain height, so he couldn't pinpoint its landing spot accurately.
This made him feel a bit anxious; after all, the Secret Realm Key posed no threat to humans like zombies did. If someone else got to it first, he would feel quite unwilling to accept that.
A commotion interrupted Ye Zhongming's thoughts. He noticed someone on the fourth floor of a nearby building climbing down using a curtain rope tied together. However, the rope was a bit short and ended at the second floor, forcing those climbing down to jump from there.
Initially, everything seemed fine and went smoothly, but when a student reached the end of the curtain rope and was about to jump down, the window on the second floor suddenly shattered. Several gray-black arms of zombies reached out, catching the student off guard as he fell and instinctively began to scream.
Undoubtedly, such a sound was like a beacon for the hearing and scent-sensitive zombies, causing them to swarm toward that direction, accompanied by a chorus of low growls reminiscent of wild beasts.
In the dimly lit night, the zombies' blood-red eyes and their deathly roars created immense pressure, causing the students who had managed to maintain their composure to collapse completely.
Those still on the fourth floor hesitated, some wanting to retreat while others tried to leap down and escape the dire situation, crowding at the window.
Meanwhile, the students still on the curtain rope panicked and jumped down directly, but most of them were between the third and fourth floors. Falling from that height onto the concrete ground would likely result in fractures, if not death, and their cries of agony signified their tragic fate.
Those who had already reached the ground exerted every ounce of strength they could muster and ran toward Ye Zhongming.
"Damn it!"
Ye Zhongming gritted his teeth and cursed under his breath. He couldn't understand why, after everything had gone relatively smoothly since his rebirth, he kept encountering such situations. First, it was the long-haired woman, and now it was this group of students. Did he somehow acquire an invisible red cross symbol on his head after his rebirth? Why did they all come toward him?
He was certain these students were targeting him, as many had already started waving and calling towards his hiding spot, shouting for help.
Ye Zhongming instinctively wanted to leave; he harbored no goodwill toward these strangers who would panic and betray their companions in times of trouble.
But after glancing at the window where the students had escaped and correlating it with the direction of the light he had seen earlier, he quickly changed his mind.