Entering the office, Xu Lun killed a few wandering zombies and closed the door.
Isolated from the danger outside, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, enjoying this moment of rest.
Xu Lun found a few bags of potato chips; he hadn't eaten anything yet and was already a bit hungry.
A sweet, cloying taste spread from Xu Lun's mouth, and he frowned, flipping through the packaging in disbelief.
"Chocolate flavored?"
"My first taste of food from another world already made me feel ill will."
Xu Lun handed this heretical bag to Marikawa Sensei.
Having just gone through various bloody scenes, and with the smell of blood still emanating from her, only Marikawa Sensei, besides Xu Lun, could happily eat and drink without a care in the world.
Saeko Busujima turned on the TV, which was broadcasting a live reporter's feed.
"The number of victims in Saitama Prefecture has exceeded ten thousand; the governor of Saitama Prefecture will issue an emergency declaration…"
Zombies were mixed in with the chaotic crowd, being suppressed by some police officers with guns, and the reporter was describing the scene.
"Bang!"
A sudden gunshot made the reporter panic.
"Ah, they're shooting!"
"The police are finally shooting, but at what?"
"Ah! What is this! Ah!"
The reporter's scream rang out, the camera fell to the ground, the screen fluctuated violently, and then the live broadcast was cut off directly.
"Truly dedicated."
Xu Lun was a little amazed. Even in the apocalypse, he was still willingly working as a frontline grunt. It seemed the government hadn't completely collapsed yet, but it was powerless to rescue local areas. It was likely the apocalypse had occurred globally.
The atmosphere was a bit heavy. Shizuka Marikawa puffed out her cheeks and said, "Oh, maybe after a while, the zombies outside will just rot away and become skeletons that can't move."
"How long would that take?" Saeko Busujima asked.
"Hmm, let me think."
Shizuka Marikawa pondered and said, "In summer, they would probably rot in about 10 days. In winter, it might take more than a month."
"But corpses can still come back to bite people; this has already gone beyond the realm of science, hasn't it? Will they really rot away?"
The pink-haired Saya Takagi said.
Previously, she had been distraught after close-range sawing a zombie with a chainsaw, and she had only just recovered a bit of her composure.
The air fell silent again, with only the crunching sound of Shizuka Marikawa eating potato chips.
"Let's go home!"
A moment later, Komuro Takashi stood up and said to everyone.
"Let's gather the people who are still alive and go back along the way to find our families."
The setting sun shone through the window, hitting him, giving him the vibe of a kind male lead from a Japanese anime. The brown-haired Rei Miyamoto even looked at him with a hint of adoration.
"Let's go!"
Komuro Takashi showed a determined expression, and the others also stood up, seemingly ready to answer his call.
"I don't intend to go with you."
If he were to act with them, Xu Lun would have to take the lead. He couldn't accept being commanded by others.
But the male lead, Komuro Takashi, and the others were at least classmates. In just seven days, given his identity, it was inherently unlikely for him to gain leadership through normal means. If he used violent methods, Xu Lun also had no interest in leading a group of people with grudges into a dangerous apocalypse.
As everyone knows, people in the apocalypse are more dangerous than zombies.
"It will be very dangerous to be alone in the apocalypse. It's better for everyone to act together so we can survive better," Komuro Takashi reminded Xu Lun.
"It's fine, I can live very well on my own," Xu Lun said indifferently.
Seeing this, Komuro Takashi said no more. He actually didn't want the suspicious Xu Lun to stay in the team either. His persuasion was merely because someone had refused the team he had just proposed, and he feared that others might also have second thoughts.
Xu Lun didn't bother to guess Komuro Takashi's inner thoughts and looked at Shizuka Marikawa, asking, "Are you going with them?"
Helping her find a team would be considered repaying her kindness for treating him. If Marikawa Sensei wanted to follow them, Xu Lun would have to say goodbye to her.
"Huh?"
Shizuka Marikawa didn't expect it to suddenly be her turn to make a choice. Her golden eyes were filled with confusion, and she finally decided to grab Xu Lun's arm.
"If I leave, there will be no one to change Xu Lun's bandages."
"Marikawa Sensei, how could Xu Lun possibly protect you?"
"And he doesn't look like a good person at all."
Komuro Takashi urged her somewhat anxiously, even speaking his true thoughts. In the apocalypse, a doctor was a strategic resource.
"Oh, but I trust Xu Lun."
Shizuka Marikawa said with a touch of naivety.
"But…"
Komuro Takashi still wanted to say something.
"Enough."
Xu Lun directly interrupted Komuro Takashi, turned to Shizuka Marikawa, and said, "You go find a car key first. It needs to be a big one, but not too big."
Shizuka Marikawa's straightforwardness made Xu Lun feel a sudden touch of emotion. This girl actually worried about his injuries, though he felt she was just naturally clumsy and simply hadn't considered other things, just doing whatever she thought of.
With Shizuka Marikawa around, he at least wouldn't have to consider the feasibility of driving with one hand.
"As for you."
Xu Lun walked coldly towards Komuro Takashi, his oppressive presence forcing him to continuously retreat.
"You, what do you want to do!"
Komuro Takashi trembled a bit, leaning against the window. With a hardened heart, he swung his baseball bat at Xu Lun.
Xu Lun simply gripped the baseball bat in one hand, and no matter how much Komuro Takashi struggled with both hands, he couldn't move it. Xu Lun casually pulled the bat away and threw it on the ground, then grabbed Komuro Takashi's neck with one hand and lifted him up.
"Are you questioning me?"
Komuro Takashi tried to pry open Xu Lun's iron-like fingers with both hands, his legs flailing, his face turning red.
"Let him go!"
Rei Miyamoto pointed her spear at Xu Lun, but after one glance from Xu Lun, her legs went weak. She held her spear, unable to advance or retreat, not daring to step forward.
The chubby Hisashi Hirano and the pink-haired Saya Takagi were also very scared. They weren't very familiar with Komuro Takashi and didn't even dare to speak up to stop it.
"Do you have protagonist's halo protection?"
Xu Lun asked Komuro Takashi again, but unfortunately, he was being held by the neck with one hand by Xu Lun, unable to breathe. His body had already begun to convulse, his face turning purple, seemingly unable to answer the question.
"Xu Lun, fighting is wrong." Shizuka Marikawa observed the scene with confusion, not understanding how a dispute had suddenly erupted, and feigned anger to dissuade Xu Lun.
Xu Lun's expression remained unchanged. Before Komuro Takashi's saliva could drip onto his hand, he threw him away. Even if he were to kill him, there was no need to do it now; it would lower his favorability.
"Cough, cough!"
Komuro Takashi, on the ground, coughed and painfully gasped for air. Rei Miyamoto, at this point, rushed over to check on Komuro Takashi's condition.
"Boring."
Seeing that he had no intention of getting up to fight again, Xu Lun picked up the baseball bat from the ground, gave it a swing, and found it quite handy.
New weapon, get!
Successfully re-specialized as a Galaxy Bat Hero.
"Let's go, Marikawa Sensei."
Shizuka Marikawa found the key, and Xu Lun naturally didn't want to stay here. The look in Rei Miyamoto's eyes was full of animosity, as if he had done something terribly wrong.
Saeko Busujima witnessed all of this, watching the gathered group split again. After a moment of hesitation, she glanced at Komuro Takashi, who was still gasping for air, and finally followed Xu Lun.
She came from a kendo family and believed more in force.
"Wait for me, Xu Lun."
With the school nurse and the combat specialist both leaving, and having completely lost face in front of Rei Miyamoto, Komuro Takashi glared angrily at Xu Lun's retreating back, but the pain in his body prevented him from getting up.