The decorative molding on the exterior wall was less than three fingers wide, caked with dust that made it slippery to the touch—nowhere near enough for an ordinary person to climb.
Fortunately, the air conditioning compressors mounted on the wall provided excellent footholds. Luo Jie, clinging to the smooth outer surface of the building like a human spider, utilized his physical attributes—twice the strength of a normal person—to scramble up to the fourth floor, hands and feet working in unison.
Prior to this, Luo Jie had meticulously memorized the location of the classroom belonging to the main protagonist, Komuro Takashi. With a quick count of the windows, he swiftly located the 2nd Year Class B window and, with a powerful leap, grasped the air conditioning unit's mounting bracket.
The once spotless window was now marred by horrifying bloodstains and handprints. Through the large area of not yet fully dried crimson, the utter chaos inside the classroom was clearly visible.
Several students who hadn't escaped in time huddled in the corner, having built a flimsy barricade with desks and chairs. A dozen or so student "shamblers"—still in their school uniforms—driven by a bloodthirsty frenzy, utterly disregarded their own physical damage as they relentlessly battered against the precarious barrier.
"Just as I thought..."
Luo Jie realized his caution had been justified. The scene before him matched his worst-case scenario: Saya Takagi and Kohta Hirano had already been rescued by their respective protector players, while Rei Miyamoto remained trapped inside the classroom.
Of course, it wasn't that other players were unwilling to save Rei Miyamoto. If Luo Jie guessed correctly, Rei had chosen to stay here of her own accord.
Because directly behind her, Hisashi Igou sat pale-faced against the wall, beads of cold sweat dotting his handsome features.
Though his left thigh had been crudely bandaged, a jagged indentation was clearly visible, the entire pant leg soaked through with blood.
A short-haired girl, after examining Hisashi's wound, looked terrified and said, "Miyamoto-san, Igou-san is dying! Shouldn't we...?"
"No!" Rei spread her arms, shielding Hisashi, tears welling in her eyes as she shouted, "Hisashi won't turn into one of those monsters! He's special!"
A tall boy yelled at her, "Stop being so stubborn, Miyamoto-san! Igou-san is beyond help! I understand how you feel, but don't you think that because of that, you owe Igou-san a dignified death?"
"No... he won't!" Rei turned to tightly embrace Hisashi, her voice a desperate, tearful plea as she tried to convince herself more than anyone, "The teachers must have called the police by now! Help will be here soon! Hisashi will hold on... won't you, Hisashi?"
As if answering her call, Hisashi, who had been motionless for so long, suddenly lifted his hand slightly.
"Hisashi! I knew you were okay!" Rei overjoyed, clutching his shoulders.
It was then that the tall boy noticed something was wrong with Hisashi, his voice rising in terror: "Miyamoto-san, look out! He's not Hisashi Igou anymore!"
With that, he shoved Rei aside, who was still unaware of the danger.
Squelch!
Hisashi on the floor suddenly opened a pair of blood-red eyes, lunged up, and pounced on the tall boy, tearing off a large chunk of flesh from his shoulder with one bite.
"Ah—! Help!"
The tall boy grabbed Hisashi by the hair, screaming for help while desperately grappling with him. The already precarious desk barricade collapsed with a crash under their struggle, creating a gap.
Just as the shamblers inside began to surge toward the breach, the classroom window exploded inward with a loud crash. The deafening noise caused all the shamblers to momentarily freeze, then redirect their attention, staggering toward the shattered window.
A figure clad in the black uniform of Fujimi Academy leaped in from the windowsill, landing squarely amid the shamblers. In his hand, an ancient-looking katana with a black hilt flashed in silver arcs, left and right.
It was like a scene from a movie; all the shamblers' movements froze in that instant.
Shing!
As the uniformed boy flicked the blade, distinct bloodlines appeared across the shamblers' waists and arms. They then collapsed, severed into pieces, their red and white entrails spilling across the floor, filling the air with a pungent metallic stench.
Meanwhile, the struggle between the tall boy and the now turned Hisashi Igou had reached its grim conclusion. Though not a mutual kill, the tall boy sat on the floor, covered in blood, his face ashen, eyes wide with the terror of impending death.
Luo Jie stepped forward, slightly crouching to place a hand on the tall boy's shoulder, a hint of amusement in his gaze.
"I understand how you feel... believe me, I'll give you a dignified death."
"Wait! I... I think I can still be saved!" The tall boy, finally realizing Luo Jie's intention, terrifiedly grabbed at his trouser leg.
However, the cold tip of the blade had already pierced downward through the top of his skull, the speed so great he felt not the slightest pain.
"The difference between the living and the dead is indeed distinct..." Luo Jie murmured, carefully feeling the resistance the blade had encountered.
The "+20% Attack Effect Against Zombie-Type Enemies" from his "Elite Survivor" title and the "+20% Damage to Umbrella Forces and Bio-Organisms" from "Umbrella Enemy" were perfectly stacked here, making his attacks against the shamblers noticeably easier.
Moreover, normal zombies required a headshot to kill permanently, but these shamblers, even those he'd bisected at the waist, showed no signs of moving again. That was clearly the effect of the "Zombie Slayer" title he'd earned in his previous scenario, Dead Rising.
"Instant Kill for Zombie-Type Enemies upon dealing 100+ damage, regardless of hit location."
This special effect, while somewhat underwhelming given the 250 Attack Power of his E-Rank Gold weapon, Meito: Fugu Doku, would still prove to be an absolutely devastating skill when facing hordes of the undead.
In other words, except for a few special elite monsters and the hidden boss, the countless shamblers infesting this scenario posed no real threat to him anymore.
Slap!
A sharp slap interrupted Luo Jie's thoughts.
The short-haired girl who had examined Hisashi stood there, tears streaming down her face, her right hand still raised in the air.
"It's all your fault! If you'd killed Igou-san earlier, Kusano-sempai wouldn't have died!"
Rei Miyamoto's pretty cheek was slightly swollen, but she seemed not to notice. She just stared vacantly at Hisashi's corpse on the floor, murmuring incoherently to herself.