"Run!"
"This way! The Gymnasium is over here!" Wang Zhi said, already sprinting ahead.
Bang!
As they ran, the four raised their pistols and fired at the approaching Zombies ahead of them.
Their running speed wasn't particularly fast because their backpacks were heavy with various supplies, and they constantly had to clear the Zombies pressing in from the front.
The Zombies from behind followed closely; by now, nearly forty Zombies had gathered behind the four.
"Everyone run faster!" Old He said from the front position.
"This can't go on! We'll lead the Zombies right to the Gymnasium!" Wang Zhi glanced back at the trailing Zombies; they couldn't shake them off at all! They had to find a way to eliminate them.
"Old He, what should we do?" Wang Zhi asked as he ran.
"I don't know! There are too many of them!" Old He shouted while running.
"Ah! I'm going to die, I don't want to die yet!" Fatty started his usual bout of screaming.
"Shut up, Fatty! If you scream again, I'll feed you to the Zombies," Ying snapped at him.
"If nothing else works, let's use grenades!" Old He yelled.
"Grenades? That will attract even more Zombies.... Then it won't just be these few!" Wang Zhi immediately objected, picturing the swarm of Zombies rushing toward them from hundreds of meters away.
"Then we only have Incendiary Grenades left!" Old He said.
"Incendiary Grenades are great! Hurry up and burn them!" Fatty said, already reaching for the Incendiary Grenade strapped to his chest.
"If we keep running like this, the Incendiary Grenades won't work at all!" Ying pointed out.
"Quick! Everyone, run toward the sports field!"
Wang Zhi spotted the dry leaves beneath the tree roots, and his eyes lit up—it was the perfect timing and location!
The autumn grass had withered, and the lawn on the sports field was covered in large patches of weeds. If they could just lure the Zombies onto that lawn and surround the area with Incendiary Grenades, the place would instantly become a sea of fire.
The four ran and killed their way to the western sports field. There weren't too many Zombies here yet, and the surroundings were quite open. Nearly a hundred Zombies were already following behind them!
Wang Zhi could even feel the ground trembling!
"Quick! Everyone throw to a different side!"
After running to the center of the lawn, the four threw the Incendiary Grenades they had been holding onto.
The Incendiary Grenades started burning the surroundings.
The sports field instantly erupted in smoke and flame, turning into a hellish sea of fire!
...
The Gymnasium Rooftop.
The students on the roof saw the four of Wang Zhi jump out of the Office Building windows, and then watched countless Zombies chase after them.
"Alas! It's over for them!"
"Yeah, I thought they came to rescue us, but it turns out they came to die."
"So what are we going to do now?"
"Look! They are leading a horde of Zombies toward us!"
"Damn it, are these people idiots? Why drag us down if they want to die?"
....
These students were all discussing amongst themselves.
"Students with weapons, come with me to meet and support them!" The Senior Student, after seeing the Zombies chasing the four, looked determinedly into the distance.
She wanted to go down and help those people, not for the sake of the students on the rooftop, nor for herself, but solely for those who were running toward her in the Apocalypse!
Seeing the hesitation and endless excuses from the other students, the Senior Student looked somewhat disappointed. She shook her head without saying anything, then turned and descended alone.
"Senior Student, you can't go! Isn't that just going to your death?" A student stepped up to stop her.
"Move aside!" the Senior Student said coldly, keeping her head down.
Seeing that her demeanor was off, the student was immediately frightened and ran to the side.
...
On the sports field, the fire gradually died down. Most of these Zombies had been burned to the point of losing their mobility, while the ones who were tougher were finished off by Wang Zhi and the others using the Daggers in their hands.
They were wearing combat suits, a high-end product from the Dawn Tower: fireproof, waterproof, radiation-proof, and scratch-resistant—extremely sturdy!
"I killed people... I'm sorry... don't blame me..." Fatty muttered incoherently while delivering the finishing blows.
Wang Zhi also frowned tightly. Nearly a hundred people lay before him, leaving his heart unable to settle for a long time.
"Let's go," Old He said after they had finished dealing with the Zombies.
The four people emerging from the sports field were already covered in ash. Although they weren't burned, the heat was still intense. Coupled with the thick smoke and the bloody scene they just experienced, Wang Zhi almost threw up.
By this time, not many Zombies remained near the Gymnasium. Their intention in deliberately running past the Gymnasium earlier was precisely to wipe out the Zombies surrounding it as well.
Unbeknownst to them, their actions were being cursed by the students on the rooftop.
As the four reached the Gymnasium entrance, they found a girl weakly leaning against the main door. She clutched a long saber whose blade was already chipped, and bodies lay strewn about on the ground.
Wang Zhi recognized the girl instantly; she was the one he had spotted through the telescope moments before.
Seeing her fighting prowess, he understood how this group had managed to survive this long.
When the girl saw the four of them and realized the Zombies they had seen earlier from the rooftop were gone, the tension in her nerves finally eased, and she collapsed onto the ground.
Fatty swallowed hard as he looked at the girl before him.
"Wow… she can fight too well, can't she? How can a girl be this violent?"
"Hey! How are you? Are you alright?" Seeing her collapse, Wang Zhi immediately rushed over and gently helped her up.
"I'm fine, I just need to rest a moment."
The girl said weakly, trying to stand again, but having completely exhausted her strength, she leaned back against Wang Zhi.
"Eat something first."
Wang Zhi pulled a bag of compressed biscuits and a bottle of water from his pack, opened them, and handed them to the girl.
Looking at the food and water Wang Zhi offered, her eyes welled up uncontrollably.
In recent days, while she protected her classmates, she hadn't gained any advantage in food distribution; everyone received the same rations. Constantly engaged in combat, she was now severely depleted of stamina!
In truth, she could have abandoned the others and survived alone, but she couldn't bring herself to do it!
If she truly acted that way, robbing her classmates' food and harming them wantonly, what difference would there be between her and those zombies?
"Uh... Sister Ying, there's a distinction between men and women. Could you carry her up later?" Wang Zhi asked Ying.
"Hmph! Now you remember the difference between men and women? When you rushed up to carry her just now, you weren't saying the same thing," Ying shot Wang Zhi a look.
After a short while, the five of them reached the Rooftop. It was already past five, and dusk was beginning to set in.
Wang Zhi frowned slightly when he saw the classmates holding weapons. While their actions were understandable in the Apocalypse, it still made him deeply uncomfortable.
Honestly, if it weren't for the mission and the promise of Survival Points, he wouldn't have lifted a finger to save these people.
"Ah! Senior Student, you're back! Hello, everyone! Please, sit down and rest for a moment," a student exclaimed upon seeing them, immediately rushing up to fawn over them.
"Are you sent by the government to rescue us? That's wonderful! We are finally saved!"
Once one student spoke, the rest followed suit, trying to ingratiate themselves.
Wang Zhi looked at the surging crowd, said nothing, and directly raised his gun!