*BANG!*
The sound of a gunshot rang, and everyone's screams abruptly ceased.
The bullet, with a sharp *WHOOSH!*, drilled into the head of the zombie gnawing on Yūko's severed arm.
Rotten flesh and filthy blood instantly burst out with a *SPLAT!*.
The zombie's movements abruptly stopped. Its lipless mouth was still open, the minced meat inside fell to the ground with a *PLOP!*, and the hands gripping Yūko's severed arm slowly loosened.
Before anyone could react, Tsubasa fired again.
*BANG!* *BANG!*
The second shot hit the temple of the second zombie that had just poked its head in. The Colt Python's astonishing explosive power directly blew off that zombie's head. Rotten brain matter, mixed with skull fragments, scattered.
The third shot hit the jaw of the third zombie; the bullet swiftly destroyed its neck. Its inhuman roaring sound abruptly ceased. Its body swayed twice, then softly collapsed outside the door.
[Player Tsubasa Shiraha has killed an Infected! 1 point is awarded!]
[Player Tsubasa Shiraha has killed an Infected! 1 point is awarded!]
[Player Tsubasa Shiraha has killed an Infected! 1 point is awarded!]
Tsubasa's gun-holding hand remained as steady as ever, without a single tremor, and he didn't even glance at the frozen people around him. He quickly stepped forward, grabbed Yūko by the back of her collar, and swiftly pulled her back from the gap in the door.
By this time, Yūko's right arm had broken off at the elbow. Blood gushed from the severed end, staining her skirt.
Her face was as pale as paper, and her eyes were unfocused. She was still unconsciously murmuring "monster..." under her breath. But her body began to grow cold and tremble due to rapid blood loss.
"What are you still standing there for? Quickly block the door!" Tsubasa shouted at the gawking crowd as he continued to aim his gun at the door, guarding against any zombies trying to break into the classroom.
Whenever a zombie pushed its head through the gap in the door, Tsubasa shot it without hesitation, always scoring a headshot.
The crowd, especially young men, who had been frozen in place finally came to their senses and immediately took action.
Taisuke was the first to react; he called two companions to lift the teacher's podium and push it hard against the door, causing the door panel to creak loudly.
Following Taisuke's lead, the other young men forgot their fear, carried desks, and piled them against the door. The young women, meanwhile, gathered around Yūko, frantically helping the miserable young woman bandage her wounds.
*BAM!* *BAM!* *BAM!*
The impact on the door continued, but the door panel was held firmly in place by the podium, tables, and chairs, not allowing even a sliver of the gap to widen.
"Inhale..." Tsubasa took a deep breath as he reloaded new bullets. Even though his hand holding the gun was still steady, it felt a little numb; the recoil of the Colt Python was truly astonishing.
Fortunately, his wrist didn't strain. Even better, his Marksmanship had finally leveled up.
[Basic Marksmanship (10/10) → Elite Marksmanship (0/50)]
Right after his skill leveled up, Tsubasa could clearly feel that his vision had significantly improved; he could observe things more clearly and distinctly, and was even able to see faint dust in the air.
At the same time, his grip, posture, and movements with the gun were also subtly adjusted without him realizing it. Plus, he understood the trajectory of bullets and the structure of firearms like the back of his hand.
Tsubasa opened his Player Panel and saw that his Dexterity and Perception had actually increased.
"Dexterity and Perception have increased by 0.1?" Tsubasa raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.
It seemed that leveling up his Marksmanship had great benefits. Not only did it provide skill correction, but it also increased his stats.
Suppressing his joy, Tsubasa looked around and met the gazes of everyone in the classroom.
In those gazes, there was shock, there was lingering fear, but more than that, there was awe.
His calmness when firing, his precise aim, and his decisiveness when saving Yūko earlier seemed to have deeply branded themselves into everyone's hearts.
Everyone held their breath. They didn't dare to make a sound, fearing they might disturb this fierce guy.
Yūko lay on the ground, and the dizziness caused by blood loss gradually blurred her consciousness.
However, she still forced himself to stay awake, staring at the young man who had saved her.
His profile looked particularly stern in the dim light of the classroom, devoid of any superfluous expression.
Yet, it was this person, who had always observed with cold detachment, who saved her life when everyone else had given up...
A moment later, Hayato gritted his teeth and walked up to Tsubasa. His expression was strained and filled with lingering shock. His voice couldn't help but carry a hint of reproach as he whispered: "Why?"
"Why what?" Tsubasa looked at Hayato, perplexed.
"You knew... You clearly knew something like this would happen, so why... Why didn't you stop them!"
Tsubasa's gaze turned cold as he stared at Hayato, who was clenching his fists tightly. He retorted, "How should I stop them? By reasoning with them? Do you think that would work?"
Faced with Tsubasa's questioning, Hayato found himself unable to refute.
Previously, it was very difficult to get these people to see reason, and only by confronting reality could they sober up the fastest.
Besides that, Tsubasa was not bored enough to act as a free babysitter for these people.
Tsubasa sidestepped past Hayato and moved toward the corner. He saw Yukino, huddled in the classroom corner against the wall, one hand pressing her chest and the other covering her mouth, desperately trying not to gag.
Her eyes, usually so cool and detached, finally showed a look of unbelievable horror.
At this moment, she looked like an ordinary girl who had witnessed something terrible.
No matter how cold she usually appeared, Yukino was still an ordinary, 18 years old young woman.
It was understandable she looked like that.
Tsubasa withdrew his attention from Yukino, turned towards the unconscious Yūko on the floor, and said something unacceptable to the ears of everyone: "I suggest killing her quickly; otherwise, turning into a zombie will be very troublesome."
"No! No matter what, Yūko is our classmate! You are far too cold and heartless!" Midori raised her head indignantly and glared at Tsubasa.
Her friend had just nearly lost her life. How could he be so cruel?
But, at this moment...
"No, listen to him! It's time for you people to understand reality!" Hayato, who was standing nearby, suddenly raised his head. His eyes were bloodshot as he continued: "Don't you understand yet? This is no longer our peaceful society! We're in the middle of a zombie apocalypse!"
Seeing the usually gentle and kind Hayato suddenly show such a grim demeanor startled everyone present. But after calming down, everyone fell into silence.
These people lived in a modern era rich with entertainment resources. Therefore, there was practically no one who hadn't seen zombie horror movies.
In those movies, even if a human merely suffered a slight scrape, once the zombie virus entered their body, without immediate treatment, death was almost certain. Not to mention that Yūko had her entire arm nearly eaten off; it was only a matter of time before she turned into a zombie.
Suddenly, Yūko, who was lying on the floor unconscious, let out a muffled groan. Seeing this, even Yūko's friend, Midori, changed expression and fearfully took a step back.
"All the men, take off your belts and tie her up!"
In the end, Hayato chose a compromise.
Asking these students to personally kill a classmate was too difficult, after all.
✱✱✱
Translator's Corner:
If you find any typos or grammatical errors, please report them in the comments; I'll fix them right away! If you have any constructive criticism or suggestions, please leave them in the comments! Thanks for reading!