After they had all decided on the next course of action, the group walked toward where the rest of the survivors were gathered. They had already agreed on who would break the news.
"Attention, everyone," Chen He began, his voice rising above the murmurs. "We've decided on what to do next. We need supplies if we're going to clear a way out and find our families. To that end, we are going to search through the dorms, the dining hall, and the campus clinic."
He paused, taking a steadying breath. The next part clearly weighed on him, and after a moment's hesitation, Shangguan Bing Xue stepped forward and continued in his place.
"We need people to gather and carry the supplies back while we fight. If you are willing to fight beside us, that would be even better. We've also decided that those who are willing to work and help out will receive more food than those who don't." Her cold voice cut sharply through the chatter.
The survivors had already been mumbling among themselves, but at her last words, an uproar broke out.
"You can't do this!" someone shouted angrily.
"Why do you get to decide who eats?" another voice rang out, trembling between fear and rage.
"That's not fair! Some of us can't fight!"
"You're just trying to starve us!"
Voices overlapped as the crowd grew restless. Some stood with fists clenched, while others simply lowered their heads in silence, unwilling to argue but equally unwilling to accept the terms.
Then, with a thunderous BANG, Liang Peng slammed his hammer into the ground, silencing everyone instantly.
"Listen up!" he barked, his glare sweeping across the group. "We are not your mothers. If you don't help out and do your part, you don't eat—simple as that. You should be grateful we're even willing to protect useless baggage like you." His words dripped with contempt.
The crowd grew restless again, whispers rising like buzzing flies—until Zaid suddenly slammed the butt of his scythe into the ground. The sharp sound echoed through the gym, drawing all eyes to him.
"Now, now," he said calmly, his voice steady but commanding. "It's not as bad as it sounds. You won't be in nearly as much danger as you think."
As he spoke, a dark mist swirled at his feet, and with a flick of his hand, one of his skeleton soldiers emerged beside him, its hollow eyes burning faintly. Gasps rippled through the survivors.
"I can summon up to a hundred of these soldiers," Zaid continued, his tone firm but reassuring. "They'll form the first line of defense. I promise you'll be as safe as possible in this nightmare, so long as you do your part."
The murmurs slowly faded, and silence settled once more. Then, Shangguan Bing Xue's cold voice rang out.
"Those who are willing to help by carrying supplies, stand up. The rest of you, stay seated."
There was hesitation, but eventually, around a hundred students and teachers stood. The vast majority, however, remained seated, unwilling to risk themselves.
"Tsk, a bunch of spineless cowards," Liang Peng spat, his voice deliberately loud enough for everyone to hear. The survivors who chose not to stand shrank back even further under his scornful glare. The rest of the evolvers naturally ignored his outburst, instead focusing on the formation. While Zaid could have his soldiers do all the work, that would only prevent the others from gaining experience and leveling up. After some discussion, they decided to take fifty survivors with them, assigning the majority of Zaid's soldiers to focus solely on defending the group, while the evolvers would take the lead in directly attacking the zombies and beasts.
After taking a moment to gather their equipment and steel their nerves, the group pushed open the gym doors and stepped into the night. The air outside was eerily still, not a single zombie in sight. Taking advantage of the calm, they quickly fell into formation—eighty of Zaid's skeletons forming a protective wall around the survivors, while Zaid himself and the other evolvers led the way at the front.
For several minutes they advanced without issue, their footsteps echoing faintly across the empty campus. But soon enough, a horde of twenty to thirty zombies stumbled into view, blocking the path ahead.
Before anyone could react, Bai Zemin stepped forward. "I'll handle this."
He didn't wait for permission. His sword was already in his hand, and in the next instant his body blurred into motion. His movements were too fast for the ordinary eye to follow, cutting through the undead like a storm of steel. Limbs and torsos fell to the ground in pieces, yet he deliberately avoided the finishing blow. Within five minutes, every zombie was dismembered and writhing helplessly on the ground—alive, but completely unable to move.
Bai Zemin walked back at an easy pace, not a trace of fatigue on his face. His gaze swept over the survivors, sharp and unyielding. Then he raised his sword.
"Now is your chance," he said, his voice cutting through the silence. "These creatures can't hurt you anymore. What stands before you is the first step—the first step to stop being weak, to stop being prey. Which of you has the courage to take this blade from my hand… and kill these beasts?"
The survivors recoiled under his stare, heads dropping low, refusing to meet his eyes. Fear radiated from them, the weight of his words pressing heavily on their shoulders. For a moment, it seemed no one would move.
But then, four figures slowly stepped forward.
The first was a scrawny boy with black hair, glasses perched crookedly on a plain face. The second was a girl with long brown hair, glasses, and a hint of cuteness despite her trembling steps. The third was a broad-shouldered man with brown hair and an honest, steady look in his eyes.
And the last was a short-haired girl with a bright, brave expression—someone Zaid immediately recognized as the one who had woken them all that morning.
Then Bai Zemin smiled with a cunning glint in his eyes " he walked up to the first boy who'd stood out and gave him the sword."