Leaving the dormitory area, the trio sped along the shaded path behind the library. The dense vegetation effectively concealed their figures, yet harbored even more unpredictable dangers. Lu Zhao pushed his wind-elemental perception to its limit, functioning like an invisible radar, detecting every movement around each corner and behind every clump of bushes ahead.
"Two of them, lurking behind the bushes on the left," Lu Zhao whispered, making a hand signal.
Gu Xun nodded, scanning the surroundings. "Circumvent them. Take the right path, passing behind that newsstand."
Jiang Jin brought up the rear, silently executing the orders. With fists wrapped in flames, he swiftly and silently disposed of any stray zombies they couldn't avoid. His movements were violent yet efficient, the acrid smell of burning flesh filling the air. Yet his face remained impassive, and this suppressed silence felt more unsettling than his earlier agitation.
After navigating the path without incident, the western perimeter wall of the school finally came into view. Though not particularly high, scaling it still demanded considerable effort from the three, already drained from their exertions.
"I'll go first and check," Lu Zhao declared, taking a deep breath before stepping back to gain momentum. A swirl of air rippled beneath his feet as he leapt effortlessly, grabbing the wall's crest. Pulling himself up, he cautiously peered over the top to survey the situation beyond.
One glance was enough to make his heart sink.
The world beyond the walls was even more desolate and chaotic than the campus. Abandoned vehicles clogged the streets, dark bloodstains and broken debris littered the ground everywhere. More unsettling still, the number of wandering zombies had clearly increased. Some of them seemed to move faster, their movements more bizarre.
"Outside... it's bad," Lu Zhao retracted his head, his expression grave. "There are many zombies, and they look different."
Gu Xun frowned deeply. "Describe them in detail."
"Some... move less stiffly. Others have a bluish tint to their skin, and they seem more..." Lu Zhao searched for the right words, "...more solid."
"Mutants." Gu Xun uttered the three words, his tone heavy. This confirmed his earlier suspicion—the monsters were evolving.
"What's there to fear!" Jiang Jin finally spoke, his voice tinged with impatience and eagerness. "Let's test our skills on them! I'm itching for a fight!"
"Our goal is survival, not testing the limits of your abilities," Gu Xun cut him off coldly. "Lu Zhao, can you find a relatively safe route? Avoid those suspicious targets as much as possible."
Lu Zhao peered out again, observing carefully for a moment before pointing to the right. "Over there. There's an alley along the wall with fewer zombies. The end of the alley seems to lead to a side road. The vehicles there don't look too badly damaged. We might find something usable."
"We're taking that route." Gu Xun made the decision.
Climbing over the wall proved slightly easier than anticipated. With Lu Zhao's wind-based assistance, Gu Xun and Jiang Jin scaled the top one after another. Upon landing, the trio found themselves truly immersed in the perilous world beyond the campus. A deeper sense of isolation gripped them, causing even Jiang Jin to temporarily rein in his arrogance as he scanned the surroundings warily.
They moved swiftly through the alley Lu Zhao had indicated. Narrow and gloomy, it was piled high with garbage and debris, the air thick with an indescribable stench. Occasional growls echoing from windows above sent shivers down their spines.
Just as they were about to exit the alley, Lu Zhao's expression suddenly darkened, and he came to an abrupt halt.
"Movement up ahead! Not just zombies... it's living people! Fighting!"
Gu Xun immediately signaled for concealment. The trio hid behind a pile of discarded furniture, peering cautiously outward.
On the side road, two groups faced off fiercely. One side comprised five men clad in filthy tracksuits, wielding steel pipes and machetes, their expressions menacing. Opposite them, three individuals in security uniforms took cover behind an overturned school bus, resisting the attack. One of them had a wounded arm, blood streaming down his arm.
Several freshly dispatched zombie corpses lay scattered on the ground.
"Hand over the food and water! We'll spare your lives!" shouted the bald, burly leader of the tracksuit group, brandishing his machete with a savage grin.
"No way! We fought hard to get this out of the school!" a young security guard retorted angrily, though his trembling voice betrayed his fear.
"You won't get away with refusing!" The bald man spat, signaling his men with a glance. "Take them out!"
As the confrontation escalated, Gu Xun whispered, "Stay out of this. Let's take a detour."
Lu Zhao glanced at the three outnumbered security guards, especially the injured one, a flicker of reluctance crossing his eyes. Yet he knew this was no time for heroics.
Jiang Jin, however, fixed his gaze on the thugs, his eyes burning with an emotion fiercer than flames—a revulsion at witnessing kindred souls tearing each other apart, perhaps mingled with an urge to unleash his power.
"Damn scum," he muttered under his breath, his fists clenching involuntarily as flames flared once more.
Just as the thugs were about to strike, another unexpected turn occurred!
A second-floor window of a nearby residential building shattered violently. A dark-blue figure plunged downward at astonishing speed, landing directly behind the burly bald man!
It was a mutated zombie unlike any they had ever seen! Its frame was a full size larger than ordinary zombies, its muscles bulging and twisted, its skin bearing an unnatural, metallic bluish-black sheen. From the tips of its fingers extended bone-white claws, sharp as daggers!
"Roar—!"
The mutated zombie let out a roar unlike any human voice, swinging its bone claws so fast they left afterimages!
The bald, burly man didn't even have time to turn around before his entire head flew into the air, frozen in a look of utter shock! Blood gushed like a fountain from the severed neck!
This sudden scene stunned everyone!
"Boss!" "Monster... it's a monster!"
The thugs were overcome with terror, instantly losing all will to fight. The three security guards were also scared stiff, their faces drained of color.
The dark-skinned mutated zombie flicked blood from its claws, its crimson eyes immediately locking onto its next targets—the thugs screaming and fleeing in terror. It sprang forward on all fours like a cheetah, instantly catching up to another man. Its bone claws pierced through his chest with ease!
Amid the chaos, one terrified mobster scrambled toward the alley where Gu Xun and his companions hid! Behind him, the blue-black mutant, having torn apart another mobster, scanned the area with its crimson gaze. Instantly, it locked onto this new moving target—and the three distinct "life signatures" lurking in the alley behind him!
It launched forward on all fours like a dark-blue lightning bolt, its claws aimed straight for the thug's back! At this speed and trajectory, it would not only kill the thug but crash head-on into Jiang Jin at the front of the alley in the next second!
"Damn it! Get out of the way!" Jiang Jin's pupils contracted sharply. His furious shout seemed directed both at the thug who had brought this trouble upon them and at the terrifying mutant itself.
A searing fireball shot from his hand almost instinctively, hurtling straight toward the dark-blue mutant hurtling through the air!
"Boom!"
The fireball struck the mutant's chest with pinpoint accuracy, exploding upon impact! Flames licked at its dark-blue skin, yet only momentarily halted its charge, eliciting an enraged, even more frenzied roar! The skin on its chest was charred black, but it appeared to have suffered no fatal wounds.
The fleeing thug, meanwhile, was sent flying by the blast's shockwave, crashing into the nearby wall, his fate unknown.
"Roar—!"
The blue-black mutant's hatred was fully ignited. Abandoning all other targets, its blood-red eyes, now consumed solely by the desire to kill, locked onto Jiang Jin, who had just attacked it!
"Jiang Jin!" Gu Xun's shout rang out, filled with shock, anger, and helplessness. Trouble had arrived—and in the worst possible way.
Lu Zhao's heart sank to its lowest point. This enemy was far more terrifying than the one in the supermarket, and now it had been thoroughly enraged by Jiang Jin—it would stop at nothing until victory was achieved!