Lin Mingmei and the others had no idea what had happened back at the abandoned classroom.
After successfully leaving the campus, Qin Yueming stopped a vehicle by the roadside and commandeered it, loading Lin Mingmei and Ke Haiyang inside before driving off campus.
“Do either of you know where we can find fuel containers?” Qin Yueming asked while driving.
Ke Haiyang looked completely lost, but Lin Mingmei knew exactly where to go. During her scavenging runs in her previous life, she had gathered quite a few herself.
Following her directions, they arrived at a hardware store.
After dealing with several wandering zombies nearby, the three of them entered the shop and grabbed several fuel containers. Lin Mingmei also picked out a more practical iron hammer for herself. While she was at it, she swept up a messy collection of axes, kitchen knives, and assorted tools into her space.
Qin Yueming selected several tools to hang from his belt and even chose an iron hammer for Ke Haiyang.
“If you encounter a zombie, aim directly for the head,” Qin Yueming instructed.
Ke Haiyang gripped the hammer tightly and nodded over and over.
Because the fuel containers occupied too much room, they abandoned their original vehicle and switched to a delivery van parked outside the hardware store before heading toward the gas station.
Unfortunately, someone had already beaten them there.
The entire station was in ruins. Gasoline had spilled across the ground, and the heavy smell in the air was so sharp it was suffocating.
Qin Yueming frowned.
“I’ll check whether there’s any fuel left. Stay alert.”
Lin Mingmei had Ke Haiyang stand guard while she entered the convenience store attached to the station, but the place had already been looted clean. There was nothing useful left behind.
She could only leave in frustration.
By then, Qin Yueming had already called Ke Haiyang over to help siphon the remaining fuel from the underground tanks. There wasn’t much left, but some was still better than none.
Lin Mingmei felt a twinge of regret.
She had been wanting to stockpile gasoline for a long time, yet she still hadn’t managed to gather much.
After finishing their work, the three of them drove back toward the school.
As soon as they entered the campus grounds, they locked the front gate tightly behind them to prevent zombies from wandering inside.
“I actually think the situation outside isn’t as terrible as we imagined,” Ke Haiyang suddenly said. “If we gather the remaining students together and leave as a group, everyone can watch out for each other. We should be able to get out safely.”
Lin Mingmei crossed her arms and leaned against the window with her eyes closed, pretending she heard absolutely nothing.
Qin Yueming, however, also felt that the outside situation seemed somewhat better than expected. The real unknown was what awaited them once they left Jiangbai City entirely.
The two men continued discussing things quietly as they drove toward the abandoned classroom.
However, before they even arrived, they saw a massive crowd gathered outside the building. Around the outer edge of the crowd was a ring of surrounding zombies.
“What happened here?” Ke Haiyang exclaimed in shock.
Qin Yueming had no idea what was going on either, so he quickly parked the van some distance away.
“Brother Qin, what should we do?” Ke Haiyang asked anxiously. “I don’t know whether Gao Lang and the others are alright…”
Qin Yueming’s brows furrowed tightly.
His mission was to protect Luo Xinxin, and he sincerely hoped nothing had happened to her.
Hearing the noise, Lin Mingmei finally opened her eyes to look outside, surprise flashing across her face.
In her previous life, nobody had ever discovered this location.
Where had all these people come from?
“Brother Qin, it looks like they’re trying to hold off the zombies. We have to help them!” Ke Haiyang said urgently as he craned his neck for a better view.
With so many zombies and so many panicked people gathered together, the entire situation was complete chaos.
After thinking for a moment, Qin Yueming made a quick decision.
“You two get out of the vehicle. I’ll drive the van over there and lure the zombies away. Once they follow me, hurry up and disperse the crowd.”
Ke Haiyang nodded repeatedly.
Lin Mingmei simply climbed out of the vehicle without saying a word.
The moment they got out, Qin Yueming slammed on the accelerator and roared straight toward the crowd in the van. He circled around several times, successfully drawing away most of the zombies before leading them farther into the distance.
As Ke Haiyang and Lin Mingmei approached the crowd with their iron hammers, someone suddenly shouted excitedly:
“Haiyang! Ke Haiyang!”
Before Ke Haiyang could answer, Lin Mingmei shot the crowd a cold, murderous glare.
The noisy crowd immediately fell dead silent.
She stepped forward and smashed the nearest zombie’s skull apart with a single swing before speaking in an icy voice:
“To kill zombies, all you need to do is smash their heads. Since you people are the ones who caused this mess, clean it up yourselves. And if anyone dares scream and attract more zombies again, don’t blame me for getting ruthless.”
Honestly, she didn’t even need to say it.
After surviving two days in the apocalypse, everyone already understood that if they didn’t fight desperately, they would die.
The boys protecting the girls in the center immediately gripped their makeshift weapons tighter and began frantically fighting off the remaining zombies.
Ke Haiyang hurried toward the student who had called his name and started helping them while talking.
Lin Mingmei, meanwhile, had no intention of helping anyone further.
Without even sparing the crowd another glance, she walked straight through them toward the classroom door and pounded heavily against it.
“Open up! It’s me!”
From inside, Gao Lang’s trembling voice came through the crack in the door.
“Mingmei, I don’t dare open it. I don’t know where all these people came from. They suddenly surrounded this place and refused to leave.”
Lin Mingmei’s expression instantly darkened.
Looks like I’ve been far too lenient with him.
He actually dared refuse to open the door for her.
Without hesitation, she kicked the entire door off its hinges.
The girls standing nearby gasped in terror and hurriedly covered their mouths, afraid of provoking her anger.
“Lin Mingmei, are you insane?!” Luo Xinxin screamed.
Lin Mingmei shot her a freezing glare.
“Keep screaming and I’ll throw you outside.”
Luo Xinxin still looked unconvinced, but Gao Lang hurriedly covered her mouth and dragged her backward.
Zhang Rui looked at Lin Mingmei fearfully, then glanced toward Ke Haiyang outside. Her eyes instantly reddened.
“Lin… Lin Mingmei… please help Haiyang…”
Lin Mingmei couldn’t care less.
Her eyes swept across the room before narrowing slightly.
“Where’s the one with the fever?”
“Dead!” Luo Xinxin answered impatiently after shoving Gao Lang away.
Dead again?
A wave of disappointment surged through Lin Mingmei.
She immediately turned to look at Gao Lang.
He seemed perfectly fine.
Only then did she quietly relax.
“Gao Lang, how are you feeling?” she asked.
“Me?” Gao Lang looked utterly confused. He had no idea why she was suddenly asking about him.
Lin Mingmei nodded seriously.
“Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere? Headache? Fever? Anything strange?”
Gao Lang shook his head blankly.
“No. I feel perfectly fine.”
Luo Xinxin, however, immediately misunderstood the situation.
“Why are you asking that?” she demanded nervously. “Was Wu Jiajia’s illness contagious?”
“Contagious?” Gao Lang gasped and immediately touched his forehead anxiously. “Am I going to get a fever too?”
Lin Mingmei fell silent.
Forget it.
Pretend I never said anything.
After confirming that nobody inside was in danger, Lin Mingmei finally turned her attention back toward the crowd outside.
For some reason, none of the girls standing outside dared come in, but every single one of them stared at her with shining, hopeful eyes.
Lin Mingmei looked down at herself.
Aside from being dirty and bloodstained, there was nothing particularly special about her appearance.
So why were they all staring at her like that?
“Hey, you.” She pointed her hammer toward Zhang Rui. “Go ask them what they want.”
“Why me?” Zhang Rui protested instantly.
Lin Mingmei’s face darkened.
“Why so much nonsense? If I told you to go, then go. Otherwise get out. I don’t keep freeloaders around here.”
Zhang Rui had already spent the entire day being ordered around by Gao Lang and Luo Xinxin. She was so angry she felt like coughing blood, but she still had no choice except to walk outside with a dark expression to ask the crowd.
A moment later, she returned expressionlessly.
“They said they want to follow us.”
“Are they crazy? Why do they want to follow us?”
Before Lin Mingmei could respond, Luo Xinxin exploded first.
“Tell them to leave immediately! We were perfectly fine before they came here and attracted all those zombies! I was terrified to death just now!”