Huo Mian listened to Xia Yan’s question and couldn’t help being slightly stunned.
Why was he asking her?
She had no idea what everyone in the novel had decided!
Huo Mian blinked. Seeing everyone looking at her, she thought for a moment before quickly saying,
“Um… let’s all go. The boys can be responsible for security around the area, while the girls can form a human chain to pass the supplies along.”
The others fell into thought after hearing her suggestion.
Soon, everyone agreed that the plan was indeed workable. It would reduce the noise caused by people moving around, save energy, and keep everyone organized. Even if zombies appeared, they could retreat in an orderly fashion.
A hint of approval appeared in Bai Ningrong’s eyes.
“This plan is quite good.”
Su Yan frowned slightly, worry evident on her face.
“But what if the people in the cafeteria don’t agree?”
Xia Yan smiled confidently.
“That’s easy. We just need a few of us ability users to lead the group. Once everyone sees ability users taking the lead, they’ll feel reassured and follow along.”
The group discussed the personnel arrangements in greater detail based on this proposal. In the end, they decided to set out after lunch.
In the cafeteria hall, everyone quietly finished their lunch, the atmosphere somewhat gloomy and oppressive.
Xia Yan then explained the plan to move the supplies from the convenience store into the cafeteria.
Everyone reacted differently. Some nodded in agreement, some shook their heads in opposition, while others didn’t want to participate at all.
Most people felt that the convenience store was only a little over fifty meters from the cafeteria, so the level of danger shouldn’t be too high.
After a vote, they decided to proceed with moving the supplies, following the principle of majority rule.
The result wasn’t unexpected. After all, the instinct to survive was simply part of human nature.
Everyone soon split into two groups.
Xia Yan led some of the boys in keeping watch around the area.
Xu Mingfan took the opportunity to bring out all the riot-control equipment from the car and lend it to the boys.
The boys took their weapons and nervously gathered around Xia Yan.
Bai Ningrong was responsible for directing the girls and the remaining twenty-some boys in moving the supplies.
Although the girls all looked frightened, knowing that the boys were protecting them nearby put them somewhat at ease. They obediently lined up behind Bai Ningrong.
Bai Ningrong assigned some of the stronger boys to carry the heavier items.
The girls formed an efficient human chain to pass the supplies along.
A few boys remained at the cafeteria to carry the supplies passed to them by the girls inside.
Everyone lined up in the cafeteria hall. Xia Yan led the group out first, with fifty or sixty people spreading out in an imposing line along both sides of the road, leaving one or two meters between each person.
They moved slowly, their expressions alert as they carefully watched their surroundings, wary of zombies appearing without warning.
Bai Ningrong led the girls closely behind the boys.
Huo Mian followed directly behind Bai Ningrong, occasionally glancing from side to side.
Su Yan was behind her, followed by the others, with roughly one person stationed every meter or so.
After their escape that morning, everyone understood that zombies could locate people by sound. Thus, they tacitly remained silent and kept their footsteps as light as possible.
The convenience store was open twenty-four hours a day, and its entrance was wide open.
Xia Yan cautiously entered the store with several other ability users and soon spotted a female store-clerk zombie.
It had its back to them, dragging its chubby body around as it slowly wandered about.
Xia Yan thought for a moment before turning around and signaling for everyone behind him to retreat.
The aisles inside the convenience store were extremely narrow, with shelves packed tightly with merchandise on both sides.
If they fought the zombie inside the store, even the slightest mistake could damage the supplies.
Everyone immediately withdrew from the convenience store.
Xia Yan casually grabbed a pack of chewing gum from the shelf near the checkout counter and threw it at the zombie.
“Plop!”
The chewing gum struck the zombie in the back before falling to the floor and rolling beneath a shelf.
After being hit, the store-clerk zombie immediately turned around. As though it had sensed Xia Yan’s provocation, it let out a furious roar, baring its teeth as it charged toward him with a hideous expression.
Xia Yan remained completely calm, leisurely luring the zombie outside.
Xu Mingfan stood hidden to one side of the entrance, spear in hand.
Seeing Xia Yan successfully draw the zombie out, he gripped his spear, lightened his footsteps, and swiftly moved behind the zombie before thrusting forward with all his strength.
“Splurt!”
The spear pierced straight through the zombie’s brain. Black blood sprayed outward as its plump body toppled forward, hitting the ground face-first with a heavy “thud.”
Xia Yan raised an eyebrow and looked at Song Weiyi.
“Ah Yi, carry the body away.”
Song Weiyi pouted and cast a resentful look at Xu Mingfan before complaining,
“Couldn’t you have waited until Xia Yan lured it farther away before killing it? Now the body is blocking the entrance, and we have to waste energy moving it.”
Xu Mingfan rubbed his nose guiltily at Song Weiyi’s complaint.
It was simply an instinctive reaction he had developed from killing zombies with Huo Mian earlier.
Whenever he saw a zombie, he just wanted to stab it.
How was that his fault?
Song Weiyi sighed and resigned himself to the task. He stepped forward, reached out with his thick arm, grabbed the zombie by the back of its clothes with one hand, and hoisted it up.
He carried it over to the landscaping area and tossed it into a flower bed.
Afterward, Song Weiyi dusted off his hands with a look of disgust before turning around and standing guard near the convenience store entrance.
Seeing that the zombie had been dealt with, Bai Ningrong quickly led the others inside.
The boys were responsible for carrying entire cases of water, milk, and other heavy items back to the cafeteria.
The girls quickly packed the food from the shelves into plastic bags and passed them outside.
Occasionally, the boys outside spotted lone zombies wandering nearby and immediately surrounded them.
Everyone wielded whatever weapons they had and attacked the zombies. Before long, the zombies were beaten to death by the group.
Seeing this, the girls’ fear gradually faded, and they felt much more at ease.
Everyone continued focusing on passing the supplies along, but their hands were noticeably moving faster.
In less than fifteen minutes, all the bread, pastries, and instant foods in the convenience store had been cleared out, leaving only some snacks and daily necessities on the shelves.
Huo Mian walked over to the snack section. After scanning the shelves, she quickly stuffed bags of spicy gluten snacks into a plastic bag.
Just then, a piercing scream suddenly came from outside the store.
Huo Mian was so startled that her hand jerked, and the spicy snack slipped from her fingertips.
She looked around and saw that everyone else had panicked as well. They had stopped what they were doing, their faces clearly showing that they wanted to retreat to the cafeteria immediately.
Xia Yan’s anxious voice came from the entrance.
“A horde of zombies is approaching from outside! Everyone, retreat immediately!”
The moment he finished speaking, panic instantly spread across everyone’s faces, and they hurriedly ran out of the convenience store.
Huo Mian stepped outside and kept running. When she looked ahead, she saw the entire group fleeing toward the cafeteria in a panic, like a flock of frightened lambs.
Sharp cries came from behind them.
For some reason, Huo Mian turned her head to look.
The moment she did, her pupils contracted sharply.
More than forty or fifty meters away, more than twenty boys were being chased by a huge, densely packed horde of zombies as they fled toward the convenience store.
Huo Mian saw the terrifying sight and quickly turned her head back, taking off at full speed as she desperately tried to catch up with everyone.
She wished she could attach two wheels to her feet so she could get back inside the cafeteria and take shelter as quickly as possible.