Shen Feng had initially assumed there were no survivors left in the canteen, as his primary objective was to retrieve the food supplies. It seemed counterproductive to only rescue people and not bring back provisions. Furthermore, the presence of a tank zombie on the first floor had led him to believe the place was deserted.
The canteen floor was littered with bloodstains and debris, clear indicators that both zombies and humans had met their demise there.
However, at that moment, a disheveled girl burst out of the kitchen. She was reeking of body odor, a testament to her prolonged lack of bathing. Her cheeks were sunken, her eyes vacant, and her lips were cracked and dry, suggesting a severe period of starvation.
Luo Qing, with the last of her strength, rushed forward and embraced Shen Feng, pleading, "Save me!"
Seeing a student still alive, Shen Feng quickly instructed those around him, "Water and food, bring them over quickly."
A nearby male student promptly handed over the supplies. Upon seeing the water and food, Luo Qing's eyes lit up. She began to drink and eat bread voraciously, managing to stammer, "There are other students in the kitchen, they..."
Luo Qing was eating so ravenously that she choked, but her message was clear: there were other survivors in the kitchen!
"Quickly go in and check, bring out all the students! The rest of you, find the storage rooms. The canteen must have reserve food!" Shen Feng continued.
The male students split into two groups. One group went to retrieve the students from the kitchen, but these students were severely dehydrated and lacked the strength to even speak. Consequently, they had to be carried out and given diluted salt water. Only after they regained consciousness were they given bread or rice balls.
Just then, three individuals emerged from the kitchen. One, dressed in a suit and wearing glasses, was clearly a teacher. The other two were in chef's uniforms. The trio approached warmly, saying, "Thank you so much. We are finally saved. That zombie ate quite a few of our students. You killing it now is truly acting on behalf of heaven!"
Upon seeing the three, Luo Qing's eyes filled with hatred. She pointed at them and declared, "These three are scum. They didn't give us food, and they sent us to our deaths. He even personally killed someone!"
Hearing this, the teacher flew into a rage and lunged at Luo Qing, kicking her. "If I hadn't withheld food, you would have starved to death long ago!"
However, as the teacher's foot swung out, Shen Feng pulled Luo Qing behind him, preventing the attack. He then said, "Don't be so hasty. The story isn't clear yet. Besides, kicking a student doesn't seem appropriate!"
The teacher, hearing Shen Feng's words, scrutinized him. He noticed the young man was not much older than a student himself, and a sense of disdain washed over him. "Do I have that much to say to you? Get your leader. I want to speak with your leader! You can't handle this matter!"
"Leader? I don't have one, but it seems you're quite arrogant!" Shen Feng said, then delivered a kick. The teacher couldn't dodge it and was sent flying. The two chefs behind him were stunned, never expecting this young man to be so violent, resorting to physical action at the slightest disagreement.
Shen Feng then ordered, "A few of you, tie these three up. They ate themselves fat and round while starving the students into unconsciousness! Truly despicable."
Shen Feng could now piece together the situation. The students were all emaciated, while the chefs and teacher were plump and well-fed, clearly indicating mistreatment of the students.
After finishing her food, Luo Qing recounted the events of the past two weeks in detail. When she described how the teacher had thrown a male student out to be fed to the zombies, she became overwhelmed with grief and broke down in tears.
Hearing her account and seeing the still-unconscious students around him, Shen Feng felt a headache coming on. So many dependents would be difficult to manage, and these three scoundrels were also problematic to deal with.
At that moment, Yang Chang approached Shen Feng and whispered, "Brother Feng, these students we saved don't seem worth it! When their companions were dragged away, they didn't dare to step forward. Besides, this was agreed upon beforehand, and they couldn't fulfill it. I doubt they're useful anymore!"
Shen Feng and Yang Chang moved aside. Yang Chang continued, "We've already rescued over three hundred students from the dormitory buildings. We don't lack these dozen or so. Why don't we just leave them? The teacher is no good, and the students are useless!"
Yang Chang's implication was clear: he didn't intend to save these students, as they wouldn't bring much benefit.
Shen Feng was surprised that such words came from his companion. Could he really be so heartless? Although the teacher and chefs deserved death, should these students be abandoned simply for not standing up? After all, these students were already too weak from hunger.
"Yang Chang, sometimes you can't be too heartless!" Shen Feng said, patting Yang Chang's shoulder.
Yang Chang replied helplessly, "Brother Feng, you think I'm ruthless, don't you? But you also know that with so many students now, we only have fifty vehicles. Even squeezing in, it will take two trips to transport them all. These dozen people will require at least one vehicle. It's better to free up space for food. These people are useless for now, so abandoning them is fine!"
"If I abandon these students now, will I abandon you when you become useless in the future?" Shen Feng asked.
Yang Chang was silenced. He realized he had been too extreme. If people who were temporarily useless were abandoned, he himself could be abandoned when he became useless.
Just then, Li Xiang and Hu Lai rushed into the canteen, exclaiming, "Brother Feng, the zombies are coming! Everyone prepare to evacuate!"
"How many zombies are there?" Shen Feng asked.
"About five to six hundred. They're almost here, and there's no space to lure them away anymore!" Li Xiang said anxiously. Under normal circumstances, they could fight them off, but at this moment, with over three hundred students waiting, these people had no combat ability. If the zombies caught up, the losses would be immense!
Shen Feng pondered what terrain within the vocational school could be utilized: the teaching buildings, the football field, the basketball court. Suddenly, Shen Feng remembered the barbed wire fence around the football field, and an idea struck him. Wasn't this football field with its fence a good place to fight?
"Li Xiang, you take the vocational school students and leave first. Make sure these three tied-up individuals are not released. We'll deal with them slowly after we return!" Shen Feng instructed. "Everyone else, stop moving the food for now. Go collect gasoline and await my command!"
Li Xiang quickly departed. The vocational school students were anxiously waiting below the canteen. Upon hearing they could leave, they were overjoyed. Then they saw the tied-up teacher and two chefs and were puzzled as to why their teacher was bound.
At this point, Shen Feng emerged with members of the self-help association. "Students, please be quiet. Board the vehicles in an orderly fashion. The zombies are almost here, so please head quickly to our self-help association's base! Follow all commands and do not wander off!"
Then, Shen Feng whispered to Yang Chang, "I'll lure the zombies to the football field later. Once most of them are inside, you close the gate!"
"What about you, Brother Feng?" Yang Chang couldn't help but ask.
"I don't need your concern. I have a way to escape," Shen Feng smiled, then picked up the portable speaker and left.
The road leading to the vocational school was already swarming with zombies, which was why Li Xiang said there was no space to lure them away. However, Shen Feng decided to attract the zombies alone, using paths inaccessible to vehicles. The vocational school students quickly boarded the vehicles, and Li Xiang drove off.
"Quick, quick, go collect gasoline. Be careful not to start a fire!" Yang Chang watched as Shen Feng led the zombie horde away with the speaker and quickly followed. His task was to close the gate behind them. He had a rough idea of what Shen Feng was planning, likely to burn the zombies.
The male students were now experienced at siphoning oil. Either they would stab the fuel tank and let the gasoline flow out, or they would open the fuel tank door and use a tube to suck out the gasoline. However, this method was unsafe, as they could easily ingest the gasoline. At best, they'd miss dinner; at worst, they'd never eat again.
Shen Feng carried the speaker, attracting the zombies. The zombies, still foolish, followed behind. For them, whoever made the loudest noise was prioritized. Currently, only mutated zombies possessed intelligence. Speed zombies knew how to ambush, strong zombies knew how to lure enemies deep, and tank zombies knew how to knock on doors.
"I hope these zombies remain this way. If so, the restoration of human civilization is within reach!" Shen Feng thought to himself.
When Shen Feng lured the zombies to the football field, Yang Chang decisively closed the large iron gate behind them. Lacking a lock, he tied the gate shut with strips of cloth. After all, the zombies wouldn't untie the cloth; they would just foolishly charge forward.
Seeing that all the zombies had been lured into the football field, Shen Feng threw down the speaker. The zombies immediately pounced on it, tearing it to shreds.
At this point, Shen Feng scaled the barbed wire fence. His jumping ability was now considerable. A three-meter-high fence required only a single leap to get over, followed by a jump down. Shen Feng believed any evolver could achieve this.
Afterward, Shen Feng returned to the male students and said, "Everyone, follow me to the football field. Pour gasoline around the entire field."
After shredding the speaker, the zombies suddenly lost their target and began to wander around the football field. Then, the zombies spotted Shen Feng and the others outside the barbed wire fence and charged forward with bared teeth and claws. The zombies failed to notice that the perimeter of the barbed wire fence had been doused with gasoline, and Shen Feng held a cigarette in his hand.
Shen Feng didn't smoke. This cigarette was for starting a fire. As the zombies approached, he casually tossed the cigarette, and instantly, flames spread outwards. The foolish zombies charged forward, immediately engulfed in flames, their clothes igniting, their entire bodies covered in fire.
The zombies seemed to feel pain, but they didn't know what to do, so they continued to gnaw at the barbed wire fence.
Yang Chang found it somewhat disgusting and couldn't help but pour more gasoline. The flames surged again. The zombies were disfigured by the fire, but they didn't know how to dodge, so they soon fell to the ground. Their flesh sizzled as it was roasted by the flames, emitting a meaty aroma mixed with gasoline.
Everyone present found it unbearable. They felt they wouldn't want to eat meat again; the smell was too revolting. Shen Feng, however, stood by and watched, not leaving, even as the stench of the burning zombies filled the air.
"President, let's go. These zombies are doomed, no need to watch anymore!" one of the male students urged.
Shen Feng remained still, watching and saying, "I am currently collecting data on these zombies to prepare for future operations. If you find it disgusting, you can leave first. I'll watch a bit longer!"
With the president saying so, no one dared to object. They could only continue to watch. Finally, the barbed wire fence turned red from the heat. The zombie corpses piled on it, causing the fence to collapse. However, by this time, the zombies were so disfigured by the fire that they were incapable of attacking anyone.
Afterward, Li Xiang drove back. Everyone quickly loaded the food onto the vehicles and then crowded back to the school.