The sight of the pull-tab can sent chills down all four of their spines.
It was a case of "speak of the devil."
The scene was just like something out of a horror movie!
With zombies outside the door, if a horde rushed out from inside, they'd be completely trapped.
Jiang Ke's tears streamed down her face, but she didn't dare make a sound.
Chen Xiao shot Li Zhijie a meaningful glance.
The latter nodded and slowly walked forward with Chen Xiao.
The entire cafeteria was filled with empty food stalls, dense tables, and chairs.
Since it wasn't mealtime yet, the lights in the vast cafeteria were off.
The light filtering in from the doors and windows provided decent illumination.
However, to prevent zombies from entering, Li Zhijie had used mats to block the main entrance.
The entire hall instantly plunged into darkness. Coupled with the terrifying silence, Chen Xiao could hear his own heartbeat and the breathing of others.
The pull-tab can had rolled out from an aisle.
That area was filled with tables and chairs, forming a continuous block. From a distance, it was impossible to see what was hidden within.
Chen Xiao and Li Zhijie advanced from either side.
Chen Xiao moved slowly along the aisle by the window, while Li Zhijie crept along the food stalls.
They maintained a synchronized pace, inching their way towards the aisle where the can had come from.
They tread as lightly as possible, not daring to breathe, drawing closer and closer to their target.
Suddenly, a low whimpering sound slowly emanated from the aisle ahead:
"Wuwuwu... Wuwuwu..."
The sound was not loud or sharp, but rather muffled.
However, in the deathly silence of the zombie-infested cafeteria, it was exceptionally eerie.
Each sob seemed to strike Chen Xiao's nerves.
Li Zhijie on the opposite side also heard the sound, his eyes wide, the knuckles of his hand gripping the police baton white. He was also incredibly tense.
"On the count of three!"
"We'll go together!"
Chen Xiao waved to get Li Zhijie's attention, then mouthed the words and gestured.
"Okay!"
Li Zhijie made an okay sign.
"Three..."
As soon as Chen Xiao held up three fingers, Li Zhijie instantly charged out.
"Damn it!"
Chen Xiao exclaimed inwardly, then charged out with forced courage.
"Wuwu... Ah..."
The crying grew louder.
A boy in a white apprentice chef's uniform was sitting on the ground, crying and trembling.
"Is it a person or a zombie?"
Chen Xiao asked, mustering his courage.
Hearing someone speak, the apprentice chef's eyes widened in surprise. Seeing that Li Zhijie and Chen Xiao were holding weapons, he realized they weren't zombies.
He started crying even harder, his sobs becoming louder.
"Wuwah... Wah..."
"Stop crying, or you'll attract zombies!" Chen Xiao brandished his knife and threatened the apprentice chef.
The latter immediately suppressed his sobs, covered his mouth with his hands, and wept quietly.
"Damn it, you scared me half to death! I thought it was some new species of zombie, but it's just a living person!"
"If it were a young girl crying out of fear, I could understand. But why are you, a grown man, crying here?"
Li Zhijie slung his police baton over his shoulder and lectured him like an experienced veteran.
Seeing Li Zhijie like this, Chen Xiao almost burst out laughing.
He remembered a time in a past rebirth when he first met Li Zhijie. Back then, Li Zhijie had wet his pants after being scared by an old lady zombie.
It was unbelievable that he now had the nerve to lecture someone else.
However, that story of rebirth had changed as Chen Xiao went through multiple rebirths and had vanished.
But it couldn't change the fact that Li Zhijie, despite his brave exterior, was a complete coward at heart.
"Alright, stop scolding him. If it were a girl crying here, I definitely wouldn't have rushed in!"
Chen Xiao said with a smile.
"That's true. That would be too frightening!"
Li Zhijie rubbed his arms, goosebumps seemingly rising from Chen Xiao's words alone.
"But speaking of which, I told you I'd count to three before we moved. Why did you suddenly dash out?"
Chen Xiao asked Li Zhijie, hands on his hips.
"Huh? Count to three? I thought you meant we'd act when you finished counting to three!"
"I was wondering earlier. You said count to three, but you started by saying 'three.' What kind of tactic was that?!"
"So that's what you meant!"
Li Zhijie said innocently.
"Remember this next time. When I show three fingers, it means counting to three, then we count down three, two, one. Got it?!"
Chen Xiao seized the opportunity to clarify their communication method with Li Zhijie.
Fortunately, this time they encountered a living person. If they had stumbled upon a formidable high-level zombie, they might have been done for today.
"Got it, got it. We need to get used to each other. We can't talk, so misunderstandings are normal!"
Li Zhijie said sheepishly.
"Now, tell us about you. Why are you here alone? Where are the others?"
Chen Xiao lightly nudged the apprentice chef sitting on the ground with his toe.
"They... they all turned into zombies."
The apprentice chef pointed towards a metal door in the distance, speaking through his tears.
"Today... school leaders came to inspect the school's kitchen... so the head chef specifically instructed us to keep the environment clean."
"I was responsible for cleaning the dining hall floor, and others were preparing food in the back kitchen. Suddenly, I heard a scream, a really terrifying sound!"
"Then I heard screams and the head chef cursing coming from the kitchen. I peeked inside and saw Brother Ren's head submerged in hot oil, almost fried!"
"The school leaders were biting everyone they saw. They seemed to have gone mad! I only found out later from a video that they had turned into zombies!"
"I was so scared, so I closed the metal door to the kitchen and held the handle tightly."
"Several times, zombies tried to wrench the door open, but I held on..."
"Only when no more zombies tried to pull the door handle from inside did I breathe a sigh of relief..."
Hearing the apprentice chef's account, Chen Xiao and Li Zhijie exchanged a look, remaining silent.
Zombies couldn't open doors, only smash them.
So, whoever was desperately pulling the door handle must have been a living person from the back kitchen!
This apprentice chef had, by himself, annihilated the entire group of school leaders and the kitchen staff...
However, Chen Xiao knew the apprentice chef hadn't done it intentionally, so there was no need to correct him and upset him further.
"And then you didn't even bother with the cafeteria door? You're too nonchalant!"
Li Zhijie asked in surprise.
"I... I was too scared. I wanted to close the cafeteria door, but the whole school was in chaos, and the sports field was full of zombies!"
"I was afraid they'd discover me, so I kept hiding here. Later, I heard footsteps by the door heading upstairs, but I didn't dare to look. Until I met you guys..."
The apprentice chef wiped his tears and said.
Hearing this, Chen Xiao and Li Zhijie exchanged a look, a sense of dread dawning upon them!