Sun Wen, who had been thrown into a daze, came to his senses only to find zombies rapidly crawling in through the shattered window.
He quickly pressed the sunroof switch, ran over, and kicked the zombie back out of the car before climbing onto the roof through the sunroof. Looking at the hundreds of frenzied zombies surrounding the school bus, Sun Wen felt a chill surge from his tailbone to the crown of his head.
Feeling unsafe even on the roof, he quickly ran towards the front of the bus, intending to climb up a large tree from there.
"Swoosh." Before he could touch a branch, an arrow, veering as if guided, struck his knee.
Sun Wen's leg buckled, and he fell from the roof.
"You damned bastard, I won't let you go even as a zombie!"
Submerged in the horde of zombies, Sun Wen let out a final roar of resentment.
"Let's hurry," Qin Shilei said, turning and running towards the sports field after ensuring the other was surely dead.
After killing a few pursuing zombies, Qin Shilei and his group quickly reached the north side of the sports field.
In the distance, they saw a school bus speeding into the badminton court to the southeast.
It was followed by a dense mass of zombies.
The school bus drove straight to the fence beside the badminton court before stopping.
Then, a figure climbed out of the school bus's sunroof and ran to the front of the vehicle, vaulting over the fence and out of the badminton court.
Just then, a group of students rushed out of a small convenience store outside the badminton court and quickly closed the iron gate.
The one to two hundred zombies that had followed the school bus were thus trapped inside the badminton court, surrounded by a three to four-meter-high iron fence.
Seeing the zombies confined, the surrounding students began to shower praise.
"Haha, Brother Liu's strategy is brilliant."
"Brother Liu is truly a Zhuge Liang reborn; he can harvest nearly two hundred crystal cores with no effort."
"What's the apocalypse? Following Brother Liu will only lead to a more carefree life."
Liu Yuanliang raised his hand, silencing their words, and said calmly, "Light the fire quickly, we need to leave. We don't want to enrage these zombies and have them break down the fence."
A young man beside him immediately lit the torch he held and threw it inside.
Blankets and other flammable materials had already been piled up inside the badminton court, along with several barrels of gasoline.
Upon contact with the open flame, the badminton court instantly became a sea of fire.
After igniting the blaze, Liu Yuanliang and his group retreated to a concealed spot several dozen meters away, quietly watching the fire consume the zombie horde.
Since they lacked the sensation of pain, the zombies were oblivious to the searing flames. They merely continued to pound on the school bus that was emitting sounds.
Moreover, several blood-stained clothes on the roof of the school bus further incited the zombies' bloodlust.
On the other side, Qin Shilei and his companions lowered their binoculars.
"Find a place to hide, let me go and kill someone first," Qin Shilei said calmly.
"Okay," Zhang Xiaoli entered the teaching building by another path and found an empty classroom to hide in.
Seeing Zhang Xiaoli safely hidden, Qin Shilei turned and walked towards Liu Yuanliang's location.
Liu Yuanliang and his group were currently standing under a large tree by the eastern perimeter wall, with several dead zombies lying around.
As Qin Shilei came into view, a companion with sharp eyes immediately spotted him.
"Brother Liu, he's the one who killed Sun Wen," a student responsible for intercepting Sun Wen said, pointing at Qin Shilei.
More than ten young men immediately turned their gaze towards Qin Shilei, whispering among themselves.
"Isn't that the person who killed the giant zombie?"
"He's got some nerve, causing us to lose over a hundred crystal cores, and he dares to show his face."
"Old grudges and new ones, we should settle the score with him properly."
"He could kill the giant zombie alone, can we beat him?"
"Don't just boost others' morale and dampen our own. He clearly used a trick to kill the giant zombie; I don't believe he's that powerful."
Although these people were clamoring to kill Qin Shilei, they were all on high alert, as if facing a formidable enemy.
Qin Shilei stopped about five meters away and raised a finger, saying, "Get out here and die."
Seeing his finger pointed at them, the crowd instinctively shifted their bodies, revealing Sun Wu behind them.
This was someone who could even slay the ferocious giant zombie; they truly lacked the courage to face him.
At this moment, Sun Wu looked at Qin Shilei with hatred. Seeing himself exposed to the opponent, he cried out in panic,
"Brother Liu, save me."
Liu Yuanliang looked up and smiled, "This classmate, what grudge do you have with Sun Wu? With the zombie outbreak, why don't you let go of your past grievances and resist the zombies together."
Qin Shilei's heart stirred. He swapped his Seven Star Sword for a short bow.
Drawing the bowstring, he aimed at Sun Wu and said coldly, "Is this your idea or someone else's?"
Sun Wu opened his mouth to speak, but upon meeting Liu Yuanliang's sinister gaze, he immediately wilted.
"Swoosh."
Seeing no response, Qin Shilei released the string. An arrow struck Sun Wu's left hand.
"Don't kill me, it was Liu Yuanliang who ordered us to harm you," Sun Wu cried, clutching his left hand and pointing at Liu Yuanliang.
"Do you really think I'm afraid of you?"
Liu Yuanliang shouted fiercely, simultaneously brandishing his spear and charging at Qin Shilei.
"Come then."
Qin Shilei put away the short bow and drew the Seven Star Sword.
With a sword strike, he parried the incoming spear. A tremendous force transferred from the spear, almost making Qin Shilei drop the Seven Star Sword.
"Is that all?" Liu Yuanliang said contemptuously.
After testing the opponent's strength with one blow, Liu Yuanliang brandished his spear with great vigor, forcing Qin Shilei to retreat.
Despite knowing Qin Shilei could kill the giant zombie alone, he dared to provoke him, relying on his own confidence.
The treasure chest he had obtained on the first day had not only yielded a spear but also, miraculously, a matching skill book: Spear Mastery.
If not for his natural caution, he would have long ago tried to challenge the giant zombie alone, rather than letting Qin Shilei snatch the boss.
Seeing Liu Yuanliang gaining the upper hand, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and began to discuss.
"He swaggered over here, and I thought he was a peerless master, but he's only this skilled."
"I told you he must have used a trick to kill the giant zombie, didn't I?"
"Good! Just a little bit more and he could have been shot in the head."
"Why shoot him in the head? This brat dared to steal our monster, he should have his legs broken and be thrown into the zombie horde."
Liu Yuanliang not only possessed strength comparable to Qin Shilei but also skillful and seasoned techniques.
Relying on the weight advantage of his weapon, his attacks were broad and powerful, seemingly giving him the upper hand, yet he couldn't inflict any damage on Qin Shilei.
Although Qin Shilei was continuously retreating, his movements were orderly. His occasional counterattacks were fierce and precise, forcing Liu Yuanliang to withdraw his spear in defense.
Both sides' techniques were at the mastery level.
However, Liu Yuanliang, proud of his status and lacking combat experience, was ultimately a bit inferior in his ability to adapt to the situation.
Qin Shilei, on the other hand, had faced perilous situations multiple times and could always employ the most suitable sword technique in the blink of an eye.
Under the pressure of facing an evenly matched opponent like Liu Yuanliang, Qin Shilei's swordsmanship level was rapidly improving.
The sword remained the same, yet he wielded it with greater familiarity, as if it were an extension of his own arm.
In an instant, he seemed to have grasped a profound and mysterious state of mind.
The Seven Star Sword traced an intricate arc, striking the least resistant point of the spear.
Clang.
The light Seven Star Sword managed to deflect the heavy spear, then slid in, and pierced Liu Yuanliang's wrist.
The spear slipped from his grasp and fell to the ground.
Qin Shilei advanced swiftly and sliced through Liu Yuanliang's throat.
Liu Yuanliang clutched the wound on his throat with his left hand, pointed at Qin Shilei with his right, opened his mouth to say something, but no sound came out.
He collapsed to the ground with a thud, his eyes filled with hatred, fear, and other emotions.