18 Elite zombies
Shaun's carefree motion of getting up abruptly halted as he heard the other person's parting words. His whole body stiffened in an instant, with only his right hand twitching uncontrollably...
"What the hell, I'm not handsome?!" Shaun fell into contemplation, as if he had encountered a world-class problem, and finally reached a definitive conclusion.
"Truly terrifying zombie virus! It made her start talking nonsense so quickly!"
He slung the toy sword on his back, shook his twitching right hand, and exited the ladies' restroom. The library had five floors; he continued to survey the upper levels, but there were no survivors left.
Before leaving, he casually picked up a book, planning to bring it back to the activity center. After all, books were true spiritual sustenance!
...
In the college activity center, everyone was eagerly anticipating the sound of knocking, hoping for the return of the three individuals. Their ability to bring back food was closely tied to their survival.
Spike also stood by the door, his mind preoccupied and devoid of any speech. Suddenly, he noticed a figure approaching from a distance, and the toy sword on the person's back allowed Spike to instantly recognize their identity.
The new student?!
But why was he the only one returning?
Spike began to feel uneasy.
"Where's Nevill and Kain?"
Everyone seemed to realize something was amiss; some were numb, while others were mournful.
Shaun held his head in his hands, took off his backpack, and headed to a corner, squatting down with a heart-wrenching expression.
Spike's expression showed a trace of awkwardness; he hadn't expected Shaun to completely ignore him.
Huh?
There's something in the backpack?
A flicker of excitement flashed in Spike's eyes; as long as there's something to show for it.
Losing a person was no big deal; having one less mouth to feed would save on food consumption.
He noticed the book in the backpack, and his expression froze.
You were sent out to find food, but you brought back a book?
And it's "Postpartum Care for Sows"?
Spike's face turned gloomy, and he shot a few glances at Shaun, but the latter was wearing sunglasses and paid him no attention.
"Tomorrow, five people will go out to find food!"
"Newcomer, since you didn't bring anything back today, you'll be going out tomorrow as well!"
After speaking, he threw the book directly onto the ground and stormed into his room without looking back.
However, Shaun's body trembled, and upon hearing this, he felt ecstatic.
What a great leader!
From then on, Shaun embarked on his hunting journey, and his evolution process was much easier compared to the other zombies!
Five days quickly passed, and the third weekend since the outbreak arrived.
Shaun felt extremely excited. With Spike's "helpful" cooperation, his evolution value had reached 390 out of 400.
He had newly infected a total of twenty-three people.
Sixteen of them had gone out to find food with him and had been led into the infamous restroom...
The remaining seven were survivors he had "enticed" with his excellent acting skills, found in various places around the school.
Shaun sat on the playground, a cigarette in his mouth, gazing at the blood-red sun in the sky, feeling a surge of excitement.
He would successfully advance to a fifth-level ordinary zombie tomorrow!
Time swiftly approached midnight.
A new week had begun!
The crimson sun in the sky emitted its red light once again, illuminating every zombie.
Suddenly, wild roars reverberated, echoing across the entire campus in an exceptionally terrifying manner.
The same red light enveloped him.
Feeling secretly pleased, he was fortunate he had acted wisely and hadn't returned to the activity center. Otherwise, while everyone else was normal, he alone would be bathed in red light, just like the other zombies outside.
Wouldn't that have been awkward?
Shaun's crimson, indifferent eyes surveyed the unusual behavior of the surrounding zombies.
Evolved again?
The red light persisted for only a few minutes before dissipating.
However, all the zombies had experienced a certain level of improvement in their basic abilities.
They had all successfully evolved into third-tier ordinary zombies.
Was this a bit too easy?
"System, system! Do zombies evolve every week?"
"Ding! The energy of the Blood Sun can only elevate zombies to the fifth-tier ordinary zombies. To evolve further, you need to consume mutant beasts or infect humans!"
That's good then. Otherwise, I might end up working myself to death only to become a bottom-tier zombie. What good is having intelligence then?
"Ding! A new weekly task has been activated. Please check it, Host!"
"Weekly task, Evolution Path: Successfully evolve into an elite zombie!"
"Task Overview: In the apocalypse, the radiance of the Blood Sun causes every zombie to evolve. As the only zombie with intelligence, how can you allow them to catch up with you? Strive to evolve and become the king of the zombie race!"
"Task Difficulty: Three stars!"
"Task Time: Within seven days!"
"Task Reward: Randomly receive a rare talent!"
Shaun was somewhat dumbfounded.
Elite zombie?
"Ding! Ordinary zombies can only reach the fifth tier. Evolving further will make you an elite zombie. Your basic strength will significantly increase, and you'll randomly comprehend a skill!"
No wonder the Blood Sun's energy only elevates zombies to the fifth tier. Going beyond that would make them elite-level zombies.
At that point, the zombies' strength would likely see a substantial increase, preventing them from being outrun by ordinary humans like they were now.
After Shaun's relentless efforts, the number of university students in the activity center had dwindled from 108 to 90.
No one could sleep tonight, not even Spike. The chilling roars of the zombies outside signaled something they had already experienced once before.
"Damn apocalypse!"
Spike muttered as he smoked a cigarette, a luxury in these times that he rarely allowed himself.
His face was clouded with gloom. The five who had gone out today to find food hadn't returned. In a span of six days, only one day had seen everyone return. On the other four days, only Shaun had come back, and today, even Shaun was absent.
Unbeknownst to him, that day Shaun had intentionally let them go, just to avoid suspicion.
Spike had never suspected him, as they had no conflicts of interest. Everyone was cowering on the ground, trembling in fear. The night of zombie revelry had brought even deeper despair upon humanity.
The night passed quickly. Everyone's spirits were extremely low, and silence prevailed. With food growing scarcer and the fear of death inching closer, the despair deepened.
Today, five more individuals would venture out to find food. What used to be an every-other-day task had now turned into an everyday chore.
Their faces were grey and numb as they carried their backpacks to the door.
Coincidentally, someone knocked on the door.
Early in the morning, Shaun had come to the activity center from the playground just in time. It was a good thing too; otherwise, sending out the five and having them get infected wouldn't have been good.
Spike's eyes showed a hint of pleasure as he hurriedly opened the door, his gaze continuously fixed on Shaun's backpack.
Although Shaun often returned alone, his backpack always contained food.
It could be said that the group's survival was closely tied to Shaun. He had gradually built a certain reputation among the students.
