Chapter 10 - Calling Home
The basketball court was quite large and the stands had enough seats to fit a few thousand people without any problem. Currently, sitting in different seats, students and teachers looked in the direction of the cafeteria with fearful eyes.
"Big sister Shi, do you think something bad happened...?" A small-built female student asked in a low voice as she hugged her knees and cuddled tightly in an effort to give herself warmth.
"Xiulan, don't worry. You also saw how strong big sister Bing Xue is. Even if some zombies appear they won't be a problem against her." Wu Shi said in a firm tone, trying to sound as confident as possible not only to convince her friend, but also to convince herself.
Zi Xiulan bit her lips tightly as her body trembled constantly. In the end, she could not hold back her tears and began to sob, "Big Sister Shi... I... I am so scared... Song Qing turned into a zombie suddenly and Zeng Na was bitten to death... Many people died and I won't be able to talk with them anymore..."
Wu Shi, who was barely containing her own emotions, finally couldn't help but start to cry. She had just tried to communicate with her family, unfortunately, she got no response; she already feared the worst.
"I'm cold... I want to wear dry clothes... I want to feel warm... I want to hear my mother's sermons again..." Wu Shi whispered in tears.
This kind of conversation could be heard everywhere inside the gymnasium. The students were terrified waiting for a dark and unknown future.
A few hours ago, they were all laughing and chatting happily; worrying about what kind of clothes they should buy to look their best. However, now all they wished for was dry clothes to relieve the bone-chilling cold.
Even the teachers, who were the responsible adults, were in no position to relieve others when they themselves did not know if the next moment a strange creature would walk through the doors and claim their lives.
* * *
"What happened here?" Shangguan Bing Xue's cold voice was the first sound to break the silence of the place.
Bai Zemin did not answer immediately, instead, he gathered several tablecloths on the floor and tied it end to end, thus forming a huge square of cloth. Then, he began to carefully move the body of the immobile zombies on top of the cloth square while slowly explaining:
"There is enough food in this cafeteria to sustain about a hundred people for approximately a week. Besides, I don't feel comfortable in crowds either, so I'm planning to make this place my temporary resting area... So, I'll take care of these zombies."
"You took care of these zombies, you say...?" Shangguan Bing Xue muttered in a strange voice as she watched Bai Zemin work.
Except for the initial glance, he had not looked back at them again and simply continued to work tirelessly. Many thoughts were constantly flashing in Shangguan Bing Xue's mind, making it extremely difficult to comprehend her.
Chen He was not thinking as many things as she was, he simply looked at Bai Zemin's back and asked, "May I ask how... Right, we still don't know your name. You are...?"
"Bai Zemin." He casually replied. Bai Zemin wasn't trying to act cool, this was his real personality. Even before the world became chaotic he was not good at dealing with many people due to certain past incidents.
"I see, Bai Zemin. It's a pleasure to meet you." Chen He said politely with a smile.
Chen He was extremely handsome, his archery skill allowed him to become the best in his club and his grades were in the top ten every semester. All these excellent qualities together with his unknown but powerful family made him the prince charming of countless beautiful girls; even among the boys, he was popular because of his kindness.
"Same here." Bai Zemin replied without much interest.
His top priority now was to fully ensure his safety, then make a call home to check on his family's safety, and finally understand the rules of the new world better. Therefore, he was not interested in making friends with anyone just as he had not been in the past.
Chen He's expression became a little uncomfortable at Bai Zemin's clear coldness and a bitter smile appeared on his handsome face.
"How did you deal with them?" Shangguan Bing Xue asked.
She could see some blood stains on the ground. However, that blood was obviously from the four large mosquitoes that were dead and torn to pieces on the ground. Then, Shangguan Bing Xue was curious to know how it was possible that the young man in front of her killed the zombies without injuring them.
"They are not dead. They are still alive." Bai Zemin replied, finally finishing dragging the fifteen bodies.
"What?" Shangguan Bing Xue's cold and indifferent expression broke for a moment when she heard his words.
Bai Zemin began to drag the large square of cloth towards the exit with a bit of difficulty but with steady steps. Although his strength was 55 points in total, he had not yet reached a level where he could drag fifteen adult people casually.
As he walked, he replied, "These zombies are still alive. It's just that I destroyed all the connecting bones of the body, so even if the brain is intact, they are no different from dead zombies since they can't do anything... I didn't want to stain the ground where I will sleep with blood."
Shangguan Bing Xue's eyes lit up and she finally understood the reason why the zombies' bodies were in such a terrible condition... Previously, she had assumed that Bai Zemin was simply a barbaric and violent person, but after listening to his explanation she understood that she had been wrong.
Although she somewhat admired his strength, that was all. From her point of view, there was no trustworthy person in this place. To Shangguan Bing Xue, the only person she could trust a bit was her childhood friend Chen He; as for the rest, they were all useless.
Especially the men.
* * *
Currently, Shangguan Bing Xue was surrounded by both men and women. Lian Xuan, the vice president of the student association, and Chen He, the skilled archer, were constantly trying to engage her in conversation.
Liang Peng, the strong man with a terrifying hammer, looked at the bodies of some female students and teachers casually without caring too much about the world outside.
After carrying the fifteen zombies out of the place and dragging them to a nearby building, Bai Zemin returned to the gymnasium. He simply ignored the stares he was receiving and walked away quietly with no intention of chatting with anyone.
Upon arriving at the cafeteria, Bai Zemin used his Blood Manipulation skill to remove the blood that stained the floor, sending it through the broken window to the outside.
Because the glass was broken, rainwater was constantly pouring in and the areas near the windows were soaked. In addition, the cold was really unbearable.
After a few minutes of consideration, Bai Zemin ripped the legs off several tables and used the tops to cover the windows one by one. To prevent the wood from falling off, he used several cabinets and refrigerators inside the room, thus sealing out rain, wind, and decreasing the chances of an insect getting in.
Then, Bai Zemin closed the door and locked himself inside the cafeteria.
He turned on a dim light and sat on a chair away from the window and door to rest. Five minutes later, he took his cell phone out of his backpack and, with trembling hands, called his mother.
...
"The number you wish to reach is out of service or out of battery. Please try again later."
Bai Zemin took a deep breath to calm himself, not wanting to think about the worst-case scenario. With lingering fear, he dialed Meng Qi's number.
...
"The number you wish to reach is out of service or out of battery. Please try again later."
Receiving the same message again, Bai Zemin couldn't help but put down the cell phone and leave it on the table. He slumped gently onto the chair and, as he listened to the steady sound of lightning, his eyes flooded slightly with tears.
Although he did not want to think about it, it was clear to Bai Zemin that the probability that his family had died was very high indeed. After all, many people had turned into zombies without warning, zombies had started attacking ruthlessly, insects had evolved and even domestic animals had turned wild.
However, he really wasn't willing. The only real thing he had was his family after all.
Barely resisting the urge to cry, Bai Zemin picked up his cell phone again and dialed his father's number.
...
Sitting in a nearby chair, Lilith felt a bit sad for him as she watched him act like a small child about to cry.
Even when he was forced to fight for his life, even when he had no choice but to raise a sword and bathe in blood, even when his entire life was collapsing in front of him, Bai Zemin was always decisive and did not hesitate. He fought when it was necessary to fight and used his brain to perfection to survive.
However, in the face of his family's possible death, his calm had flown out the window.