Yan Yue banged her fists furiously against the glass door. "Mu Tian, you despicable bastard!"
Inside the building, Mu Tian smirked, his arms crossed. "Despicable? I came all the way to this school just to ensure your safety. And this is how you treat me? Even after a year, you still refuse to be with me, yet you run around with some poor brat instead?"
Meanwhile, outside, more and more Zombies were closing in. Their guttural groans filled the air. "UGH!"
Yang Fan didn't stop. His axe cut through every zombie that got too close. His breath was heavy, but he kept moving.
"Yang Fan!" Yan Yue called out, her voice urgent. "We can't get in! What should we do?"
"Go to the back door near the cafeteria!" he ordered, his eyes still focused on the horde.
She hesitated, then nodded. "You, Be Careful!"
Both girls sprinted away, leaving Yang Fan alone to hold the line. His grip on the axe tightened as he thought, 'No, I have to take out the flower zombie first. If I don't, their numbers will just keep growing.'
He charged toward the mutated plant zombie, cutting down any undead that crossed his path.
'How did this thing reach the second tier so fast?' he thought, frustration creeping in.
The plant zombie, a grotesque abomination, had a large circular mouth at its center—like the dark core of a sunflower, only filled with rows of writhing tendrils instead of seeds.
Reaching the monster, Yang Fan leaped high into the air, gripping his axe with both hands. He raised it above his head and swung down, aiming straight for the gaping maw.
"I hope this works!" he shouted.
The blade slashed down—
THUD!
A thick root shot up from the ground and blocked the strike, barely receiving a scratch.
Yang Fan landed, his eyes narrowing. "What the hell? This thing's skin is way too tough!"
He gritted his teeth. "In my previous life, second-tier zombies didn't appear until a week into the apocalypse… Did my revival speed things up?"
Before he could think further, the flower zombie released a burst of black pollen into the air.
The surrounding zombies reacted immediately. Their movements became more frantic, more aggressive. Some walked, some ran and some even crawled just to get closer.
Yang Fan's eyes widened. "Not good. The zombies are starting to coordinate!"
Then—
"UGH!"
A zombie lunged at him from behind.
Shit, too late!
Just as its rotten teeth neared his neck—
THWACK!
A knife buried itself in the zombie's skull.
Yang Fan turned toward the direction of the throw and saw them—
"You guys…?"
Yan Yue stood beside Mu Yi, gripping another knife. Mu Yi clutched a bottle tightly in her hands.
"Why did you come back?" he asked.
Yan Yue smirked. "Didn't you say you don't need trash? We might not be as strong as you, but we can still help!"
She moved to his right, while Mu Yi took position on his left. They formed a tight triangle formation.
Yang Fan glanced at them and thought, 'Teaming up with the future top warriors of Blood Rose…'
Then, his eyes landed on Yan Yue's arm. A fresh wound.
"You're hurt."
She glanced at it dismissively. "Just a scratch from a zombie earlier. Don't worry about it. Let's focus on taking out that plant."
Mu Yi shifted nervously, clutching the bottle tighter. "I… I brought gasoline… W-we can light it on fire…"
Yang Fan's eyes lit up. "Good idea!"
Taking the bottle, he dashed toward the monstrous plant zombie.
"More are coming from both directions!" Mu Yi called out.
"I'll handle them!" Yan Yue shouted, charging into the horde with only her knife.
Yang Fan reached the flower zombie, uncapped the gasoline, and poured it straight into its gaping mouth.
Then, he flicked his lighter—
FWOOSH!
Flames engulfed the monster in an instant. It let out a screech as it writhed in agony, its roots curling and blackening.
Yang Fan exhaled. "Thank god it was just a second-tier. If it had been third-tier, fire alone wouldn't have been enough."
But then—
A massive wave of pollen burst from the burning plant, spreading through the air like a dark cloud.
Yang Fan's face darkened. "This pollen…"
He spun around to the girls. "Hold your breath! This stuff will make you pass out!"
As the black pollen spread, even the zombies started collapsing.
Yan Yue slashed another zombie before coughing. "This stuff is strong… Even the first-tier zombies are dropping like flies!"
Then—
A slow set of footsteps echoed from behind.
"Yan Yue…? Where are you?"
Mu Tian stepped out of the school building, glancing around at the destruction. His eyes widened. "Did they… defeat all these zombies?"
He wandered toward the charred remains of the plant zombie.
Then, something caught his eye.
"Hmm? What's that?"
On the ground near the burnt corpse lay a dark red petal. It shimmered faintly, pulsating with unnatural energy.
Mu Tian crouched down, reaching for it.
"There's a petal here…"
As soon as his fingers brushed against it—
SPLAT!
The petal extended and pierced straight through his chest.
Mu Tian's eyes bulged in shock. He coughed violently, blood spilling from his mouth. His body trembled as he collapsed, motionless, onto the cold ground.