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Lin Feng took a hard look at his skills, figuring that even though they’d gotten a boost, they didn’t make him unbeatable in this zombie-ridden world. But hey, these new perks might just pull him through in a pinch.

It was clear as day that those damned spiders were ever-expanding their territories. His mission now had a two-fold objective: find his parents and then relocate to the most secure spot he could find, all while keeping an eye on how the country was dealing with the E City situation.

From what news he could access, a chunk of the people knew about the infection in E City. However, the nation was playing it down, keeping the majority in the dark about how grave and specific the virus situation actually was.

Barring that, there were still a host of questions left unanswered: Why were the zombies and mutations slowly coalescing? Based on what he’d seen around campus, the mutation rate shouldn’t have been all that high. Most zombies weren’t sporting mutations; he’d only bumped into a few odd cases in Froggy and Wanyun.

If you don’t count the ones the Spider Queen forced into mutation, the only real mutants around were Lin Feng, Song Zhe, and the Spider Queen herself. In a campus filled to the brim with tens of thousands of people, only this tiny crew was dealing with it.

On the flip side, the low rate of mutation meant he still held a distinct advantage even outside of the university..

Liu Mengqi and Lin Feng had their minds made up – they were heading home together, no questions asked. As for the rest of the class, after a quick headcount, it was Hao Jian, Song Zhe, and Anna, whose homes were all outside of the city, who opted to jump in and join Lin Feng’s trek.

The remaining girls decided to stick with the principal. Even though Ruolian was close with Liu Mengqi, her naturally shy nature kept her from daring to wander through lands swarming with zombies and littered with corpses. Let’s be honest, everyone hoped to get through the apocalypse with as little fuss as possible. If it weren’t for the worry knotting his stomach over his parents, Lin Feng would’ve wished the same.

Chen Ranran, always stepping up to shield the underdog, chose to tail behind the principal as well. Seeing this, Liu Tao threw his lot with the principal’s team too.

Chen De was genuinely thankful to Lin Feng for that life-saving moment, but his lack of an arm made the long trek a tall order. Thus, he went with the principal too.

In a twist, the doctor opted to join Lin Feng and company. That choice lit Song Zhe up like fireworks– his cheerful sleep-talking for several nights, loud enough for Lin Feng to hear, was proof enough of that.

Naturally, the two teams weren’t just going to split up like that. Lin Feng had given his word: he’d help the principal and his group secure a shopping mall as a base before heading to his parents’ home. They’d picked out a “Walmart” not too far from the school. Location-wise, it was a gem – great for both defense and offense and perfectly placed to spy on the spiders’ movements.

(TL: The raws genuinely says Walmart.)

With its towering 8-9 levels, the mall was a strategic stronghold if they took control of those upper floors. And bigger malls like this usually stashed backup generators in the underground parking for emergencies, meaning the principal’s group could keep tabs on the outside world with the news and firsthand reports.

The plan upon hitting the mall was clear: hunt down any communication devices. They’d be on the lookout for long-range walkie-talkies or, if luck was really on their side, working satellite phones.

With mobile phones out of commission, likely due to government or political interference, securing a reliable way to keep in touch with the principal’s group was crucial. Lin Feng himself wasn’t familiar with satellite phones, but that was nothing a quick look at a manual couldn’t fix.

“Yan Aoxue, are you really sure about going with the principal and the others?”

Lin Feng’s question, laced with mixed emotions, met Yan Aoxue, who stood firm in her decision.