Chapter 160 - 95: Second Grade
The group moved quickly.
Finally, as dusk fell and the first stars appeared,
they successfully left the perilous confines of Wangwu Mountain.
They returned to the relative safety of the Martial Artist Town.
The town was brightly lit and bustling with activity.
Though it was late, Chen Zhenguo didn’t arrange for them to stay and rest there.
He was worried that delays would breed new problems.
The group quickly went to the parking lot and found their bus.
However,
a problem arose.
The massive stone tablet and the Corpse General were simply too large to fit inside the narrow bus.
"Tie them to the roof!" Chen Zhenguo decided instantly.
And so,
everyone scrambled to firmly secure the heavy stone tablet to the roof rack.
Then, Chen Zhenguo exerted his strength again and lifted the Corpse General up as well.
"Let’s get you two into a more comfortable position this time!"
Chen Zhenguo, seemingly in a fit of kindness, adjusted Luo Qian’s position.
In the end,
the stone tablet was placed on the bottom, and the Corpse General’s enormous body was laid on top of it.
Most importantly,
the Corpse General was now on its back, and Luo Qian was lying face down on its chest.
The Corpse General seemed very pleased with this new arrangement.
Its massive, grayish-green hands wrapped tightly around Luo Qian. Its huge head strained upward as its wet tongue, reeking of damp earth and decay, resumed its tireless cleaning duties...
It licked Luo Qian’s head, neck, and cheeks, one swipe after another...
...just like a dog gnawing on a bone.
Luo Qian lay on the Corpse General’s cold, stiff chest.
He felt the slick, sticky dampness on the back of his neck and smelled waves of an indescribable, acrid stench of rot.
The "SLURP SLURP" of the licking echoed in his ears.
His eyes were vacant. He had completely given up hope.
’This isn’t quite the grand image of a summoner I had in mind!’
Once Luo Qian and the Corpse General were securely fastened to the roof with special chains,
everyone else boarded the bus.
"Let’s move out!" Chen Zhenguo ordered in a low voice.
The teacher in charge of driving immediately started the engine.
The bus slowly pulled away from the temporary rest stop of the Martial Artist Town.
Its headlights cut through the thick night like two sharp swords, speeding down the winding mountain road and away from the peaks.
The only way out of the mountains
was the same heavily guarded security checkpoint.
When the blinding searchlights hit the roof of the bus, clearly illuminating the living zombie that was still writhing and letting out inhuman shrieks,
the soldiers on duty instantly widened their eyes, sucked in a cold breath, and instinctively tightened their grip on their weapons.
An air of tension and disbelief filled the air.
"My God! It’s alive?!"
"They... they actually captured a zombie alive?"
"Is... is this even allowed?"
Whispers spread among the soldiers.
Shock was written on every face.
The commanding officer suppressed his horror and stepped forward to carefully verify Chen Zhenguo’s and the others’ identification and mountain entry permits.
The paperwork was in order, and the procedure was legal.
There was indeed no explicit regulation against capturing a zombie alive.
The officer’s mouth twitched. In the end, he could only wave them through with a sense of helplessness.
"Let them pass! Clear the way!"
The heavy barricade slowly moved aside.
The bus passed through without any further issues.
Leaving the oppressive atmosphere of the checkpoint behind, the bus seemed to break free from its restraints. The engine’s roar intensified, and its speed surged.
The massive vehicle became a speeding streak of light on the night-shrouded highway, racing toward Yang City.
Inside the bus, Lin Yi leaned back in his seat, resting with his eyes closed.
Outside the window, the continuous mountainscape flew by.
Before they knew it,
four hours of bumpy travel had passed, and the hands on their watches had crept toward eleven o’clock at night.
"Look! The city wall!"
someone whispered.
Everyone crowded toward the windows.
In the distance, Yang City’s towering steel walls lay on the horizon like a slumbering beast, exuding a reassuring presence.
"We’re finally back!"
"Phew... My bones are about to fall apart. This was more tiring than training for three days straight!"
"It was tiring, but it was worth it! We got a lot of rare zombie materials this trip. We can trade them for a ton of resources back home."
The tense atmosphere inside the bus finally relaxed completely.
Many of the teachers woke from their naps, and soft whispers and laughter echoed through the cabin.
Soon,
the bus arrived at the towering south gate of Yang City.
After identifying the vehicle’s information, the massive alloy gate slowly opened, allowing them to enter the city.
The wheels rolled over the wide, flat city roads.
A moment later,
the familiar outline of Yang City No. 1 High School appeared ahead.
SCREECH—
The bus came to a steady stop in the school’s main plaza.
The doors opened.
Everyone filed off the bus, patting the dust off their clothes.
Just then,
Wang Yiming walked quickly over to Chen Zhenguo and several school leaders and bowed deeply.
"Principal, teachers! This trip to Wangwu Mountain was incredibly dangerous. It is only thanks to all of your tireless efforts and stalwart support that I was able to achieve my goal and return safely! I am eternally grateful!"
"To express my gratitude, I have arranged a small banquet at Dingxiang Tower. I implore you all to grace me with your presence and give me the opportunity to thank you in person!"
Yang City No. 1 High School had sent out its elite precisely to help Wang Yiming.
Now that the mission was accomplished, this thank-you banquet from Wang Yiming was both reasonable and necessary.
Hearing this, the teachers all broke into gentle smiles.
"Yiming, there’s no need for such formalities," a kind-faced, middle-aged female teacher said, waving her hand. "You’re an outstanding graduate of Yang City No. 1 High School. It’s only natural for the school to help you when you’re in trouble!"