Chapter 895 - 880
Withdrawing his body, Derek leaned against the wall, gasping for air.
Though it was just a simple throwing motion, for him, it was undoubtedly exhausting both mentally and physically.
The young man’s reaction was fully noticed by Old Xu, but he didn’t feel contempt for the other’s "delicacy." Instead, he appreciated the calm composure the young man maintained during the throw.
After all, fear is something everyone experiences, especially in such circumstances.
But being able to control it and make it a part of the body’s warning system is beyond ordinary people’s abilities.
Regardless, Derek’s performance was already outstanding. At least for now, in Old Xu’s eyes, he was considered a reliable partner.
Derek, of course, didn’t know Old Xu’s assessment of him. In his heart, Old Xu never cared much for him.
However, years of overseas life had long made him develop an easygoing personality. Instead of worrying about how others saw him, it was better to do his job well and change others’ perceptions through actions.
Once he steadied his breath, Derek opened the door again.
Unlike last time, this time Derek only barely opened the door, leaving a gap just wide enough for him to peek through and observe the situation outside.
Through his observation, the zombies were being attracted to the strange noise from earlier.
After waiting for about 10 seconds, feeling the time was ripe, Derek quickly swung open the door, then peeked outside, glancing left and right, before rushing out and signaling for Xu and Lei to follow.
Xu Renjie and Lei Tong, having been on edge waiting for the command, saw Derek’s right hand gesture. Old Xu was the first to dash out, with Lei Tong immediately following.
Once both were out, Derek gently closed the door and used the thin cloth strip earlier tied to the doorknob to fasten the door.
This was done because this classroom was the only access to the tunnel.
Therefore, they absolutely could not let the beasts in, or not only Derek but all the surviving students at the school would face the threat of running out of food and water.
After securing the door, Derek tossed a few pieces of chalk again to keep the beasts’ attention.
The brainless creatures were completely attracted by the sound of the chalk hitting the ground, oblivious to the real prey just a short distance behind them.
"Go!" With a light command from Derek, Old Xu and Lei Tong quickly crouched and advanced down the corridor under his lead.
To prevent zombies from being present in the side classrooms, the rescue team had to keep their bodies as low as possible.
Such movements weren’t much for Old Xu and Lei Tong, both with military backgrounds, but for Derek, who was quite tall and sturdy, it was somewhat strenuous and awkward.
However, luckily, he had engaged in extreme sports for years, so his physical strength was relatively formidable.
After enduring a grueling 100-meter sprint, the three arrived at the corner.
Just as Derek was about to rush forward, he suddenly felt a tight grip on his shoulder, then was abruptly pulled back.
Startled, Derek instinctively wanted to shout, but as soon as he started to, Xu Renjie’s hand covered his mouth.
"Shh!" Raising his hand in a gesture of silence, Old Xu pointed at the glass on the opposite side.
Derek, puzzled, shifted his gaze, looking in the direction Xu Renjie indicated.
What he saw was shocking, and cold sweat instantly broke out on his body.
In his eyes, reflected on the glass window of the classroom directly opposite, two swaying silhouettes were mirrored in the pane.
Though the reflection wasn’t perfectly clear, it wasn’t hard to deduce from their drooping heads and dragging steps that these two were undoubtedly zombies!!
In that critical moment, had Xu Renjie been a step later, Derek would have collided head-on with the corner zombies.
Still breathing heavily with his face up, Derek nervously stared at the window. Grateful and curious, he became increasingly intrigued by Xu Renjie’s identity.
It was known that ordinary people couldn’t possibly observe all around them, yet this man before him...
"Thank you!" Derek sincerely expressed his gratitude.
However, Xu Renjie seemed not to hear, gesturing with his hand for Derek to step back while he crouched close to the wall’s edge.
Looking at the mirrored zombie positions, Xu Renjie timed it right, peeked outside, and quickly retracted a second later.
Having done this, Old Xu had a general understanding of the situation ahead.
As Derek had mentioned earlier, the corridor around the corner was likely the open-air bridge connecting the east and west teaching buildings.
Crossing this bridge led directly to their target location for the day, also where Derek mentioned the storage room was located.
But the current problem was, the only path was blocked by two unseeing zombies. Undoubtedly, trying to cross the open-air bridge without alerting the beasts seemed impossible.
So what to do? The only good action was... to attack directly!
Old Xu quickly called over Lei Tong, and then used the chalk in his hand to sketch a plan on the ground.
This was a deployment method used by special forces. No matter the difficulty of the operation, they would utilize all available resources, planning all aspects like buildings, routes, and personnel in advance.
Watching Old Xu and Lei Tong’s actions, Derek knew they were going to take a direct approach.
He couldn’t help but feel a bit worried about this.
He had also killed zombies before, though not many, but he had done it.
Therefore, Derek was somewhat familiar with these beasts’ attack patterns.
But familiarity aside, if a zombie stood in front of him, he would typically choose to avoid it, preferring to detour rather than face it head-on.
Besides the fear factor, the main concern was missing a strike and drawing more zombies.
In the campus setting, this worry was undoubtedly magnified many times over.
Thinking of this, Derek wanted to remind Xu and Lei not to act impulsively.
Yet, before Derek could speak, Xu and Lei had already completed their strategy.
For the 2 zombies, Xu Renjie and Lei Tong each selected a target.
Upon confirmation, without any further delay, Old Xu only instructed Derek to stay put, and then he and Lei Tong crouched and stealthily moved out.
Through the glass reflection, Derek could see two figures bending over, approaching the Black Shadow.
Unquestionably, those two ghost-like figures were none other than Old Xu and Lei Tong.
In their mission behind enemy lines, sneaking and sudden attacks were frequently executed by Sharp Blade Company warriors.
And Old Xu and Lei Tong were among the best in the company.
The beasts hung their heads, wandering around as if something magical on the ground held their attention, preventing them from looking up for a long time.
This provided Xu Renjie and Lei Tong an excellent opportunity for a clean kill. When they were within about 50 meters of the creatures, they suddenly quickened their steps and swiftly approached, then with lightning speed, came close to the walking corpse’s back and twisted the neck with force, only to hear a crisp sound.
As the zombie with the broken neck collapsed to the ground, Old Xu’s Steel Blade rose, then swung down with force. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit qidian.com to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)