On this side, Thuong Sinh had stepped out of the corridor. Before him, the main hall of the building opened wide, its glass doors shattered. Daylight filtered through, illuminating a floor mottled with bloodstains and drag marks.
Thuong Sinh let out a soft sigh. Only a few days ago, this place had been filled with students and the sound of laughter. It felt like only yesterday, yet now, only blood and the heavy stench of death remained.
He continued toward the main entrance. The moment he stepped outside, a sudden roaring engine tore through the silence. Thuong Sinh froze, his pupils contracting.
Outside the school gates, a camouflaged jeep was revving wildly. Its tires crushed zombie corpses into the ground, spraying black blood everywhere. On the back of the truck, several men stood laughing boisterously, clutching iron rods and cleavers. One even brandished a Molotov cocktail, his eyes crazed as if playing a game.
"Hahaha! Run, you dead dogs!" "Left! Turn left! Let's lure a few more!"
The jeep swerved abruptly around the plaza in front of the gate, intentionally dragging a shambling horde of zombies behind it, their groans mingling with the men's hysterical laughter.
"Madmen..."
Right then, one of the men on the vehicle spotted a figure under the hall's canopy. He was stunned for a heartbeat, then his mouth twisted into a distorted grin.
"Hey—!" "There's someone there!"
The entire vehicle erupted in chaos. Another man leaned out, pointing directly at Thuong Sinh.
"Ha! New prey!" "Lure the zombies over there! Let's watch him run!"
Excited laughter broke out. The jeep veered, the engine roaring again as it headed straight for the main hall. The zombies behind it immediately changed direction, howling and dragging their rotting bodies in pursuit.
Thuong Sinh stood in the middle of the plaza outside the hall, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. His gaze was deathly calm.
"...Seeking your own death."
The engine's roar intensified as the jeep lunged like a maddened iron beast. Three men armed with rods jumped down before the vehicle fully stopped, their boots slamming onto the concrete.
They held long iron rods, the tips stained with dried blood. Their eyes gleamed with a morbid excitement, as if the person before them wasn't a living being, but a new toy.
"Break his legs first," one chuckled hoarsely. "Don't kill him; let him crawl."
They fanned out crudely, but enough to block his retreat. Three rods were raised high, closing in simultaneously. Thuong Sinh didn't retreat; he advanced. His hand gripped the hilt, his eyes cold. The moment the first rod swung down—
His figure blurred.
"Phantom Steps"
He didn't disappear; he shifted in an instant, leaving a faint afterimage behind. The man in the center didn't even realize what happened before a pale green light flashed before his eyes.
Slash—
He collapsed to the ground, the iron rod clattering. The man on the left turned in panic, his rod just halfway up—
The blade had already arrived.
No scream, no time to react. His body slumped as if the life force had been drained instantly. The last man's eyes bulged, his mouth hanging open.
"What—"
One breath. The Blade Wind swept past.
Everything ended.
Three bodies lay scattered across the hall floor, blood quickly spreading and soaking into the old, dried stains. It took less than five seconds.
The man remaining in the jeep was frozen in shock; he hadn't even had time to hit the gas. A figure was already upon him.
"No—!"
Boom!
A direct kick to the face. His body flew out of the driver's seat, tumbling across the concrete. He hit his head hard, dazed and unable to stand. By then, Thuong Sinh was already behind the wheel.
The engine roared as the jeep tore away, leaving behind a desperate scream that was quickly swallowed. The shambling shadows from afar had arrived. Zombies lunged, the sound of tearing flesh and distorted shrieks echoing in the distance.
Thuong Sinh didn't look back. He drove out of the school grounds, his expression as calm as if he had just finished an insignificant task. He steered the vehicle toward the south.
The jeep sped along the cracked asphalt road leading southward. On both sides, abandoned cars sat in disarray, their doors flung wide. Luggage and shoes were scattered in places—traces of a chaotic exodus that had long since ended. Thuong Sinh controlled the vehicle steadily, neither accelerating nor slowing down, as if leaving a long nightmare.
After half an hour, the fuel gauge began to drop into the danger zone. Ahead, a small gas station appeared by the roadside. The sign hung crookedly, its paint peeling, but the surrounding area was relatively clear.
Thuong Sinh slowed down and let the jeep roll in. He didn't get out immediately but sat in silence, listening for a few seconds. No groans, no dragging sounds. Only then did he step out.
The wind whistled through the metal signs with a chilling creak. As Thuong Sinh set foot on the ground, his body felt a lingering fatigue, and his right shoulder throbbed slightly with every deep breath, but it was far lighter than before.
He circled the station once. Finding no zombies or other traces, he picked up the nozzle to refuel. The pungent smell of gasoline filled the air. He took the chance to drink a few gulps of water, leaning against the vehicle to rest. The midday sun made him squint, and his mind finally felt clear.
Suddenly—
A faint sound echoed from behind the gas station's convenience store.
Rustle.
Thuong Sinh immediately straightened, his hand on his sword. Seconds later, the glass door at the back creaked open a fraction.
A gaunt woman's face appeared, her hair disheveled and eyes shadowed from lack of sleep. She partially blocked the door, and behind her stood a young girl about six or seven years old, clutching her mother's shirt, her eyes filled with fear and wariness.
The woman's voice trembled. "Are you... are you a survivor?"
Thuong Sinh glanced at the mother and daughter for a few seconds. No stench of decay, no bloodshot eyes, no signs of infection. He relaxed his guard and nodded.
"Yeah."
The woman nearly collapsed with relief, quickly pulling her child out but maintaining a distance. "Sorry... we've been here for two days. When I heard the car, I was afraid it was..." She didn't finish, but Thuong Sinh understood.
"It's safe here temporarily," he said, his voice void of much emotion, "but you shouldn't stay long."
The woman nodded repeatedly, her eyes darting toward the jeep with hesitation. She took a gamble and asked, "Could you give us a lift? Just out of this area is fine. I... I can trade food."
She opened her backpack, revealing a few crushed packages of snacks. The child behind her tugged her mother's sleeve and whispered something, her gaze on Thuong Sinh filled not with adult fear, but with curiosity and hope.
Thuong Sinh was silent for a few seconds. His gaze flickered over the woman's trembling hands and settled on the child huddling behind her.
Finally, he opened the car door. "Get in."
"But remember: no noise, and no acting on your own."
The woman was stunned for a moment, then bowed her head low. "Thank you... thank you so much."
The child climbed into the car and sat perfectly still, hands placed neatly on her lap. The jeep started up again and left the station.
On the road heading south, for the first time, he was no longer alone in the car.