Chapter 16: Opportunity

Shaun wiped away his saliva, put on the black mask, and shook his non-existent hair slightly. He glanced at the middle-aged man in front of him and shook his head. He didn't want to admit that they were here to save them, and he couldn't speak, or he would surely expose himself.

"The Passerby Aura is activated!"

"Ding! Activation successful!"

Shaun felt a sense of joy in his heart and began his "performance." He crouched down, covering his face with both hands, shaking his head and swaying his body, portraying an exaggerated expression of overwhelming sadness.

Spike found it a bit strange. Initially, he felt an intangible aura around the person, preventing him from acting recklessly. But now, it seemed like this person was just an average passerby. Especially with this performance, he appeared as if he were a survivor who had barely escaped. Did he misjudge the situation?

Spike straightened his posture, tried to look dignified, and coughed artificially a few times. "This...," he began, but before he could finish his sentence, everyone saw Shaun becoming more and more excited, his actions increasingly flamboyant. Eventually, he started rolling on the ground, kicking his legs vigorously, and clutching at his sparse hair with his hands, all while displaying a deeply mournful expression.

Spike's lips twitched slightly. He had never seen a student so "energetic." Could you dial it down a notch, please? Your act could be a bit less theatrical.

"Don't be sad. You must carry on for your loved ones."

"As long as you abide by the rules here, we won't drive you away!" Spike's face displayed a faint smile, and he kindly said, even though inwardly, he was pleased. After all, they had gained another free labor force.

Shaun appeared to gradually calm down from his sorrow, nodded in agreement, and obediently squatted in a corner, contemplating his strategy. How could he infect everyone as quickly as possible? Locking the gate from the inside wasn't an option; if he went on a rampage, people would definitely flee. An even bigger challenge was that he had to infect everyone within a short time. If one person got infected and then infected others, his mission reward would decrease.

Everyone seemed oblivious to Shaun, treating the newcomer as just another person waiting to die alongside them. The middle-aged man took advantage of this opportunity to step forward and deliver a speech.

"Today, we are fortunate. Not only do we have a new member joining us, but also the zombies from yesterday outside the gate have disappeared!"

"I believe we'll make even greater progress today!"

"Tomorrow will be even better!"

Spike cleared his throat, suddenly looking at Shaun, his gaze deep and even containing a hint of teary emotion. He emotionally said, "This student, would you be willing to go out with two others to search for food? To save every one of us?"

Shaun was taken aback. Searching for food? And with others? What a great opportunity! He looked at the middle-aged man ahead, thinking, "Aren't you quite the talent?" Shaun nodded excitedly, a bit overjoyed.

The others were all in a daze. Who's brave enough to do that these days?

Spike was equally baffled. Had this person's level of consciousness reached such heights? He nodded slightly, a look of admiration on his face.

"Very well, the new era needs talents like you. You're the backbone of society!"

"Nevill, Kain, you will go with this new student. I'm sure you'll have a fruitful day today!"

The two students stood up slowly, their faces pale, and eyes still full of fear. There was no way to escape this.

Spike deliberately took out a sausage and handed it to Shaun as a motivator. In the past, they used to provide incentives whenever someone went out to find food, but as the food became scarcer, they stopped implementing this rule. In Spike's eyes, a human life was worth no more than a sausage.

Shaun was a bit puzzled. As a zombie, what good is this thing for me?

In the end, the three of them slowly exited the activity center. Nevill and Kain were still filled with fear, knowing that death was just a moment's inattention away. However, Shaun exuded confidence, even patting the shoulders of the other two as a sign of encouragement.

Nevill and Kain were also slightly eased by Shaun's presence. Was this new student so composed due to some extraordinary skills? In this post-apocalyptic world, who knew, there might be saviors or supernatural individuals among humans too.

Nonetheless, when they got close to Shaun, they couldn't help but feel a shiver down their spines, as if facing a natural enemy. The rest of the group looked on expectantly as the three walked away, even waving their hands. They hoped the trio would return with a bounty of food, granting them a few more days of survival.

Shaun acted like he'd known them forever, tightly wrapping his arms around their shoulders, giving the impression of a great friend. However, it was all just to prevent them from fleeing and potentially being infected by other zombies. A prudent approach, since it wouldn't be worth it if they escaped.

"Where are we going to find food?" Nevill's voice still quivered, and he grew even more fearful upon seeing the wandering zombies in the distance.

Shaun put his arms around the two and led them towards a nearby restroom. "We're going out to find food, not going to the restroom!" Both Nevill and Kain were puzzled. Did this guy have some peculiar preferences? Urged to find food, he rushed to the restroom. What kind of scenario was this?

However, Shaun shook his head and even adjusted his sunglasses, assuming a masterful look. He led the two to the restroom entrance, gesturing for them to wait patiently.

He entered the restroom, scanned its interior, and found no zombies. It seemed like the zombies weren't accustomed to this place's scent. He made an "OK" gesture to the two and motioned them inside, taking care to lock the restroom door behind them.

"We're hungry every day. Who needs to use the restroom?" Having not eaten anything, what good was the restroom? Looking at their worn-out appearances in the restroom mirror, they looked haggard and emaciated, their former vitality gone.

"What are you doing?!" Suddenly, Nevill saw Shaun lock the restroom door and, without warning, wrap his hands around his neck. What was even more unsettling was that Shaun's head got closer. A shiver of dread surged through him. Was this guy a maniac?!

Kain also noticed Shaun's actions but didn't intervene; he was rather fascinated by the suspense.

"Aah!" Nevill was about to push him away when sudden pain shot through his neck, blood spurted out. Astonishingly, Shaun unveiled his fangs, even traces of blood staining his mouth corners.

"You..." Nevill clutched his neck, his eyes filled with sheer terror. He never expected that he was dealing with a zombie. A zombie with behavior so closely resembling that of a human?

Kain also watched Shaun's actions, his eyes wide with alarm. Outside, there was no one to rescue him. Shaun let go of Nevill, slowly moving towards Kain. Go ahead, scream! Even if you scream your lungs out, no one will pay you any attention!

"Yelling... ah..." ...

"Ding! Host successfully infected one person, Evolution Points +10!" ...

Evolution Points had now reached 150/400. According to his calculations, if he managed to infect over a hundred people in the activity center, he would directly advance to a Rank 6 ordinary zombie.

Shaun tidied his hair, feeling more dashing than ever. He swaggered forward, pondering his next moves. Would going back now be too obvious? Losing the people in less than an hour would be hard to explain. Suddenly, he twitched his nose slightly, lifting his head to gaze at the library building in the distance.

The school's sacred ground, the Library?

He caught a whiff of the scent of books... cough, fresh flesh and blood.

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