Chapter 10

Hebei Province, Shenzhou High School – March 20, 2030, 7:35 AM

Shenzhou High School had become the city's largest refuge. Thanks to the slaughter of the infected, the place enjoyed a relative calm. Its buildings, once dedicated to study and knowledge, had turned into barricaded fortresses, reinforced with chairs, tables, and barbed wire salvaged from abandoned police stations.

In a dimly lit classroom, a group of rugby players had gathered. One of them, his face contorted with anger, suddenly stood up.

— "Fuck... You let a whole horde head straight for us!"

His fist slammed violently against the blackboard, making the remaining chalk tremble.

Tao, impassive, stared at the horizon. The first rays of the setting sun bathed his skin in golden light, contrasting with the darkness of his thoughts. In the distance, he could make out a sea of the ravenous dead. Thousands of walking corpses, slowly advancing toward the school.

He spoke, his voice ringing out with an icy coldness:

— "Hey, Wen… Remember all those old folks we took in?"

Wen's head jerked up. His gaze met Tao's, and a cold sweat ran down his back.

— "Tao… You're not seriously thinking of sacrificing them, are you?"

His fist clenched, his jaw tightened. Have we become beasts? Or are we still human? he thought.

Tao smirked slightly, rubbing his chin with a detached air.

— "Hey, Wen… Look at me. You want to be a snack for those damn zombies?"

He paused before delivering his final words, his gaze as sharp as a blade:

— "It's only natural for the old to sacrifice themselves for the young."

Wen felt a deep anger rise within him.

— "You think their families will just accept that?!" he shouted, his voice trembling with rage.

He didn't have time to react. Tao tackled him violently to the ground. The desk behind him collapsed under the impact. A cry of pain escaped his lips.

— "AAAAAAARGH…!"

His head struck the debris of the broken furniture. He tried to move, but a firm hand grabbed his hair and pressed his face against the shattered wood.

— "Wen… It's the law of the strongest."

Tao's tone was almost gentle, but his eyes were as cold as death.

— "Besides… those old folks have already had their time."

Blood trickled down Wen's face. His vision blurred.

— "T-Tao… You're a monster…" he whispered weakly.

Shenzhou High School Gymnasium – 9:35 AM

About thirty students were gathered in the gym. They still wore their school uniforms, now stained with blood and dust. Armed with iron rods and makeshift bats, they stood waiting, their expressions frozen somewhere between fear and madness.

At the center of the gym, an old man with a cane stumbled after a brutal shove.

— "Have you no shame?!" a woman in her thirties screamed, rushing to his side.

Suddenly, a little girl ran forward, sobbing. She threw herself at a young woman wearing a black leather jacket and a motorcycle helmet.

— "Mean! You hit my grandpa!"

The biker woman raised an eyebrow before delivering a savage kick. The child crashed to the floor, gasping, her ribs bruised. The woman stared down at her, the shadow of her helmet hiding her expression. She tightened her grip on her iron rod.

— "P-please… no…" the child whimpered, blood trickling from her mouth.

Before she could strike, a hand shot out and grabbed her arm.

— "Hey… We still need the young ones."

The voice was shaky, but the gaze was firm.

Tao stepped into the center of the room and spoke in a clear, cutting tone:

— "Alright… Listen up, old folks."

He scanned the crowd, a cruel smile on his lips.

— "Our friends here accidentally lured a whole fucking horde to us. And guess what? You're gonna distract them. You'll walk along the horde. Those who survive—good for you. Those who die… well, at least you'll die for the future."

A heavy silence followed his words.

Then, laughter.

A teenager chuckled, then another. Soon, the whole assembly burst into mocking laughter.

— "Yeah, makes sense! You guys have had your time!" one of them sneered.

Protests erupted.

— "This is inhuman! I'm a veteran, and this is how I'm treated?!" spat an elderly man in a wheelchair.

He rolled forward, meeting Tao's gaze without flinching.

— "Back in my day, little punks like you were sent to boot camps to be straightened out!"

Tao smiled.

— "You, old man… You'll be the first."

He gestured. Two students grabbed the old man.

— "Let go of me, you little shits!" he yelled, struggling.

Tao watched him being dragged away. Then, he turned to Wen, lifting him by the collar.

— "If you try anything stupid again, I'll kill you. Got it?"

The gym doors swung open. About thirty students began forcibly dragging the elderly and the weak out of the room. Families tried to intervene, throwing stones, but they were quickly beaten down with iron bars.

A scream tore through the air.

— "Not my grandpa! Not my grandpa!"

A little girl clung desperately to the old man.

— "Then you can join him!" an adolescent laughed.

With one motion, they were both thrown over the barricade.

In the alley below, dozens of walking corpses lifted their heads. Their mournful groans grew louder.

The little girl, paralyzed with terror, didn't move.

Wen couldn't watch anymore.

His heart pounded in his chest. He had to act. Now.

In a desperate burst, he climbed over the barricade and jumped. He grabbed the child and, under a rain of snapping jaws just inches from his skin, he ran.

Five minutes.

Five minutes of hell.

He crashed through the door of an old apartment and collapsed, gasping for breath.

The little girl sobbed in his arms.

— "Grandpa… Grandpa, no…!"

Wen looked at her one last time, a bitter smile on his lips.

— "I guess… I'm a hero, huh…?"

Darkness swallowed him whole.