Chapter 22: Professor Li Qingya

As some left, others stayed behind. Ding Yang and Xu Shan, neighbors and close friends, were among those who chose to remain. Fear gnawed at them, but greed proved stronger. They wanted to return with supplies, and with a group of about ten others, they boldly marched into the cafeteria.

Wang Qiang, seeing this, waved his hand, and the students from Building 7 followed suit, flooding into the cafeteria. Inside, everyone grabbed whatever food they could find, shoving it into their mouths without a second thought. Just like the students from Building 10 the day before, their priority was filling their stomachs. The earlier battle had drained most of their energy.

"Huang Ming! The people in the cafeteria are in trouble. Look!" Liu Shuang'er's voice cut through the tension. She was operating her drone, tracking the zombies from Building 1.

Huang Ming focused on the drone's feed. The zombies were closing in, now just half a minute away from the cafeteria. Meanwhile, inside, people were still stuffing their faces, oblivious to the danger.

Ding Yang and Xu Shan, unlike the others, had started moving supplies as soon as they entered. They were ready to leave, but as they stepped out of the cafeteria, they were met with a horde of zombies staggering toward them. The two froze, confused and terrified. Why were there so many zombies? And why were they heading straight for the cafeteria?

Regret washed over them. They had risked everything for a handful of supplies and now found themselves trapped. Ding Yang and Xu Shan weren't foolish—they knew charging through the zombies would be suicide. Their only hope was to retreat and rely on the strength of the Building 7 group. They dropped their supplies and scrambled back inside, heading deeper into the cafeteria to find a defensible position.

Wang Qiang, seeing Ding Yang and Xu Shan retreat, felt a sinking feeling in his gut. He realized what was coming but didn't have time to warn the others. The zombies burst in, and chaos erupted. Screams filled the air, and the metallic tang of blood overwhelmed everyone's senses. In the dim light, it was impossible to tell friend from foe. People swung their weapons wildly, striking at anything that moved.

Ding Yang and Xu Shan had barricaded themselves in a kitchen, using heavy objects to block the door. For now, the zombies couldn't break through, but they were trapped. If the cafeteria fell, they would be next.

"Everyone, get outside! Staying in here is a death sentence. Move!" Wang Qiang's roar cut through the chaos. The survivors snapped to attention and followed him, rushing out in a panicked mob. About forty people made it out, but the zombies were waiting. A brutal fight broke out at the cafeteria entrance.

The survivors were outnumbered. Many had been infected earlier, and now the zombies had the upper hand. The battle was one-on-one, with survivors desperately fighting for their lives. Some zombies, however, fought dirty, suddenly changing targets and pouncing on unsuspecting victims. The numbers on both sides dwindled rapidly.

"Huang Ming! Look, there's a zombie hiding behind a tree. It's sneaky—I wouldn't have noticed it without the thermal imaging," Liu Shuang'er said, her voice tense.

Huang Ming adjusted his drone's camera and zoomed in on the zombie. It was a female, her long, matted hair clinging to her neck. Her face was twisted into a grotesque snarl, and her blood-red eyes sent a chill down his spine. Her upper body was exposed, and despite the horror of her appearance, Huang Ming couldn't help but notice her once-striking figure.

He recognized her. Before the apocalypse, she had been a professor—Li Qingya, a brilliant mathematician known for her sharp mind and stunning looks. Now, she was a cunning, mutated zombie.

"Finally found you. Of course, someone as smart as her would turn into a smart zombie," Huang Ming muttered, impressed despite himself.

"Huang Ming, do you know her? Was she really that intelligent?" Gu Anqing asked, her drone still hovering over Building 5, where nothing was happening. She was bored and curious.

"Yeah, that's Professor Li Qingya. She taught advanced mathematics. Brilliant woman. No wonder she's so cunning as a zombie," Huang Ming explained.

"Wow, no wonder she can control other zombies. That makes sense," Gu Anqing said, shocked. Professor Li Qingya had been a legend on campus—a beautiful, intelligent woman whose classes were always packed. No one dared skip her lectures.

"Exactly. Fear comes from the unknown. Now that we know what we're dealing with, it's not so scary, right?" Huang Ming said, relieved. He had been imagining some monstrous creature, but this was just a smart zombie.

"But she can control zombies. That's not easy to deal with. Though, judging by how sneaky she is, she probably isn't much of a fighter. Otherwise, she'd be in the thick of it," Liu Shuang'er said, throwing a few playful punches in the air. Her antics were both amusing and endearing.

"Shuang'er, if my drone had a remote-controlled bomb, what do you think I'd do?" Huang Ming asked, a sly grin spreading across his face.

Liu Shuang'er glanced at Gu Anqing, who nodded confidently. Liu Shuang'er's eyes lit up with excitement. 

"Oh my god, Huang Ming, you're so sneaky! You'd fly the drone right next to her and blow her to bits, wouldn't you?" 

"Watch your mouth, or I'll skip your lunch today. Who's the boss here, huh?" Huang Ming teased, though he wasn't really angry. Sometimes, he had to remind them who was in charge.

Liu Shuang'er stuck out her tongue playfully, trying to charm her way out of trouble.

"Look, there aren't many people left from Building 7," Liu Shuang'er said, pointing to the drone feed. The survivors from Building 7 were down to fewer than twenty. The zombies had been wiped out, but the cost was staggering—over forty students lost in one operation.

"If they'd posted lookouts, they might not have lost so many. Wang Qiang's just a brute, no real leadership skills," Gu Anqing commented, analyzing the situation.

Huang Ming chuckled dismissively. 

"Give them a break. They've been starving for days. Everyone's looking out for themselves. Who's going to volunteer to stand guard?"