Chapter 38: Annihilation of Building 9  

Wang Lei waved his hand, signaling the men from Building 10 to move out. Nine of them took point, clearing the path, while the remaining fifteen followed closely behind with their supplies. 

They hadn't gone far when the zombies around them suddenly went berserk—as if triggered by some unseen signal. The undead surged toward the supermarket in a frenzied rush, their guttural snarls filling the air. 

The sight sent chills down the spines of Wang Lei's group. Those carrying supplies immediately dropped their loads and grabbed their weapons instead. Though most of the zombies were charging into the supermarket, about twenty still veered toward Wang Lei's team. 

Before they could even brace for combat, bloodcurdling screams erupted from inside the supermarket—agonized wails that sounded like they came straight from hell. The cries echoed across the campus, so piercing that even Liu Shuang'er and Gu Anqing, still at the breakfast table, heard them clearly. 

The two women hurried to Huang Ming's side, watching the drone feed with grim expressions. The scenes playing out would have made most people vomit, but by now, they had grown somewhat numb to such horrors. 

With only one drone, Huang Ming struggled to monitor everything at once. He had momentarily lost sight of Wang Lei's group in the chaos. Redirecting the drone, he saw them locked in desperate combat with the zombies that had broken off from the main horde. 

The fight was evenly matched—roughly one zombie per survivor. Wang Gang, Ma Tao, and Ji Dayong were the first to take down their opponents. Wang Lei, however, struggled, barely holding his own. Fortunately, Wang Gang and Ma Tao were nearby. They quickly dispatched the zombie attacking Wang Lei before shouting, "Fall back! Everyone retreat!" 

They didn't wait to help the others. The moment they saw the zombies pouring out of the supermarket—having already slaughtered Building 9's survivors—they bolted for Building 10. 

"Help us! We can't hold them off!" 

The remaining men panicked. Those who had already killed their zombies turned and ran. Those still fighting grew frantic as the supermarket horde closed in—just seconds away. 

Fear made them sloppy. One overconfident young man tried to flee but hesitated for a split second. A zombie latched onto his arm, dragging him down. His screams joined the chorus of despair. 

Had they kept their cool, they might have survived. But panic was their undoing. 

Within moments, the stragglers were overwhelmed. The drones picked up their final, harrowing cries before the feed showed only writhing bodies and feasting undead. 

Huang Ming, now standing by the window, watched as the survivors of Building 10 sprinted toward their dorm. 

"Shuang'er, count how many make it back," he said. "I'll check if anyone from Building 9 survived." 

She nodded, eyes fixed on the fleeing figures as she tallied their numbers. 

The drone's camera swept over the supermarket's interior—a charnel house of blood and torn flesh. Zombies crowded over twitching bodies, their feasting uninterrupted. Among them, Huang Ming spotted Chen Haodong. The man's right arm was gone, his torso ripped open as two zombies gnawed on his exposed organs. His glassy eyes stared into nothingness, his body spasming in the early throes of reanimation. 

Huang Ming exhaled sharply. "Building 9 is finished. No male survivors left." 

He redirected the drone, scanning for Li Qingya, but she had vanished. 

"Twelve made it back," Shuang'er reported. "Exactly half." 

Gu Anqing studied the drone feed. "So between both buildings, about fifty died today." 

Huang Ming nodded. Then he asked, "Guess where the most dangerous place on campus is now?" 

"Where?" both women asked. 

"The supermarket." 

They exchanged puzzled looks. 

Huang Ming explained, "I saw Li Qingya lurking near the supermarket earlier. She called zombies from Buildings 1 and 5 to surround it deliberately." 

Shuang'er's eyes widened. "You mean... she's getting smarter? She knew we'd eventually come for supplies, so she set a trap?" 

"Exactly," Huang Ming said. "This wasn't a random attack. She used strategy—encirclement, not just a blind rush. If it had been the latter, Building 9 might have had survivors." He paused. "My guess? She's already staking out one of the other supermarkets." 

Gu Anqing's expression darkened. "Huang Ming, if we get the chance, we need to eliminate her fast. If she evolves further—if she starts thinking like a human—killing her will become impossible." 

Huang Ming smirked. "Don't worry. We're not like those idiots. When I find her, she'll regret ever crossing paths with us."