After dark, the Georgia Institute of Technology fell into deathly silence.
In the underground shelter's hall, Leon took the dinner Hillman handed him and nodded awkwardly. After all, he had chopped off Hillman's sister's arm that afternoon, and the girl was still unconscious.
Across from him sat four older men: Professor Jacob, Professor Marlock, Professor Thomas, and Professor Amrin.
Leon cleared his throat and said:
"As Professor Amrin explained, our Umbrella Corporation is an organization dedicated to safeguarding humanity's hope and rebuilding human civilization."
"We sincerely need all of you professors and your students to join us. We will provide you with abundant supplies and absolutely secure protection, ensuring that even in this apocalyptic world, you can make enormous contributions to the cause of safeguarding humanity."
When Professors Marlock and Thomas heard that Leon could provide absolutely secure shelter, their eyes flickered, and they showed a trace of interest.
Professor Jacob stroked his stubble and asked:
"We really do have to leave this place. The underground shelter's resources can last at most another half a month. But according to your description, crossing the hordes of corpses in the streets is extremely dangerous. Even experienced survivors like you nearly ended up as zombie food."
"Then people like us—more than a hundred ordinary civilians—would have an even harder time crossing, wouldn't we?"
Hearing this, Leon gave a confident smile and said to the professors:
"You don't need to worry about that."
He pulled a map from his waist pouch and pushed it in front of the professors.
"This afternoon, I made a special trip to the library to find it."
Professor Amrin reached out and spread the map flat. When he saw the string of English in the center, he cried out in surprise.
"Atlanta Sewer Construction Schematic."
Looking at the professors' astonished expressions, Leon smiled faintly and said:
"Actually, if we'd had this map when we came to the Polytechnic Institute, we wouldn't have needed to risk our lives crossing the hordes at all."
"Now, we only need to leave the city center through the sewers. Then we can contact the troops outside and have them come support us."
Professor Jacob nodded solemnly, a smile appearing on his face.
"Mr. Castor, you truly are an excellent leader. You possess both the courage to face danger head-on and the wisdom to overcome difficulties."
"As for the Umbrella Corporation's recruitment offer, I'll give it serious consideration. I hope I can visit your base for an on-site inspection. Would that be too presumptuous?"
"Of course not, Professor. You'll soon discover that in this world, our base is already one of the few places that can be called a paradise."
Leon nodded indifferently, but inwardly he thought, Now that you've fallen into my pot, could a cooked duck possibly still fly away?
After dinner, Leon chatted with the professors for a while before returning to his bed.
He was somewhat excited. This trip to the Polytechnic Institute had truly paid off. Not to mention the nearly hundred young leek—just the existence of these three professors was enough to delight Leon.
Professor Jacob was an internationally renowned professor of Nuclear Engineering. Professor Marlock was a leading authority in Bio-gene Engineering, while Professor Thomas was a famous mechanical engineer in America.
All three professors possessed genuine talent and learning. Although they would not have much practical impact on the base's construction in the short term,
once Umbrella Corporation developed in the future, the three professors would greatly raise the company's ceiling.
The next day, Leon and his warriors rose early. Their mission was to find an entrance according to the directions on the sewer map.
Fortunately, the first floor of the stadium itself had an entrance connected to the sewers. As long as they cleared out the zombies between the sewer entrance and the shelter, they could lead the survivors into the sewers.
It was another long battle. Leon led his warriors in killing from seven in the morning until eleven, clearing out more than two hundred zombies before the path was finally empty.
Looking at the opening covered by a metal manhole cover, Leon thought for a moment, then turned to Merle and said:
"Daryl and I will go in first to scout the route. You and the other team members escort those students and professors over now."
"We'll leave markers along the way. Once we've confirmed the correct and safe route, proceed ahead. If anything happens, remember to call me on the radio."
Merle accepted the order and left, taking Glenn, Aji, and T-Dog with him.
Leon nodded at the remaining Daryl, then led the way into the sewers.
The moment he entered the sewers, a powerful stench of decay filled Leon's nose. He took out a flashlight and examined the area.
The sewers weren't very spacious. They were only three meters high and no more than five meters wide.
Above Leon's head were all kinds of metal pipes. Beneath his feet flowed a small river of filthy sewage.
Because the environment had remained damp for years, green moss covered both the walls and the two steps near them. They had to control the force of every step to avoid slipping and falling.
Although the place was filled with a foul stench and slick moss, Leon was somewhat relieved to find that there were basically no traces of zombies.
Following the route they had planned beforehand, he advanced roughly five hundred meters with Daryl, yet they still hadn't encountered a single zombie.
Leon took the radio from his waist pouch and spoke to Merle:
"Merle, Merle, this is Leon Castor."
"The route here is completely safe. You can bring the group forward."
A few seconds later, Merle's voice came through the radio.
"Copy that, copy that."
"Boss, we've already started entering the sewers."
"Okay. We'll continue scouting ahead. Remember to contact me if anything unusual happens."
The journey was dangerous but uneventful. Apart from one or two zombies that had occasionally wandered into the sewers, Leon and the others traveled the ten-kilometer route underground and took a full four hours to finally leave the University District.
After choosing an exit, Leon pushed open the manhole cover above him and climbed out, only to find that they had arrived in an alley between two buildings.
Using his Silenced Pistol, he quickly killed the two zombies that had come after hearing the noise. Then Leon surveyed their location.
They were roughly one kilometer from where Rick's troops were stationed. A wire fence blocked off the alley's exit, and there were approximately two or three hundred zombies on the road.
After gathering this information, Leon took out the radio, tuned it to the channel used by Rick and the others, and spoke:
"Rick, Rick, this is Leon Castor."
A few seconds later, Rick's voice came through.
"This is Rick. Leon, where are you now?"
Leon looked at the number on the building beside him.
"We're within two kilometers of your location, at your ten o'clock position, 109 Oak Leaf Street."
"We're trapped on this street. Bring the others over now, clear out the zombies here, and get us out."
"Alright, Leon. We're on our way."
Before you continue