Knowledge is Power

After nightfall, the Georgia Institute of Technology fell into a deathly silence.

In the underground shelter's main hall, Leon took the dinner Hillman handed him and nodded somewhat awkwardly. After all, he had chopped off the man's older 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 mentioned, our Umbrella Corporation is an organization dedicated to safeguarding humanity's hope and rebuilding human civilization."

"We greatly need the participation of you professors and your students. We will provide ample supplies and absolute security, ensuring that even in this apocalyptic world, you can make tremendous contributions to the cause of protecting humanity."

Professors Marlock and Thomas both brightened at the promise of absolute safety, a flicker of interest in their eyes.

Professor Jacob stroked his stubble and asked, "We really do have to leave here. The underground shelter's resources can last at most another half month. But from what you've described, crossing through those hordes of zombies on the streets is extremely dangerous. Even seasoned survivors like you nearly got devoured."

"So for ordinary people like us, over a hundred in number, it should be very difficult to get through, right?"

Leon smiled confidently and said to the professors, "You don't need to worry about that."

He pulled a map from his waist pouch and slid it across to them.

"This afternoon, I made a special trip to the library just to find this."

Professor Amrin reached out, flattened the map, and gasped in surprise at the English text in the center.

"Atlanta Sewer Construction Schematic."

Seeing the professors' astonished looks, Leon smiled faintly and said, "Actually, if we'd had this map when we first came to the Institute of Technology, we wouldn't have needed to risk our lives crossing the zombie hordes."

"Now, we just need to leave the city center through the sewers and contact the troops outside to come support us."

Professor Jacob nodded solemnly, a smile spreading across his face. "Mr. Castor, you are an excellent leader—both the courage to face danger and the wisdom to overcome difficulties."

"I will seriously consider Umbrella Corporation's recruitment. I hope I can visit your base for a field inspection. Would that be too presumptuous?"

"Of course not, Professor. You'll soon find that in this world, our base is one of the few places that can truly be called a paradise."

Leon nodded casually, but inwardly he thought, Once you're in my pot, there's no way a cooked duck is flying away.

After dinner, Leon chatted a bit more with the professors before heading to his bed.

He was a little excited. This trip to the Institute of Technology had been a huge win. Not counting the nearly hundred young greenhorns, just the presence of these three professors was a pleasant surprise.

Professor Jacob was a world-renowned expert in Nuclear Engineering, Professor Marlock was a towering figure in Bio-gene Engineering, and Professor Thomas was a highly famous Mechanical Engineer in America.

All three were true talents with real expertise. Even if they wouldn't contribute much to the base's construction in the short term, in the future, once Umbrella Corporation developed, they would greatly raise the company's ceiling.

The next day, Leon and his men woke up early. Their task was to find an entrance following the sewer map's instructions.

Luckily, the gymnasium's first floor itself had an entrance connected to the sewers. They just needed to clear the zombies between the sewer entrance and the shelter, then lead the survivors into the sewers.

It was another long battle. Leon and his men fought from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m., taking out over two hundred zombies before the path was clear.

Looking at the hole covered by a metal manhole cover, Leon thought for a moment, then turned to Merle. "Daryl and I will go ahead to scout. You and the others escort the students and professors over now."

"We'll leave markers along the way to confirm the safe route. If anything happens, radio me."

Merle acknowledged and left, taking Glenn, Aji, and T-Dog with him.

Leon nodded to the remaining Daryl and led the way into the sewer.

As soon as he entered, a strong stench of rot filled his nostrils. He pulled out a flashlight and surveyed the sewer.

The space wasn't large—only three meters high and less than five meters wide.

Above his head were various metal pipes; beneath his feet was a small river of sewage.

Because of the constant dampness, both the walls and the two steps near them were covered in green moss. He had to watch his footing carefully to avoid slipping.

Despite the stench and slippery moss, what reassured Leon was that there were basically no traces of zombies here.

Following the pre-planned route, he and Daryl advanced about five hundred meters without encountering a single zombie.

Leon pulled out his radio and said, "Merle, Merle, this is Leon Castor."

"The route here is very safe. You can move the group in."

A few seconds later, Merle's voice came back over the radio.

"Copy that, copy that."

"Boss, we're already entering the sewer."

"OK, we'll keep scouting ahead. Contact me if anything comes up."

The journey was tense but uneventful, with only the occasional zombie wandering into the sewer. Covering the 10-kilometer stretch through the underground passage, Leon and the others took a full four hours to finally leave the University District behind.

Choosing an exit, Leon pushed open the manhole cover overhead and climbed out, finding themselves in a narrow alley between two buildings.

Using a silenced pistol, he quickly took down two zombies drawn by the noise, then surveyed their location.

They were about a kilometer from where Rick and his unit were stationed. The alley was blocked off by a chain-link fence, and roughly two to three hundred zombies roamed the street beyond.

With this intel gathered, Leon pulled out his radio, tuned it to Rick's frequency, and spoke.

"Rick, Rick, this is Leon Castor."

A few seconds later, Rick's voice came through.

"This is Rick. Leon, what's your position?"

Leon glanced at the building's street number beside him.

"We're within two kilometers of you, at your ten o'clock, 109 Oak Leaf Street."

"We're trapped on this street. Bring the others over, clear out the zombies here, and get us out."

"Got it, Leon. We'll be there soon."