The opera performer

Niu Wudi had clearly thought of this too.

No, to be precise, the girl in the green dress beside him had thought of it and stopped Niu Wudi from charging toward the supplies.

Everyone surveyed the cafeteria warily.

The cafeteria was small, its dining area only a little over a hundred square meters. The food lay quietly piled not far from its entrance.

"Who cares what's going on? Let's take the supplies first." Clearly unhappy that the girl in green had stopped him, Niu Wudi ignored her and walked toward the supplies.

Seeing their boss move, his men hurried after him.

"An-anomaly!"

Just as Niu Wudi approached the supplies, a startled cry suddenly rang out among the survivors.

The others needed no warning. They too had seen the anomalies slowly emerging from the cafeteria's shadows!

In the shadows stood a group of children with rough skin, ranging from a few years old to their teens. They wore matching school uniforms, all clean, as though they had only recently been issued.

More than thirty students stood in the shadows, their blood-red eyes fixed on everyone in the sunlight.

Their expressions were numb and vacant. Having become anomalies, they had long since lost their former emotions and were now emotionless killing machines.

The survivors might have felt sympathy, but they understood that once darkness enveloped them, the students would pounce like hungry wolves and tear them apart in minutes.

At the front of the students stood a man in an immaculate suit, his face weathered. Though he was clearly not old, his hair was already completely white.

"Principal..."

Seeing the man, Xiao Wu's eyes filled with a hint of emotion. "I never thought you'd failed to escape too. Our last parting turned out to be forever. Ah."

"All right, the dead are gone. Let's move the supplies first."

Wang Feng patted Xiao Wu on the shoulder and stepped forward to start moving supplies.

Niu Wudi had long since grown accustomed to anomalies overseeing them from the shadows. Without even giving them more than a few glances, he and his men deftly shouldered the supplies and headed out.

"We've really hit the jackpot this trip. Once I bring this back, I can rest for days." Some survivors put the anomalies out of their minds, the heavy supplies in their hands dispelling their fear.

If they had enough supplies, who would willingly keep snatching more from right under the anomalies' noses?

"Yeah, I have to say, this is the easiest supply run I've ever been on!" the other survivors agreed.

Being bathed in sunlight was the survivors' greatest source of confidence.

Some small groups of survivors chatted and laughed as they carried box after box of supplies toward the school gates.

As for the principal and students in the cafeteria's shadows, they treated them entirely as part of the scenery.

Unwilling to pass up the chance to strike it rich in one go, the survivors made trip after trip. Even after packing their vehicles full, they kept moving supplies.

Even the roofs had to be loaded with supplies!

Everyone wanted to make a big haul so they could go longer without risking their lives searching for supplies.

Lin Qi likewise carried the supplies to the SUV, one box after another.

Along the way, when no one was watching, he secretly stole eight hundred ghost notes from the principal.

As for the students, they looked as though they had little saved up, so naturally he would not waste his uses on them.

What surprised him somewhat was that when he had stolen ghost notes from other anomalies before, they had immediately flown into a rage. Yet the principal did not. His expression never changed at all.

Numbness. Nothing but numbness...

Lin Qi paid no further attention to the principal and his group of anomalies. Shouldering his supplies, he ran toward the school gates.

But just as he was about to reach the entrance, an eerie, terrifying operatic voice burst through the air without warning!

[In the mirror, I paint my face; beyond the mirror, no flesh remains~~]

[The opera stage stands empty; only I sing alone~~]

"Fuck, what the hell!"

A chill ran through one survivor as he listened. Looking up, he saw that a woman in red had appeared on the deserted stage at some unknown point.

A veil covered the woman's face, hiding every trace of her features.

"What are you scared of? It's broad daylight. What's he going to do, come out and eat you?" Another survivor curled his lip. After seeing so many anomalies, he seemed to have grown much bolder.

"All right, since everyone's pretty much finished gathering supplies, let's get out of here. This place feels seriously sinister," Wang Feng said quietly in Lin Qi's ear.

But the instant his words fell-

Boom!

A thunderclap exploded overhead.

The previously cloudless sky filled with dark clouds in an instant. In no more than a second, darkness shrouded the entire land.

A chill shot up from the soles of every survivor's feet.

"Quick! Hurry, hurry! Get out!"

Someone among the survivors cried out. Everyone understood what darkness meant.

Yet the instant darkness descended, the school entrance shimmered, and the principal's figure appeared in the darkness without warning. His scarlet eyes stared fixedly at every survivor trying to leave the school.

Gulp.

One survivor swallowed and carefully set down his box. "P-principal, I didn't mean to steal your things..."

Seeing the gate blocked, the survivors began backing away, panic filling their faces.

"What are you doing? Get out of my way!"

A furious roar came from behind. Everyone looked over to see Niu Wudi sprinting toward the crowd, followed by his men and the girl in green.

"Roar!"

As Niu Wudi ran, his body rapidly expanded. With almost no hesitation, he transformed into a giant bear and hurled himself at the principal.

The survivors hurriedly cleared a path for Niu Wudi's charge. Seeing a superhuman take action also brought them considerable relief.

The principal's scarlet eyes remained fixed on Niu Wudi.

There was no flicker of emotion in his eyes.

Niu Wudi's terrifying bulk charged toward the principal. Before his giant bear form, the principal looked as frail as a child.

And yet...

Boom!

Another crash rang out. In their very first exchange, the principal sent Niu Wudi's giant bear form staggering backward with a single punch!

"Hiss."

The survivors sucked in sharp breaths, their gazes darting around as they tried to find a way out of the school.

"They're coming!"

Another startled cry rose from among the survivors.

The others turned to look. More than thirty student anomalies had begun appearing on the surrounding classroom buildings, staring fixedly at them.

Strangely, though the students stood on the classroom buildings, they showed no intention of attacking anyone. At that moment, they resembled an audience watching the principal's one-sided slaughter.

"Lin, what do we do now?"

Wang Feng had gathered his team members around Lin Qi, his gaze fixed on the students atop the surrounding classroom buildings.

The students' eyes had never moved at all, yet he felt that no matter where he went, they remained locked onto him.

"Wait."

Lin Qi gripped his machete tightly. They were only a step away from getting outside the school, yet that distance now felt like a heavenly punishment.

Niu Wudi was clearly trying to lure the principal away, but the principal was completely unaffected. He stood immovable at the school entrance, apparently intending to trap them inside and kill them one by one!

The students' gazes from the classroom buildings felt like thorns in their backs.

Lin Qi was considering whether to use his ability to immobilize the principal and find a chance to escape the school.

[On this auspicious day, incense for the dead; year after year, I await your death~~]

The eerie singing still echoed through the air.

Lin Qi looked outside the school. When he saw the situation beyond its walls clearly, his expression changed drastically. "We can't wait! If we wait any longer, we're all going to die!!!"