At that moment, the ground above the cave collapsed, forcing Xue Ji to halt her attack and leap backward. Sunlight poured into the cavern, catching the three members of the Decapitation Squad off guard—they were buried under the rubble.
Xue Ji, however, hurled her chained spear upward. The weapon surged with a black tempest, carrying her through the falling debris as she burst onto the surface.
To her surprise, the cavern’s ceiling turned out to be directly beneath the school building. After the gymnasium, now the Third High School’s main academic block was also destroyed. I wonder if the principal will cry himself to sleep under the covers when he finds out, she mused.
The crimson hue in Xue Ji’s eyes had faded slightly. She pressed her communicator, and Soraka’s frantic voice crackled through:
“We’re trapped underground but unharmed. Where are you?”
“Above ground.”
“Good, there’s still time! During the collapse, Subject 003 merged with the rat horde. It has flesh-fusion abilities—we saw it absorbing the rat mutants before we got buried. Evacuate with everyone on the surface now!”
Even from above, Xue Ji could sense the swelling menace below. The threat reignited the fading bloodlust in her eyes. She wanted to fight.
Chen Shijie spotted Xue Ji and urgently signaled her to retreat. Meanwhile, Class 5—being evacuated—noticed the lone black figure. Shen Dai and Zhao Cheng found her silhouette familiar, but there was no time to dwell on it as they sprinted toward the school gates.
Yet the gates were now blocked by a swarm of rat mutants. Without military cover, the students faced imminent danger. Then, a deafening roar echoed from hundreds of meters away, freezing everyone with terror.
Five unnamed defenders shielded the students. Though highly skilled, they were overwhelmed by the endless tide of mutants. Shen Dai joined the fray, igniting a wall of fire with her demonic flames. Zhao Cheng, quick-witted, activated his B-tier ability—Giant’s Bloodline—and swung a burning mutant corpse like a torch to repel the rodents.
More students rallied, mostly those who’d adapted during the siege. Exhausted but resolute, they held the line.
The student body had split: one group had become warriors; the other remained paralyzed by fear. For most in the latter, that first step into combat might never happen.
Among them was He Zhixin of Class 1—one of the rare A-tier physical ability users—still hesitating at the rear.
Praised and celebrated his whole life, He Zhixin had basked in newfound adoration after awakening his power. Yet now, the weight of expectation crushed him. Unlike Shen Dai, whose ranged abilities spared her close-quarters terror, he loathed his gift. Every glance from peers felt accusatory; every whisper seemed to mock him.
He shouldn’t have come. He should’ve refused awakening. The gnashing of mutants and the chaos gnawed at his sanity.
Smaller Niezhi beasts breached the defenses, darting into the crowd. Panic spread like plague. Some tried fighting back, but their attacks either missed or fizzled.
Shen Dai turned to shout, “Stay calm! There are enough of us to stomp these things to death—”
A car-sized Niezhi beast barreled through the flames toward her. Zhao Cheng intercepted it with his giantized hand, only for the creature to rip a chunk of flesh from his arm.
“RUN, CLASS PRESIDENT! AAGHH—!”
His scream deepened the panic. Students stumbled, trampled each other—including He Zhixin, who curled up under the stampede. His toughened body spared him injury, but shame held him down.
An unnamed defender kicked the rampaging beast away and evacuated Zhao Cheng and Shen Dai. As she bandaged Zhao’s mangled arm, Shen Dai noticed He Zhixin motionless on the ground.
Then, an unexpected sound cut through the chaos:
🎵 “You walking toward me sets my heart aflame~”
🎵 “This feeling’s never been the same~”
🎵 “Cause I got a crush on you, who you~”
It was Cai Xukun from her class, battling alongside Wang Ziyi and Wang Lingkai nearby. Shen Dai seized his chicken-shaped speaker—its PA mode was perfect for the crisis.
“Hey! What’re you—?“
“Borrowing this, Kun!”
She hauled over another classmate with sound-amplifying abilities. Gathering her remaining energy, Shen Dai conjured a three-meter fireball, its glare stunning the crowd into stillness.
Through the speaker, her voice boomed:
“EVERYONE INSIDE THE CIRCLE—STAY PUT! OR I’LL TAKE YOU ALL DOWN WITH ME!“