Chapter 87: Hero's Debut

The moonlight was clear, and it was rare to have no blood mist shrouding it.

The once brightly lit academy building was hidden in the darkness.

The vast academy square, before the Apocalypse, would often have couples strolling together, groups of students playing ball and chatting.

But since the Apocalypse broke out, few dare to go out at night.

"What's going on!?"

In the night chill, students were roused in groups from the library and cafeteria, the crowd gathering in the square like driven sheep.

"Why are we being gathered here?"

The crowd panicked, the awakened students constantly questioning the Awakened Ones guiding them.

The zombies in the dormitory building hadn't been cleared yet; most ordinary students chose to sleep on the floor in the spacious venue, also seeking a sense of collective safety.

"Don't ask so many questions..."

The grim-faced academy Awakened Ones halted everyone's inquiries.

Under Lin An's martial deterrence, perhaps they still clung to a sliver of hope.

The remaining Awakened Ones in the academy chose to follow his orders, gathering all the students together.

From the moment Deng Lian went mad and destroyed the seal, they had no hope of survival.

That monster excels at tracking; even if they wanted to flee, there was nowhere to escape.

Only part of the zombies outside the academy had been cleared; fleeing alone was too dangerous.

Moving in groups would inevitably draw the monster's relentless pursuit.

Thus, when Lin An said he would resolve it, people instinctively saw him as their last straw of salvation.

On the square's podium, where the principal once spoke, Lin An and two others stood side by side, while the principal and leadership stood numb at the sidelines like mere backdrop.

Awakened Ones stood spaced ten meters apart to prevent the crowd from rioting later.

In the middle were over three thousand panicked, noisy students.

Meanwhile, in another open space, everything within a fifty-meter radius had been cleared, leaving only Deng Lian, bound to a flagpole, constantly cursing under a tarp.

A night chill blew.

The hastily roused female students only had time to throw on outerwear; some shapely arts-department girls couldn't help shivering, their fine figures that would normally draw many eyes.

But now, everyone craned their necks toward the podium, feeling uneasy.

"Have you noticed Huang Haitao is missing?"

The crowd murmured; several sharp-eyed boys noticed that Huang Haitao, who never left the principal's side, had vanished.

"Not just him, Senior Tang Qiang is missing too..."

As a leading figure of the Sports Institute, Tang Qiang's disappearance caused strong unease among everyone.

"I know where Senior Tang Qiang is.."

Among the crowd, several frail girls suddenly spoke up:

"This afternoon, the infirmary sent over an Awakened One, half of whose body was smashed to pieces."

"Although his head was covered, the clothing on his body was Senior Tang Qiang's!"

"What's going on!?"

"Senior Tang Qiang is so strong—who could hurt him? Could another Licker have appeared nearby?"

"A Licker?"

"As the most common mutant, in the early Apocalypse it was a nightmare-like existence."

"It's probably not as simple as a Licker."

"Because the information was sealed immediately, most ordinary students have no idea what happened to the academy in just nine hours."

"A bespectacled boy pointed at the podium, doubtful and uncertain."

"You haven't noticed the three extra people?"

"Besides, there's an explosion from the school gate, and Chairman Li, who always loved to show off, is missing too."

"Chairman Li should be in the rear mountains; I even went to notify him yesterday."

"Really? But I always feel something's off..."

"What do you mean?"

"Everyone here are college students; even the dullest can catch the guy's implication."

"If I'm not mistaken, our academy might be about to undergo a change..."

"He pointed to Lin An, clearly in a leadership position, and to the leadership beside him, humbly bowing."

"What a joke—with so many Awakened Ones, even an army attacking might not be able to take us down!"

"Three people? I think they might have some background, maybe from the military? They came to the school to deliver some information!"

"I also think maybe the outside has been retaken! They're here to have us relocate!"

"Before the crowd could finish arguing, Principal Huang Zheng, at Lin An's indication, walked a few steps to the podium."

"As principal, even though his prestige has waned since the Apocalypse, the title still carries some weight for ordinary students."

"His voice, amplified by psychic power, instantly spread across the whole square."

"Fellow students, here I want to announce a piece of news."

"Before announcing the news, I hope everyone can stay calm and steady their emotions."

"As soon as his words fell, the already uneasy student body instantly grew a bit restless, people whispering to each other, at a loss."

"Some who guessed it might be good news from the military felt uneasy."

"Calm? Stabilize emotions?"

"Huang Zheng took a deep breath, his voice stiff and wooden as he continued:"

Six days ago, the monster sealed in the back mountain is about to break the seal! It is estimated that in thirteen minutes, the academy will face an attack!

The entire venue fell silent.

One second later, the crowd instantly erupted, with many people panicking and wanting to flee the square, while the vast majority incredulously voiced doubts.

"How is that possible!!"

"Why would that monster break the seal! Senior Deng Lian and Chairman Huang haven't they been in the back mountain all along!!"

"The monster is coming, why are we still gathering together! Not running and waiting to die!!"

"Run? Where can you run? Outside is full of Zombie!"

Huang Zheng gave a bitter laugh, but continued speaking under Lin An's indication.

"The academy would never joke about something like this! As for why the seal was broken..."

"The reason is simple!"

The tone rose.

"A traitor has appeared among us!"

"Whoa!"

As soon as the words fell, the tarp was lifted.

A sudden noise drew everyone's gaze involuntarily toward that spot.

Several fire-attributed Awakened Ones also simultaneously activated their skills, and with full force, the flames across the sky illuminated the square.

The previously unclear open space was instantly illuminated.

President Huang Zheng, with a righteous expression, pointed his right hand at that open space, his voice ringing and impassioned:

"Deng Lian of the Institute of Technology, for his own selfish gain, is vying for power and position!"

"Not only that, to eliminate dissent, he secretly poisoned and killed our academy's Awakened Ones! Moreover, he is beastly in human form, ambushing and killing Li Hua, Tang Qiang, and other classmates!"

"Fortune in misfortune! Such a sinister and cunning person, his plot was thwarted under Lord Lin An's intervention!"

"But due to Li Hua's negligence, the seal was tricked away by him!"

"And seeing his plan fail, Deng Lian, gone mad, intended to kill all the students in the institute! He deliberately destroyed the seal!"

In the open space, Deng Lian was indeed bound hand and foot and hung from the flagpole.

Lin An's gaze was calm as he watched the president's impassioned performance before him.

Half an hour ago, all the Awakened Ones had reached a unanimous decision, pushing all responsibility onto Deng Lian.

For the few High Level Awakened Ones, one could choose to suppress them by force, with threats of death.

For the numerous low-level ordinary players, lies and propaganda are the best means.

Of course, there were naturally voices of opposition.

Only when the new "fireworks" bloomed did everyone choose to remain silent.

The lies are clumsy, but Lin An only needs one explanation.

Originally he was still thinking about how to handle the deceased Awakened Ones, after all, in the eyes of most people in the academy, they were outsiders.

As outsiders killing the institute's Awakened Ones and implementing a high-pressure military control policy, it would inevitably arouse hostility and plant hidden dangers.

Pure violent suppression would only provoke rebellious feelings, which is unfavorable for the early control of the Safe Zone.

But.

As long as Lin An appears as a "hero", all problems will be readily solved.