Chapter 19: First Encounter with Busujima Saeko

Because Lingyun had cleared out the "dead" along the path he came from when he descended from the Rooftop earlier, the journey was quite smooth, with only a few scattered "dead" remaining.

Facing these "dead," the Wooden Sword in Luo Yexi's hand danced like the wind, clearing them away with ease; the four people behind her did not even need to make a move.

Arriving at the Rooftop, Igou Hisashi closed the door, took a deep breath, and then collapsed directly in front of the door. The other two were the same, slumping onto the ground, unable to get up. Before this, they were just ordinary students; for such a terrifying event to happen so suddenly, being able to hold on until now was already extremely remarkable.

The Wooden Sword in Lingyun's hand flicked, shaking off all the filthy blood stuck to the blade. He looked at the three people collapsed on the ground and said, "Now, what do you plan to do?"

"What else can we do? After such a terrible thing has happened, of course we wait for the Self-Defense Force to rescue us," Komuro Takashi said, panting heavily.

"I'm afraid things aren't as optimistic as you imagine. Right now, the Self-Defense Force is likely struggling to protect itself. Those things are zombies; you should have seen movies like this, right? This is the end of the world. If you want to survive, you can only rely on yourselves!" Lingyun's words made Komuro Takashi and his group frown.

"By the way, your name is Igou Hisashi, right? I'll give you a friendly tip: you'd better go find a weapon. These guys called the 'dead' will bite and grab people, and the outcome of being bitten or grabbed by them is only one of two things: either death, or becoming something just like them!" Lingyun looked Igou Hisashi up and down and offered the reminder.

"There's such a thing?" Miyamoto Rei was greatly alarmed; she propped herself up and went to Igou Hisashi, checking him up and down to see if he was injured.

Igou Hisashi waved his hand to signal he was fine, then cast his gaze toward Lingyun: "How does your Excellency know about this?"

Lingyun shrugged: "I was an eyewitness to the first 'dead' breaking into the school. A teacher was bitten by one of them, which is what caused this incident."

After resting on the Rooftop for a while, the three of them—Komuro Takashi and the others—recovered their senses. Igou Hisashi looked down from the Rooftop; the "dead" below were wandering around the playground. From time to time, screams could be heard from the Teaching Building; it was clearly the "dead" attacking other survivors.

"What should we do now?" Komuro Takashi's expression was very ugly.

"What we should do now is collect weapons and food. Whether we can survive depends on our own efforts." Igou Hisashi was the first among the three to calm down, and he offered his suggestion.

Lingyun looked at Igou Hisashi with some admiration. In his eyes, Igou Hisashi was undoubtedly more outstanding than Komuro Takashi; such a person was more suited to be a protagonist. It was a pity that such a person died in the first episode of the original plot.

"If it's really as Lingyun says, then we must leave the school as soon as possible. The school's population is too dense, and there are very few weapons available," Komuro Takashi interjected from the side.

"Perhaps we can gather more survivors to increase our strength," Miyamoto Rei also offered her suggestion.

"We need a vehicle to leave the school," Lingyun said. "The easiest vehicle to get in the school right now is the School Bus. We must find the keys and someone who can drive."

"The keys should be in the office, but it won't be easy to find a driver. After all, most people in the school are students. As for teachers, there shouldn't be many left alive," Komuro Takashi said, frowning.

"Regardless, let's go find other survivors first. Only by gathering enough strength can we break out of the school," Lingyun said.

"Let's go." Igou Hisashi steadied himself and pulled open the Rooftop door.

"Awoo—" Quite a few "dead" had already gathered at the Rooftop entrance. Lingyun and Luo Yexi were the first to strike, each using their swords to blow the heads off the "dead" rushing at the front. Afterward, the other three followed behind them and charged out.

"Bang, bang, bang." Lingyun keenly heard a dull sound of collision. Although the sound was very faint, mixed in with the howling of the "dead," it proved that there were other survivors here.

Lingyun turned his head, and Luo Yexi nodded slightly at him; it was clear she had also heard the sound. The two of them led Komuro Takashi and his group around a corner, and a beautiful purple-haired figure appeared before them.

Holding a wooden sword made of white oak, Busujima Saeko faced a wave of "dead" approaching her, her face showing no fear. The wooden sword whistled as it was swung, and with footwork like a dance, Busujima Saeko easily struck down the "dead" before her one by one. When the last of the "dead" fell, dark red blood splattered across the floor following the momentum of the blade.

A head of soft, long purple hair was scattered wantonly across her back. Wearing a white school uniform and a slightly conservative knee-length skirt, her perfect oval face radiated a beauty that was breathtaking. Busujima Saeko's aura combined the dignity and gentleness of a traditional Japanese woman with the unique heroic spirit of a martial family, leaving Komuro Takashi and the other two slightly dazed.

"Student over there, don't be too obsessed with hunting the 'dead'; that will consume your stamina greatly. Only by uniting together can we find a way to survive. Why not join us?" Lingyun keenly noticed the flash of scarlet deep in Busujima Saeko's pupils and offered the suggestion.

Looking at Lingyun's clear eyes, the scarlet deep in Busujima Saeko's pupils quietly faded: "Alright then, sorry for the trouble."

"Is Senior Busujima Saeko the captain of the Kendo Club?" Miyamoto Rei looked at Busujima Saeko with an excited expression.

"Yes, and you are?" Busujima Saeko asked with some confusion.

"I'm Miyamoto Rei from the Spear Arts Club, 2nd year. Senior Saeko has always been someone I admire," Miyamoto Rei bowed to Busujima Saeko.

"Hello, Senior," Komuro Takashi and Igou Hisashi also bowed to Busujima Saeko.

Lingyun looked around; it seemed that because of the commotion they had just made, the "dead" from other areas were already gathering toward this place.

"This isn't the place to talk. Let's find a place to rest first; they won't give us time to chat," Lingyun said, striking down a "dead" that had arrived late with his sword.

Everyone looked around; indeed, quite a few "dead" were gathering toward this spot, so they hurried away from the corridor.

By the time the group followed the sound of shattering glass to the School Infirmary, a batch of "dead" had already broken through the door and swarmed inside.

Lingyun and Luo Yexi exchanged a glance and charged straight in. After quickly blowing the heads off several "dead" in succession, Lingyun discovered with resignation that they had only managed to save the airheaded school doctor, Marikawa Shizuka. As for the boy who had been protecting her, he had already collapsed beside a cabinet, vomiting several mouthfuls of blood; it was clear he had been bitten, and Lingyun could not save him now.

However, the boy's actions won the respect of Lingyun, Luo Yexi, and Busujima Saeko. Along the way here, they had seen too much betrayal and indifference, and this boy had shown them the last remaining kindness in human nature.

"I am Busujima Saeko, captain of the Kendo Club. Junior, what is your name?" Busujima Saeko crouched down in front of the boy and asked softly.

"Cough, cough..." The boy coughed up several mouthfuls of blood, "Cough, Ishii Kazu..."

"Ishii Kazu, is it? You protected School Doctor Marikawa; I acknowledge your courage." Having said this, Busujima Saeko paused, "You should know the consequences of being bitten by those things..."

"Cough, cough, I know. I don't want to... cough, cough... become like that..." A flash of terror crossed the boy's eyes, along with a trace of determination.

"Is that so?" Busujima Saeko stood up and raised the wooden sword in her hand.

"Wait... wait, what, what are you doing?" Even the airheaded Marikawa Shizuka felt that something was wrong.

"Upholding a man's dignity is a woman's reserve." Busujima Saeko swung the wooden sword in her hand, and with a "thwack," the boy fell.

"The world has collapsed now. We must leave the school as soon as possible and find a safe place," Igou Hisashi turned his head away to avoid looking at the boy's corpse and said.

"Leave the school, huh." Marikawa Shizuka tapped her cheek, "I have a small car."

"Can your small car fit all of us here?" Komuro Takashi asked.

Marikawa Shizuka looked at the people present and shook her head.

"I remember the school has a minibus used by clubs for off-campus competitions. The keys should be in the faculty office," Busujima Saeko said.

"Then let's go."