The Torch Has Been Extinguished

The next day.

Teacher Zhang left the gymnasium early in the morning, intending to find food for his students.

Yesterday, the students had only eaten a few snacks, and he himself hadn't eaten anything at all.

Most areas of Tianshen Elementary School had already been searched, leaving only one place unexplored.

The cafeteria.

Tianshen Elementary School Cafeteria had a cold storage room containing many frozen foods, typically used for students' breakfasts.

Items like steamed buns, plain buns, and wontons.

These foods could be eaten if they brought them back, made a fire, and used a steamer.

But what had been stopping Teacher Zhang from searching the cafeteria was the mutated zombie Butcher.

That monster had suddenly appeared after the disaster.

That day, Teacher Zhang and a female teacher who hadn't died yet had tried to retrieve the frozen food from the cafeteria.

But as soon as they approached the cafeteria building, the terrifying Butcher appeared on the rooftop, and with just one hook.

The female teacher was brutally impaled and died on the spot, hoisted up to be dismembered and devoured by the Butcher.

Teacher Zhang, standing nearby, was scared out of his wits and had to flee back to the gymnasium, never daring to return to the cafeteria area since.

The Butcher wasn't always present, but its shadow could be seen from time to time.

So whenever Teacher Zhang went out searching for food, he would try his best to avoid the cafeteria area.

The other areas of Tianshen Elementary School had been thoroughly searched.

Besides some food brought by students and items from the school shop, there wasn't much food to begin with.

With over a dozen students needing food, they couldn't sustain such consumption.

He had begged other survivors for food.

Some refused, while others gave a little out of gratitude for him taking them in.

But it was merely a drop in the ocean.

Fatty Zhao had plenty of food.

He had considered killing the guy and distributing the food to his students, but it was just a fleeting evil thought.

Who hasn't had such dark thoughts?

But he couldn't cross his moral line, and even felt ashamed of his evil thoughts, just like any ordinary person would.

The day before yesterday, the entire city lost power.

Teacher Zhang immediately thought of the cafeteria's cold storage.

Although the temperature wouldn't rise immediately, who knew what would happen after a few more days.

If they waited any longer, everything would spoil.

Seeing his students' hungry looks yesterday filled him with guilt.

Anxious and worried, he gritted his teeth and decided to try the cafeteria.

He managed to avoid several zombies near the cafeteria and successfully approached it without seeing the Butcher on the rooftop.

This excited him greatly.

If he could successfully bring back food, it would feed his students for days!

The entire cafeteria was empty; the disaster had struck before mealtime, so there were no students.

Theoretically, there should have been cafeteria staff, but Teacher Zhang didn't see a single zombie.

With no time to ponder these details, he searched and found the cold storage key in the cafeteria office.

Successfully entering the cold storage, he was surprised to find it still very cold!

There must be a backup power supply that hadn't run out yet.

This meant he might be able to come back again!

If each trip could be as successful as this one, he and his students might have food until rescue arrived!

Though he wasn't sure if rescue would ever come.

Filling his bag with various frozen foods, Teacher Zhang shivered from both cold and excitement.

He could already imagine his students' faces when he returned with a bag full of filling foods like steamed buns.

The students' days of hunger would finally end.

As he packed the food, a slight smile crept onto his face, unable to hide his joy.

But just as he left the cold storage and locked the door.

He saw a terrifying massive creature staring at him with predatory eyes.

It was a look that showed contempt for life, filled with the desire for destruction and devastation.

It was the Butcher.

It swayed its ugly, putrid massive body, with black liquid dripping from its torn belly.

The cafeteria filled with a pungent stench.

It blocked the stairway down, its hook already swinging.

For this inferior creature who dared to intrude into its territory, it planned to savor his fresh flesh.

And make him part of its body.

At such close range, seeing this indescribably horrifying monster made Teacher Zhang's legs weak.

Even more shocking was seeing his dead female colleague's head embedded in the Butcher's body.

Her head was only half intact, mouth agape as if screaming, fused into the Butcher's form.

He nearly collapsed in fear, feeling his whole body go cold and paralyzed.

Just as the Butcher launched its hook, he suddenly remembered a certain look.

It was Bai Xuan's expression.

The way she sweetly said, "Thank you for your hard work, Teacher Zhang!"

I must survive!

This was his only belief at that moment.

He was now the students' last hope.

"CRASH!"

The cafeteria tables and chairs shattered under the hook's impact, but somehow he managed to dodge this seemingly fatal strike!

"Come on! You monster!"

His adrenaline surged, unleashing unprecedented potential as he roared in desperate anger at this disgusting, hateful thing!

The Butcher, missing with its hook, didn't bother to retract it but charged forward, swinging its massive cleaver at Teacher Zhang.

Though a math teacher, Teacher Zhang had always kept himself fit, participating in marathons multiple times, completing both half and full marathons.

This was why he could always go out searching for food.

He charged at the advancing Butcher at full speed.

Its raised cleaver was about to come down!

But he slid to the ground, somehow managing to slip between the Butcher's legs.

The Butcher's massive cleaver struck the floor.

"BOOM!"

Creating a terrifying crack in the ground - if it had hit him, he would have been split in two.

Behind the Butcher now, he immediately got up and ran frantically toward the now-clear stairway.

No time to carefully descend, he leaped!

Landing awkwardly, he tumbled down the cafeteria stairs, getting bloodied all over.

But he seemed completely numb to the pain.

After struggling briefly, he got up again, grabbed his food bag, and started limping away.

Looking back, the Butcher hadn't pursued.

He'd never seen it leave the cafeteria - he just needed to stay out of its hook's range!

Nearby zombies caught the scent of blood and began converging on him.

His entire body felt like it was falling apart from the tumble, with intense pain coming from everywhere.

Blood flowed from his forehead into his eyes, turning his vision red.

Teacher Zhang gripped his baseball bat tightly, his eyes fixed on the distant gymnasium.

He had to make it back.

.....

When he returned to the gymnasium, he was covered in wounds.

Besides the injuries from falling down the stairs, he had several torn wounds and even bite marks.

He had been bitten by zombies on the way back.

He only managed to put down the food bag before collapsing at the entrance, passing out from blood loss.

Bai Xuan, who had woken up early, found him.

"Ah!!!"

Seeing Teacher Zhang covered in blood, she covered her mouth and screamed in shock.

Her eyes showed despair and grief.

Tears poured down like a broken dam as she rushed forward, struggling to support Teacher Zhang's body.

Opening her mouth, she cried out for help in a sobbing voice:

"Is... is anyone there! Help!!! Someone please save Teacher Zhang!!!"

Suddenly, her eyes widened as if realizing something.

Her previously childish and innocent gaze became filled with endless emptiness and despair:

It was her, it was her wish.

That had killed Teacher Zhang.