The sight was magnificent: a lone, armed woman standing above countless corpses of fallen enemies.
Her cold, scrutinizing gaze felt penetrating as she calmly met their shocked expressions before stowing away the rifle in her arms. After confirming the bus was intact, Zhao Yuan turned toward the massive pileup of haphazardly parked cars blocking the road before looking back down at her watch screen.
If she was not mistaken, she had seen something suitable for clearing this path while browsing the holographic arsenal earlier.
As her fingers swiped through the watch display, the bus's occupants watched the fascinating scene in awe. A fierce discussion broke out among them as they debated whether to approach her. Eventually, they all turned to Miss Cheng Xin, who had been making the tough decisions for them throughout their ordeal.
Taking a deep breath, Cheng Xin decided to act on her instincts. She walked to the bus door and pushed it open, but the mechanism caught against something outside. She strained, shoving with all the strength she could muster. Seeing her struggle, the bus driver quickly rushed over to help her force the door open.
The sight outside caused her entire body to freeze in shock.
A stomach-churning stench of rotting corpses hit her like a physical blow. Her hand shot to her mouth, gagging as the rancid smell invaded her senses. The people standing closest behind her wore varying expressions of disgust as they took in the carnage. Some could not help but look up at the perpetrator, who was casually navigating the first obstacle in their path as though nothing extraordinary had happened.
Fighting back tears, Cheng Xin gathered her courage and stepped out onto the road—only for her foot to sink into something squishy. She gagged again at the sickening texture before resolutely stepping over the bodies.
Watching their usually timid teacher trample over dead bodies under the morning sun filled the students with newfound respect. They quickly pulled the bus door shut behind her. Though a few felt it was rude to shut her out, none felt guilty as they tried to seal off the overwhelming stench that had invaded the vehicle.
Hearing the door click shut behind her, Cheng Xin strongly contemplated retreating back inside. But remembering their desperate situation, she swallowed her discomfort and kept walking forward.
Their mysterious savior seemed preoccupied, surveying the road ahead before disappearing deeper into the tangled wreck of abandoned cars. Fearing that their savior intended to leave them behind, Cheng Xin picked up her pace. After all, none of them had seen how the woman had arrived or where she had come from. Judging by her immaculate attire and healthy appearance, Cheng Xin believed this woman was their absolute best chance at finding a safe shelter.
Zhao Yuan was oblivious to these thoughts as she walked deeper into the pileup, taking a quick scanning image of the obstruction. She asked the system to calculate the most efficient way to clear a path using her selected gear.
Glancing back at the bus, her eyebrows creased into a slight frown as she noticed a neat, composed woman walking toward her. Based on the system's scan, Zhao Yuan concluded the woman was a teacher and walked back toward the opening. A flash of disgust crossed her face as she looked at the sea of rotting corpses around them, forcing her eyes away from the foul scene.
Seeing their savior walk toward her, Cheng Xin felt a surge of relief and quickened her steps until she stood directly before the woman.
She is so clean, Cheng Xin thought, momentarily dazed. Ever since the apocalyptic outbreak began, she had not seen anyone look so pristine and refreshed.
Observing the dazed woman before her, Zhao Yuan took the initiative to speak. "Are you in charge of the people on the bus?"
Hearing the calm, melodious voice, Cheng Xin snapped out of her stupor and stammered, "Yes, they are my students. Who are you?"
"A custodian. I'm here to clear the way for you," Zhao Yuan explained concisely. Her watch beeped, displaying the system's demolition route, and she paused to check her remaining explosive inventory.
"Custodian?" Cheng Xin repeated, puzzled.
"Yes. I manage a shelter in the residential area near the city center," Zhao Yuan said, looking back up. "That is where you're heading, right?"
Cheng Xin was ecstatic. "Yes! That's our destination!"
"Good. I will clear the wreckage along this stretch of road. Your group will have to clear the corpses in the bus's path," Zhao Yuan instructed, casting another disgusted glance at the rotting bodies on the asphalt.
Cheng Xin immediately understood and nodded. "Understood."
As Zhao Yuan tapped her screen and walked off to begin setting up barrel bombs at key structural points along the wreckage, Cheng Xin hurried back toward the bus, having grown somewhat accustomed to the stench outside.
The bus doors opened as she approached. Stepping inside, she faced the anxious crowd.
"She is helping us clear the vehicle wreckage ahead," Cheng Xin announced, "but we need to clear the corpses out of the bus's path ourselves."
A collective groan echoed through the aisle, and several students immediately began to protest. Cheng Xin felt a flash of annoyance, remembering how eagerly these same students had been praising their savior just minutes ago.
"I should also mention that she is the custodian of a secure shelter," Cheng Xin added firmly. "And she made it clear she will only invite people who are cooperative."
The protesting students went dead silent, staring at their teacher in shock.
Even Gao Shen felt a wave of skepticism, eyeing his colleague suspiciously. However, seeing how quickly the students had quieted down, he decided to save his questions for later and support her authority.
"You heard her," Gao Shen said, his voice stern as he stepped forward to address the class. "Everyone down right now. Clear those corpses so we can get to the shelter as fast as possible."
His authoritative tone left no room for argument. The students nodded obediently and began filing out of the bus.
Unaware of the classroom dynamics inside, Zhao Yuan finished setting her final explosive barrel and headed back toward the bus. Watching the uniform-clad students awkwardly lingering outside the bus she forced back a smile.