The sudden gunshot left everyone in the living room frozen in shock.

Panic swept through the room.

Several girls let out terrified screams, while the male teacher who had been arguing with Yuito Aikawa collapsed onto the floor, his legs giving out.

"Shut it! Keep screaming and I'll blow your heads off!"

The bald thug waved his gun at the crowd, his cold voice cutting through the chaos. "I said, hand over the food. Are you all deaf?"

Silence instantly swallowed the room.

No one had expected this.

Not only did these men have guns, but they had killed without hesitation.

The two thugs one bald, the other with a cropped buzz cut were wearing prison uniforms.

Escaped convicts.

"Can't hear me, huh?"

The bald man suddenly stepped forward. His heavy boots thudded against the floor, and everyone flinched in terror.

The middle-aged female teacher, closest to him, stumbled backward in panic and stammered, "P-Please, let's talk this through. I'll get you the food right away!"

"Everyone, to the wall! Move!"

The bald man waved his gun threateningly, and everyone rushed to the corner of the room to squat in fear.

The other thug picked up the fire axe from Yuito Aikawa's body and viciously slammed it into his skull.

Blackened blood mixed with brain matter splattered across the floor.

Everyone's hearts pounded wildly. Their bodies went cold.

These two weren't just escaped prisoners they were the kind of men who killed without blinking.

There was no doubt they'd taken lives long before the apocalypse began.

"Watch it, Aizawa! You almost got that on me," the bald man grunted in annoyance.

Aizawa scratched his head awkwardly. "Sorry, boss. I just didn't want to go soft and have this guy come back like those things outside. Seriously though, what's going on? People shot dead are standing up again? This is freaky."

"You asking me? Who the hell do I ask?"

The bald man leaned against the doorframe and lowered his gun, tossing his backpack to the floor.

"Doesn't matter. At least we broke out in the chaos. I was going crazy being locked up for years."

"True enough. If those monsters hadn't shown up in the prison, they wouldn't have transferred us, and the transport wouldn't have flipped over. Guess fate was on our side, huh? Just us brothers making it out alive. Hehehe."

Aizawa chuckled along but immediately dropped his grin when facing the others.

He glared at the trembling group and barked, "What, you all enjoying story time? Hurry up and get us some instant noodles!"

The terrified crowd exchanged helpless glances.

Slowly, everyone turned to look at the grade director.

The grade director tried to slip away but couldn't.

With no choice, he forced himself to speak, "We, we're from Toyosaki Academy. We can meet your demands, but please don't hurt us."

"Shut up! I'm starving. Hurry up and make the noodles!" Aizawa barked impatiently as he pulled out another weapon from his waistband, a handgun.

The grade director shrank in fear and quickly ran to the kitchen.

Megumi Katou's gaze lingered on Yuito Aikawa's lifeless body.

A comrade who had survived death with her… now gone, not by zombies, but by a human bullet.

The instant noodles they had argued over earlier were now willingly offered by the grade director to appease these thugs.

She knew the grade director wasn't necessarily wrong. He was doing it to keep everyone alive.

But it still made her feel miserable.

Utterly miserable.

She couldn't even put that feeling into words.

"Anyone here know how to treat wounds?" The bald man sprawled on the sofa, pulling up his pants leg. Only then did the others notice his injured calf, crudely wrapped in bloody strips of cloth.

Everyone exchanged glances, but no one dared to speak.

"What? You think I'm already dead? I'll tell you right now if I turn into one of those things, none of you will walk out of here alive."

The bald man sneered as he swept his gaze across the room. He stood and pulled open his jacket, revealing a black-green grenade dangling from his waist.

"Relax. You're not going to turn into a zombie."

Megumi Katou suddenly stepped forward from the group and walked directly up to him.

"You were probably scratched by something else. The blood from your wound is still red. If you had been bitten or scratched by a zombie, the blood would have turned black. But your bandage is a mess. If you don't treat that wound soon, it'll get infected. Worst case? You'll lose that leg."

"Oh? You know quite a bit. Are you a medic?" the bald man asked, raising his brow.

Megumi shook her head calmly.

"I've only learned basic first aid and emergency bandaging, but it's enough for a wound like yours. As long as you give me alcohol, I can guarantee you won't get an infection. But I have one condition."

"Hah! You think you're in a position to bargain with my boss?"

Aizawa jumped up angrily and raised his hand, clearly ready to slap her.

"Hey."

The bald man waved his hand in annoyance.

Aizawa immediately backed down, smiling awkwardly as he sat back down.

The bald man casually weighed his gun in his palm, pulled out a cloth from his pocket, and began wiping it slowly.

He stared at Megumi with interest. "Tell me what gives you the confidence to make demands right now? Do you even understand your situation?"

Megumi nodded, her voice steady.

"I've been trained in emergency first aid. I once stopped the bleeding of a car accident victim whose leg had been pierced by steel rods. The bleeding was severe, but I managed to stabilize him until the ambulance arrived. I can confidently say no one here is more capable than me.

"And by the way we've contacted the police. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police promised to send a rescue team tonight. If you're still here when they arrive, you'll be in serious trouble."

"Are you threatening me?"

The bald man's face darkened. He narrowed his sharp eyes, then suddenly stood and pressed his gun hard against Megumi's forehead. His murderous aura surged as he coldly hissed, "Do you really think I won't shoot you right now?"

Everyone held their breath.

Fear filled their faces.

The memory of Yuito Aikawa's death was still fresh no one dared to speak, terrified of provoking this monster.

But Megumi didn't flinch.

Even though her heart was pounding wildly and her trembling fingers dug into her pant leg, she forced herself to stand her ground.

Be brave, Megumi Katou.

Don't be afraid.

She silently encouraged herself, meeting his gaze without backing down.

"I'm not threatening you. I'm just asking for a chance to keep everyone safe. You must have family too wives, children. I'll do my best to treat your injury. In return, please let us go. Don't harm us."

"Oh? How did you know we were planning to harm you?"

The bald man suddenly laughed, lowering his gun with an amused grin.

Aizawa also glanced toward the corner of the room.

Seven or eight girls were huddled together, all trembling and staring at them in terror.

Aizawa's gaze fell on one particularly pretty girl, and he flashed a disgusting grin. The girl immediately ducked behind the others, shaking uncontrollably.

Megumi frowned.

"You kept staring at the girls the moment you came in. Your buddy over there licked his lips several times. And those prison uniforms you're wearing? It's not hard to figure out what you're thinking."

"Hahaha! You've got sharp eyes, little girl! And you're pretty brave too!"

The bald man burst out laughing, slapping his thigh in delight. Aizawa laughed along with him.

The bald man gave Megumi another once-over and grinned, "It's been a while since I've met someone this interesting. Hey, little girl, what do you say? How about ditching this worthless bunch and joining me instead? Hanging around here is a waste of your talent."

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