Death Train: SSS-level talent right from the start!

Gao Li walked up to Zhang Xiaojie and looked down at her.

Zhang Xiaojie raised her head, her pupils contracted slightly, and she subconsciously took half a step back.

Gao Li swung his right arm, his thick arm, which he used to throw shot puts all year round, arcing through the air before slapping Zhang Xiaojie squarely across the face.

“Pah!”

The sound was as crisp as a tree branch snapping and exploding on the platform.

Zhang Xiaojie's body flew to the side like a kite with a broken string, flying a full two meters before crashing heavily to the ground and rolling half a circle before coming to a stop.

Half of her face swelled up at a visible speed, a trace of blood spilled from the corner of her mouth, and there was a bruise under her left eye. She looked completely stunned, her eyes wide open, her pupils dilated, and her lips trembling.

Gao Li shook his hand, strode towards Zhang Xiaojie, looked down at Zhang Xiaojie lying on the ground, and spoke with a sense of ruthlessness that seemed to come as a matter of course.

"You bitch, get over there and apologize to Brother Hai right now."

She reached out and grabbed Zhang Xiaojie's hair.

"Goryeo, that's enough!"

Zhao Ruoxi's voice came from the side, filled with suppressed anger.

She stepped out of the crowd, walked quickly between Gao Li and Zhang Xiaojie, and put her hand in front of Zhang Xiaojie.

Her hands were trembling slightly, but her back was straight, and she looked directly at Goryeo, who was much taller than her: "We're all classmates, don't go too far."

Gao Li looked down at Zhao Ruoxi, her eyes showing no respect for her teacher, only direct impatience.

"Teacher Zhao, are you out of your mind?"

Goryeo's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a chilling quality that sent shivers down one's spine.

"You're still putting on airs like a teacher at a time like this? You wouldn't let Hai Ge become the group leader earlier, and now that he's leaving, we're going to die."

Her voice suddenly rose, her finger pointing at Zhao Ruoxi's face, the tip almost poking her nose: "If we die, it'll all be because of you and that bitch Zhang Xiaojie!"

Zhao Ruoxi's pupils contracted slightly, and she opened her mouth as if to say something, but Gao Li's words cut into her most vulnerable spot as precisely as a knife.

She suddenly realized something: from the moment she woke up until now, the reason she could stand here and speak, and the reason the students listened to her, was not because of her ability, but because of her status.

The title of "homeroom teacher," which granted her authority in the normal world, was now worthless in this zombie-infested, fog-shrouded, monster-ridden city.

Besides, this Goryeo isn't even a student in their class, so there's no need to give her, their teacher, any face.

Fang Yuan stood a few steps away, watching this scene, his fingers unconsciously clenching.

He took half a step forward, but then stopped.

Lin Shuyao didn't hesitate and walked directly to Zhao Ruoxi's side.

She looked at Goryeo, but didn't say anything. She just stood there, expressing her stance through silence.

Gao Li glanced at Lin Shuyao and snorted coldly, "A bunch of idiots."

The atmosphere at the scene was extremely delicate.

The subtle tension wasn't because someone was about to fight, but because everyone realized one thing: the group was about to break up.

Those who were just crying and begging Zhao Hai to stay now began to show different expressions.

Some people are still pleading, some have fallen silent, and some have already begun searching the crowd for the next person they can cling to.

Zhao Hai stood there, his arms crossed over his chest, his expression unreadable.

Standing behind him were two younger brothers, both substitutes on the school basketball team, and the three of them were very close.

Chen Ye and Qin Zhaoyang stood to Zhao Hai's right.

Chen Ye's face remained expressionless.

Qin Zhaoyang's expression was complicated. At this moment, he understood what Chen Ye had said about humanity in the face of the apocalypse.

On the other side, Li Jiahao leaned against a crooked pillar on the platform, his hands in the pockets of his silk pajamas, quietly watching everything.

Sun Kai and Ma Wenbo stood on either side of him. The two had been following him since the beginning of their freshman year, always at his beck and call.

The students surrounding Zhao Hai continued to morally blackmail him.

"Zhao Hai, are you really leaving? You're just going to leave like this? How can you face your conscience?"

A girl's voice came from the crowd, trembling with sobs. Her hair was disheveled, and her face was still wet with tears.

"You have S-class talent, you have the ability to protect us, why don't you protect us? Are you that selfish?"

"Yeah, we're all classmates, how can you bear to watch us die?"

"Zhao Hai, didn't you say you wanted to be the boss? We'll all accept you as our boss, okay?"

"Brother Hai, please, take me with you. I'll do anything."

The voices grew louder and louder, more and more varied: pleading, accusations, moral blackmail, and enticement—all mixed together like a pot of boiling porridge.

Zhao Hai frowned.

He is not the kind of person who is good at handling complicated situations.

He can remember the tactics on the basketball court and predict the opponent's movements, but when faced with more than twenty faces that were crying, pleading, or complaining, his brain's processor was clearly overloaded.

His lips moved, his fist clenched and unclenched.

Chen Ye saw his predicament. In the end, Zhao Hai still had a bit of kindness in his heart, but that kindness was not worth having in the apocalypse.

He took a step forward: "Stop talking."

All eyes turned to him.

Chen Ye stood next to Zhao Hai, his hands in his pajama pockets, his expression as calm as a stagnant pool.

"Zhao Hai has no obligation to protect you. Don't you understand that?"

He looked at those who had just been morally blackmailing him, his gaze sweeping over their faces one by one.

"You keep saying 'Since you're talented, you should protect us,' but who told you that being talented means you should protect others?"

"He drew that talent, you didn't give it to him. He saved you with his talent, and instead of thanking him, you blame him for not saving you fast enough. Do you think that's reasonable?"

Chen Ye's voice wasn't loud, but every word carried immense weight.

Some people in the crowd lowered their heads, and no one answered. Silence spread through the crowd; it was not an agreement, but an inability to refute.

"Zhao Hai is willing to protect you out of kindness, not obligation. He doesn't owe any of you his life."

After saying this, Chen Ye shut his mouth and returned to his original position.

He didn't say anything more. Saying more would be going too far; it would make people think he was rejecting everyone on Zhao Hai's behalf, which would make Zhao Hai seem cold-blooded.

All he needed to do was untie the rope of moral blackmail from Zhao Hai's neck.

As for Zhao Hai's final decision, that's his business. Of course, he certainly doesn't want Zhao Hai to be burdened with these kids.

But Zhao Hai is now leading the team, so he can't overstep his bounds.