Zombie Siege: The Road to Survival Begins at School - Chapter 26

Zhang Wei told the others to tie him up, leaving everyone confused.

But Lu Renjia seemed to realize something. Trembling, he asked, “Don’t tell me… you were bitten?”

“More or less,” Zhang Wei replied casually.

“I got cut by a knife that had already killed several zombies. I didn’t disinfect it, and I don’t know if any trace virus got into my body… Plus, my wound is exposed to the air. With open, bleeding wounds, it’s easy to suddenly mutate,” Zhang Wei said seriously.

This knowledge came from his past life. While in most cases people only turned into zombies after being scratched or bitten, the first seven days of the outbreak were unusual—mutations could happen without clear cause.

“If I turn into a zombie, kill me! I don’t want to become some mindless walking corpse. And if possible, bury my body in my hometown, Zhangjia Village. My grandma’s grave is there.” Zhang Wei handed his knife to Zhou An.

“Boss, don’t talk like you’re leaving a will. That’s how people in TV shows die right after,” Zhou An said, visibly panicked.

“Let’s hope I don’t turn,” Zhang Wei sat down on the bed and assumed a meditative posture.

Hu Die looked like she’d been scared half to death.

“So what should we use to tie you up?” Zhao Zhenxiong asked. He didn’t think Zhang Wei was exaggerating. After all, he wasn’t Zhang Wei’s classmate and had never been through thick and thin with him. From a logical standpoint, Zhang Wei made sense.

“Whatever works. Bedsheets, towels, shoelaces—anything.”

“Bedsheets then!” Zhou An opened his cabinet, found a sheet, then grabbed a pair of scissors and cut it into a dozen long strips, twisting them into a rope.

Towels were too short and unstable. Shoelaces required taking apart shoes. Bedsheets were the most convenient since there were extras in the cabinet even though the beds currently had straw mats.

“Just tie me securely to the bed,” Zhang Wei said, pointing to the iron bed he was sitting on.

The four of them fumbled around, eventually binding Zhang Wei to the bed using the twisted sheet rope.

This way, if he mutated, he wouldn’t be able to suddenly lash out and attack anyone.

Afterward, they all stood around awkwardly, glancing at each other with no idea what to do.

Zhang Wei had always been their pillar of strength. If he really turned into a zombie, they honestly had no clue what to do next.

“Let’s eat something,” Zhang Wei said.

He tested the restraints and found them secure.

Then he untied himself. He still felt completely lucid and knew that, if he were going to mutate, it wouldn’t be so soon—it would probably happen at night.

Zhou An opened the quilt Zhang Wei had used to hide supplies and dumped out the last few loaves of bread.

Everyone also got a sausage. It felt like a farewell meal.

Following Zhang Wei’s instructions, they each only took one loaf of bread.

The rest was hidden again under the quilt and stuffed back into the cabinet.

Zhang Wei also asked Zhou An to bring out the salt they had bought from the school store. It hadn’t been stolen by Xu Long. He opened a small hole in the packaging and poured a bit into his mouth.

The others followed suit, each taking a small amount.

Salt is one of the essential trace elements the body needs.

After eating, Zhang Wei tied himself to the bed again, this time with a dead knot.

Though tied up, he could still move a bit—just not enough to break free.

He sat up and grabbed a bottle of mineral water they had brought back earlier.

He checked the seal around the bottle cap, then opened it and took a sip.

Then he gestured to Zhou An to pass over the protein powder. Using the cap of the water bottle, he scooped a spoonful and drank it down with water.

Zhou An tried to persuade him to eat more, saying it might help boost immunity, but Zhang Wei refused.

He lay back down again and slipped his hand through the loop of rope tied around his waist.

“Sleep. We’ll know by tomorrow morning.”

Zhang Wei knew that if someone was going to mutate, it would usually happen within 24 hours. If he could make it through that, he’d be fine.

Zhou An glanced out the window—the sun was high, but it was only midday.

Since the boss had spoken, he didn’t argue. The three boys climbed up to the upper bunks of three separate beds, each lost in their own thoughts, trying to rest.

Hu Die had already climbed up and clung tightly to Lu Renjia.

Sleep? Impossible. Outside, the zombies were still howling nonstop—probably starving.

If they could, they’d have fed them fresh pork just to shut them up.

Nightfall came. The zombies below lost their vision for a while and finally stopped pounding on the barriers. Some even began to drift away into the distance.

Zhou An cautiously pulled his head back in from the window and tapped Lu Renjia, who was pretending to sleep, signaling it was time to change shifts.

Lu Renjia stayed on duty until late at night, then tapped Zhao Zhenxiong to take over the next watch.

By morning, all three of them had dark circles under their eyes. They looked toward Zhang Wei’s bed in unison.

To their shock—Zhang Wei was gone.

So was the sheet-rope they’d used to tie him up.

“What the…”

“Zhao, weren’t you the last one on duty?”

“Yeah, I was. He was still there when I got into bed at dawn.”

“Then where’d he go?”

Hu Die pointed at the bathroom door.

The three guys immediately snapped to attention and climbed down from their beds.

Just then, a groan came from the bathroom.

“Sh1t, he might’ve turned!” Lu Renjia grabbed a mop handle, his face grim. Hu Die shrank into the corner of the upper bunk in fear.

Zhou An grabbed a hand gripper, also terrified.

Zhao Zhenxiong didn’t hesitate—he kicked the bathroom door open.

Inside, a pale bare butt greeted them, making them all jump. The person shivered in surprise and was just about to stand up, when he suddenly remembered he hadn’t wiped yet—so he sat back down.

“Zombies don’t use the toilet, right?” Zhou An asked warily. He couldn’t see Zhang Wei’s face and didn’t know whether he’d turned or not.

“I’m not a zombie!” Zhang Wei said, nearly in tears.

“Damn it, Boss, give us a heads-up next time! You scared the crap out of us,” Zhou An let out a breath of relief.

“Yeah, seriously…” Lu Renjia also relaxed. He hadn’t forgotten the time when three zombies had charged out of the bathroom in Room 511.

Zhao Zhenxiong didn’t really mind, though he did blame Zhang Wei for groaning like that.

“Couldn’t help it. I ate that dog food and got constipated. Nothing’s coming out,” Zhang Wei explained, clearly embarrassed.

“So you’re sure you’re not going to turn?”

“Should be… probably not,” Zhang Wei said uncertainly. He had just been sweating buckets while straining, and for a moment thought he was mutating.

“Since you’re here, bring me some toilet paper. There’s a roll on top of the cabinet… or grab the tissues on Zhou An’s desk.”

“Boss, that smell’s even worse than the zombies. Only Zhang Ya’s feet can compete.”

“Hey, it’s not that bad!”

Zhao Zhenxiong blinked. “What’s with Zhang Ya’s feet?”

“She’s a cute zombie girl who didn’t wash her feet for years.”

“There’s such a thing? Is she as pretty as Hu Die?”