Edgar thought for a moment. "Alban, grab a few people and bring them here."
Alban was one of Edgar's students, and they had a close relationship during peaceful times. When the apocalypse began, Edgar enlisted Alban's help, as well as another student named Mike, and together they controlled over a hundred students.
In a corner, Alban listened to Edgar's words and immediately grabbed a few young and strong male students and threw them out of the gymnasium.
Edgar used both temptation and threats, leaving the male students with no other choice. They had to either clear the sewer or die, either from the danger outside or from Edgar's wrath.
The gymnasium's sewer was blocked at the flower bed where the gymnasium and the university cafeteria met. It took the group of five male students more than twenty minutes to stumble their way to the flower bed, hindered by the pouring rain and limited visibility.
Two kilometers away from the gymnasium, inside a large classroom in a teaching building, over twenty students sat in silence, bowing their heads and eating moldy bread.
Tess took a sip of water and forced the stale bread down her throat. Suddenly, her face turned pale, devoid of color. She hurriedly moved to the window, taking deep breaths of fresh air.
"Tess, what's wrong?" Jeff asked in confusion, stealing a glance at Tess's exquisite figure. He quickly regained his composure, not wanting Tess to notice his interest in her.
Tess was the goddess in the hearts of all male students at Grey Bear University. She was not the only beautiful student on campus, but her allure surpassed all the others.
Other former campus beauties couldn't compare to her radiance. With her stunning beauty, devilish figure, and intelligence, Tess stood above everyone else. Even professors and the school principal treated her with utmost respect.
Jeff was just one of the many admirers of Tess. During peaceful times, he and Tess were classmates, their relationship neither particularly good nor bad. They could have casual conversations.
When the apocalypse struck, Jeff had helped Tess evade several crises, successfully becoming her friend. However, he didn't dare to reveal his true intentions.
With Tess's arrogance, she might not acknowledge him again. She was extremely proud and wouldn't easily lower her status, even in the face of death.
At the window, Tess, lacking color in her face, gazed towards the flower bed near the cafeteria, two kilometers away.
"Tess, what's the matter?" Sacha asked. As Tess's close friend, she had never seen her like this before.
Others also looked at Tess with confusion, not understanding what was happening.
"Are you running a fever? You're burning up. You should rest," Sacha said, worried, as she touched Tess's forehead.
"What? Tess, you have a fever?" Jeff's admiration for her surged uncontrollably. Seeing his beloved goddess with a fever made him even more anxious and concerned.
"It's a high fever, and it needs to be treated. Otherwise, it could lead to more severe complications," Sacha cautiously suggested.
"What can we do? There are no medicines here at Grey Bear University," Toby added, another one of Tess's pursuers. He knew that pursuing this proud woman was almost impossible, so he chose to get closer to Sacha, who was also considered a campus beauty, albeit not on the same level as Tess.
A group of male and female students gathered around, chattering. Some were anxious, some indifferent, and others secretly delighted. Tess's arrogance had rubbed many girls the wrong way, and now that she was sick and feverish, they felt a sense of satisfaction.
Sacha looked disdainfully at Toby and Jeff, hiding her
scornful gaze. She was well aware of the intentions of these pursuing male students. If it weren't for the hope of them finding food, she wouldn't have bothered with them.
Sacha had a seductive appearance, with a slender waist, ample bosom, and a captivating face that exuded countless enticing charms. She was the kind of woman that made men want to embrace and indulge in their desires.
Sighing, Sacha addressed the group of pursuers. "Tess's fever won't subside. Without proper medication, it's likely to damage her brain."
Upon hearing the seriousness of his beloved goddess's condition, Jeff immediately became anxious and tapped into his true nature as a pursuer. "The Grey Bear City Hospital is just two kilometers east of the university. There should be plenty of medication available there."
Toby, who couldn't showcase himself in front of the goddess, felt a twinge of dissatisfaction. With a hint of jealousy, he looked at Jeff and chimed in, "Yes, a few of us guys can go together and find medication for Tess..."
Upon hearing this, the other male students' faces turned dark. Although they also had secret crushes on the two goddesses, they were well aware that the outside world was infested with zombie rats and the path was blocked by flooding. Going out meant certain death.
"There might be people trapped in the stadium. I saw someone opening the manhole cover just now..." Tess weakly mentioned, leaning against a stool.
Her pitiful appearance immediately captured the attention of many men, igniting a surge of passion within them. They couldn't bear to see their goddess fall ill, so they eagerly volunteered to help find medication.
Sacha's eyes flashed with a hint of mockery. These male students arrived at the perfect time. By opening the sewer, the floodwaters would recede, diverting the attention of any zombie rats outside.
...
Meanwhile, the group of five male students had reached the edge of the flower bed and were struggling to lift the manhole cover.
"It's too heavy. The accumulated water is pressing down on it. We need to find an iron rod to pry it open."
"Where can we find an iron rod?"
"At the cafeteria. We can smash open the handrails on the door."
"Are you crazy? That will attract the rats."
"We have no choice. The rats will come sooner or later. It's better to give it a try."
In no time, two of them headed toward the cafeteria.
At that moment, a group of large rats slowly swam towards the flower bed in the pouring rain.
The male students prying open the manhole cover didn't notice, but Jeff and Sacha, observing from upstairs, saw it all.
Their faces turned pale, as if they had a premonition of what was to come.
A swarm of rats made their way toward the flower bed. With two male students gone to the cafeteria, only three remained.
The attention of the three male students was focused on the manhole cover, completely oblivious to the approaching rats. With a loud bang, they managed to pry the cover open.
"Great, it's open! Let the water flow through quickly," one of them exclaimed. As they looked into the opened manhole, the surrounding water rushed in, allowing them to see inside.
They discovered that the outlet was blocked by a pile of debris. They hastily cleared it, and the accumulated water began to drain through the outlet.
Suddenly, a rat pounced, biting into the neck of one of the male students and instantly tearing through his throat.
Rats possessed formidable biting power, with sharp teeth and fangs. In their mutated state, they were even more terrifying.
The male student's neck was effortlessly severed, and his blood splattered across the flower bed, mingling with the flowing water. In an instant, the surroundings turned red.
Mutated rats were sometimes even more terrifying than zombies. They were fast and abundant in number, lurking in various corners of the city, making them difficult to deal with.
The remaining two male students fled in panic, desperately running toward the direction of the gymnasium. However, they couldn't outrun the swarm of rats.
Dozens of rats swarmed them, and within moments, the two male students were reduced to bones, their blood completely drained. Along with the male student who had just been bitten, the three male students at the flower bed had been devoured entirely by the rat horde.
Inside the teaching building, several male students witnessed this scene, their faces filled with horror.
"Hurry up! Those rats have gone to find the two guys who went to the cafeteria. Now that the floodwaters have receded, it's the perfect time to leave," Sacha urged incessantly.
The male students exchanged glances. Since they had already committed to the plan, they couldn't afford to lose face in front of the girls. They gritted their teeth, opened the doors of the teaching building, and rushed out.
Fortunately, it seemed that the rat horde had indeed gone after the two male students heading to the cafeteria. Jeff, Toby, and the other four managed to escape.
They didn't even dare to approach the gymnasium and made a direct dash for the university entrance...
At Grey Bear City Hospital, Derick was transferring his abilities to his sister. He had accumulated over a thousand points, which was just enough to make his sister stronger.
If not for the fear of potential side effects, he would have taught his sister the first ability...