Chen Tong clenched his fists tightly, the sound of his knuckles cracking under pressure, his frustration evident. At that moment, the two infected students blocking their way suddenly lunged toward them.
Su Ming's nerves were taut as he frantically calculated ways to respond, but every scenario ended in failure.
Just as despair started to take over, a massive figure crashed down from above.
Bang!
The two infected students were instantly crushed underfoot, black blood splattering everywhere.
A training mech, Ironhead, landed powerfully in front of Su Ming and his group.
"A training mech!" Su Ming exclaimed in shock.
"This area is dangerous! Head to the field!" Lin Chuyu's voice came from within the mech. She skillfully piloted Ironhead past the trio, delivering a powerful punch that smashed an infected humanoid pursuing them.
These juvenile Chirami parasitic forms were no match for the might of a mech. To the mech, they were nothing more than ants.
After eliminating the infected around Su Ming and the others, Lin Chuyu steered the mech toward the distant infected, continuing her attack.
Ming Ke, still in shock but alive, exhaled deeply in relief. "We're saved! Let's head to the field."
"Alright!" Chen Tong responded immediately.
Just as the two prepared to run toward the field, Su Ming grabbed them by their arms and, panting heavily, said, "Don't go to the field. It's not safe."
"How is it not safe? Isn't it wide open, with security and guards gathering there?"
Su Ming, struggling to catch his breath, explained, "Use your head! Sure, the field is wide open, but think about how many people are running there. It's going to be overcrowded. Those rats are so agile, and with only a few guards and security personnel, they won't be able to hold the line. Once the rats breach the crowd, it'll be a massacre."
"Then where should we go? What's safer than the field?" Chen Tong snapped, his frustration boiling over.
"To the mech training grounds. There should still be training mechs there," Su Ming suggested between labored breaths.
"Right! So far, we've only seen one mech. There must be more stored there!" Ming Ke said, his expression lighting up with understanding.
"Wow, even your dumb brain came up with something decent. Let's grab those mechs and crush these damn creatures!" Chen Tong shouted, channeling his pent-up anger.
"Let's move!" Su Ming said, adjusting his breathing as best he could.
The three of them sprinted toward the training grounds, moving against the flow of students who were running away in panic.
Teachers wielding flamethrowers tried to fend off the infected while shouting to the fleeing students, "Head to the field! Watch your step! If you see any rats or strange creatures, stay away!"
Su Ming and his group, however, ignored the warnings and pushed on toward their goal.
One of the female teachers caught sight of the trio running in the opposite direction and called out, "Where are you going? You're heading the wrong way! Stop!"
"Sorry, Teacher! We have something urgent to do!" Ming Ke shouted back.
The teacher, seeing their determination, could only sigh in frustration. There was nothing she could do in the chaos.
The trio continued running toward the northern section of the campus. Thanks to Lin Chuyu's earlier actions, the area was relatively safe, with no infected in sight.
A few minutes later, the three of them reached the northern campus.
"This area looks safe. I don't see any infected. We're so lucky!" Ming Ke said, relief evident in his voice.
"Don't let your guard down. Let's hurry; the training grounds are just ahead," Su Ming said, still struggling to breathe.
"Yeah, because it's you who's slowing us down, not us," Chen Tong grumbled.
"I know," Su Ming admitted, forcing his exhausted body to keep moving. He felt like he was on the verge of collapse.
Finally, they spotted the massive training grounds. The gates were still wide open.
"It's right there!" Su Ming said, his face lighting up with hope.
Chen Tong and Ming Ke were equally excited. Once they got their hands on the mechs, these Chirami parasites would be no match for them.
But just as victory seemed within reach, a faint, raspy screech echoed.
Su Ming's instincts screamed danger, and a chill ran down his spine. "Be careful!" he shouted.
Chen Tong and Ming Ke, startled by Su Ming's sudden warning, stopped in their tracks.
They saw a rat emerge from the training ground's entrance, its dark red eyes locking onto them.
In the next moment, seven or eight more rats followed, their mouths split wide open, oozing mutated cellular fluid.
It was clear they hadn't found prey inside the training grounds and had been drawn out by the noise.
"What do we do now?" Ming Ke asked, his scalp tingling with fear.
"What else can we do? We charge in, grab the mechs, or we're dead meat," Chen Tong snapped, his frustration bubbling over. Victory was so close he could taste it.
"Don't be reckless! The odds of making it through are less than one percent. These rats are far too agile," Su Ming said, trying to dissuade him.
At that moment, Ming Ke took a few steps back, his voice trembling. "They're coming!"
Just as Su Ming was about to tell them to scatter and run, a burst of flame suddenly engulfed the rats, instantly incinerating several of them.
The remaining mutated rats scattered like a disturbed nest of hornets.
The trio froze in shock before turning to see who had saved them. To their astonishment, they saw a familiar figure.
"Mr. Tang!" they exclaimed.
Tang Yan, still in his pajamas and holding a portable flamethrower, hurried over to them. "Are you all alright? None of you were bitten, were you?" he asked anxiously.
"We're fine. Mr. Tang, what are you doing here?" Ming Ke asked.
"I heard the alarm and grabbed a flamethrower to rush back to the school. I came to get a mech. Wait a second... why are you three here?" Tang Yan's voice was stern as he realized something was off.
The trio exchanged embarrassed glances. "We're here to get mechs too," they admitted.
Tang Yan was momentarily stunned but quickly brushed it off. He waved for them to follow him. "Come with me!"
The trio followed Tang Yan into the training grounds. As they ran, Ming Ke couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Tang, are you okay now?"
"Given the situation, how could I not be? If something happens to you three, I'll never forgive myself," Tang Yan said, his tone heavy. He knew this incident would result in many deaths, and some of his students would inevitably be among the casualties.
Hearing this, the trio felt a warm surge of gratitude. Tang Yan, running ahead of them, seemed to grow taller and more heroic in their eyes.
A few minutes later, Tang Yan led them safely into the training grounds. There, four training mechs stood silently, ready for act
ion.
"Perfect—four mechs. One for each of us. Get on!" Tang Yan shouted as he rushed toward Training Mech No. 2.