Inside the school building, the air was heavy with unease.
The loud sounds from the mountain had reached the ears of the survivors. Everyone knew Zhu Jiu was out there in the wilds, and the thought that the commotion might involve him left a weight of worry hanging over their heads.
"A tiger's roar? Could it be…"
Fatty froze in place, his face paling as he recalled memories from his past life.
He thought back to the terrifying tiger kings, monstrous beasts of unimaginable power.
"If that's one of the tiger kings emerging this early in the apocalypse… even Zhu Jiu might struggle."
Fatty's brow furrowed with concern.
He remembered hearing of a tiger king entering South City shortly after the apocalypse began in his previous life. It had wreaked havoc, causing massive casualties. It took a coalition of ancient martial families to force the beast to retreat.
"If I remember correctly… it was the Azure-Winged Tiger King."
While Fatty wasn't in South City during those early days in his previous life, he'd heard of the destruction it wrought. This time, having deliberately sought out Zhu Jiu for their plan, he couldn't help but feel nervous about the potential dangers his friend might face.
"Stay safe out there, Jiu. Don't do anything reckless."
Just as Fatty muttered these words, his eyes caught a figure in the distance.
Charging toward the school's back gate was Zhu Jiu, mounted atop the silver-furred wolf king. Behind him trailed the entire wolf pack, each carrying large kills on their backs.
There were rabbits as tall as a man, mountain chickens the size of ostriches, and a massive python stretched across the backs of several wolves.
Zhu Jiu's wide grin was visible even from a distance, his mood clearly buoyed by a successful hunt.
"Damn it, Jiu, don't scare me like that!" Fatty muttered, though his worry melted into relief, a laugh escaping his lips.
The once teeming campus was now eerily quiet. Much of the infection had been culled—either by Zhu Jiu's hand or by the infected turning on one another. Only a few hundred infected remained within the school grounds, their numbers far less intimidating than before.
With the wolves clearing the path of any stragglers, Zhu Jiu quickly arrived back at the teaching building.
"Impressive work," he remarked, noticing how the snow in front of the building had been shoveled away, clearing paths to both the front and back entrances.
This kind of organized labor saved him time and energy, leaving him free to focus on the critical tasks ahead.
Before long, a crowd gathered, flocking around the returning hunter.
By now, many had overcome their initial fear of the wolves. Some even dared to touch the python's glossy scales, marveling at its sheer size.
"My God, this thing's massive! Its scales feel like steel. Only Boss could take it down. If it were me, I'd just be snake food," someone muttered, earning a round of laughter.
Others, particularly the more timid students, kept their distance, nervously watching the scene unfold from afar.
Eventually, someone raised a practical concern:
"Uh… Boss, how exactly do we eat this thing?"
Zhu Jiu paused. He hadn't thought that far ahead.
He'd never eaten snake before—let alone one as enormous as this. The creature was easily six meters long, with a girth nearly half a meter wide.
It would take considerable effort to prepare.
Before he could answer, Mr. Wang stepped forward, adjusting his glasses.
"I can handle it," he said, studying the python. "Snake soup would be a good way to go. Judging by how tender the meat of these evolved beasts has been so far, I'd wager this will be delicious."
"You know how to cook?" Zhu Jiu asked, pleasantly surprised.
Wang Huaian smiled sheepishly. "Living alone for years… you pick up a few things."
Zhu Jiu clapped him on the shoulder. "Good. Then I leave it to you."
Turning to Zhang Xinyu, he issued a new set of instructions:
"Xinyu, find some people to assist Mr. Wang. Preparing this thing won't be easy. Once that's sorted, I'm heading out again."
Zhang Xinyu nodded briskly, already barking orders to nearby students.
Zhu Jiu mounted the wolf king once more, setting off into the campus grounds.
Clearing the School
Zhu Jiu's next objective was twofold: clear the remaining infected from the school and search for any potential survivors.
While the teaching building was a secure base for now, it wouldn't remain sufficient as their numbers grew. His ultimate goal was to claim the entire school as his territory.
Infected were to be eliminated on sight. Any survivors would face a choice: join his group or leave the premises.
In a world like this, he had no room for rival factions.
With the wolf king's speed and acute senses, Zhu Jiu efficiently hunted down infected throughout the campus.
[Host has eliminated infected: +1 point.]
[Host has eliminated infected: +1 point.]
[Host has eliminated aberrant: +20 points.]
After an hour of intense work, Zhu Jiu had cleared two additional buildings of infected, including two aberrants hiding within.
Though the aberrants showed rudimentary intelligence, they were no match for Zhu Jiu. Compared to the long-tailed aberrant he faced early on, these were pitifully weak.
The efforts earned him 40 points and two dark energy cores.
Checking his balance, Zhu Jiu saw his total points had risen past 100.
Without hesitation, he poured the points into his Solar Flame Technique.
[100 points consumed. Solar Flame Technique upgraded to Level 3.]
The change was immediate. Warmth surged through his body as his Solar Flame energy grew more potent.
Zhu Jiu felt as though his very being had transformed into a furnace.
Even the icy winds and falling snow melted before touching him, the heat radiating from his body creating an invisible barrier against the cold.
"Magnificent," Zhu Jiu murmured, relishing the newfound power coursing through him.