Inside the carriage, the cloud of blood mist was still slowly dispersing.

Everyone was shocked, their gazes shifting back and forth between the shattered head of the crow and Jiang Nan's still-raised finger.

Fear, confusion, and a sense of a crumbling worldview filled the air.

"What... what happened? Why did the crow suddenly die?"

In the corner, a petite girl wearing thick glasses raised her hand.

Her name was Liu Yuqing, a top student ranking among the best in the school.

"I... I think I saw..."

"Jiang Nan just made a gesture like a gun, and... he spoke!"

"And then the crow exploded!"

As soon as she said this, several girls around her gasped in shock.

However, before the shock could fully settle in...

"Huh? Liu Yuqing, did the scare mess up your brain too?"

A mocking voice rang out.

The speaker was a girl sitting in the front row.

She was dressed in designer clothes, clutching a Hermes bag with the tag still on it, and her sharp chin could probably stab someone.

Her nose was so translucent it was obvious she had too much plastic surgery, a typical influencer face.

Her name was Bai Lianhua, known in the class for being a snob.

"You think this is a novel? Making gestures and speaking?"

Bai Lianhua rolled her eyes dramatically, pointing at the still expressionless Jiang Nan:

"Everyone knows he's mute!"

"What, is there really someone crazy enough to pretend to be mute for eighteen years just to show off today?"

"That's just too far-fetched!"

Though Bai Lianhua's words were harsh, they did make sense.

Who on earth would be bored enough to pretend to be mute for eighteen years?!

However, Liu Yuqing bit her lip and mustered the courage to retort.

"But... but I really saw it."

The next second, the girl sitting beside her spoke up.

That was Liu Yuqing's bestie, also the class beauty, Yu Shishi.

Pure and charming, she was always inseparable from Liu Yuqing.

"Yuqing, Jiang Nan has a certificate from the hospital, you must have seen it wrong."

"Think about it, if you were pretending to be mute, able to speak but unable to for some reason!"

"Not being able to share juicy gossip, being misunderstood without being able to explain, how frustrating would that be!"

"Not to mention eighteen years, even one year... I couldn't bear it!"

Hearing this, Jiang Nan, who had been expressionless, twitched slightly at the corner of his eye.

He nodded furiously in his heart.

I have to say, you spoke my mind!

Eighteen years! A whole eighteen years!

Do you know how I survived these eighteen years?!

To save up these words, for that one powerful moment.

How many times I wanted to complain, how many times I wanted to curse, but in the end, I could only pinch my thigh hard and swallow my words!

This also led to him now barely able to make any facial expressions.

Aside from a forced crooked smile, he was basically expressionless!

"But..."

Liu Yuqing wanted to say something more, but was rudely interrupted by a roar.

"Enough! Who cares if he's really mute or not!"

Yang Wei suddenly jumped up from his seat, pointing a trembling finger at the corpse on the ground.

"More importantly than how the crow died..."

"Didn't you see what he just did?!"

Yang Wei's face was a mix of terror and anger as he shouted:

"He used Li Xin as a human shield!!"

"He used a living person to block the crow's mouth!!"

His words caused an uproar.

Everyone who had been pondering the crow's cause of death suddenly recalled the terrifying scene from earlier.

The mute, whom they usually regarded as a weakling with no presence.

Had single-handedly lifted the 145-pound Li Xin and tossed him to the monster like garbage!

"I saw it too... it was too cruel..."

"Even though Li Xin was a bit much earlier, Jiang Nan shouldn't have killed him!"

"Exactly, a murderer... how is he any different from that monster?"

In an instant, the atmosphere in the carriage shifted.

Fear often turns into attacks on others.

Jiang Nan coldly watched these classmates who had been timid just moments ago, now standing on moral high ground, pointing fingers.

His eyes were filled with icy coldness.

He looked at Yang Wei.

The big guy leading the trouble.

At this moment, Yang Wei's eyes were dodging, not daring to meet Jiang Nan's gaze, clearly trying to regain control by stirring up the crowd.

Heh, herd mentality?

It seems some people, despite outwardly opposing Li Xin, are essentially the same kind of people.

In the apocalypse, fools who might stab you in the back at any moment are just a liability.

Jiang Nan's lips curled into a cruel smile.

Since he had already fired one shot.

Another wouldn't hurt.

So...

Let's eliminate this potential threat in advance.

Jiang Nan slowly raised his right hand, extending his index finger, pointing it at Yang Wei's forehead.

At this moment, every hair on Yang Wei's body stood on end.

"You... what are you trying to do..."

However, just before Jiang Nan could utter the word.

"Whoosh!"

A fragrant breeze swept in.

Suddenly, Jiang Nan felt his vision go dark, and two soft mounds enveloped his entire face!

It was Chen Tong!

The voluptuous beauty teacher had rushed over in a panic, giving Jiang Nan a "face wash."

Forcing his head into her heaving bosom!

"Mmm..."

Jiang Nan felt warm all over, but nearly suffocated.

Oh! This damned feeling of suffocation...

And this damned softness!

Chen Tong held Jiang Nan tightly, turning to angrily scold Yang Wei and the others.

"At a time like this! You're still fighting amongst yourselves!"

"In that situation, who could have reacted? Jiang Nan was acting in self-defense!"

"Yang Wei! You guys only know how to bully classmates, can't you calmly think about what we should do next?!"

It must be said, Chen Tong, as a counselor, still had some authority.

Plus, she was usually nice to the students, helping many pass exams last winter break.

And being a beauty, her anger made many lower their heads.

"Phew..."

Yang Wei had just breathed a sigh of relief, but hearing Chen Tong speak, he stiffened his neck and shouted:

"Teacher Chen, you're being biased! Jiang Nan clearly..."

"Stop arguing! Everyone stop arguing!"

At this moment, another voice interjected.

It was the chubby boy with glasses, Wang Meng.

He ran over from the driver's seat, sweating profusely, interrupting the argument.

"Our goal isn't to fight, it's to survive until sunrise!"

Wang Meng panted as he spoke:

"By the way, my family runs a repair shop. After Master Wang died, I checked the car's condition."

"Bad news: the electrical system is completely down, the engine is shot, this bus is now just a metal coffin, it can't be driven!"

Hearing this, everyone's faces turned pale.

The car was broken?

Doesn't that mean they're trapped here?

"Why don't we think about what to do next? I don't recommend staying in the car."

Wang Meng adjusted his glasses, pointing at the shattered window.

"You saw it too, that crow easily broke the glass."

"This car's defense is like paper against those monsters!"

Hearing Wang Meng's words, everyone shifted their attention away from Jiang Nan.

After all, life and death are the top priority!

"Damn!"

Yang Wei punched the seat, cursing: "That bastard Wang must have known all along!"

"I wondered why the door wouldn't open! He was so emotional back then!"

Yang Wei paced back and forth in the aisle, his expression fluctuating.

He glanced at Jiang Nan, who was still struggling, several times, trembling all over.

Finally, he stopped abruptly, his eyes fierce.

"No! We can't wait any longer!"

"The bus is too big a target! And..."

He looked disdainfully at the corpses of Master Wang and Li Xin on the ground, and the blood everywhere.

"The smell of blood here is too strong! It will definitely attract more monsters!"

"We must leave!"

With that, Yang Wei looked around, his gaze falling on the large wrench in Chen Tong's hand, seemingly wanting to snatch it.

But the next second, he met Jiang Nan's eyes, which had emerged from Chen Tong's embrace.

Yang Wei shivered all over, immediately dismissing the idea.

"Hmph!"

He snorted coldly, turned, and grabbed a few scattered bags of chips and beef jerky from the ground, stuffing them into his bag.

Then, quickly took the emergency hammer hanging by the window, and the flashlight next to Master Wang's body.

These were the most valuable items on the bus.

He went to an unbroken window, smashed the glass with a hammer, and looked back at everyone.

"This bus is a death trap! Who wants to come with me?"

"Although it's dark outside, as long as we find an open area, without trees, there won't be those crows! Open sight is safe!"

Everyone exchanged glances.

Looking at the blood and bodies in the bus, then at the broken window, fear overcame everything.

"I! Brother Yang Wei, I'll go with you!"

"I'm going too! This bus stinks!"

"Let's go, I also think it's safer outside!"

Driven by the desire to survive, most students grabbed their belongings and scrambled to follow Yang Wei out the window.

In just two minutes.

The once crowded carriage became empty.

Only four people remained.

Chen Tong, Jiang Nan, Wang Meng, and the petite girl from earlier, Liu Yuqing.

Outside the window, Yang Wei called back with a flashlight.

"Teacher Chen! Aren't you coming down?"

Chen Tong looked at Yang Wei, then at Jiang Nan beside her, appearing hesitant.

"Jiang Nan... should we go too?"

Search bit.ly/3iBfjkV for the original.

"The smell of blood here is indeed too strong..."

However, Jiang Nan shook his head.

He found a clean spot to sit, looking calm.

What a joke.

He's now a high-damage, low-defense fragile mage. Word Spirit is powerful, but his body is still mortal flesh.

This bus, though broken, is at least a layer of iron.

Leaving the shelter to venture into the unknown dark forest?

Heading to an open area?

Isn't that just pure dumbass behavior?

Seeing Jiang Nan unwilling to move, Chen Tong became even more conflicted.

She didn't know what choice to make, logic told her Yang Wei made sense, but her intuition didn't want to leave this student.

Finally, she looked into Jiang Nan's eyes and asked.

"Why? Give the teacher a reason."

Jiang Nan took out a notepad, the pen tip gliding over the paper, writing two forceful words:

[Trust me.]

Looking at these words, Chen Tong took a deep breath.

A strange sense of security welled up in her heart again.

"Okay."

Chen Tong's eyes became determined, shouting to the outside: "I'm not going, you all be careful!"

This time, Yang Wei and the others outside were completely enraged.

"Tch, I think Teacher Chen is smitten by that pretty boy!"

"Exactly, stay with that mute and wait to die!"

Everyone chattered, making snide remarks.

These words fell on Jiang Nan's ears like jokes.

Who argues with the dead?

He glanced at the other two who stayed.

Wang Meng was busy fiddling with the dashboard, seemingly trying to fix something, ignoring the calls from outside.

And on Liu Yuqing's side, there was a bit of a dispute.

She was leaning out the window, desperately trying to persuade Yu Shishi below.

"Shishi! Come up! It's really too dangerous outside!"

"I think it's safer in the bus!"

Liu Yuqing shouted anxiously.

Yu Shishi stood in the cold wind, hesitantly looking at the bus.

But before she could speak, Bai Lianhua grabbed her arm.

"Oh Shishi! Why listen to that bookworm?"

Bai Lianhua looked at Liu Yuqing with disdain.

"Liu Yuqing, if you want to die, don't drag others! Didn't you see Jiang Nan killing without blinking?"

"Compared to that psycho, I'd rather follow Brother Yang Wei!"

"He's the center of the school basketball team, a sports student, even if we encounter monsters, he can carry us and run!"

Beside them, three boys who had been pursuing Yu Shishi immediately chimed in.

"Exactly! Shishi, don't listen to that four-eyed girl!"

"We'll protect you! What's the point of following that mute?"

"Shishi, let's go, it's too cold here!"

These boys, nodding and bowing, don't ask why they don't seem like simps, just call them devoted gentlemen.

Yu Shishi looked at Liu Yuqing, then at the boys surrounding her like stars, finally gritting her teeth.

"Yuqing... I'm sorry."

"I think they're right, why don't... you come down too?"

Hearing this, Liu Yuqing's eyes instantly dimmed.

She realized that in the face of life and death, even this bestie relationship was only so deep.

She took a deep breath, shaking her head desperately.

"Shishi, trust me just this once, okay?"

Yu Shishi avoided her gaze, making an excuse: "I... I'm afraid of blood."

Liu Yuqing said nothing more.

She silently stepped back, then, in front of her former friend, resolutely closed the window.

Even locking the latch.

This closure marked two different worlds.

"Tch! What kind of person is this! Good intentions treated like donkey's liver and lungs!"

Bai Lianhua spat fiercely at the window.

Then affectionately linked arms with Yu Shishi, not forgetting to throw a flirtatious glance at the three boys.

"Let's go, let's go! You guys better be good protectors~"

"Don't worry!"

The three boys instantly perked up.

"Alright, stop dawdling!"

In the front, Yang Wei impatiently waved the flashlight.

He looked back at the pitch-black bus and Jiang Nan, who had no intention of leaving, and instead felt relieved.

I don't want to be with a monster...

Yang Wei thought apprehensively, then gave the order.

"Let's go! To the clearing over there! The more open, the fewer trees, no trees, no crows!"

The group marched towards the slightly sparser area of the forest.

As night deepened, the blood-red moon climbed the treetops.

In the carriage, Jiang Nan leaned against the window, watching the group gradually disappear into the darkness.

"Open area..."

Jiang Nan sneered inwardly.

In this crisis-filled Wilderness Realm, exposing oneself in an unprotected open field...

That's not safety.

That's a buffet opening.