The capabilities of the fortress were unquestionable, as any zombie that approached would be killed—alerting the rest not to come closer.
However, the chair owners didn't seem to benefit from the zombies being killed.
If they wanted to gain anything from the fortress, it would likely only be through the people living inside—such as charging a tax if they wished.
When the warehouse doors were opened, the students who had been too afraid to leave finally stepped out, astonished by the massive fortress that now surrounded the warehouse.
Some even climbed up.
However, unease grew when they learned that the fortress was controlled by three people who could expel anyone they wanted—especially since those three were known to be problematic.
Alex was feared and often bullied other students, though not to an extreme degree.
Anthony, once a weak student, now had power and seemed to be revealing his hidden fangs. Worst of all, he had tried to harass one of the female students.
Joel wasn't exactly like Anthony, but they were close and he had recently started behaving more arrogantly.
No one trusted them, fearing they would abuse their authority over the fortress to oppress others.
The one students feared the most was Anthony.
Unlike the other two, he kept flashing a creepy smile as if wild fantasies were running through his mind.
"Principal, I think it's time we look for food," Joel approached the principal, who had just returned from the warehouse, and offered a suggestion.
Food was the most crucial part of survival, but they had none in the warehouse. Naturally, they needed to find it elsewhere.
The principal nodded in agreement and asked, "Do you have a plan?"
Although he had previously disagreed with Joel—and the latter had boldly challenged him to the point of frustration—now that things were improving, the principal subconsciously viewed him as someone reliable.
"We need food that lasts. I think we should form a few teams of three people each to go to convenience stores around the school and grab whatever supplies we can," Joel answered, sounding like he had everything thought through.
"Of course, we'll need volunteers. I'm ready to go with Anthony, but we'll need one more person. Preferably someone with healing abilities," he added.
Among the current students, Lisa wasn't the only one with healing powers. A few others had them too—mostly female students.
"Is there anyone willing to join Joel and Anthony?" the principal asked the students with healing skills.
Unfortunately, they all seemed too scared to volunteer.
Most of them had never been in combat. Until now, they had just hidden inside the warehouse. Lisa was the only one who had fought, supporting others.
The principal furrowed his brow at the lack of response.
He looked at Lisa but noticed she was with Liam and Alex—two of the most skilled fighters. He figured the three of them could form another reliable team to gather supplies.
"Alex, Liam, Lisa, would you three be willing to head to a convenience store to collect supplies?" he asked them.
Lisa simply looked at Liam and Alex, while Alex also turned to Liam.
"Yes," Liam nodded, not minding the task.
Going to a convenience store was a must for him, as he also needed supplies for himself.
"Let's go." He motioned for Alex and Lisa to follow.
The number of zombies around the school had dwindled, as most had been taken down by the fortress's defense system. However, their numbers would certainly increase again in a few hours, with more zombies coming from other areas.
This was the perfect opportunity to explore outside the school.
They descended the stone stairs of the fortress and headed straight to the school's front yard.
The zombies, which hadn't dared approach the fortress, immediately attacked them.
But before the zombies could reach them, Zombie Paul and the Husky charged in and began attacking the incoming undead.
"Hey, isn't that the PE teacher zombie Liam killed? Why is he showing up again?"
Naturally, the sight of Zombie Paul shocked the students atop the fortress—especially the principal and Lisa, who was accompanying Liam and Alex.
"Wait, why are the PE teacher zombie and that Husky helping them?" the students murmured in confusion.
"It's probably Liam's skill," one guessed.
"What kind of skill is that?"
"That PE teacher zombie was clearly dead, but now he's back. Maybe Liam has some sort of resurrection skill."
A few students were sharp enough to analyze the situation quickly.
"Liam's so lucky—both of his skills are way stronger than any of ours," another student remarked.
Anthony could only scowl at the sight, realizing it would be hard for him to become the 'main character' in this new era, since others seemed far more special than he was.
Joel also looked sour, as he and Anthony still hadn't found a single student willing to join their team.
Meanwhile, three other students had formed their own team. They didn't even have a healer with them, but they still looked confident enough to head out.
When Liam and the other two arrived outside the school gate, they were attracted to a mini pickup truck that only had two doors, both of which were missing.
What caught their attention was the engine—it was still running.
Electricity and internet might have gone down mysteriously, but not all technology had stopped working. Even people's phones were still functional.
Alex quickly checked the dashboard and said, "Liam, there's still plenty of gas—let's use this pickup."
He looked at Liam, who nodded in agreement.
Even though the pickup had no doors, it would let them move around more freely.
Alex jumped into the driver's seat, while Liam and Lisa sat on the passenger side—Lisa in the middle.
As for Zombie Paul and the Husky, they climbed into the back of the truck.
Vroom!
Alex had decent driving skills, having participated in illegal street races now and then. The truck sped off, nearly throwing Liam off the edge of his seat.
Luckily, he quickly grabbed the overhead handle.
The journey went smoothly since most zombies were standing on the sidewalks rather than on the road.
By the time any zombie tried to chase them, the truck had already passed—and Zombie Paul in the back wouldn't allow any to get too close, slashing down any that did.
"There it is!"
They hadn't gone far when they spotted a convenience store, its parking lot packed with cars.
The store's glass windows were all shattered, dried blood stained the floors, and several shelves had been knocked over.