"Our coming here was indeed because we heard the broadcast... Was it sent by you? What's going on with that research institute? It isn't in the building across the street at all! And you mentioned knowing the truth about the virus outbreak..."
Elijah squinted his eyes and stared at the man opposite him, speaking each word deliberately.
He started to piece things together. These people had deliberately given an incorrect location for the research institute in the broadcast.
The location they mentioned was within their line of sight, so anyone who went to that empty building must have come to rescue them after hearing the broadcast.
"We do know the truth about the virus outbreak, but you have to rescue us first. Keep us away from the female zombie in the center of the lake, and then we'll tell you!" The man spoke with a slight excitement.
"Oh?"
Elijah smiled, "That's simple. We already cleared most of the zombies on our way here. As long as we take care of that mutated female zombie in the center of the lake, you all will be safe!"
"Really? That's great! Then hurry up and kill that female zombie!" The man, along with the group behind him, became visibly excited upon hearing Elijah's words.
Earlier, they didn't want us near the lake, but now they are so sure we can take out that mutated female zombie? Elijah thought, puzzled, but he put on a frustrated expression and said, "That female zombie has ice abilities and is very strong! If she were on land, I could definitely take her down!
Unfortunately, she didn't leave the lake even when she was so close to us earlier. If she had, I would have killed her right then! Now that she's in the lake, which is her main battlefield, it's too dangerous and difficult! I heard gunshots earlier; do you have guns? Why not try using them? If you're afraid, you can give me the gun, and I'll kill her from a distance!"
Upon hearing this, the people inside fell silent. The man who spoke initially gave a sheepish smile and said, "Um... we are scared, and the gun... is actually just a toy that makes noise!"
"I see."
"If... we... if we have a way to lure that female zombie out, can you kill her?" A girl from the crowd suddenly stepped forward, both anxious and terrified.
"Zoe, what are you doing?" The man's face darkened, and he turned to scold her harshly.
As Mason thought this, a trace of ruthlessness appeared on his face. That woman hated him, but no one here was innocent, especially not Zoe! Why should he be the bait?
"Slap!" A heavy slap landed on Zoe's face.
"Enough!" Mason roared. The slap stunned Zoe, and she seemed to regain some clarity, looking at Mason with a hint of fear in her eyes. She covered her face and took a few steps back, not daring to speak again.
Abigail was watching the drama unfold with great interest, but now that it seemed to be ending, she pouted in disappointment.
Elijah, however, noticed something in that moment. The man named Mason had briefly placed his hand on his belt. It was this action that had frightened Zoe into silence and retreating a few steps.
Elijah, through the outline faintly visible under Mason's loose T-shirt, guessed that he had a gun tucked in his waistband. No wonder the woman had suddenly come to her senses!
Elijah's face showed a faint smile.
Watching this absurd scene, Elijah had already guessed what was going on with the female zombie outside just from the few words Zoe had said.
It was likely that this man named Mason, or this group of people, had caused her death.
After dying, she had awakened as a mutated zombie and, like Abigail and Kylie, had somehow retained a part of her consciousness.
But unlike Abigail and Kylie, who had retained memories of their most important friends and family, this mutated female zombie seemed to have retained her endless despair and a deep-seated hatred that couldn't be erased even in death.
She hated Mason and everyone in the cafeteria but didn't want them to die easily.
This explained what Zoe had said about the female zombie having the ability to invade the cafeteria and kill them all at once but instead playing with them like a cat with mice, killing one person every few days to let them taste the pain of being slowly swallowed by despair.
Zoe, having been suppressed to the extreme in such an environment, seemed to have lost her mind when she learned that Elijah might be able to deal with the female zombie. The accumulated pressure suddenly released, making her appear almost insane.