Investing in My Harem in the Apocalypse Makes Me Stronger
Chapter 25: University Buses

Chapter 25: University Buses

Cain stared at the healing Skill and thought that a swordsman capable of treating his own wounds would be far more difficult to kill.

Greater Restoration could not heal every injury. However, it could keep Cain alive long enough to escape from battles that would otherwise end in death in the worst case scenario.

He then closed the panel.

Ahead of him, Evelyne was still walking with unusual excitement.

They reached the cafeteria without encountering more zombies.

Several carts had been pushed outside. Large bags of rice were stacked near the entrance.

Boxes containing canned food and bottled drinks occupied the loading area.

They had also gathered cooking oil, dried noodles, and sealed packages from the storage rooms.

Professor Ian stood beside the supplies.

When he noticed Cain and Evelyne approaching, he walked toward them.

"Where have the two of you been?"

Cain’s expression remained calm as he replied, "Evelyne doesn’t live in the university, so she had no clothes at the auditorium."

"That’s why I accompanied her to the nearest dormitory and helped gather some."

Professor Ian looked at Cain’s clean uniform.

Cain continued naturally, "I took a shower while we were there. My clothes were covered in blood after fighting all day."

The explanation sounded completely reasonable.

"I see." Professor Ian nodded.

Professor Irina stood several meters away.

The moment she heard Cain’s explanation, her shoulders stiffened. Her fingers tightened around her bow.

She adjusted her glasses even though they were already positioned correctly.

A faint redness spread across her face.

Cain met her gaze briefly, but Professor Irina immediately looked away.

She knew exactly why Cain had taken Evelyne behind the cafeteria. She also knew that his calm explanation was false.

Maya was helping move a box of bottled water nearby. After hearing Cain’s words, she nearly lost her grip.

The box tilted in her hands before she quickly corrected it with a slightly red face.

She fastened her steps and carried the supplies toward the loading area without looking at Cain.

Cain raised an eyebrow as he thought that Professor Irina’s reaction made sense, but it did not with Maya.

Evelyne stood beside Cain.

She had not raised her head since seeing Professor Irina. Her fingers repeatedly twisted the bottom of her clean blouse.

The confidence she displayed around everyone else had disappeared.

Professor Irina glanced toward her.

Evelyne immediately looked toward the ground, her face turned bright red.

Cain observed the two women, a faint smile appeared on his face.

He had a feeling that returning to the auditorium would become far more troublesome than fighting zombies.

Cain was still observing the strange reactions of the women when the rumbling of heavy engines reached the cafeteria.

A large university bus emerged from behind the near academic building. Another followed close behind it, swerving slightly to avoid an abandoned car blocking part of the road.

Ron leaned halfway out of the first bus’s open door.

"Move those carts away!"

Several students hurried to clear the loading area.

The brakes released a loud hiss as the first bus stopped near the cafeteria. Its front bumper had been dented, and dark blood covered one side, but the vehicle appeared functional.

Nathan climbed down from the driver’s seat with his bow held in one hand.

Jack stepped out after him.

Elara arrived in the second bus, followed by several members of the Archery Club.

Cain glanced toward the road behind them.

Two more university buses approached at a slower speed.

The last one looked heavier than the others. Its rear had sunk noticeably closer to the tires.

When the door opened, Cain immediately smelled fuel.

A dozen large metal drums had been secured between the seats using belts, ropes, and strips of torn clothes.

Nathan walked toward him.

"We found the university transportation depot."

His breathing remained steady despite the blood covering his clothes.

"There were more buses, but these were the only ones we could start quickly. The others either had damaged engines or missing keys."

Cain looked toward the fuel-filled vehicle.

"And those drums?"

"They were stored near the maintenance building," Nathan replied. "The buses won’t travel far without additional fuel, so we loaded as much as we could."

"Good."

The fuel might become more valuable than food once they left the university.

Gas stations outside could already be occupied, destroyed, or surrounded by thousands of zombies.

Taking enough fuel now would give them more freedom when choosing their route.

Cain inspected the other buses.

One had more than half a tank remaining.

The second was nearly full.

The condition of the remaining vehicles was worse, but they should still be usable after minor repairs.

Professor Ian approached the first driver.

"Can you drive this safely?"

The student nodded.

"My father owns a transportation company. I’ve driven buses inside the depot before."

Professor Ian looked unconvinced.

"Inside a depot is different from crossing a city filled with wrecked vehicles."

"I know."

The student tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

"But I’m still better than someone who has never driven one."

Professor Ian accepted the answer.

The food gathered from the cafeteria was already stacked near the loading area.

Students opened the rear doors of the delivery trucks and began carrying the supplies inside.

Large sacks of rice were loaded first, then boxes of canned food followed second.

The refrigerated storage had stopped working, so the group ignored most raw meat and products that would spoil quickly.

Cooking oil, noodles, seasoning, and bottled drinks took priority.

Several people climbed into the trucks and arranged everything carefully to prevent the boxes from falling during the journey.

The noise of the returning buses had attracted more zombies from the nearby roads.

Growls came from beyond the cafeteria plaza.

A group of infected students appeared near the trees, drawn by the engines and shouted instructions.

The stronger survivors immediately moved to intercept them.

Professor Irina fired from beside the loading area, dropping the nearest zombie with an arrow through its eye.

Professor Ian joined the students guarding the trucks.

Maya remained near the cafeteria doors and called out whenever more infected appeared from another direction.

Cain did not interfere unless the survivors faced too many at once as they needed experience.

The zombies were also low-level enough that the fighters could handle them without relying on him.

Evelyne stood beside Doctor Owen, using her newly improved senses to check the people returning from battle.

She had no difficulty noticing bruises or shallow cuts now.

Whenever someone suffered a small injury, pale green light gathered around her hands.

Restorative Light closed torn skin and reduced the swelling left by zombie strikes.

The Skill was not powerful enough to restore severe wounds, but it allowed Doctor Owen to preserve his Mana for emergencies.

Evelyne’s confidence increased every time someone thanked her.

The loading took several minutes.

Once the final truck had been filled, Nathan assigned people to drive the buses back.

Cain entered the first delivery truck and sat beside the driver.

The remaining fighters either boarded the buses or climbed into the other vehicles.

The convoy started moving.

Their return journey was slower than the trip to the cafeteria.

Abandoned cars narrowed several roads, forcing the buses to cross sidewalks or push aside damaged vehicles.

The drivers also needed to avoid corpses and collapsed sections of pavement.

Cain watched the campus through the windshield.

Smoke had become thicker in the distance as several fires continued burning without anyone attempting to control them.

The university was isolated from the worst destruction beyond its walls, but the signs were already visible.

Whatever had happened was not limited to the campus.

The entire city had probably fallen into the same chaos.