"You're early too, Terry?"
A mild voice sounded from the front of the cafeteria.
A well-groomed man with a scholarly appearance strolled into view Instructor Walter Wayne, the freshman advisor from Godslayer Academy.
The moment Terry Yan laid eyes on him, his good mood vanished completely.
"Are we close?" Terry said coldly.
"We were classmates, after all. No need to carry a grudge forever just because of a few past misunderstandings," Walter said with a gentle smile. "You guys haven't eaten yet, have you? Why don't I have my students give up their seats?"
"Fake as hell."
Terry's face remained stone-cold as he turned to his students. "We'll eat in the back."
The students didn't complain. They followed him deeper into the cafeteria without hesitation.
Vincent Fox watched the exchange in silence, shaking his head inwardly.
Old Terry really was too straightforward not even remotely a match for the smiling tiger that was Walter Wayne.
Then again, it made sense.
If Terry had more political skill, he wouldn't be stuck teaching at Martial Saint Academy.
Meanwhile, Walter was a key instructor at Godslayer Academy his future practically paved in gold.
From their respective positions, Terry was the clear loser.
But still, if Vincent had to choose, he'd rather have a teacher like Terry.
At least with him, you didn't have to worry about getting stabbed in the back.
Watching Terry leave, Walter maintained his trademark warm smile, seemingly unbothered.
One of the Godslayer students beside him asked, "Sir, is that really your classmate? He's got no manners at all."
Walter chuckled. "We had a misunderstanding in our younger days. I suppose it's my fault."
"But still, there's no reason to hang on to that forever," the student muttered, clearly indignant on behalf of his teacher.
Other students chimed in.
"Exactly! You were being polite and he just disrespected you outright. Who does he think he is?"
"If he were really that talented, he wouldn't be stuck teaching at some bottom-tier academy."
"Sir, you're just too kind. People like him aren't worth your time."
Walter just waved them off with a sigh. "This is between me and him. I'll take care of it. For now, eat and rest up. I hope all of you do well in the Third Forbidden Zone."
He turned and walked away, his slender back exuding a sense of loneliness and quiet nobility.
Some students felt sympathy rise in their hearts.
But at one table, a few Godslayer students shared only contempt.
"Walter's such a two-faced actor."
"Yeah! If Boss Leon hadn't told us what really happened, I would've been fooled too."
"Always smiling in public, always scheming behind your back. The man's dangerous."
These were the very same students who had met in the private booth last time to plan Vincent Fox's death.
Leon Lawson frowned slightly. "Cool it. He's still our instructor. Just keep that in mind and don't stir anything."
The others nodded silently.
Then Serena Wren asked, "Boss, where's Elias Vale? I haven't seen him around."
"He's still training. He'll meet us at the checkpoint at two," Leon said casually.
Everyone was a bit stunned.
"He's still training at a time like this? That's intense."
"No wonder his strength rating was C+. That kind of focus is on a whole different level."
"Yeah. He's a scary guy…"
At 2:00 PM sharp, all students gathered at the entrance to the Third Forbidden Zone.
A total of five academies had made it for this wave.
Schools farther away would arrive for the next batch, scheduled to enter tomorrow. After all, the zone was located near the border, and the journey wasn't short.
A military officer stepped forward and called out, "Time's up. Begin entering the zone!"
Having done this once before, the students were well-practiced. They lined up in order, stepping through the entrance one by one.
Soon, it was Vincent's turn.
He showed no hesitation. With a calm face, he stepped forward.
The next moment, his vision blurred and he found himself standing in a white void.
"Please select your mission…"
A robotic voice rang out, followed by two floating windows in front of him.
Mission 1: Protect the citizens of Ren Town.
Difficulty: Easy
Duration: 30 days
Note: The town has 100,000 residents. If more than 30,000 die, the mission is considered a failure.
Failure Penalty: Permanent entrapment in this world.
Note: The better your contribution, the higher your mission evaluation.
Mission 2: Kill zombies.
Difficulty: Hard
Duration: 30 days
Requirement: Kill at least one zombie. The more you kill, the higher your evaluation.
Warning: Mission failure will result in immediate erasure.
Vincent glanced at the bright red WARNING under Mission 2 and ignored it.
Without hesitation, he chose the difficult path.
After all, it's called a Forbidden Zone for a reason. This wasn't a game.