Winnie Morgan was panicking, but she forced herself to stay calm. She bit her lip and asked, "Simon Howard, what's your plan?"

Simon Howard looked anxious. "We're leaving. If Delwen Dowlin has started killing, he won't stop. Winnie, come with us!"

The school's food supply was extremely limited, and tensions between survivor groups were running high.

Delwen Dowlin, being as ruthless as he was, constantly clashed with other survivor groups.

Simon Howard's group was no exception.

Now, their only option was to run.

The risks outside were immense—dangerous terrain, mutated creatures, and the constant need for food and water.

But Simon Howard wanted Winnie Morgan to come along. Her beauty was secondary; her water-creation ability was what he valued most. She was a walking water supply.

Winnie thought quickly before making up her mind. "...Alright!"

The other girls in the room gasped in fear.

"Winnie, it's too dangerous out there!" "Winnie, Delwen Dowlin wouldn't hurt us, right? He needs you to make water for him!" "Winnie..."

Naive! Winnie sighed and explained patiently, "Think about it. If everyone else leaves and it's just us and Delwen Dowlin, who are we going to trade food with? Won't we be at his mercy? What will we do when our food runs out? If he says he'll trade one loaf of bread for one woman, how can we say no?"

The girls froze, hesitant. "I-I don't think it'll come to that..."

The group of girls surrounding Winnie were mostly her dorm mates—girls who had always been close to her.

They were incredibly lucky.

When the purple mist descended, Winnie quickly developed her water-creation ability. Pure water had become a valuable commodity, and by trading it for food, she had managed to shelter and protect the other girls.

Because of this, they had been shielded from most of the apocalypse's dangers.

Now, they were reluctant to face the risks of the outside world.

A long-haired girl named Bella Torres clung to a sliver of hope. "Winnie, Delwen Dowlin wouldn't dare harm you. If you stop making water, he'll die of thirst."

Before Winnie could respond, Simon Howard sneered. "Naive! If Delwen Dowlin captures Winnie, do you think he'll politely ask for water? He'll do whatever he wants to her. You think you can withstand his methods?"

The girls shuddered, remembering the horrific rumors of how Delwen Dowlin treated women.

Winnie put a comforting arm around Bella and reassured her, "Bella, Delwen Dowlin won't spare us. It's safer if we leave. With all the trees outside, once we're out of the New York Film Academy, he won't be able to find us."

Bella, her dorm mate and close friend, looked unconvinced.

But Bella wouldn't admit she was wrong, especially not to a man.

Infuriated, she snapped, "Who do you think you are, calling me naive? You're the one who's stupid!"

Simon Howard scoffed, unwilling to argue with her further. If it weren't for Winnie, women like this wouldn't have survived this long.

He turned back to Winnie and pleaded again. "Winnie, come with us!"

Winnie nodded. "Alright. Let's contact the others. The more people we have, the safer we'll be."

Simon beamed. "Great! I'll spread the word. Once people hear you're leaving, they'll definitely want to join you!"

Winnie Morgan was the most important water source for all the survivors at the New York Film Academy.

Her departure would undoubtedly inspire many to follow.

The more people Simon could gather, the better their chances of survival.

Winnie wanted to leave as soon as possible, but things didn't go as planned.

Many survivors were unwilling to venture outside, terrified of the dangers.

Some clung to the hope that Delwen Dowlin wouldn't kill everyone.

Those who didn't want to leave also tried to stop Winnie and the others from leaving, causing chaos and arguments.

It took Simon, Winnie, and a few other ability users over an hour to gather a group of 60 survivors and finally set off.

Bella Torres and several dozen others stayed behind, watching the group disappear into the purple mist.

Bella felt betrayed by Winnie, her anger boiling over. "Winnie Morgan is so selfish! How could she just leave us? Where are we supposed to get water now?"

The remaining survivors said nothing.

Without any ability users among them, they all felt vulnerable and on edge.

Seeing their silence, Bella's anger grew. She tried to rally them, "When Delwen Dowlin comes for us and we can't give him water, we're doomed! Especially us women. Do you really want to be at his mercy?"

The women's faces turned pale with fear.

"What do we do?" "Maybe... we should try to catch up with Winnie. We might still make it if we hurry." "But it's so dangerous outside. I'm scared." "Winnie didn't treat us like sisters at all! How could she abandon us like that? She's so selfish!"

Bella's eyes gleamed coldly as an idea formed in her mind. "I'll tell you what we do. The only way to survive is to join Delwen Dowlin. If we tell him where Winnie's group went, he'll capture her and bring her back. Then everyone will have water again! And with that information, we'll gain his favor and secure our survival."

The others stared at Bella in shock.

How could she be so cruel?

After everything Winnie had done for her, she was going to betray her like this?

But some of them were tempted.

Bella's suggestion wasn't entirely without merit...

As long as they could survive, why should they care what happened to Winnie?

Bella pressed on, "Whether you come with me or not, I'm going. If you join me now, you'll share in the credit. Don't say I didn't warn you!"

Under Bella's urging, two men and seven women decided to go with her to betray Winnie Morgan to Delwen Dowlin.

Simon Howard trudged through the mist, already drenched in sweat after just a few hundred meters.

The survivors followed closely behind, too scared to stray far from the group.

The purple mist reduced visibility to just five meters. Straying too far risked losing the group entirely, which would mean certain death.

Winnie Morgan stayed in the center of the group, protected by everyone as their source of pure water.

Simon studied the surrounding terrain carefully.

The once-familiar campus was now overgrown with vegetation, making it hard to recognize landmarks.

"Keep going, everyone," Simon encouraged. "We're almost at the school gate. Once we're outside, Delwen Dowlin won't be able to find us!"

The group felt a surge of relief, smiles breaking across their faces.

"Where do we set up camp?"

Simon consulted a paper map. "We need to be at least two kilometers away to be safe. After we leave the gate, we'll go 200 meters straight, then head south—"

Before he could finish, a gust of wind blew past.

Simon froze. A thin red line appeared across his neck.

His head slowly slid off his shoulders and fell to the ground.

Blood sprayed two meters into the air.

The survivors behind him stood in stunned silence, their minds blank with horror.

Standing at the front of the group was Delwen Dowlin, his machete dripping with blood.

He casually flicked the blade, spraying droplets onto the ground, and sneered, "Going somewhere? Tell me where."

Screams erupted.

"Delwen Dowlin is here!" "Simon Howard is dead!" "Run!"

The group scattered in a panic, rushing back toward the campus.

Delwen laughed maniacally. "Hahaha! Run! Run all you want! Today, no one's getting out alive!"

He waited a few seconds to catch his breath, then blurred into a shadow, slicing down the last person in the group with terrifying speed.

Delwen continued his bloody pursuit, chasing the survivors deeper into the campus.

In their desperation, the group unknowingly ran into the field.

When Delwen and his men realized where they were, it was too late to stop.

Now, standing at the edge of the field, Delwen's face darkened.

No one dared take a step forward.

"Boss, maybe we shouldn't go in," one of his men suggested nervously. "Yeah, Delwen, the field is too dangerous," another added.

Delwen furiously slashed a nearby tree branch and snarled, "You think I don't know that, you idiots? But Winnie Morgan is in there! If I don't catch her, who's going to make water for me?!"

Realization dawned on the group, but they still hesitated.

Delwen glared at them, brandishing his machete. "Get in there and find her! Catch Winnie Morgan, then we'll leave! If there's a monster, let those fools die first. We'll use them as bait!"

The men cursed Delwen in their hearts.

You just want to use us as bait!

But none of them dared speak up.

Delwen Dowlin was a cold-blooded killer. Anyone who defied him would be the next to die.

Under his orders, the group gritted their teeth and charged into the field.