Chapter 327: The brief check.

Darren, Erick, Elliot, and everyone else, including the students, soon began following Ivy through the underground passage.

“You all better keep your voices down,” Antelope warned, his tone serious as he glanced around the dark surroundings. “Even though we’re underground, we don’t know where a sleeping monster might be lurking. If you make enough noise to wake one of them up, then you’d better prepare yourselves to be fed to those creatures!”

His words immediately instilled fear in the students’ hearts, causing them to become even more cautious as they followed the others.

Meanwhile, the students had successfully shared the bottle of water among themselves. They had carefully measured the water using the bottle cap, calculating how many capfuls each person could take so that everyone would get a fair share. It was only after they had finished distributing the water that they noticed Ivy moving ahead of them, prompting them to hurry after her.

Rose was the last student to drink the remaining water. Despite being the one who had discovered the bottle in the first place, she had insisted on saving the final drop for herself. After watching everyone else take their share, she finally drank what was left before joining the others.

“Shush, everyone!” Darren reminded the students when he noticed a few of them whispering among themselves. “And watch your steps. Walk gently and don’t make unnecessary noise.”

The students immediately nodded in response, understanding the importance of staying quiet in their dangerous surroundings.

“Everyone, wait!”

Ivy’s sudden command echoed through the underground passage, causing everyone to stop in their tracks. The order came so unexpectedly that those walking behind nearly collided with one another as they struggled to halt their movements.

“What’s wrong, Commander?” Erick asked first, confusion written all over his face as he turned to look at Ivy.

“Exactly! What’s the holdup now?” Antelope chimed in impatiently, placing both hands on his waist as he stared at her. “I can’t wait to get out of this fucking place! You wouldn’t understand because you’ve never been trapped somewhere for so long, constantly living in fear that the moment you step outside, you’ll be killed. I’ve been stuck here for God knows how long, and now I have to remain patient with these students, who are practically useless because they can’t even fight!”

“Will you just shut up, or do you want me to blow your fucking head off?” Ivy snapped, her icy glare fixed on him.

Her threatening words sent a wave of fear down Antelope’s spine. He swallowed hard, immediately regretting his decision to complain, before clamping his mouth shut.

Ivy paid him no further attention. Instead, she turned her gaze toward Erick, her expression growing increasingly serious.

“I want everyone here to check their bodies for wounds,” she instructed firmly. “And when I say everyone, I mean every single person in this group. We haven’t found the exit yet, which means we still have a long way to go. We can’t afford to be careless now. It’s better to be safe than sorry.”

“Huh? Are you suspecting that someone might have been bitten by a monster without realizing it?” Erick asked, lowering his voice to avoid attracting unnecessary attention. “But if anyone had been bitten, wouldn’t they have transformed into a monster by now? Or what do you think?”

“Not necessarily,” Ivy replied, the seriousness in her voice making it clear that she wasn’t taking any chances. “They might know how to manage the symptoms and keep themselves under control for a while.”

She paused briefly, allowing her words to sink in before continuing.

“Fear and anger can accelerate the spread of the virus throughout an infected person’s body, bringing on the transformation much faster. However, if the infected person remains calm and avoids triggering those symptoms, they might be able to suppress the transformation for a considerable amount of time. They could even hide their condition from everyone else.”

Ivy swept her gaze across the group, ensuring that everyone was paying attention to her explanation.

“And that’s exactly what makes the situation dangerous. Someone could be infected and still appear perfectly normal to the rest of us. They might remain quiet and behave as though nothing is wrong until they finally lose control. By then, it could be too late for any of us to do anything about it. If we’re not vigilant, that person could transform and attack everyone here before we even realize what’s happening.”

Her voice grew louder as she addressed the entire group, ensuring that even the students at the back could hear her clearly.

“Everyone needs to understand that we can’t afford to trust appearances right now. We have no idea how long this journey will take, and the last thing we need is an infected person hiding among us while we remain completely unaware of the danger.”

“Now, that’s crazy,” Darren muttered with a heavy sigh, shaking his head at the thought of someone hiding an infection among them.

Without wasting any more time, he began unbuttoning his shirt, exposing his sweat-covered chest and smooth torso. He carefully examined his skin, checking every visible part of his upper body for scratches, bite marks, or any unusual wounds.

After confirming that his upper body was free of injuries, Darren proceeded to lower his trousers to inspect his legs, causing several of the students to turn their faces away in embarrassment.

“Hey, relax!” he said when he noticed their reactions. “I’m wearing shorts underneath!”

The students hesitantly turned back toward him, only to discover that he was indeed wearing a pair of shorts beneath his trousers. With his legs also free of wounds, Darren quickly pulled his trousers back up and adjusted his clothing.

“Since we have to inspect everyone, there’s no point wasting time,” he announced, turning toward the others. “You should all start removing your school uniforms so we can check your bodies properly. I’ll inspect the men, while Commander Ivy takes care of the women.”

“That’s right,” Antelope agreed, nodding in support of Darren’s suggestion.

Without wasting any more time, the adults began examining one another. Darren took responsibility for inspecting the men, carefully checking their bodies for wounds while Erick and Elliot cooperated with the process. Once they had confirmed that none of the adults had any visible injuries, they proceeded to examine the students.

Meanwhile, Ivy directed her attention toward the female students and led them to a corner of the underground passage, putting some distance between them and the men to give the girls a little privacy.

“Alright, girls. I want all of you to start taking off your shirts so I can inspect your upper bodies,” Ivy commanded, her tone firm and leaving little room for argument.

The girls exchanged uncertain glances, with several of them looking uncomfortable at the sudden request.

“Why should we?” Rose was the first to speak up, immediately wrapping her arms around her body protectively. She stared at Ivy with a mixture of suspicion and embarrassment. “Don’t you think this is inappropriate?”

“Inappropriate?” Ivy repeated, raising an eyebrow before letting out a scoff. “Girl, I’m a woman just like you, and I have breasts too. What exactly is inappropriate about that?”

She folded her arms across her chest and regarded Rose with an unimpressed expression.

“I’m not asking you to do this for fun. We’re in a dangerous place surrounded by monsters, and we don’t even know whether someone among us has already been infected. If there’s a wound hidden beneath your uniform, we need to find it before it becomes a problem for everyone. This isn’t the time to be shy or make a fuss over something that could determine whether we survive or die.”

Rose pressed her lips together, still looking reluctant to comply with the instruction.

“Come on, Rose,” one of the female students interjected, attempting to reason with her. “Since Commander Ivy wants to inspect everyone, I think it’s better for us to cooperate. She’s only trying to make sure that none of us has been bitten. It’s for the safety of everyone, after all.”

The girl began removing her uniform shirt, preparing for the inspection.

Before Rose could offer another objection, the remaining girls also began undressing, one after another. Although some of them still appeared uncomfortable with the situation, they understood that Ivy wasn’t making the request without a reason.