Chapter 305 Eliminating the cannibals.

"Rescue the women and children!” Erick yelled amidst the chaos, still firing his gun at the approaching cannibals.

His soldiers immediately obeyed his command, rushing toward the cages and leading the terrified women and children out of the building while the others continued shooting at the cannibals who tried to stop them.

“Arrrrgh!”

The children locked inside one of the cages screamed the moment the soldiers began breaking the lock. Their tiny bodies shook terribly from fear, and some of them instinctively backed away from the soldiers as though they were afraid that they, too, had come to hurt them.

“It’s okay. We’re not here to hurt you. We’re here to save you,” Darren said calmly as he approached the cage and knelt down to their height. “The bad men are being eliminated, so you don’t have to be afraid anymore.”

He stretched his hand toward one of the children.

“Hurry up. Come with me.”

The child stared at his outstretched hand for a few seconds before finally grabbing it with trembling fingers.

“That’s it. You’re safe now,” Darren reassured him.

Soon, all the women and children were out of the cages and positioned in a straight line as the soldiers began leading them toward the exit.

None of them dared to lift their heads. Their gazes remained glued to their feet while their hands covered their ears, trying to block out the deafening gunshots and the horrifying screams of pain coming from the cannibals.

“Don’t be scared, everyone. Just keep walking,” Darren reassured them, constantly glancing around to make sure none of the cannibals got close.

Suddenly, one of the cannibals emerged from the side of the hallway and lunged toward the group.

Before it could reach anyone, Darren raised his gun and fired.

Bang!

The bullet struck the cannibal directly in the head, blowing it backward and sending its body crashing to the ground.

“It’s okay, everyone. Just keep your eyes down and keep moving,” Darren instructed calmly, despite the gruesome scene that had just unfolded in front of them.

The women and children obeyed immediately, continuing toward the exit without daring to look back.

“I thought we were only going to be killing monsters,” Elliot murmured under his breath as he continued firing his gun at the cannibals rushing toward them. “Who would have thought we’d end up killing this many humans too?”

“They’re no longer humans,” Erick replied immediately, his expression cold as he fired another shot. “And they’re not monsters either.”

He paused for a brief moment before adding, “They’re far more cruel than monsters.”

Elliot glanced at him before slowly nodding his head in understanding.

There was nothing human left in the people they were fighting.

Whatever humanity they once possessed had disappeared long before Ivy and her team arrived.

Soon, the last of the cannibals was eliminated, leaving behind nothing but blood, bodies, and the horrifying evidence of what had happened inside the building while some were left alive but injured so as to be eaten by monsters.

Ivy and the others immediately began leading the rescued women and children outside.

“Fuck!” Darren muttered under his breath, panting heavily as he descended the stairs. “That was extremely crazy.”

He wiped the sweat from his forehead before continuing down the stairs with the others.

The rescued women and children followed closely behind the soldiers, still trembling from everything they had witnessed.

After they finally moved far enough away from the building, Anya turned toward Ivy.

“Can cannibals actually survive by eating people?” she asked, still panting heavily. “It hasn’t even been up to two weeks since they started doing this, so we can’t really tell, right? Can they actually survive for a long time by eating human flesh?”

She frowned slightly, clearly curious about the question that had been bothering her.

“Don’t you think they’re actually staying alive because of the little rice they’re provided with and not because of the human flesh they eat?”

“Survive?” Ivy repeated, letting out a soft scoff.

“Yes. Technically, they can survive for some time by eating human flesh. Human flesh contains protein, fat, and other nutrients, even though they’re also being given small amounts of rice.”

Anya frowned deeper, folding her arms over her chest.

“Then why do people say cannibalism won’t keep them alive?” she asked. “Sorry if my question sounds kind of crazy, but I’m genuinely curious. I’ve heard some people say that cannibals can’t survive for long by eating human flesh.”

She paused before continuing.

“It’s crazy because some of the survivors I stayed with before had already thought about this whenever they felt like they were going to die soon. But they all believed cannibals couldn’t survive for long by eating humans. And besides, we’re not even sure there are enough people for them to keep doing it.”

“Because surviving and living are two different things,” Ivy replied immediately with a heavy sigh.

She glanced toward the rescued women and children before continuing.

“In a normal situation, cannibalism isn’t necessary. People have other sources of food, whether it’s vegetables, grains, meat, fruits, or whatever else they can find. Human beings don’t need to eat other human beings to survive.”

Her expression gradually became more serious.

“But when there is absolutely nothing left...when food has completely disappeared and cannibalism becomes the only choice....no one can really say those people are wrong for doing whatever they can to survive.”

Anya remained silent, listening carefully.

“But that’s exactly where things become terrifying,” Ivy continued. “Once people convince themselves that another human being is simply food, there’s no telling how far they’ll go.”