My body actually lost control due to fear, and I involuntarily retreated a few steps. I turned around and closed the door, and cries of pain were heard from outside. Everyone has gone crazy; that person was not Miao Wei but more like a walking corpse. His face, his eyes, were like those of a wolf that had been starving for a long time. Huang Huadong, who was picking his toenails at that moment, also heard the sound outside and looked at me suspiciously. I didn't want to explain anything, returned to my seat, gazed at the dark sky outside, and felt as if the world had fallen into chaos.
The sounds outside soon subsided. Huang Huadong looked at me as if I were a monster, then curiously went to open the dormitory door. I wanted to stop him, but I found myself sweating cold sweat and my body began to ache again. The door opened, revealing many people gathered outside. There was no doubt about the blood stains on the ground. I struggled to move closer to the door and saw several people running away with their wounds covered. At both ends of the crowd, someone was lying on the ground, completely soaked in blood. But it was clear that it was Miao Wei. Not far away, Yang Jianxiang stood there dumbfounded, holding a stool covered in blood. His ankle was bleeding profusely, but he seemed to feel no pain, his gaze fixed on Miao Wei.
Huang Huadong pulled Tang Fei, one of the onlookers, over and asked what happened. After regaining his senses, Tang Fei explained, "Miao Wei... he just started biting people without any reason. Several people were bitten by him. In a hurry, Yang Jianxiang used the stool to knock him out, but accidentally hit too hard."
"Move aside," the dorm supervisor and several security guards pushed through the crowd. They couldn't believe what they were seeing. Within a short period of two days, there had already been two bloody incidents.
"Hey, there's been a violent incident at Linjiang Garden, come quickly and help."
"At Dexing Garden, some students have gone mad, come quickly."
The security guards' walkie-talkies kept ringing. "This..." The security guard stood there helplessly, and the dorm supervisor urgently dialed 110, but the line was busy!!! If even 110 was so busy, could the whole world have gone mad? We students stood there blankly, vaguely sensing that something big had happened.
After several failed attempts, the dorm supervisor finally got through to 110 and reported the situation at the school. Police support should be here shortly. For now, all we could do was to treat the wounded and send them to the hospital.
My phone vibrated nonstop in my pocket. It took me a while to notice it. My spirit had been devoured by bugs until it was in tatters, and my nerves were extremely weak. But why hadn't I seen blood seeping through my clothes? Could these bugs suck blood? I really didn't want to take off my clothes to see my own skin, let it be. Live as many days as possible.
"Mom, what's wrong?" I answered the phone.
"Child, are you alright? Your dad and I watched the news. People biting each other is happening all over the country. There was an incident at your dad's school yesterday. Is everything okay where you are?"
"Mom, I'm fine. I'm in a very remote place, nothing has happened here. I feel like something bad is going to happen. You and dad should go down to the city," I replied. I've always considered myself unfilial, never calling home, only receiving calls from my parents. And now, with my half-crippled body, I probably won't be able to fulfill my filial duties anymore. The only thing I can do is not let my parents worry.
"Child, come back. Buy a ticket now and fly back. We'll feel safe only when you're by our side."
"Mom, I'm really fine. You've seen the news. Tickets are almost impossible to buy. Besides, I've been an adult for years now. Nothing will happen. If anything did, could I hide it from you? That's all. I have things to do, hang up first." After hanging up, my eyes were moist. I was afraid that if I continued answering the call, I would tell them everything. Rather than letting them worry, it's better to let myself perish alone.
In the distance, police cars came rushing. Many people poked their heads out to watch. This wasn't the first time we'd seen police cars. I thought a large group of police officers would come to handle the scene, but only two showed up. One was taking notes, the other explaining to the dorm supervisor and security guards, "There are crimes everywhere now. All the police are out dealing with them. The police station is already full of prisoners. We can't arrest any more suspects. We hope the school can allocate a place to detain student criminals." The dorm supervisor understood and immediately contacted the school authorities. The students dispersed, many contacting their families, though more were packing their luggage, hoping to go home as soon as possible.
I lay alone on the balcony, looking at the night sky. The sky was still as dark as ever. I had already gotten used to living without sunlight. The frequency of my body's pain gradually increased. I still didn't have the courage to face my own condition. The only part that hurt was my abdomen, occasionally causing unbearable pain, as if it were splitting apart. Fewer people attended classes today, even teachers took leave and left the school. Everyone was overwhelmed by fear, not knowing when this darkness would end.
I swallowed saliva and realized my mouth was cracked, my stomach growling incessantly. I had eaten dinner just half an hour ago and ate a lot of meat, yet I was hungry again. I had a strong urge to bite someone, but I knew I couldn't do that. Miao Wei's face kept appearing in my mind. He was more like a thousand-year-old zombie, feeding on humans. I didn't want to become like him because... I felt that way wasn't cool.
I aimlessly walked out of the dormitory. Looking back, I saw Cheng Wei and Huang Huadong talking on the phone. They didn't notice the abnormality in my eyes at that moment. This was the best time for me to act. Just one bite, to taste human flesh. Just one bite, saliva was already uncontrollably flowing out.
I slapped myself, hating what I was thinking, and turned to leave. On my way out, I met Tang Fei, the fool. He thought I was going out to buy food, encouraging me to treat guests. I didn't look back at him, silently walking forward. I passed through Jindi Garden, past the supermarket, missed the cafeteria, and ultimately stopped at Liusha. All along, I was thinking about my future, feeling utterly bleak.
When I reached Liusha, I suddenly felt an inexplicable chill. I saw the gate of Liusha closed and locked with a chain. Through the glass, I could see people pacing inside, but somehow, I felt all was not right.
Tang Fei followed my gaze and explained, "Liusha is now used to detain those who bite people. But apparently, those who are mentally unstable have also been thrown out."
"What about the original residents of Liusha?" I asked.
"They've been relocated to the school's hotel."
I've always been curious. I approached the glass door of Liusha to see clearly what was inside, but due to the temperature difference, the inside was foggy, allowing me to only faintly see a few shadows moving around. I had to press my face against the glass to look inside.
Suddenly, a face appeared before me, scaring me to sit on the ground, my heart rate increasing significantly. The face was so pale, the eyes bulging, the mouth opening and closing, saliva dripping down from the corner of his mouth onto the glass door.
I took a deep breath, calming down slightly. I thought it was a ghost, which scared me immensely, but this guy's appearance was almost indistinguishable from a ghost. I wanted to turn and leave, but his face remained plastered on the glass door, staring at me intently, unmoving, and started pounding on the glass.
By this point, my heartbeat had returned to normal. I leaned against the glass door and said to the man inside, "I know you want to get out, but what you did before was wrong, why bite people? If you hadn't bitten people, you wouldn't be detained here. If you weren't detained here, you wouldn't have the idea of getting out. If you didn't have the idea of getting out, you wouldn't try to break the glass. Wukong, I know you miss your master, but doing this is wrong." I wanted to continue lecturing him, but suddenly more figures moved toward the door. More faces appeared on the glass door, all with the same expression, staring at me intently and pounding on the glass. Their stares made my back hair stand on end.
Everyone inside was crazy. I should leave quickly. Tang Fei, who had been chattering nonstop, was obviously scared too and followed me away from Liusha.
I stopped after walking a few steps and asked Tang Fei, "Are you sure everyone who is mentally unstable and has the tendency to bite people has been detained inside?"
Tang Fei wasn't too sure and replied, "It should be."
"Then look at the people passing by us."
Previously, while I was contemplating my future, I didn't notice anything unusual. Now, I noticed the abnormality around me. Among the people passing by, one or two looked lifeless, mechanically stepping forward like puppets. Even more noticeable were those whose exaggerated movements drew my attention. It seemed like everyone around was numb, paying no attention to these abnormalities.
Tang Fei also noticed these and his uneasy mood was evident on his face. I told Tang Fei, "I think we should go back to the dormitory, it's safer there." Tang Fei immediately agreed, and the two of us ran back to the dormitory like galloping horses.
The dormitory was like a utopia, unaffected by the external chaos. Cheng Wei and Huang Huadong were still on the phone. Breathless, I tidied up and fell asleep immediately. As I drifted off, images from Liusha kept flashing in my mind. Their eyes were unsettling, devoid of any human characteristics. Moreover, when they opened their mouths, no warm breath came out. How had I not noticed the glass becoming foggy? Could it be... Impossible, I must be imagining things. They were still moving, so they must be alive. Anyway, I might as well sleep first.
A scream tore through the quiet night sky, accompanied by animalistic growls. I woke up startled. By then, the lights in the dormitory were already on, and Huang Huadong and Cheng Wei were getting dressed, evidently wanting to check out what had happened.
Judging by the time, it was close to midnight. Outside was still pitch black. We had completely lost track of time. The three of us rushed to the rooftop of the dormitory building. Below was chaos. To be more specific, three rosy-faced individuals were proudly chasing a large group of people, while at the entrance, the dorm supervisor lay in a pool of blood. Two creatures were tearing her apart, chunks of flesh being ripped off, blood splashing everywhere, turning the glass doors red instantly.
Seeing this scene, I was utterly shocked. Were they cannibals? So bloody, or even worse, were they zombies from those old movies? Tang Fei was also caught up in the chaos. A zombie chased Tang Fei relentlessly, cornering him. In a flash of inspiration, Tang Fei smashed the nearby fire window, grabbed the fire extinguisher, and struck the zombie forcefully, deforming its head. It collapsed to the ground. Further confirming my suspicion, the zombie didn't bleed at all despite the deformation of its head.
Not far away, two other zombies tackled two students. The outcome was predictable. Those two zombies bit down mercilessly like beasts. Surrounding classmates just stayed far away, completely unwilling to attempt rescue.
A thought flashed through my mind. If zombies attacked me, I would likely become their prey. I needed to find someone strong nearby, at least someone capable of handling these zombies. Of the people I knew, Xiao Qin was undoubtedly the best choice. She should be at Linjiang Garden, a bit far from here. Given the situation here, other places might be similar. Alone, I couldn't make it there. I also needed a helper. Moreover, two zombies were devouring the dead dorm supervisor at the entrance, blocking the way entirely. I needed to find a way to break through.
I called out to Tang Fei and Wan Faming nearby, "Quickly bring out the fire hydrant and use the powerful water pressure to destroy these zombies. Otherwise, none of us will survive."
Fang Xiaochun also came to help. Two people held the fire hydrant, another spun the switch, and a powerful jet of water shot out. However, the recoil force was immense, and the two couldn't control it properly. The hose twisted wildly, making it impossible to aim accurately.
Eventually, classmates hiding far away came to help. With many hands, the hose was controlled, and the powerful water stream sprayed like a dragon towards surrounding zombies. Zombies hit by the water were pushed outside, clearing the entrance momentarily. But soon, chaos broke out again. Everyone fled for their lives, leaving the hose uncontrolled. The powerful recoil threw Wan Faming and Fang Xiaochun to the side. Tang Fei had no choice but to shut off the switch, stopping the water flow.
Originally, there were five zombies at the entrance. Two were pushed outside by the water pressure, one was knocked down, and two infiltrated the crowd, killing two more people. Wan Faming and Fang Xiaochun seemed badly injured. Huang Huadong and Cheng Wei fled far away. Between me and them were those two zombies. Only Tang Fei was relatively close to me. I grabbed Tang Fei and ran outside, while he pulled me back, panicked, asking, "It doesn't seem safe outside. Aren't we just heading towards death?"
With firm resolve, I replied, "Staying inside is certain death. Follow me." Without further argument, I dragged him and ran. Initially reluctant, he eventually followed me.
Outside, the lighting was dim. Two zombies pushed out by the water pressure were pinned against the wall of the opposite dormitory building. Chaos reigned everywhere, with scenes of zombies chasing and biting people. Some zombies still wandered the streets without actively attacking fleeing humans. With a few loud bangs, several cars exploded nearby, thick black smoke rising slowly. The massive flames illuminated everything around, bloodstains everywhere, corpses scattered. We tried to avoid crowded areas, and although many people were fleeing, no zombies chased us. We passed through Building Four, with only one destination in mind: Linjiang Garden.
Just as we exited Building Four, I felt a gust of wind, and something dropped from the sky, colliding strongly with the ground. Turning my head, I saw a gruesome sight I would never forget. The corpse had turned into a pile of minced meat, limbs completely twisted, blood flowing continuously.
Looking up, I saw an open classroom window, a student lying by the window, and another, presumably a teacher-turned-zombie, ferociously tearing into the corpse. Glass shards kept falling. Something warm landed on my face. Wiping it with my hand, I realized this dark red liquid could only be blood.
I knew our time was limited. This area would soon become a land of the undead. Linjiang Garden was about a street away, but we had to pass through Liusha, likely encountering a group of zombies. No matter what, we should go ahead and see. After all, it was the shortest route.
Indeed, as expected, the street leading to Liusha was occupied by zombies. On the opposite side of the street was Linjiang Garden. I had a strong premonition that once I found Xiao Qin, I wouldn't have to fear these zombies anymore. Though it seemed funny, here I was, a grown man needing a little girl's protection. Anyway, the world had already turned upside down. Surviving was key.
Just when I was at a loss, an unexpected event occurred. A sound resembling a wolf howl came from somewhere near Buildings Five and Six. Strangely, upon hearing this sound, the zombies all moved towards it. Only a few zombies remained wandering aimlessly like flies. The difficulty had greatly decreased.
Tang Fei patted my shoulder. Following his finger, I saw a tricycle. Now was the time to rely on it to break through the street. No need for words. Let's go!