The sensation of falling at high speed caused Lin Qi to snap his eyes open. After steadying himself for a long moment, he could still feel his body slowly sinking downward.
After gasping for air, his stiff body slowly regained sensation, but that electric, numbing feeling had yet to dissipate.
"Brother Lin, are you awake?"
The voice from beside him made Lin Qi instinctively turn his head to look. However, the feeling it gave him was both familiar and strange.
"You, are you Zhao Tuantuan?"
His field of vision was mostly blocked, allowing him to see only the upper half of the young girl's face. He didn't recognize her, yet this name surfaced in his mind.
Just as Lin Qi was about to observe his surroundings and wonder why he had appeared in this place, a sharp pain suddenly pierced his mind, as if countless pieces of information were flooding in. Another wave of dizziness washed over him, nearly causing him to faint.
"What is this extra memory I have? Did I transmigrate?"
But after the memories quickly underwent a fusion, Lin Qi's expression became increasingly grim.
His name was exactly the same as the name of this body, and even his life experiences had many overlaps; it seemed he was another version of himself from a parallel space!
Moreover, this world seemed to be on the edge of the Apocalypse, already beginning to collapse!
"Brother Lin, drink something."
Tuan Tuan's voice sounded a bit strange. She took a white bottle from her embrace and carefully handed it over.
Only then did Lin Qi feel the soreness all over his body, and even a sharp, throbbing pain coming from the back of his head, leaving him unable to muster any energy.
Had this body of his just been beaten to death?
Without caring what Tuan Tuan had handed him, he immediately took a large gulp.
"This milk has gone a bit bad!"
After finishing it in one breath, he felt his stomach slowly churn, and a trace of residual strength gradually spread through his limbs.
Lin Qi licked the moisture from the corner of his mouth and then carefully examined the young girl before him.
Zhao Tuantuan, the daughter of the Hotel owner, had just graduated from high school, was eighteen years old, had a well-behaved personality, and was cute in appearance. In his memories, he hadn't interacted with her much; even though he had lived in the Hotel for nearly three months, they hadn't spoken many times.
But now, she looked dirty, her hair was greasy, and her body was covered in dust, as if she had deliberately made herself look messy.
"I, I added some water; it shouldn't be a problem to drink."
Zhao Tuantuan lowered her head, not daring to let Lin Qi see the Panic on her face.
Whether it was because of the effect of this half-bottle of milk, Lin Qi gradually felt his body regain some strength, but thinking of the environment he was currently in, his heart grew increasingly anxious.
He had spent half a lifetime struggling in another parallel dimension and had finally built his own family business, yet before he could even enjoy it, what he faced upon waking up again was an even more miserable life!
With Tuan Tuan's help, he got out of bed. Lin Qi went to the window and looked outside, feeling even more desperate.
It seemed the memories he had received were all real; the Apocalypse had descended upon the world three months ago!
This Small Hotel was originally the Zhao family's property. Three months ago, when the virus began to spread, it was designated as a temporary quarantine site.
During the first month, the virus raged severely, and most people could not escape, but initially, the virus did not manifest in a very serious way.
In the second month, some infected people recovered automatically, but for most, the situation worsened, and some patients even showed signs of their bodies rotting.
At the beginning of the third month, the virus completely erupted, and countless infected people underwent a Mutation, becoming terrifying zombies that bit anyone they saw, rendering the order that had been maintained for two months completely useless.
Especially three days ago, when all the quarantined patients turned into zombies, becoming mindless living dead, human nature was completely exposed.
Previously, because of her Identity as the Hotel owner's daughter, Tuan Tuan could keep those people from acting recklessly. But after Tuan Tuan's family died, the resentment that had been suppressed here for so long meant they could even ignore the person who had shown them kindness.
Lin Qi had only tried to stop them and ended up getting beaten. Fortunately, the commotion of the zombies outside had temporarily distracted them, allowing Tuan Tuan to bring him to her room and temporarily escape a disaster.
Outside the window, down on the Street, several figures holding simple long weapons were confronting a few wandering zombies.
The zombies with rotting bodies moved very slowly, and some even had white bones exposed on their limbs.
But they didn't need much attack power; their hideous and terrifying state was enough to make people feel too disgusted to exert any strength.
"Defend well! Everyone stay steady! You two, one poke the chest, one poke the head! These zombies are very easy to deal with!"
The Leader, a slightly chubby man with a square face and gold-rimmed glasses, spoke in a slightly low voice with an authoritative tone. He huddled at the very back, his body leaning slightly backward, clearly ready to retreat directly into the Hotel if things went south.
"Director Wang, that's easy for you to say. If you get bitten by a zombie, you'll get infected!"
Although most people had experienced the first virus infection and recovered, if they were infected a second time by this mutated virus, they would completely fall into a similar virus body in a very short time.
It was even more terrifying than these rotting zombies!
"Damn it! If these things rush in, we'll all be infected! Just hold these zombies off, and when the Federation Rescue arrives, I will definitely take you all away from here!"
The fat Director Wang, who looked like a Leader, cursed angrily and kicked the person in front of him in the butt. He had no courage to face the zombies, but when it came to dealing with people, his silver tongue was more effective than force.
The man holding the simple Spear did not resist after receiving the kick. After all, he had the courage to face the current predicament; what he feared was the uncertain future ahead. At least Director Wang had promised that when the Federation Rescue arrived, he wouldn't abandon them.
Otherwise, he would have poked this fat man to death with his spear already.
But since this was the only Connected Person in the entire hotel, he had people in high places.
"Damn it all!"
Lin Qi stood by the window watching the scene outside. Only four zombies were wandering on the Street, while there were eight Survivors. However, the only ones truly standing at the front were the honest young man who had been kicked and a strong man wearing a security uniform.
The remaining six people, some even holding clothes hangers, wooden boards, and fruit knives, were all cowering and afraid to step forward.
"When they come back, we're going to be in trouble!"
Lin Qi took a deep breath. In his memories, that fat man was a minor official, and he himself had previously been one of the people standing at the front. The honest young man had taken his place, and there were a few fallen zombies on the Street; clearly, the two of them had already killed a few.
Two days ago, when the virus completely erupted, he had led the people on this floor to actively clear the virus-body zombies out of the Hotel, which gave him some prestige, but it also aroused the dissatisfaction of Director Wang.
Even if there were no changes in the short term, after experiencing such a dangerous situation, these people would inevitably accumulate some unreleased desires. When that time came, the only targets they could vent on would be himself and Zhao Tuantuan.
The sober are isolated, the weak are bullied, and the depraved collude with one another.
Perhaps it was the overlap of two lives that gave Lin Qi a way of looking at things from above his own situation, and he quickly analyzed the pros and cons.
"Brother Lin, why don't we sneak away? Even if I die outside, I don't want to be... by them."
Thinking of what Director Wang had said before—that a weak woman was useless and it would be better to let the main force fighting the zombies have some fun to boost their courage and morale—made her feel a chill in her heart.
Director Wang had previously had a decent relationship with the Zhao family; one could even say he had watched her grow up. He never expected that to establish his own prestige, he would make her a bargaining chip to win others over.
It wasn't that Zhao Tuantuan hadn't thought about resisting, but she was, after all, just a student who had just graduated from high school. Her parents had died under the virus, leaving her isolated and helpless, with no one left to rely on. Only after Lin Qi stood up for her did she find a glimmer of security.
But this kind of security could not last long.
"In this situation, even if we leave, how far can we run? Not to mention those people are outside."
Lin Qi calmly pondered a countermeasure. At this moment, most of the people in the Hotel were outside, and he wasn't without a way to break the deadlock.
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