Aside from the lobby and the stairwell, there weren’t many rooms left on the first floor. They searched the area but found no trace of humans or zombies, so they turned toward the second floor. As they climbed the stairs, Yun Zhuan heard the sound of something shifting above. He made a “quiet” gesture and pointed upward, signaling that something was happening.
Lin Po’s five senses couldn’t compare to Yun Zhuan’s current state, but if Yun Zhuan said there was a situation, they had to be careful. Better safe than sorry; they were here to deliver supplies, not to throw their lives away.
On the third floor, a short boy accidentally bumped into a chair. The chair leg scraped against the floor, making a faint sound. Startled, he immediately froze in place, not daring to move.
However, the tall boy next to him noticed and glared at him. “Clumsy idiot. If there’s a next time, I’ll throw you out.”
The short boy didn’t dare talk back. He nodded submissively, shrunk his body, and shuffled to a corner, slowly sitting down on the floor.
Dazed, a vision of blood-red constantly flickered before his eyes. Since that night, it felt as though they had stumbled into an incredibly realistic yet absurd movie, forced to accept everything. He had originally just been running an errand for a senior but ended up trapped in the laboratory building. Since the incident, he didn’t know if he was lucky or unlucky. If he had been in his dorm as usual, he’d probably be dead by now. But staying here… He glanced at the tall boy leaning by the window smoking and thought to himself that, sooner or later, he would probably be pushed out as a sacrificial lamb.
Lin Po and his group cautiously reached the second floor. Just as they rounded the stairwell, they were startled. Hu Xiaoxing almost cried out, but Duan Yunze was quick enough to cover her mouth. Hu Xiaoxing reacted quickly, signaling that she wouldn’t make a sound, before Duan Yunze let her go.
You couldn’t blame Hu Xiaoxing for such a strong reaction; the scene on the second floor was truly horrific. Except for Lin Po, the other three—including Yun Zhuan—had never seen so many dead people, or rather, dead zombies.
From the second floor up, there was a skybridge connecting two sections of the building, enclosed by glass. This short stretch of bridge was piled high with corpses, emitting a nauseating smell of charred flesh.
Lin Po shone his flashlight a few times and said, “There was a fierce battle here. There’s a fire-type user among the survivors, though I don’t know if they’re still in this building.”
Duan Yunze wasn’t even listening; he and Hu Xiaoxing were squatting in the corner vomiting. Because they didn’t dare make a sound, their faces were flushed red from the effort of holding back.
Yun Zhuan, however, tugged at Lin Po and gestured for him to look at a few specific bodies.
“Look at these. They seem a bit different.”
Lin Po looked where he pointed. Although most were unrecognizable due to the fire, zombie characteristics were usually easy to spot. But the few people Yun Zhuan was pointing at clearly looked like normal humans.
Though their faces were obscured, looking at the parts untouched by fire, it was clear they were normal humans before they died. Furthermore, there were no bite marks on them. Lin Po leaned in for a closer look and found a puncture wound on the side of one corpse’s waist. That was likely the fatal blow.
Seeing Lin Po staring fixedly at the corpses with a dark expression, Yun Zhuan asked quickly, “What’s wrong? Is something the matter?”
Lin Po grit his teeth and took a moment before spitting out, “These people were murdered. Someone likely used them as shields to buy time. We can’t go up any further. Whoever is left in this building clearly isn’t a good person.”
He was certain the killers were still in the building because these bodies were close to the corner leading upstairs; it could be inferred that the people who used them had fled toward the upper floors.
Yun Zhuan was shaken by his words. Although he had sensed something was wrong, he hadn’t considered this possibility. He couldn’t help but look at Lin Po. For Lin Po to recognize such a possibility at a glance—just what had he been through?
The two people nearby who had been vomiting were still reeling, only to hear Lin Po say they were retreating. Duan Yunze asked, “We came all this way, and we’re just leaving like this?”
Lin Po replied, “If you want to be someone else’s sacrificial lamb, feel free to stay.”
Hu Xiaoxing tugged on Duan Yunze’s sleeve and whispered, “Some of those bodies were killed by their own people.”
Lin Po glanced at Hu Xiaoxing. Although she was just a young girl, after her initial panic, she had shown a resilience that far surpassed others. Lin Po couldn’t help but marvel; indeed, as long as some people are given a sliver of a chance in any desperate situation, they will always find a way to stand back up.
Duan Yunze was startled at first, then suppressed his nausea to lean in and look. Sure enough, it was as Lin Po said. These people had wounds on them. It was unclear if they were killed first to attract the zombies or if their mobility had been sabotaged to buy time.
Duan Yunze said, seemingly joking, “Lin Po, you wouldn’t do that to us, right?”
Lin Po glanced at him. “Instead of worrying about that, you’d better improve your strength quickly. You have an ability—why would you be afraid of me?”
Duan Yunze paused. Right, he had an ability. Why did he always worry about not being able to beat Lin Po? Duan Yunze felt it must be because Lin Po’s performance was too sharp, while he himself was still stuck in the mindset of being an ordinary person.
Duan Yunze gave a couple of awkward laughs. “Then let’s go. Talking in front of a pile of corpses is pretty creepy.”
Lin Po nodded and looked at Yun Zhuan. Yun Zhuan adjusted his position, again leading the way, while Lin Po brought up the rear.
The return journey was faster because they were familiar with the path and had cleared some dangers. They soon arrived back at the small dock.
However, they quickly discovered that someone had been there. The supplies they had piled on the shore under the tarpaulin had been tampered with. Although nothing seemed to be missing, the position of the tarpaulin had changed. There was no wind today; only a person could have moved it.
Lin Po stood close to Yun Zhuan and whispered in his ear, “Hear anything?”
Yun Zhuan focused for a moment, then shook his head. “I don’t detect anything unusual.”
Lin Po said, “Let’s go to the duty room to rest for a bit. Everyone’s nerves were too tight just now; let’s relax and eat something.”
He and Yun Zhuan had left home in the afternoon and hadn’t had a proper meal since. When their nerves were taut, they didn’t feel it, but now that they were relaxing, their stomachs felt like they were on fire.
The four of them walked toward the duty room. Inside, Ding Ke hid behind the desk, so nervous she almost forgot to breathe. She gripped Ren Ran’s hand tightly, as if that would give her more strength.
Ren Ran had also seen the people outside. Three men and a little girl. Even if there was only one ability user, he and Ding Ke would have a hard time winning. Currently, he could only pray these people had no ill intent. Seeing that they were traveling with a little girl, they might be decent people.
As they neared the door, Yun Zhuan suddenly stopped. Caught off guard, Lin Po bumped his nose against Yun Zhuan’s back. He clutched his nose and looked at Yun Zhuan in confusion, not making a sound.
Yun Zhuan pointed inside and then to his ear, signaling he had heard something. Lin Po hadn’t heard anything himself. To verify Yun Zhuan’s claim, he looked at Duan Yunze. Duan Yunze looked blank at first, but after Lin Po gestured for him to listen, his expression shifted from confusion to alarm. His lips moved, whispering two words.
“There’s someone.”
Hu Xiaoxing was also looking tense. After seeing the scene in the laboratory building, they finally understood why Lin Po wanted them to be careful of people. Compared to fighting zombies, being backstabbed by a companion was far more despairing.
Inside the room, Ren Ran’s heart sank halfway. The various actions of the people outside showed they already knew someone was in the room. He saw them take out their weapons—even the little girl was holding a dagger—while he and Ding Ke only had a scalpel. If the people outside had abilities, they might not even get a chance to get close.
Ren Ran grit his teeth, preparing to stand up. If he could draw their attention, he might at least buy Ding Ke some time to escape. However, before he could stand, the duty room door lock released automatically. The two of them were completely exposed to the attention of the four people outside. Ren Ran pulled Ding Ke behind him and lunged forward with determination.
However, he was nowhere near as fast as Yun Zhuan. With a flick of Yun Zhuan’s hand, the scalpel in Ren Ran’s hand was knocked away, flying out to embed itself in the wooden door. Duan Yunze wasn’t timid when facing humans; seeing that the man had lost his tool, he became even more unrestrained. Using the martial arts he had practiced before, Ren Ran was no match for him and was quickly subdued, tied up securely, and thrown on the floor.
Lin Po spoke toward the inside of the duty room: “Come out. Your companion has already been tied up by us. If you cooperate, you’ll get hit less.”
Ding Ke’s hand holding the scalpel trembled. She wanted nothing more than to rush out and fight, but the incident in the laboratory building had taught her that without abilities, their combat power was far too low.
Ding Ke dropped the scalpel and stood up shakily from under the table. She said, “Please, let us go.”
Lin Po kicked the scalpel aside, held his dagger to Ding Ke’s neck, and said in a deep voice, “Talk. Why are you hiding here, and did you touch our things?”
Ding Ke was confused at first, but Lin Po pointed outside and said, “The things under the tarpaulin outside. Did you look at them?”
Ding Ke didn’t dare lie. “We did look at them, but we didn’t touch anything.”
Actually, she had been very hungry and was about to take an apple when Ren Ran stopped her. She was truly grateful for Ren Ran’s restraint now; at least she could answer this question honestly.