Lin Chen did not respond.
He sank again into a heavy, shallow slumber, or perhaps it was his body’s self-protective hibernation.
Su Qianqian stared at the two small white pills, then at Lin Chen’s tightly closed lips, hesitating.
How could she give him the medicine?
It was obvious he could not swallow on his own.
She paused, her gaze falling on the saline bottle.
A bold idea surfaced.
She bit her lip, using her teeth to open a small iodine swab packet (her hands were too full to tear it open), and carefully rubbed her fingers and the surface of the pills with the iodine swab—sterilization, however minimal.
Then she cautiously placed the two amoxicillin tablets into the tiny gap of Lin Chen’s slightly parted lips, near the back of his tongue.
Next, she tilted the saline bottle slowly, letting the cold liquid drip gradually into his mouth, attempting to wash the pills down.
The liquid wetted his mouth and throat, and in his unconscious state, Lin Chen instinctively performed a swallowing motion, his throat rolling with difficulty a few times.
It worked!
Su Qianqian held her breath, watching his Adam’s apple move, waiting until she was sure the pills had been swallowed, and then exhaled in relief.
Cold sweat broke out along her back again.
The feeling was a hundred times more thrilling than clutching a critical carry in the canyon.
After this, she finally felt the sharp, burning sting from the scratches on her back.
She had almost ignored it earlier, too tense to notice.
She reached back, feeling the wet stickiness, and under the dim yellow light, her fingertips were stained dark red.
“Hiss…” She inhaled sharply, her heart plummeting.
No…
Could it be… she was infected too?
Panic seized her instantly.
She could not become such an ugly zombie!
Ugly and weak… how could she ever eat humans?
No, she didn’t want to eat humans!
Then she would starve…
Wait, do zombies starve to death?
Ah, thinking too far ahead…
Better deal with the immediate situation first.
She dove to the first aid kit, trembling as she grabbed iodine swabs and gauze. She struggled to lift the torn hem of her clothes to check the wound on her back.
Clumsy and awkward, she had to feel her way by touch.
The wound was not deep, but there were three clear scratch marks, edges slightly red and oozing blood.
Thankfully, there was no sight of that terrifying bluish-black discoloration—at least not yet.
This brought slight relief, but her heart still raced.
Who knew how long the virus’s incubation period lasted?
She gritted her teeth, rubbing the wound vigorously with the iodine swab. The intense sting made her wince, almost bringing tears again.
She slapped on a few pieces of gauze and secured them with medical tape.
After completing all this, a tidal wave of exhaustion finally swept through her body, every cell screaming for a strike.
She slumped against the cold iron door, sitting next to Lin Chen.
The dull thuds and scratches against the door continued, each impact making her nerves jump.
The stacked cardboard boxes in the warehouse cast huge, twisted shadows under the dim light, like dormant monsters.
The air was thick with dust, blood, iodine, and a faint stench of decay, blending into a suffocating, apocalyptic atmosphere.
Silence fell again.
Only the zombies’ tireless “symphony” outside and Lin Chen’s faint, slightly steadier breathing remained.
Su Qianqian hugged her knees, resting her chin on them, her gaze unfocused on the blurry logos across the boxes.
Her body was utterly exhausted, but her mind unusually alert, unable to sleep.
She instinctively pulled out the spare device with its cracked spiderweb screen.
The screen lit up, revealing the icy city map again.
Their Blue Shield Marker and the dark red flame icon still flickered at the “Huijiale Supermarket Warehouse” location.
Lin Chen’s Status showed: 【Long Night (Jungler) – Online – Status: Severely Injured (Blood Loss/Infection?)】.
That glaring “Infection?” suffix pricked her eyes like needles.
She zoomed in and out on the map, scanning the nearby blinking markers.
Most were Zombie Markers, a few colored Player icons (blue, green) scattered across different buildings, like dim fireflies in a dark forest, isolated, life uncertain.
She noticed that the green cross marker representing the supermarket’s Pharmacy Section, the 【First Aid Kit】 status, had changed from “Inactive” to “Used.”
So the map’s “activation” required the item to be discovered or used?
This eerie synchronization sent a chill down her spine.
“Water…”
A faint, hoarse murmur broke the silence.
Su Qianqian immediately put down her phone and leaned closer. “Water’s here.”
She picked up the saline bottle, carefully feeding him a few sips.
Lin Chen swallowed, eyes still closed, but his brows knitted slightly, as if caught in a troubling dream.
His cracked lips moved again, forming faint, broken syllables:
“…jungler…blue…”
“…mid…don’t feed…”
“…group…push high ground…”
Goodness… all in-game terms.
He was delirious, his mind trapped in the battles of King’s Canyon.
Listening to his fragmented, illogical murmurs, watching even his unconscious side profile still tense and alert, her nose tingled.
This once-dominant, strategic Top Jungler now seemed as fragile as a lost child.
“…Cai…Cai Wenji…”
He slurred the name again, this time with a barely noticeable trace of… dependence?
Su Qianqian’s heart jolted gently.
She reached out, hesitating briefly, then lightly, tentatively brushed the strands of sweat-damp hair from his forehead.
Awkward, but gentle.
“I’m here, I’m here,” she whispered, her voice softer than she even realized.
“Cai Wenji’s here… Blue’s still reserved for you, no one’s in the jungle, mid… uh, mid’s a bit weak but didn’t feed… high ground… high ground’s still there…”
Following his murmurs, she wove a safe, familiar in-game illusion in a voice only the two of them could hear, trying to soothe his nightmare-induced unease.
Perhaps her voice helped, or the medicine started working—Lin Chen’s furrowed brows gradually relaxed, his murmurs quieted, and his breathing deepened, sinking into a heavier sleep.
Su Qianqian withdrew her hand, leaning against the cold iron door, hugging her knees, silently watching his pale face even in slumber.
The zombies’ growls and scratching outside became the only background in this deadened world.
Exhaustion surged like a tide again, her eyelids growing heavier.
She could not sleep.
She had to watch over him.
What if he got a fever?
What if the wound worsened?
What if the zombies outside really broke in?
What if he turned into a zombie?
She had to act first!
She pinched her thigh hard, the sharp pain clearing her muddled mind for a moment.
Her gaze landed on the individually packaged painkillers (ibuprofen) in the first aid kit.
Hesitating briefly, she tore one open and swallowed it dry.
The bitter taste spread across her tongue, hoping to fend off the deadly drowsiness.
Time crawled slowly through darkness and low roars.
Every second felt like a century.
She did not know how long passed; perhaps the medicine, perhaps her nerves finally snapping, but Su Qianqian’s consciousness began to blur.
Her little head drooped, like a sleepy chick.
The shadows of the boxes twisted and swayed, and Lin Chen’s face blurred.
Just as she was about to slip into darkness—
“Beep! Beep! Beep-beep!”