After I tossed all the bodies off the third-floor balcony like garbage to feed the zombies, I felt completely drained.
The exhaustion wasn't just physical; it was mental too.
Just moments ago, these people were alive, classmates who were arguing out of jealousy and personal grudges. Now, they were just a pile of rotten flesh in the flower bed below.
I stood on the balcony, leaning against the railing, and fished out a flattened pack of Hongtashan cigarettes from my pocket. My hands shook several times before I managed to light one.
Li Wenli sat on a chair inside, staring at me as if trying to confirm whether I would suddenly mutate and pounce on her to bite her neck off.
I sighed, pointing at the black compound bow I had placed on the desk earlier. "Li Wenli, even though I have antibodies, no one can be sure about this mutation virus. If..." I flicked the ash from my cigarette, "if I show any signs of mutation, use that thing to shoot me. Don't hesitate, just go for the head."
I originally thought, according to the usual disaster movie or romance novel tropes, that at this moment the heroine would tearfully rush over to cover my mouth, saying with deep affection, "No! I believe in you! You'll be fine! I won't let you say that!"
But Li Wenli, this woman, didn't hesitate at all.
It was as if she had been waiting for me to say this, even fearing that I might change my mind.
As soon as I finished speaking, she sprang up from the chair, rushed over in a few steps, and grabbed the heavy compound bow.
"..."
The cigarette almost fell from my mouth.
Fing Hell, I was speechless. This script is all wrong! Does this woman have any sympathy at all? We were just fighting side by side, and I helped you clean up that room full of corpses, and you're so eager to send me off?
"Hey, I just said 'if'!" I couldn't help but complain, "I haven't changed yet! Don't shake your hand, this thing can easily misfire!"
Li Wenli pressed her lips tightly, her eyes wary, with no intention of lowering the bow in her hand: "I know, but safety first. Zhou Peiyu, don't move, just stand there and smoke. Finish this one and then another, and I'll believe you."
I rolled my eyes, resigned to accept this reality.
So, after finishing one cigarette, I lit another.
Time ticked by, and the screams outside the balcony rose and fell.
Until both cigarettes were smoked, and I extinguished the butts on the balcony railing.
I checked my body, no signs of rash or sores on my arms, normal temperature, clear consciousness, except for a slight urge to curse, no impulse to eat people.
"Is that enough?"
I flicked the cigarette butt away and turned to walk into the room.
"Don't come any closer!"
Li Wenli, seeing me enter, was so frightened she raised the compound bow and backed away, retreating to the ladder of the upper bunk, "Stay outside for a while longer! The incubation period might be longer!"
I looked at her, speechless, spreading my hands: "Lady, just now, from the time Wang Yanli came into contact with the virus to when she mutated, it was less than five minutes. I've been fine for over ten minutes now, which means the antibodies in my body have already killed the virus. Can you relax?"
But Li Wenli was still trembling with fear, unable to listen to my explanation, gritting her teeth as if she was about to draw the bowstring to threaten me to leave. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
Seeing this, I wasn't worried anymore, even smirked a bit, and sat down on a chair by the door, crossing my legs.
"Fine, shoot. Can you even draw it?"
I looked at her with a teasing expression.
This compound bow was custom-made from a seller, costing me over three thousand bucks, and I treated it like a wife, with a draw weight of 80 pounds.
What does 80 pounds mean? A slightly weaker adult man, without training, can't draw it, let alone Li Wenli, who usually just listens to music and eats candy, a frail indoor girl.
Sure enough.
Li Wenli gritted her teeth, her face turning red, using all her might to pull the bowstring.
"Ugh—!" She let out a strained grunt, her arms trembling.
But the bowstring seemed welded to the pulley, barely opening a negligible arc, and then snapped back when she exhausted her strength.
And the funniest part was, even if she miraculously managed to draw it, it would be useless, because the quiver was on the balcony, and the steel balls were in my pocket, so what she held was just a scary-looking metal frame.
After a while, Li Wenli was panting heavily, her forehead covered in sweat, her arms trembling with fatigue.
"Clang."
She somewhat resignedly dropped the heavy compound bow to the ground, slumping into the chair, panting and looking at me helplessly:
"Alright... you win. Damn pervert, such strength."
I picked up the bow from the ground, carefully wiping off the dust, not getting too close to her.
Although I was likely immune to this virus, I also remembered what Doctor Park said, that antibodies take time to kill the virus. I had carried corpses earlier, and my clothes must have been contaminated with the virus. If the virus on me wasn't completely dead, getting close to her and transmitting the still-living virus through droplets or contact would mean losing the only teammate I had.
I pulled over a chair, sitting about two meters away from her, with a desk between us.
"Alright, stop wallowing in self-pity." I looked at her, "We're temporarily safe now, but it's only temporary. The zombies outside may have left, but no one knows when they'll come back. What's your plan for the next step?"
Li Wenli slumped in the chair, pulled out a lollipop from her pocket, unwrapped it, and popped it into her mouth, seemingly using the sugar to calm herself down.
She shrugged, "How would I know? I've never been through an apocalypse. Calling the police is useless, going out is suicide."
She paused, her eyes scanning the dorm room, frowning: "However, we have some more immediate problems."
"What is it?" I asked.
"Food and water." Li Wenli pointed at the messy beds, "Our dorm... just came back from the weekend, everyone's supplies are pretty much depleted."
My heart sank. This was indeed a big problem. People need food to survive; without it, forget fighting zombies, starvation alone could kill us. This chapter was copied from novelping dot com without permission.
"Let's search." I stood up, "Go through their cabinets and bedside tables. The dead are gone, and leaving things behind is a waste."
Li Wenli nodded, though she was somewhat reluctant to rummage through the belongings of the deceased.
So, we began a thorough search of the dorm.
For safety, Li Wenli instructed me not to approach her bed area.
After a busy search, the results were disappointing, even despairing.
We turned the entire dorm upside down, gathering all the edible items on the central desk.
The spoils were as follows: four packs of Lay's Potato Chips, four packs of instant noodles, three Shuanghui Ham Sausages, a box of cookies, and a few scattered plum candies.
As for water, the situation was worse. There was no water dispenser in the dorm; they usually fetched water from the hallway's water room. Now, the only drinkable bottled water was a bottle of Leibi, a bottle of Happy Water, and a bottle of mineral water.
Looking at this pitiful pile of items on the table, Li Wenli and I exchanged a glance, both at a loss for words.
This meager amount, for two adults, even with rationing, would last at most three or four days, and considering the energy expenditure from strenuous activity, it might only last two days.
"These women..." I couldn't help but complain, "Why are they all so poor? Not even a carton of milk?"
Li Wenli angrily picked up a bag of potato chips, as if she wanted to crush it, gritting her teeth:
"That Zhao Qian! Always bragging about how rich and caring that Dongsheng Senior is! I said that guy was unreliable! Always clinging to Zhao Qian, calling her 'my love' and 'sweetheart,' and what happened? He didn't even buy her any snacks! Even a box of nuts would do! It's infuriating!"
Watching her look of frustration, I couldn't help but chuckle, saying nothing. Her focus was amusingly peculiar, still complaining about someone else's stingy boyfriend at a time like this.
She sat aside helplessly, arms crossed.
After a while, she started to squirm uncomfortably in her chair, her legs pressed together, her face turning slightly red, her eyes darting, avoiding my gaze.
"What's wrong? Are you hurt?" I asked, concerned.
"No! No!" Li Wenli quickly waved her hands, her face turning even redder.
"Then what's the matter?" I was puzzled.
Li Wenli bit her lip, hesitating for a long time, "Well... there's another awkward problem."
"What problem?" I immediately stood by her side.
"Uh... I need to pee! I can't hold it anymore!"