As the dazzlingly white leg fully stepped out, the owner of the silhouette was finally exposed in the corridor's sunlight.
I blinked my dry eyes; it was a girl I didn't recognize.
She wore a seductive lace nightgown on her upper body.
But below, her pink panties embarrassingly hung around her ankles, like a heavy shackle on her feet. Between her smooth thighs, there was no alluring sight, but instead, a heap of intestines smeared with yellowish-brown filth.
The long string of organs, which should have been inside her abdominal cavity, now dangled like nauseating meat snakes from her torn lower abdomen, dragging on the floor with her limping steps, leaving a disgusting trail of blood and some yellow paste on the tiles.
"Plop... slurp..."
The wet, sticky dragging sound was the intestines rubbing against the ground.
This unfortunate girl was probably using the restroom when a mutated zombie suddenly barged in, pinning her down in the stall.
The ensuing bite emptied her lower abdomen.
Her body was filthy, her nightgown stained with splattered blood and excrement.
She was attacked at the most embarrassing and vulnerable moment of a human's life, turning her into this grotesque figure.
My stomach convulsed, and I stood frozen in fear, nearly dropping the pink laundry bucket in my hand.
At that moment, the zombie fully emerged from the shadows.
Her gray, pupil-less eyes shifted, locking onto my stunned face.
"Roar—!!!"
She suddenly opened her mouth, revealing blood-dripping teeth, and let out an extremely sharp scream from her throat.
Then, as if seeing a mortal enemy, she charged at me recklessly!
"Shit!"
I screamed, my muscles instantly tensing, instinctively wanting to turn and flee.
However, because the female zombie charged too fiercely, her steps were too large, and the panties around her ankles hadn't come off yet. Plus, the intestines in her belly were too long.
Just as she started, one foot stomped hard on her dragging intestines.
"Splat!"
That section of intestine, not yet emptied, was filled with overnight waste. With her powerful step, the casing burst instantly, and the yellow-brown feces mixed with fresh red blood spurted out like a small fountain, splattering everywhere, even spraying onto the nearby wall.
She lost her balance and fell face-first onto the mucus-covered floor with a thud that sounded painful.
The scene was like a Chaplin silent film, if you ignored the mess of feces, urine, and guts.
But I had no time to appreciate her clown-like performance or laugh at the absurdity of it all.
Because as she fell, a more ferocious growl erupted from behind me.
"Roar... ugh..."
The sound was very close, probably less than five meters behind me!
I whipped around, my heart sinking.
At the door of Room 3017, a zombie had been drawn out by the commotion.
It was a girl in a basketball uniform, very tall, at least 1.8 meters. Half her face had been gnawed off, exposing white bone and gums, and she was rushing towards me rapidly.
In front was the "intestine girl" struggling to get up, behind was the towering "basketball girl."
I was in the middle of the corridor, with only a pink bucket and a harmless mop handle.
Running back was impossible.
Charging forward? The "intestine girl" was blocking the way to the restroom and stairs.
Returning to Li Wenli's dorm was out of the question; it was a dead end.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"
I cursed frantically in my mind, cold sweat pouring down like a waterfall.
I had to look around desperately for any chance of survival.
The door to Room 3012 on the left was closed. The door to Room 3011 on the right was also closed.
Just as the basketball zombie was less than three meters away, I caught a glimpse from the corner of my eye: the wooden door to Room 3014 on my left was ajar, revealing a dark gap.
"Go for it!"
I shouted, swinging the pink bucket in my hand hard at the charging basketball zombie's head.
"Bang!"
The bucket was light but momentarily blocked her view. Taking advantage of this gap, I sidestepped, lifted a foot, and kicked hard at the door to Room 3014.
"Crash!"
The door swung open.
I didn't have time to see what was inside, then turned to brace the door with my shoulder, reaching back to grab the lock.
Just as I closed the door.
"Boom—!!!"
A loud crash shook the door violently, a huge force from outside almost knocking me off my feet.
It was the basketball zombie! She was ramming the door!
I gritted my teeth, my face flushed, feet bracing against the tiled floor, using all my strength to hold the door. The force was so great, I felt like my collarbone would snap.
The door opened a crack, a blackened hand reached in, sharp nails inches from my eyes, scratching madly, making a "screech" sound.
"Get out!"
I let go with one hand, grabbed the mop handle from the floor, and jabbed it hard at the hand.
"Thud!"
The stainless steel pipe pierced through the hand.
The zombie outside relented slightly.
Now!
I pushed hard, closing the door, then clicked the latch into place.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
"Huff... huff... huff..."
I slumped against the door.
Damn, that was terrifying. It was like playing with my life!
I wiped the grime from my face, looking at my still trembling hands.
I might be immune to the virus, have antibodies, but that doesn't make me a superhero! I'm not immune to physical attacks! A zombie bite would still snap my neck, a claw would still spill my guts.
"Immunity is useless... if surrounded by zombies, I'd still be torn apart."
I chuckled bitterly.
After a few minutes, I remembered to survey this "sanctuary."
Room 3014 had clearly seen trouble too, the floor was messy, books and clothes scattered everywhere, but thankfully no bodies or zombies.
I thought of Li Wenli.
When I ran out, she was guarding the door, she must have heard the commotion.
I quickly got up and ran to the balcony.
Room 3014 and Li Wenli's Dorm Room 3023 were on the same side of the corridor, separated by about five or six rooms.
I carefully opened the balcony door and peeked out.
Sure enough, Li Wenli was leaning over her dorm's balcony railing, clutching the compound bow, anxiously looking this way.
When she saw me appear on another balcony, not being dragged and torn apart in the corridor, her eyes instantly reddened.
She clearly understood what had happened, knowing I was chased by zombies and couldn't return.
"Zhou Peiyu! Are you okay?!"
Li Wenli shouted with a sob.
Hearing her voice, my heart skipped a beat.
"Don't shout—!"
I tried to wave her off, but it was too late.
As soon as she shouted, before I could answer, the shadows wandering aimlessly below suddenly activated like army ants, all raising their heads in unison.
Countless gray eyes locked onto Li Wenli's balcony.
"Roar..." "Roar—!"
The low growls quickly merged into a wave of sound.
Then, the zombies scattered in the flowerbeds, roads, and grass began to swarm towards Building 2.
In no time, a dense horde gathered directly below Li Wenli's Dorm Room 3023, reaching out, trampling each other, trying to climb up the drainpipes and security bars.
The scene was like a classic moment from "World War Z."
Li Wenli was clearly petrified, covering her mouth, watching in horror as the horde rapidly piled up below, her face turning pale.
"This is big trouble."
I watched the growing mass of monsters below, sweating profusely.