The screams outside the door came from another girl, and they stopped abruptly after just a few seconds.
Then, the dormitory door was violently pounded.
"Open the door! Open the door! Li Wenli, you motherfucker, open the door now!"
Wang Shan was desperately banging against the dormitory door, hitting it so hard that the entire wall trembled slightly.
Li Wenli stood behind the door, her face cold. Not only did she not open the door, but she also took two steps back, grabbing a folding stool beside her and staring at the door lock.
The girl who had been sitting on the stool playing with her phone screamed and stood up, her phone crashing to the ground, the screen shattering into a spiderweb of cracks.
"What's going on... Li Wenli! Why aren't you opening the door? Wang Shan is outside!" The girl cried out, trembling, and made a move to rush over and unlock the door.
"Don't move!" Li Wenli shouted back, her gaze stopping the girl in her tracks. "Outside, it's all damn zombies! We just ran back here stepping over piles of dead bodies. If you open the door now, you won't save her; you'll just drag everyone in this room to their deaths!"
The girl clearly didn't believe it at first, perhaps thinking it was just an extreme act of violence.
But seeing our disheveled state, combined with the ear-piercing screams outside and the frantic pounding on the door, forced her to believe.
Soon, Wang Shan's curses turned into screams, "Don't come over, f'ing hell, don't come over... Ah!!!"
The screams lasted only a few seconds, replaced by violent convulsions and the gurgling sound of blood bubbling up from her throat.
"Shh—"
Li Wenli gestured for everyone to be silent.
I stood on the balcony, taking a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down. I pulled off the black long bag from my back, unzipped it, and took out my beloved compound bow.
I had saved up half a year's worth of part-time job money to buy this bow. Unlike ordinary competition bows, it resembled a crossbow in appearance, made with black carbon fiber and alloy, exuding a powerful presence, much like a simplified version of the Rising Pegasus Crossbow from Kamen Rider Kuuga.
This bow featured a precise arrow track design, capable of shooting high-tension carbon arrows and, like a slingshot, launching large-caliber steel balls using the guide rail.
"Li Wenli, step aside," I said in a low voice.
I raised the bow, aiming at the dormitory door. The strength of those mutated creatures was terrifying. Zhu Jiajia's ghastly appearance was still fresh in my mind. I feared something might suddenly burst through the door, and if it did, I had to take it down immediately.
Everyone in the room held their breath, not making a sound.
Fortunately, the chewing sounds outside gradually faded away, as if those creatures were drawn to other louder noises in the corridor.
I exhaled deeply, lowering the compound bow, feeling the cold sweat soaking my back.
Li Wenli quietly walked to the balcony, standing beside me.
Looking out, the entire Jingyang University campus had turned into a living hell.
The streetlights still shone, illuminating the bloody scenes in stark detail.
By the flowerbeds, under the dormitory buildings, at the library entrance, there was nothing but pursuit and slaughter.
"Call the police... surely the police will do something?" I said, trembling as I looked at the scene before me.
Li Wenli stared towards the distant school gate, shaking her head, "The police? I'm sure someone's already called them, but I doubt they'll come."
"What do you mean?" I turned to look at her.
Li Wenli gave a helpless smile, "When we ran towards the gate earlier, the zombies coming from that direction were in groups. Do you think the thousands of people at our school could all mutate at once? Many of those creatures aren't from our school."
"I'm afraid the outside of the school has already become a hell on earth. If this is a highly contagious virus, then all the schools nearby, maybe even the whole of Jingyang City, might have already exploded into chaos. In such a large-scale disturbance, the police can barely take care of themselves."
I fell silent, leaning against the railing and lighting a cigarette. Doctor Park's words from earlier suddenly replayed in my mind.
"Super Syphilis."
I usually play some zombie-themed games, like Resident Evil or Left 4 Dead.
In those games, zombies mostly spread through bites and scratches, infecting through bodily fluids.
But Zhu Jiajia's situation was clearly different; she had no wounds on her body.
Is it possible that this "Mutated Syphilis" is the real culprit turning people into zombies? And biting is just its secondary means of transmission? Like Zhu Jiajia, who probably got infected with Mutated Syphilis while working at Club K, turning into that murderous creature overnight.
I quickly shared this thought with Li Wenli in a low voice.
Li Wenli nodded after listening, "Very possible, but to know for sure, we'd have to find Doctor Park and get a clear answer, since she took a sample."
I quickly shook my head like a rattle, "No way, missy, the outside is damn well full of those things. Going out now is just serving myself up as a snack. I'm really scared."
Li Wenli suddenly laughed.
"What are you laughing at? Laughing at me for being a coward?" I asked, somewhat annoyed.
"No." Li Wenli shook her head, "I'm laughing because you're quite honest. At least you're better than those idiots who read a few apocalypse novels, play a couple of zombie games, and start fantasizing about being all decisive and ruthless in the apocalypse, punching saints and stepping on schemers. Those people would probably shit themselves at the sight of a zombie. You, knowing fear but not wetting your pants, are already a superior breed."
My face flushed, unsure if she was praising or mocking me.
Before I could respond, an unusual sound suddenly came from the dormitory.
"Cough... cough cough!"
Li Wenli and I whipped around.
The girl who had been sleeping on the bed was now sitting up.
But her movements were extremely stiff, her neck twisting like a rusted spring, segment by segment.
Even more terrifying, her face was covered in pustules!
She opened her mouth, and a large puddle of black-red mucus dripped onto the blanket.
"Roar—!"
She let out a piercing low growl.
Almost at the same moment, there was a response from the corridor outside.
Her coughing and now her growl seemed to have attracted the zombies lingering at the door.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The frantic pounding on the door resumed!