Late at night, Lin An lay in room 908.
The strong scent of perfume was slightly overwhelming, and the black drapes hanging down by the bedside resembled nooses.
Occasional explosions outside made it hard to sleep.
Suddenly, a shrill, venomous scream pierced the air from within the hospital.
The piercing sound, traveling hundreds of meters, shattered the glass.
Lin An rushed to the window to check but found nothing.
The scream appeared briefly and then vanished without a trace.
What was that?
After observing for a while and finding nothing, Lin An gave up searching for the source of the scream, returning to bed with a heavy heart.
The sudden disturbance weighed on him like a stone.
But the trip to the hospital was unavoidable.
Unable to sleep for a long time, Lin An lay flat on his bed, silently staring at the ceiling.
He felt somewhat exhausted.
It was now the second day after the apocalypse and the fifth day since his rebirth.
Memories from his past life mixed with the recent days' memories flashed through his mind like a photo album.
Without power in the hotel, the unpredictable weather made the late night a bit chilly.
"Creak."
The door opened, unlocked.
Unable to use the room card, Lin An had to remove the lock entirely.
In the dark, Wen Ya stood at the doorway, holding a quilt.
Hesitating for a moment, she finally spoke.
"I can't sleep."
Lin An was silent for a moment, the darkness as clear as daylight to him.
He saw Wen Ya's red, tear-streaked eyes.
She seemed to have cried a lot.
Unable to sleep late at night usually meant she had something on her mind.
Cried and troubled.
Lin An could roughly guess what was on Wen Ya's mind.
"Do you have family in Linjiang Hospital?"
With his extraordinary mental acuity, Lin An had already sensed Wen Ya's abnormal emotions that afternoon.
Wen Ya clutched the quilt tightly and nodded slightly.
"Yes."
Her voice trembled.
She bit her lip, suppressing her emotions as she spoke:
"My mom has a heart condition and was hospitalized not long ago."
"She's in room 303, in the building next to the emergency department."
These words seemed to drain her of all strength.
The room was cold, and freshly showered in her nightgown, she shivered slightly.
Without a hairdryer, her wet hair was tied up simply.
Lin An was silent for a moment, unsure how to comfort her.
"Tomorrow, if it doesn't delay the plan."
"I will take a look."
He looked at Wen Ya, no longer the strong and brave figure she usually was.
He sighed inwardly.
The entire hospital had become a hellscape.
Wen Ya's mother was in the area closest to the densest zombie population.
Both of them knew that Wen Ya's mother had almost no chance of survival.
Taking a look was merely psychological comfort.
The wind howled outside, its bitter sound audible even through the glass.
"Thank... you."
Wen Ya wiped away the tears she could no longer hold back, her eyes grateful.
"Beep, member Wen Ya's loyalty increased by 30 points, current value: 80/100 (unlikely to betray, even in the face of death)"
She bowed deeply to Lin An, as if making a solemn decision.
"I..."
"Can I sleep here tonight?"
After speaking, she slowly walked to Lin An's bed, head lowered.
Gently, she placed the quilt beside Lin An.
Lin An frowned slightly, surprised that his words had increased Wen Ya's loyalty.
It seemed this matter had deeply affected her, causing her to let down her guard completely.
With his excellent vision, he noticed that Wen Ya was wearing nothing under her thin nightgown.
Two points were visibly protruding.
"If you think it's to repay me or for some other reason."
"There's no need."
Lin An had no other intentions when he agreed to take a look.
After all, he hadn't promised to go; he said he would if it didn't hinder his actions.
Wen Ya raised her head at his words, her face flushed.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something but unable to.
"Since you joined my team, you're naturally a part of it."
"Helping each other is what teammates do."
"You don't need to feel guilty or grateful."
"Besides, I really dislike what you're doing."
Lin An's gaze was clear. After speaking, he calmly watched Wen Ya.
The pleasant scent of her shower gel dispelled the room's cheap perfume odor.
"Get some sleep."
After saying that, Lin An turned his back and closed his eyes to rest.
Wen Ya stood there, unsure of what to do, her hands pausing from removing her shirt.
She stood stiffly by the bed.
Unable to speak a word.
For a long time.
"Russle rustle."
Wen Ya made her bed.
In the darkness.
Lin An felt someone lay down on the bed next to him but did not come close.
"I'm sorry."
Wen Ya lay on the edge of the bed, tears rolling down her cheeks.
That apology was perhaps meant for Lin An or for herself.
...
The Next Morning
In the ninth-floor corridor, Lin An waited early.
"Lin big brother... Captain!"
"I've brought the people!"
From the other end of the corridor, Zhang Tie strode over.
He was still getting used to calling Lin An "Captain."
Changing his address hastily, he greeted Lin An warmly with a hearty laugh.
Two middle-aged men followed behind him, apparently from his previous team.
"Lin brother!"
The two men bowed nervously to Lin An, visibly tense.
Lin An could be described as handsome, with fair skin that made him look almost scholarly.
But to them, Lin An was already synonymous with a monster.
Anyone who had seen Lin An cleave a Licker in half with a single strike would find it unforgettable.
That strike was the topic of conversation all night.
Lin An nodded in response.
He led the three men to the floor-to-ceiling window near the ninth-floor elevator.
"Tell me about the hospital's internal layout so I can determine the route."
Lin An's gaze was fixed on the surgical building, its dark glass walls obscuring the interior.
The entrance to the surgical building was tightly shut, with only a few zombies wandering outside.
Very strange.
"Lin brother, this is the map we hand-drew overnight."
The two middle-aged men, hospital employees familiar with the building's layout, stood on either side of Lin An, pointing at the map as they continued:
"This route leads to the underground parking lot entrance. It's about 20 meters to the right of the hospital's main entrance. From there, you can go straight to the emergency department."
"The orthopedic department is on the second floor of the emergency department, occupying about two floors."
...
Half an hour later, Lin An thanked the two men and went downstairs with Zhang Tie.
He chose not to bring more people for this mission.
With the hospital's dense zombie population, taking ordinary people would be sending them to their deaths.
Even Zhang Tie, if surrounded by zombies, would risk infection.
In the stairwell, the two talked as they walked.
"Captain Lin, so we're going to the emergency room to find a piece of equipment?"
Zhang Tie followed behind Lin An, scratching his head.
Lin An descended quickly, not turning back as he spoke:
"It's not necessarily in the emergency room, but the emergency room has the highest probability."
"In the apocalypse game, most equipment is guarded by monsters."
"Some are mutated, and some are surrounded by zombies."
"Based on your description, the emergency room has the most zombies, so it is naturally the most likely place for equipment."
Zhang Tie nodded thoughtfully, struggling to keep up with Lin An's pace.
From a logical standpoint, Lin An's words were incorrect.
He was using the result to infer the conclusion.
Equipment attracting monsters happened after the apocalypse broke out.
But the large number of zombies in the emergency room were transformed patients.
These people were already there before the apocalypse.
So, the emergency room's zombie population wasn't due to the equipment.
Lin An knew the hospital's equipment was in the place with the most zombies because of his rebirth!
Anyone sharp enough would notice the flaw in Lin An's words.
But Zhang Tie was clearly not that type.
He hadn't realized it at all.
"Is the equipment very powerful?"
Zhang Tie was curious, sensing Lin An's determination to get this equipment.
What kind of equipment would make Lin An willing to take such a risk?
After all, the equipment was in the hospital.
He recalled the massive number of zombies, shuddering.
Lin An thought of the attributes of the "Skull Crusher's Hand" from his past life and replied solemnly:
"Very powerful!"
As a blue equipment, the "Skull Crusher's Hand" had only one attribute boost, but the value was as high as 5 points!
It was extraordinary.
If an ordinary player obtained it, as long as their base strength wasn't too weak, they could easily surpass the human limit of 10 points.
This would grant them strength comparable to that of an Awakened!
This piece of equipment could significantly enhance one's power.
"I've never seen any equipment!"
"Captain Lin, they say this apocalypse game is a game. Why doesn't it have any game features?"
Lin An chuckled, understanding Zhang Tie's confusion.
"Not seeing equipment is normal. In the apocalypse game, any piece of equipment is extremely rare."
"As for the apocalypse game."
"It is indeed a game."
"However."
Lin An's expression turned serious.
"It is not our game!"