"Captain Lin!"
As Lin An fell unconscious, Zhang Tie's heart sank.
Bitterness, despair.
He could feel the faint but steady breath from Lin An suddenly vanish.
Instead, there was a faint aura of death and decay.
Captain Lin might not make it.
From his perspective, Lin An no longer had the strength to suppress the zombie virus.
If it weren't for Lin An's faint breathing, Zhang Tie would have thought he was already dead.
What to do?
What should I do!?
Zhang Tie's eyes were bloodshot, his jaw clenched, and the bandaged girl and the bag full of medicine hanging in front of him swayed.
Suddenly, he seemed to think of something.
The scene of seeing the bandaged girl unconscious earlier flashed in his mind.
Beside a dim medicine cabinet, there were all kinds of empty medicine packages scattered around the bandaged girl.
The girl might have been infected with the virus too, but she remained conscious until she passed out.
Medicine?
He hurriedly glanced at the bag of medicine in front of him.
Maybe Captain Lin could hold on by taking medicine too, and not turn into a zombie?!
Then.
Hurry, hurry!
Maybe taking Captain Lin back for treatment might save him!?
...
At the hospital entrance.
The spine of the zombie snake in Zhang Tie's hand swung more and more slowly, his steps dragging.
The bear transformation had ended, and forcing the skill had completely exhausted his mental energy, a severe weakness filling his limbs.
The effect of the potion had also ended, and after continuous fighting, his stamina was at its limit too.
No matter how strong he was, he was still just a level 0 awakener.
Essentially still human.
Zhang Tie's wrist trembled, waving the bone whip like he was swatting flies.
His strength had dropped significantly, and he could only barely keep the zombies from getting too close.
Soaked all over.
The previously lightweight Lin An and the bandaged girl now felt as heavy as a thousand pounds with his exhausted strength.
Zhang Tie gritted his teeth and charged towards the hotel.
It would be safe inside.
The first floor of the hotel was already barricaded, zombies couldn't get in.
"Old Huang!"
"Second Uncle!"
"Quick, throw down a rope!"
He tore at his throat, yelling at the broken window on the second floor of the hotel, signaling the people inside to lower a rope to pull him up.
What he could easily jump up to before was now impossible.
"Brother Zhang!"
On the second floor of the hotel, people looked at the zombie horde behind Zhang Tie, panicking.
"What's happening to them?"
"Brother Lin seems to be injured!"
"And he's carrying something, fully bandaged, looks like a person!"
"Blood, so much blood! Brother Lin seems seriously injured!"
"Stop arguing! Help me lower the rope to pull them up!"
At the collapsed window.
A middle-aged man named Second Uncle, Zhang Tie's relative, looked anxious.
He was a bit older, his face wrinkled, and his trembling hands gripped a hemp rope.
He couldn't pull up the weight of three people by himself.
"Quick, give me a hand!"
He urged several young men on the second floor to help.
Not far away, Zhang Tie was surrounded by a sea of zombies, like a small boat in the ocean, at risk of being swallowed at any moment.
But the crowd suddenly fell into a strange silence.
After a while.
A middle-aged man with glasses, looking like a white-collar worker, spoke quietly:
"I noticed their clothes are torn, and they're covered in blood."
"Brother Zhang and Brother Lin, they might be infected."
His eyes flickered, and his face looked uneasy.
"Indeed, I noticed that too."
Wang Bureau from the ninth floor suddenly stepped forward, clearing his throat habitually.
"Everyone, you must have seen or heard that those infected turn into zombies."
"Right now."
"These two, no, three people look injured. How can we be sure they're not infected?"
"We have so many people here, if they come up and turn into zombies, who will take responsibility?"
"We can't risk it, we can't let wolves into our home!"
Wang Jianguo looked calm. In the past two days, he had made his identity clear to all survivors.
As the person with the highest "social status" present, many untransformed white-collar workers and students followed his lead.
Seeing someone voice their concerns, many people echoed in agreement.
Selfishness and the display of human nature.
Wang Jianguo felt a twisted satisfaction rise in his heart as he looked at the barely alive Lin An behind Zhang Tie.
Hah, idiot.
Did you really think you were invincible just because you were strong? Go out once, and you end up becoming a zombie.
If you had stayed here protecting me, wouldn't it be better than this? Waiting for the army to rescue us?
Young people, so brainless, thinking they can conquer everything.
"Who the hell are you calling wolves!"
A man from Zhang Tie's team glared at Wang Jianguo with hatred.
"Zhang Tie and Lin An are still fine!"
"Don't forget who saved you!"
"Ungrateful bastard!"
Wang Jianguo's eyes turned cold after being cursed at, but he chose not to curse back.
Cursing back and forth is something only brainless lower-class people do.
Having spent many years in the officialdom, he naturally knew what was truly important.
The second floor was now divided into three factions: one led by him, consisting of white-collar workers and students; another being Zhang Tie's team; and the remaining few were undecided.
He had thought it through all day.
The hotel was now very safe, with all zombies cleared out by Lin An.
There was water and food.
And the army would surely come to rescue them!
To stay alive, all they had to do was stay put!
Ironically, Lin An, who he had wanted to recruit to protect himself, was the real unstable factor.
A person who could kill everyone but was not under his control was too dangerous.
Besides, Lin An was very likely infected with the virus now. For both reasons, he could not allow Lin An back into the hotel.
Lin An had to die, and it would be best if Zhang Tie did too!
Zhang Tie was about to lose his fighting strength, and Lin An was unconscious.
Such a good opportunity must not be wasted!
Wang Jianguo looked sorrowful, as if deeply pained.
"Everyone, it's not that we don't want to let them in."
"But can you guarantee they won't turn into zombies once inside!?"
"If something goes wrong, who will take responsibility? You? Or you?"
Wang Jianguo sternly pointed at Zhang Tie's team, his expression righteous.
"I'm also thinking of everyone. How could I not want to save Lin An? He saved my life too!"
Wang Jianguo sighed lightly but sneered internally.
Claiming to consider everyone's safety was much more effective than cursing back.
Seeing Zhang Tie's second uncle, who was flushed and at a loss for words, filled him with satisfaction.
Dealing with brainless little people like him was so easy.
The crowd was conflicted.
People are selfish. If they thought about themselves, they naturally didn't want Lin An inside.
But their lives were saved by Lin An, so speaking up against him would make them seem heartless.
The apocalypse had just begun, and many couldn't yet ignore the moral judgment of others.
Moreover, if Lin An and Zhang Tie were truly fine, they might still need their protection later.
Zombies were terrifying, and no one present had the courage to face them alone.
Arguments and shoving ensued.
Everyone had their own thoughts.
"Save them first! I'm begging you all."
"Thud."
An old man named Old Huang coughed and knelt, trembling. He looked helplessly and indignantly at Zhang Tie's team.
"If they won't save them, will you not save them either?"
Zhang Tie's team blushed and hurriedly joined Second Uncle in trying to lower the rope.
"Absolutely not!"
A woman beside Wang Jianguo, acting on his signal, suddenly screamed and grabbed the rope.
"Are you trying to kill us?"
"Kill us!?"
"Use your brain, will you? Even if you don't save Brother Lin, you have to save Brother Zhang!"
A middle-aged man named Gao Peng, looking like a worker, stepped out from the third faction and loudly retorted.
"Brother Zhang is definitely not infected! He can still kill zombies!"
Gao Peng was one of those who had provided Lin An with a map earlier in the day.
Having witnessed the horrors of the zombie outbreak firsthand, he had thought a lot.
Lin An might not be saved if he was infected.
But Zhang Tie, with his strength and willingness to protect everyone, must be saved!
Having such a good person in the front lines was the reason they survived until now.
With so many people in the hotel, the food would eventually run out, and they would have to venture out.
Without Zhang Tie leading, these useless people couldn't survive.
Moreover...
Even if Zhang Tie didn't get in, he might not die!
At the critical moment, if Zhang Tie abandoned Lin An, he could still find a place to hide with his strength.
In that case, would a resentful and recuperated Zhang Tie spare those who wanted him dead?
Definitely not!
Gao Peng considered both conscience and self-interest, knowing he had to show he wanted to save Zhang Tie.