"Zombies? You're not joking, are you?"
A middle-aged man looked at Jiang Xing incredulously. "Jiang, are you sure?"
This man was their team leader, named Liu Jian. True to his name, he was always skeptical about everything and liked to ask questions three times over. People said he was originally supposed to be a manager but got demoted because he talked too much.
Jiang Xing could only nod and say, "They're really zombies. I saw them bite people, so if you don't believe me, check the internet yourself."
Saying this, Jiang Xing didn't bother explaining further but instead took out her phone.
After several failed attempts to reach emergency services, she decided to check Weibo. Sure enough, the trending topics on Weibo were dominated by a single word: "explosive."
#BitingPeople #Rabies #Zombies
The first post under one of the topics was an official emergency alert from the government, advising people to stay calm and avoid going outside. If anyone around them exhibited symptoms such as convulsions, confusion, or mania, they were to isolate and avoid contact…
Scrolling down further, there were all kinds of posts from people sharing information about the outbreak, seeking help, or giving scientific explanations. It was utter chaos.
"Mom, are you home? Please, don't go out. Wait for me to come and find you!"
The usually timid Xiao Jin wasted no time in calling home. After several tries, he finally managed to get through, and his voice was already choking up as he spoke to his mother.
Seeing this, the usually quiet colleagues also began hurriedly contacting their families.
Jiang Xing opened her chat app. Although her parents had passed away a few years ago, she still had a younger sister, Jiang Rong, who had just started college in G City. Jiang Xing hesitated about calling her but eventually decided to send a message instead, not knowing if Jiang Rong would see it.
"Jiang Xing, are they really zombies?"
The female colleague who had just entered earlier sat down next to Jiang Xing, timidly asking.
Her hair, once neatly styled, was now disheveled, and her once bright and pretty face had lost its color, showing a mix of fear and fragility. She looked at Jiang Xing with wide, scared eyes.
This colleague, Lin Xiwang, had joined the company about half a year ago. She was young, friendly, and bright, and had quickly become popular in the office. Since Jiang Xing had helped her when she first started, they had become close.
"They should be," Jiang Xing nodded.
"Then... what should we do?" Lin Xiwang asked anxiously.
Jiang Xing shook her head, indicating she didn't know.
The conference room fell into silence. There were only seven people who had managed to escape into the room, three women and four men. Some were anxiously waiting for calls from their families, while others checked the latest news on their phones. The room was quiet except for the occasional rattling of the glass windows.
It was hard to tell how much time had passed. An hour? Maybe two? The wind outside grew increasingly violent, making the windows shudder as if they were about to burst.
Since Jiang Rong had yet to respond, Jiang Xing got up and moved to the window, looking down. From her vantage point, she could see the street below. The winds had stirred up clouds of dark dust, and faint street lights cast pale, eerie beams through the crimson haze. People ran frantically, crashing into things or stumbling over the sidewalk as if fleeing from unseen predators.
She also saw a few security guards from a nearby mall, carrying riot shields and batons, pushing back several crazed individuals, trying to protect a woman who had fallen.
As Jiang Xing watched, she noticed Luo Wei, who was busy making a call. Although she tried to keep her voice low, the quietness of the conference room made it difficult to avoid eavesdropping.
"Can you arrange for it...?"
"What? How many...? Five days?"
"Are you sure...? That long...?"
"Not sure? Then what should we do?"
Jiang Xing couldn't hear what Luo Wei was saying clearly, but she noticed that after he hung up, his expression had grown even grimmer.
"This won't work!" Liu Jian suddenly spoke, breaking the silence and drawing everyone's attention.
"What's wrong, Team Leader Liu?" asked one of the colleagues sitting next to him, startled.
"I mean, we can't stay here. We need to find a way to leave," Liu Jian said.
"What? Why should we leave?" another male colleague objected. "The news said to wait for rescue; someone will come and save us!"
"Exactly! They said to stay put; going out there would be dangerous. We should wait here for help," a female colleague added, supporting the idea.
The two colleagues were Yue Zhihao and Zhao Jingyi. They often bickered at work, but today, they had united in their opinion. They seemed to believe firmly that staying put was the best course of action, and their insistence quickly garnered support from others.
"Right, Team Leader Liu, it's too risky outside. Let's wait here for help," said another colleague who stepped closer to Liu Jian.
"No, no...," Liu Jian shook his head, looking extremely tense. He took a deep breath and started explaining again.
"Use your head! Even if there's rescue, they won't come directly to us. This is a commercial building; there are many offices and floors here. We're just part of a massive complex, and rescue efforts will likely prioritize major sites nearby. Across the street is a huge mall, a massive gathering spot. If there's a rescue team, they'll go there first, not here," he said.
"You need to think about that. Even if rescue teams do arrive, they might not reach us here, and we can't assume they'll find us easily."
"Also, there's an area on the outskirts of G City with several universities and research centers. If there is going to be a rescue, they'll probably prioritize those places. We're close to the city center, and who knows how long it would take for help to reach us."
"Moreover," Liu Jian pointed at the empty vending machine, "there's no food or water in this conference room. If we have to wait for three days for rescue, we'll all die of hunger and thirst."
"You're all still calm and have strength now, but what about tomorrow, or the day after? Do you think you'll still be able to move then?"
The reality of Liu Jian's words hit everyone hard, plunging the room into silence.
At that moment, the usually quiet Jiang Xing suddenly spoke up.
"Team Leader Liu is right. We need to leave this place. We can't stay here without food. If we wait and rescue doesn't arrive, we'll be done for."
"The second floor has a canteen; there should still be some supplies there. There's also a convenience store at the entrance. We should be able to gather enough to last a while," added a middle-aged man who had previously been quiet, siding with Jiang Xing.
Even those seated around them, who had been hesitating, seemed to think things over and began to understand.
"But how do we get out?" someone asked.
"We'll use the fire escape. It's rarely used, so there shouldn't be anyone on it. The door is solid and secure, so we don't need to worry about running into zombies," Liu Jian replied confidently.
Luckily, the fire exit was quite close to the conference room, just about ten meters away. If they moved quickly enough, they could make it there in a matter of seconds.
The plan was set. It was simple and straightforward: they would prepare to leave.
Everyone began to make preparations. After all, facing this kind of crisis, they had all seen enough movies or TV shows to have a basic understanding of what to do. The most important thing was not to get bitten or injured.
The makeshift weapons included anything that could be used—chairs, dismantled office supplies, and files that could be used as makeshift shields or tools. They equipped themselves with what they could find to ensure they'd have some means of defense.
"Sister Jiang, what do we do if we run into zombies?" Xiao Jin asked nervously, shrinking closer to Jiang Xing as he watched her help Lin Xiwang tie up some documents.
"What do we do?" Jiang Xing stood up, grabbed a sharp stick broken off from a broom, and handed it to Xiao Jin. "Hold this tight. If a zombie comes at you, use it to stab them to death!"
Xiao Jin stammered, "Ah... What? I can't do that!"