Jiang Xing was woken up from her hunger and exhaustion. The thick smell of rot filled her nose, almost suffocating her, while her stomach churned, forcing her awake. She opened her eyes groggily, her mind blank, and looked around at the faint light in the ventilation duct, trying to focus on the slowly retracting tongue of a zombie. It took her a moment to steady herself before she could figure out what was happening.
The tongue of the zombie gradually retracted, dripping with fluid. After it let go of Jiang Xing's leg, her breathing eased considerably, though she didn't feel the relief she expected. Instead, she realized the real horror of her predicament.
What frightened Jiang Xing the most was that she noticed a zombie's head resting on another zombie's body—though it seemed to be sleeping. It looked like just a head, but its body was nowhere to be found, and Jiang Xing was unsure if it was due to her tired state or just an illusion. The lack of movement below was eerie.
She reluctantly crawled forward into the ventilation duct, and even from a distance, the zombies below were still the same group as before. But seeing Jiang Xing stirred them once again, and they began biting at each other, creating a chaotic scene.
For some reason, possibly the feeling of having barely escaped death, Jiang Xing stared at them, no longer terrified but rather finding it somewhat comical. She even felt a bit relieved.
None of this was the main point, though...
Jiang Xing tore open her pocket, taking out a magazine. The once-handsome face on the cover had been partially bitten, but the paper was still thick enough to cover the bite marks, and the edges bore clear indentations of teeth. A hint of blood had seeped through.
She dared not touch it, but when she reached out to touch it, she realized her hands had become stained with black and red, as if covered in some strange substance.
Fortunately, Jiang Xing found a small cloth in the duct, though it had been partially bitten. However, there were still some intact items in her bag that hadn't been damaged.
Three bottles of water, two of which seemed to be intact, would probably be functional. Despite the critical lack of resources, she could not bear to leave without them.
Although water resources were now crucial, Jiang Xing couldn't resist using some to wash her hands.
As she poured out the water, she noticed her hands were covered in blood droplets.
The worst part was, she had seemingly slept for a long time, and the dirt on her hands had already dried. After using up one bottle, she was still unable to wash them clean. The dirty water seemed to turn even murkier instead, making her hands feel grimy and sticky, which only worsened.
Jiang Xing then grabbed a clean part of her shirt to wipe her hands before rolling up her sleeves, awkwardly tucking them behind her back.
In the end, she resorted to a slightly simpler method. With no other options, she used her mouth to bite a few times to help prevent any infections. The last thing she needed was for her hand to be injured or contaminated.
There were still a few loaves of bread in the cloth bag she was carrying, though they had been nibbled on. But Jiang Xing's beloved instant noodles were spared, and this brightened her mood a bit. She decided to eat them immediately.
As she sat and ate, the zombies below seemed to have stirred again.
Having solved her hunger problem, Jiang Xing began to assess whether the many familiar zombies below were showing any signs of unusual activity. Her heart sank for a moment but quickly stabilized. The zombies were still where they were, and there was no sign of movement. They likely wouldn't climb up. Even if they did, the distance was too great, and her hands were still holding onto the railings.
She fumbled around in the cloth bag and pulled out a few small pills, putting them aside for later. They might be useful, though she had no idea what they were.
She ought to check the internet.
Coincidentally, just as Jiang Xing was wondering where her phone was, a faint trembling came from beside her.
Staring at the dimly lit screen of the team leader's phone, Jiang Xing remained silent.
Taking a deep breath, she tightly grasped the palm of her left hand and pinched the corner of her left hand with her fingertips, managing to free it from the "stickiness."
Staring at the unclear phone, Jiang Xing felt a sense of guilt, yet she didn't refuse to use it. She turned it on.
The phone turned on smoothly. While leaning against the wall, she saw the time displayed on the screen was 19:17, which meant she had been here for a little over an hour. But she assumed it might be longer.
She realized her phone battery was around 70%, with about two or three bars of signal left, so it should still be enough.
Sure enough, after unlocking the phone, a few messages popped up right away, all from their colleagues. She glanced at them, and her heart sank a little.
Xiao Wang told her that the man named Wenxing, seeing her dragged into the car, didn't wait for Xiaojin and Lin Muxi to get in and just drove off.
And by the time they sent the message, the car had already driven out of the parking lot. Originally, they were hoping to turn back and save her, but that guy, Wenxing, actually threatened them and even hit Xiao Wang.
This kind of reckless behavior, though within Jiang Xing's expectations, still made her feel uneasy. Moreover, the feeling that Wenxing gave off was just too strange, making her unable to reconcile or align with him.
Actually, when they set out, Jiang Xing wasn't too keen on working together with Wenxing. After all, no one wanted to act with someone who might betray the team at any moment, but LuoSuo didn't know if it was an act or if he was really naive. Surprisingly, he used the excuse of "strength in numbers," insisting on bringing Wenxing along, saying, "How's one more person going to hurt?"
Since the car belonged to LuoSuo, everyone just followed along despite their dissatisfaction. After all, LuoSuo himself had expressed his willingness to work with Wenxing.
Having dealt with these two annoying colleagues, Jiang Xing got a message of her own, and she checked for updates from Xiaojin and Lin Muxi.
The good news was that although the two hadn't gotten in the car, they managed to use the cover provided by the moving vehicle to slip away from the pursuers and into the elevator.
The bad news was that there was a rattling noise in the elevator, and with each sway, she was almost crushed by the floor above.
Jiang Xing looked through the bag of equipment she brought and checked out the ventilation duct. After searching for a bit, she found the ladder leaning against the wall. It was only about five or six meters away, and outside she could see the distinct marks of four claws—most likely still waiting outside the vent, ready to attack when the elevator opened.
Jiang Xing assured her team that she was safe for now and said she needed rest. The best would be to get a good night's sleep and head out again tomorrow morning.
After confirming that everyone was safe, Jiang Xing checked her position again. Her younger sister still hadn't replied, so she rubbed the little cat keychain, sent another message, and obviously felt the anxiety within herself...
Maybe it was because she was fiddling with her phone; Jiang Xing comforted herself. Although Jiang Xing usually acts carefree and unreliable, she's still smart, and Jiang Xing believed she could take care of herself.
Since the internet was still available, Jiang Xing searched online for the symptoms on her hand and then found a bottle of Yunnan Baiyao from a few other medicines.
Under the current conditions, she didn't have any fancy or cool options, so she could only spray some of the medicine on her hand, praying that it would heal soon.