Although there was no bathroom in the clinic, there was a sink. Jiang Xing and the others used cold water to wash themselves.
The daytime temperature was high, and without soap, her skin felt sticky and uncomfortable, making walking unbearable.
There was also a small bedroom in the clinic with a few sets of the owner's father's clothes. Although the clothes didn't fit, each person found something clean to change into.
That evening, they gathered to discuss their plans to leave early the next day.
Originally, they could have taken the main road straight to the city, but the way was blocked by the plane crash and other debris. They also couldn't be certain where they might run into zombies, so they felt uneasy.
The only one familiar with the area was Zhang Yun, so Jiang Xing suggested taking him along to navigate, but he needed time to prepare supplies, as he wasn't ready to leave immediately.
However, Zhang Yun eventually pointed out a route for them. This section was once an urban area with many exits, and although navigating through could be confusing, they just needed to avoid blocked areas where the electrical system was unstable, meaning power outages could cut off their GPS.
After finalizing the route, they ate a simple dinner and prepared to rest.
At this point, they only had two days of food left, which made them feel even more tense.
Night came quietly, and although June nights in City G were generally hot, fortunately, the power hadn't been cut yet, and they could enjoy a rare night of air conditioning.
Zhang Yun retreated into a nearby room to sleep, while Jiang Xing and the others spread out blankets on a sofa in the clinic's waiting area, taking turns to keep watch and passing a sleepless night in this temporary shelter.
....
At dawn, Jiang Xing was awakened by Xiao Jin.
She checked her phone and saw that it was already 5 a.m.
"Why are you waking me up so early?" she asked.
Xiao Jin scratched his head sheepishly, "I wanted to let you sleep more, but I'm too nervous to sleep."
Jiang Xing didn't scold him but asked, "Is everything alright?"
"Well, I just went to check on Chen An. His body feels ice-cold, and his breathing is very weak. Should we call Dr. Zhang to take a look?"
Jiang Xing walked over to Chen An and turned on her flashlight.
Chen An's face was frighteningly pale. Earlier, he had been weak from blood loss, but now he looked almost gray, with an ashen pallor that resembled that of a corpse.
He bit his lip, mumbling something almost inaudibly, as though in pain.
Jiang Xing touched his hand, which was indeed cold as ice, but all the blankets in the clinic were already piled on him.
"Call Dr. Zhang quickly; I don't think he'll last much longer," she said.
Xiao Jin nodded and gently knocked on the door of the rest room to wake Zhang Yun.
As Jiang Xing continued examining Chen An, she noticed a wound on his head. Apart from a few spots of dried blood around the area, the rest of his body showed no bleeding.
Chen An mumbled something incoherent. Jiang Xing touched his forehead; it was cold and clammy with no trace of warmth.
"Chen An?" she called softly, observing his breathing slowing down and then halting completely.
A foul odor filled the air. The stench, nauseatingly familiar, made Jiang Xing uneasy. She leaned closer, examining Chen An's face and cautiously checked his breathing. There was no movement.
Growing anxious, she placed her hand under his nose but felt nothing—no breath at all.
It could've been the cold, but Jiang Xing began to shiver, feeling a chill rising in her heart.
She pressed down on Chen An's chest, calling softly, "Chen An, Chen An?" but received no response.
Seconds later, Chen An's eyes snapped open.
In the dim light, his dull, bloodshot eyes seemed to glow red, radiating a terrifying aura. At that moment, as if something within him had decayed, Jiang Xing felt an overwhelming fear gripping her as she realized Chen An had transformed.
Chen An suddenly let out a loud roar, flinging off the blanket covering him as he sat up.
"What the...! Is he turning into a zombie?!" Xiao Jin's attention was caught by Chen An's roar, and he jumped up in alarm, only to be met with a glare.
The moment Chen An noticed him, he lunged directly toward Xiao Jin without hesitation.
"What kind of light is that? Has he turned into one of them?" Jiang Xing warned urgently.
By now, Chen An was beyond saving. He pounced at Xiao Jin with a force that felt inhuman, pressing down on him while baring his teeth, ready to bite.
"Agh! Someone help me!" Xiao Jin's eyes filled with tears.
But the force was too much, and Xiao Jin couldn't push him away.
As Chen An's face came closer, drool dripping from his mouth, Xiao Jin turned his head to avoid looking, closing his eyes in despair.
At that critical moment, the door to the rest room swung open, and Zhang Yun hurled a defensive object, knocking Chen An off balance and flipping him over.
"Cough…cough…" Xiao Jin gasped, holding his chest as he struggled to breathe, slowly dragging himself up to search for a weapon.
The dim room provided little visibility, and Zhang Yun shone his flashlight directly at Chen An. He could hardly believe his eyes.
"He…how did he turn?" Zhang Yun, who had come out of the rest room, was in shock. He hadn't seen any open wounds on Chen An before, so why had he mutated?
"I… I don't know either!" Xiao Jin was visibly shaken, truly at a loss.
Chen An lay on the floor, crawling in a twisted motion. He groaned as he tried to rise, but this time he did not immediately attack. Instead, he seemed to be assessing his surroundings.
Jiang Xing didn't hesitate. Grabbing a nearby chair leg, she heard a faint cracking sound as she swung it, and Chen An fell back to the floor.
Although they knew he was already gone, Chen An didn't stay down, not even losing his appetite. He grasped at the ground and attempted to attack whoever was closest.
"Don't just stand there; tie him up!" Jiang Xing shouted to the two others in the room.
Lin Xi, who had also come over, quickly grasped the situation and moved to help. Though initially frozen with shock, she joined Jiang Xing in trying to subdue Chen An.
Even though Chen An's body no longer had full mobility, his instinctive drive to attack was undiminished. Jiang Xing, Xiao Jin, and Lin Xi all worked together, holding him down until he was finally restrained.
"So, what's going on here?" Zhang Yun stood by the door to the rest room, looking at the three of them in the dim light.
Jiang Xing nodded and briefly explained the abnormal changes in Chen An before he mutated.
"So he stopped breathing first, and then he transformed? Are you certain he hadn't been infected before?" Zhang Yun asked.
"Yes, but I can't be certain he wasn't infected."
Jiang Xing examined the wound on Chen An's head and confirmed there were no other suspicious marks.
Then how did the injury occur? The wound could have been from hitting the car, but the car's interior was clean, with no traces of the infected.
"If that's the case, then maybe we should examine his brain more closely," Zhang Yun suggested, pulling on his gloves and picking up a scalpel, his expression less than comforting.