After leaving the University of Manchester, Shao Ming and Li Long walked into a small restaurant.
The restaurant wasn't large, and there was only one chubby owner working there. However, the place was well-loved by students for its delicious Thai food. Fortunately, they didn't have many classes this morning; otherwise, they probably wouldn't have found a seat.
As soon as they sat down, Li Long asked, "How was the finance risk exam yesterday?"
"Don't even bring it up," Shao Ming replied, tossing his bag onto the table. "I was basically guessing the whole time."
Li Long laughed. "Hearing that makes me feel better. Next semester, I'll definitely sit next to you again!"
Shao Ming shot him a look. "Really? You failed last time, and you still want to copy my answers?"
At that moment, the owner came over and handed them menus. Li Long greeted him, "Hey, Johnny."
"Hey, my Chinese friends," the owner replied with a smile.After leaving the University of Manchester, Shao Ming and Li Long walked into a small restaurant.
The restaurant wasn't large, and there was only one chubby owner working there. However, the place was well-loved by students for its delicious Thai food. Fortunately, they didn't have many classes this morning; otherwise, they probably wouldn't have found a seat.
As soon as they sat down, Li Long asked, "How was the finance risk exam yesterday?"
"Don't even bring it up," Shao Ming replied, tossing his bag onto the table. "I was basically guessing the whole time."
Li Long laughed. "Hearing that makes me feel better. Next semester, I'll definitely sit next to you again!"
Shao Ming shot him a look. "Really? You failed last time, and you still want to copy my answers?"
At that moment, the owner came over and handed them menus. Li Long greeted him, "Hey, Johnny."
"Hey, my Chinese friends," the owner replied with a smile.
Shao Ming glanced over the menu and said, "One order of fish and chips, two pork chops, a Thai-style stir-fried noodles, two fried eggs, and two glasses of orange juice."
"The usual, right?" The owner picked up the menu. "Coming right up."
Li Long looked at Shao Ming and commented, "Your British accent is getting pretty good."
Shao Ming raised an eyebrow. "Stick around, and you might learn something."
"Get lost."
Shao Ming glanced around, noticing that the small restaurant was usually run by the owner and his wife, but today he hadn't seen her. "Where's his wife today?"
"Didn't I tell you?" Li Long replied. "I heard she got better for a while, but her condition worsened recently. Last week, I think? She's been resting at home."
"Why not go to the hospital?"
"The hospital? There are so many people with serious after-effects lately that you can't get in without waiting."
Shao Ming frowned, grateful he hadn't caught anything during the last big outbreak.
Li Long continued, "It's strange, though. That last outbreak already, It's been six months since the outbreak. How come we're only seeing aftereffects now?" Shao Ming said.
"You'd better be careful," he reminded Li Long, recalling that Li had been infected six months ago.
"Don't worry about me," Li Long replied, patting his chest confidently. "I'm built differently."
Shao Ming looked him over; Li had always been into weightlifting back in China, and he was in solid shape. "True. If you did mutate, you'd at least be some kind of elite zombie."
Just then, a diner picked up the remote and turned up the volume on the TV.
"Three days ago, footage began circulating online, sparking rumors that severe post-virus effects might transform infected individuals into 'zombie-like' states. So far, there has been no official response, though rumors suggest the virus remains active even after recovery, potentially mutating further inside the hostā¦"
"The virus itself is ridiculous enough, and now it might turn people into zombies?" Shao Ming scoffed.
"Here's your food." The owner placed the noodles and pork chops in front of them, then grabbed the remote and switched the TV to the sports channel. "I think people are overreacting about this virus," he said.
The two exchanged a glance but remained silent.
After lunch, they headed back to their off-campus apartment. Though technically off-campus, it was just across the street from the university. Like the student apartments, it was a two-bedroom, one-living-room setup. It cost a bit more, but with a larger room, private bathroom, and in-unit washing machine, it was well worth the comfort.
The apartment building had six floors and only one old elevator, with a stairwell circling it. The stairs led directly to each apartment door. Rumor had it that the building was constructed before World War I and, miraculously, survived the German bombings in World War II.
As they climbed the stairs, Shao Ming asked, "Wilson mentioned going to the shooting range this weekend. You in?"
"You're going again?" Li Long rummaged in his bag, finally fishing out a key. "I'd rather spend that money meeting girls."
"Is there anything in your brain besides women?"
"Working out."
As they reached the third-floor apartment door, Li Long was about to insert the key into the lock when they heard the sound of annoying footsteps coming from downstairs.
"Hurry up and open the door," Shao Ming urged.
Li Long quickly unlocked the door, and they stepped inside. Just as they were closing it, a man's angry shout echoed down the hallway.
"Asians! Why don't you just go back home?"
"Anglo-Saxon pig!" Li Long shot back through the door.
"Hey! Hey! Open up!" The door shook under violent pounding, and Shao Ming worried the door might actually breakānot out of fear of the man outside, but because he didn't want another charge added to their bill.
Their neighbor across the hall, Bradon, was a hot-tempered, middle-aged white man who lived alone. He spent his days drinking and had a severe racist streak. If he were in the U.S., he'd fit right in with the Texas redneck crowd. To Shao Ming and Li Long, he was far from an ideal neighbor.
"Son of aā" Li Long grabbed a baseball bat by the door, ready to swing.
"Hey," Shao Ming quickly held him back. "Is this your first day dealing with him? Just ignore him; he'll leave on his own."
"I told you from the start we should have found another place."
Li Long tossed the bat aside, and they tried to ignore the banging on the door. Sure enough, after a couple of minutes, the noise faded away.
Shao Ming lay on the sofa, pulling his phone out of his bag and opening YouTube. The screen was filled with news about post-infection symptoms. Some vloggers were explaining the virus's mutation mechanisms, others were sharing worsening symptoms of people around them, and a few were even teaching how to prepare for a possible biohazard outbreak.
"This virus is just endless trouble," Shao Ming muttered.
Li Long grabbed a can of Coke from the fridge and replied, "Americans' doing. I told you from the start this virus was man-made."
Shao Ming glanced at him, then clicked on a video about surviving a biohazard crisis.
"In today's episode, we've invited doomsday prep expert Jack to talk about stockpiling essentials and surviving a zombie outbreakā¦"
"If a biohazard outbreak actually happened," Li Long said, tossing the can of Coke to Shao Ming, "we wouldn't have to worry about exams anymore."
As they both lay on the sofa, lost in their phones, a sudden loud crash came from downstairs.