"Don't engage! That guy's been taken over by a Chirami. Your fists are useless. If you get bitten and those mutagenic cells enter your body, it's over," Su Ming warned Chen Tong.
"Stop arguing. That thing looks like it's targeting us!" Ming Ke shouted, his voice trembling with fear.
Su Ming and Chen Tong immediately turned their attention back to the infected Zhou Kang. His glowing red eyes locked onto them with eerie intensity, and his mouth stretched open unnaturally as black blood began to drip out.
Without warning, Zhou Kang charged toward the three of them.
"Move!" a rough voice shouted from behind them.
The three instinctively leaped out of the way.
Charging into view was none other than Li Ayi, the burly dormitory supervisor. Wielding a kitchen knife, she charged straight at Zhou Kang.
"Don't! Li Ayi, stay back!" Su Ming called out in alarm.
But Li Ayi paid no heed. She swung her knife with all her strength, embedding half of the blade into Zhou Kang's skull—a blow that would have been fatal to any normal person.
Unfortunately, Zhou Kang didn't even flinch. Instead, he grabbed Li Ayi by the throat, his grip tightening as her face turned red from lack of oxygen.
"Ugh… h-help… me!" Li Ayi choked out, struggling desperately.
The trio hesitated, ready to rush to her aid, but what happened next made them freeze in their tracks. Zhou Kang opened his mouth wide, releasing streams of grotesque, black, cell-like matter that poured directly into Li Ayi's mouth.
As they watched in horror, Li Ayi stopped struggling. Her eyes began glowing red, and her skin darkened, covered with bulbous, blackened patches.
At the same time, the student who had been bitten earlier wobbled to his feet, similarly transformed.
Now there were three infected figures: Zhou Kang, Li Ayi, and the bitten student. All of them turned their glowing red eyes toward Su Ming and his friends, who instinctively backed away.
From within the dormitory, more and more screams echoed, mingling with the chaos outside. Soon, the piercing sound of emergency alarms blared throughout District 13.
"Ming Ke! I remember these things are afraid of fire. Does anyone have a lighter?" Ming Ke asked, his voice trembling.
"A lighter? Are you kidding? We need flamethrowers! Forget it—run!" Su Ming replied, dragging Ming Ke and Chen Tong away.
The infected trio pursued them with unnatural speed.
Su Ming pushed his body to its limits, running faster than he ever thought possible.
In a pristine, spacious office, a stern-looking middle-aged man sat at a desk, meticulously reviewing documents. He wore a crisp white shirt, black suit, and a red tie, his sharp eyes exuding authority.
A dozen administrative officials stood silently before him, waiting.
When the sound of alarms broke through the air, the man paused, setting his pen down.
Moments later, hurried footsteps echoed down the hallway, and the office door burst open. A muscular man in a black combat uniform rushed in.
"District Chief Xiao, there's been an incident!" the man reported, his voice urgent.
"Speak, Ye Wei," Xiao Lie commanded calmly.
"Chirami larvae have broken out in District 13," Ye Wei said, catching his breath.
"Larvae? Handle it per the standard emergency protocol. Why the panic?" Xiao Lie asked, his expression unwavering.
Ye Wei hesitated before responding. "This isn't a typical outbreak. The numbers are overwhelming."
Xiao Lie's calm demeanor shifted slightly, his eyes narrowing. "How could such a large infestation have gone unnoticed? What were you all doing?"
"The source appears to be the Far Reach Garbage Processing Plant in the Lower District. The sheer volume of trash provided ideal cover for the Chirami," Ye Wei explained.
"The garbage plant failed to detect and report the anomaly? This is a serious dereliction of duty!" one of the officials exclaimed angrily.
Xiao Lie raised his hand, silencing the room. "Enough. Now is not the time for blame. Mobilize all available forces to contain this incident. We'll deal with the aftermath later."
"Understood," the officials replied in unison.
Panting heavily, Su Ming, Ming Ke, and Chen Tong stumbled out of the dormitory.
"Finally! We're safe!" Ming Ke gasped, his hands on his knees.
"Not quite," Su Ming muttered grimly.
Ming Ke blinked in confusion, then glanced around. His heart sank at the scene unfolding before him.
The campus was in chaos. Infected students and staff chased down the uninfected, their monstrous appearances spreading terror everywhere.
"Help! Someone help us!"
"Don't panic!" shouted a group of campus security officers, arriving armed with portable flamethrowers. They immediately began incinerating the infected with bursts of fire.
Screams of agony filled the air as flames engulfed the infected, but the sheer number of them was overwhelming. The security team was vastly outnumbered, struggling to maintain control.
From the shadows, parasitized rats emerged from sewers and dark corners, their glowing eyes scanning for new targets. With incredible speed, they darted toward fleeing students and overburdened security officers.
Noticing the incoming swarm, Captain Qian Feng of the security team turned his flamethrower on the rodents. "Watch out for the infected rats!" he warned his team.
The other officers followed suit, directing their flames toward the scurrying creatures. The air filled with the stench of burning flesh as the rats burst into flames, their charred bodies writhing momentarily before falling still.
But there were too many of them. In the dim light, the small, nimble creatures were nearly impossible to track. They moved faster than the human-shaped infected, making them even deadlier.
One officer, Lao Sun, failed to notice a rat leaping onto him until it was too late.
"Help! Get it off me!" Lao Sun screamed, trying to shake the creature off.
"Shake it off, Lao Sun!" Captain Qian shouted, but the rat had already sunk its teeth into Lao Sun's arm. Black cells seeped into the wound.
"Ahhh!" Lao Sun cried in agony as his body began to change.
"Damn it!" Qian Feng gritted his teeth and
aimed his flamethrower at his comrade, setting him ablaze before the infection could spread further.