Shao Ming sprinted into the dormitory, and the people inside quickly slammed the door shut behind him. But a mutated creature's hand reached in and wedged itself into the door.
Without thinking, Shao Ming fired a shot directly at its head.
The door finally closed, and Shao Ming leaned against the wall, gasping for air. He had narrowly escaped, just a step away from being caught by the mutated creature.
He looked up and saw ten or so people still standing on the stairs.
"I told you not to let him in, and now look, we've got hundreds of zombies piling up at the door. If he doesn't help us, we're all done for," one person whispered to the apparent leader as they climbed upstairs.
The leader, a man who appeared to be in charge, turned and asked, "Do you need anything?"
"No… I don't need anything," Shao Ming replied, taking a deep breath and adjusting his mindset. He stood up and spoke calmly.
Several people rushed down the stairs and started barricading the door with anything they could find.
"I'm Gary," the leader said, extending his hand to Shao Ming.
Shao Ming tucked his gun into his waistband and shook Gary's hand, but he couldn't stop his hand from shaking.
"Shao Ming," he introduced himself, gripping Gary's hand tightly to steady it.
"Well, it's a race against time now," Gary said. "Going out alone is not a good idea."
Shao Ming smirked. "I was just… seeing if there's any way to get out of here."
"From the hospital side?" Gary chuckled. "Forget it. The blockade here is too tight. You should head north."
"How about the park?" Shao Ming asked.
"Not that either. Some of us came from dorms near the park. After the police had a big battle with the zombies, the other side of the park was sealed off," Gary replied.
"How did they manage that?" Shao Ming asked.
"There are still some mutated creatures not yet at the other side of the park. The government acted with surprising efficiency. They built a steel wall to seal off the southern side of the park," Gary explained. He paused for a moment, then added, "But honestly, I think it's pointless. That steel wall won't stop hundreds of zombies. It wouldn't even stop dozens."
Gary led Shao Ming upstairs to the second floor. The group of people he had seen earlier were nowhere to be found.
"So… you're all students?" Shao Ming asked.
"Of course," Gary replied. "Otherwise, why would we be here?"
"I thought the situation in the dormitory would be worse," Shao Ming said.
"It is bad, but this building is the least affected, so we're here," Gary answered.
Since Shao Ming had only seen a small group of people, he asked, "Why are there so few of you?"
"This building originally housed over 400 people. At first, only about ninety or so didn't get infected. But as time passed, more and more mutated. Now, these are the only ones still capable of moving, and about thirty others are showing symptoms… they're locked in the dorms on the fourth floor," Gary explained.
"What's this about the aftereffects?" Shao Ming asked.
"Did the internet go down for you?" Gary asked. "They say the aftereffects are linked to the mutation. And recently, we've noticed that the time between the onset of symptoms and full mutation is getting shorter. Some people even show symptoms in the morning, and by the evening, they're fully mutated."
As they reached the fourth floor, Shao Ming could already hear the growls of mutated creatures. Several people were gathered around a dormitory door, holding various weapons and waiting.
"We've discovered some new things," Gary continued as he led Shao Ming further up the stairs. "These zombies aren't perpetual motion machines, but they can enter a sort of dormant state, lowering their metabolism to almost nothing."
Shao Ming asked, "So, does that mean they'll starve to death eventually?"
"Do you know about hibernating rodents?" Gary asked.
"You mean, they can remain in a hibernation-like state for a long time?" Shao Ming asked.
Gary shook his head. "We don't have enough samples yet. We've only had two days to observe. We can't do much more research right now."
"So what was your major?" Shao Ming asked.
"Biological science research," Gary replied.
When they reached the fifth floor, Shao Ming was surprised to see it was still somewhat livable. There was even an induction stove in the hallway.
The person who had refused to let Shao Ming in earlier turned and entered a dormitory as the two of them arrived.
"Please don't mind…" Gary said. "That's my boyfriend."
Shao Ming thought to himself, Ah, typical British guy with the Union Jack in his heart.
"It's fine," Shao Ming said. "Living in the same dorm is pretty convenient."
"What?" Gary asked.
"Nothing, nothing," Shao Ming quickly replied.
Gary didn't press the matter and adopted a more serious tone. "We hope you can go to the research building. In the second lab, on the right-hand side of the desk, there's a 2000x metallurgical microscope. The cabinet beside it contains some petri dishes and reagents."
Shao Ming was taken aback by Gary's request. He had thought these students were just fooling around, but it seemed like they were serious about researching the mutated creatures.
Perhaps seeing the confusion on Shao Ming's face, Gary explained, "If these creatures only need a small amount of food to sustain their long-term life and mobility, it would be unimaginable for humans. And the virus left behind by the Great Infection, to have such a drastic effect on people… it's hard to comprehend."
Shao Ming couldn't help but admire these people. In the face of an apocalypse, they were still thinking about researching the mutated creatures. But part of him doubted whether these people would survive long enough to make any meaningful discoveries. After all, was there really a point to studying these creatures in a world like this?
"How do you want me to help?" Shao Ming asked.
"We saved you," Gary said. "And you have a gun. We don't."
"And what if… I just run?" Shao Ming asked.
"If you come back, we'll tell you how to get out. Of course, that is, if you can make it out," Gary replied. "If you don't come back, then just go north and find your own way."
He added, "But next time, you might not be so lucky."