Shao Ming and Lambert, in perfect sync, swung their weapons at the mutant simultaneously. But once again, the creature nimbly dodged their attacks. This time, their weapons collided with each other.
The impact made Shao Ming's already torn palm feel like it was on fire. He almost lost his grip on the bat.
The mutant didn't retreat far, but instead, it took a defensive stance, almost like it was preparing to spring in any direction at a moment's notice.
It didn't immediately rush them, though. Instead, it began shifting its position in front of them, constantly moving and testing their responses.
From the second floor, Feng Yusheng held a flashlight, its beam cutting through the darkness. Her light reached further and illuminated a wider area.
Lambert asked, "What's it trying to do?"
"Not sure," Shao Ming replied, shifting the bat to his left hand to ease the pain in his torn palm.
Suddenly, the mutant moved. But instead of rushing toward them, it leaped onto a nearby shelf and then quickly turned to pounce down at Lambert.
Lambert instinctively raised his iron pipe to block the attack. The mutant's jaws sank into the pipe, but though it didn't bite him, it knocked him onto the floor.
Using the flashlight that had fallen to the ground, Shao Ming swung his bat at the mutant's head with a powerful strike.
The mutant immediately released Lambert and flung itself to the side, narrowly avoiding Shao Ming's blow.
Shao Ming stepped forward, crossing over Lambert's prone body, and took another swing. The mutant stepped back again, narrowly evading the attack.
But this time, it had backed itself into a corner.
Lambert was already back on his feet. He grabbed his pipe and positioned himself to block the mutant's retreat from the other side.
The two of them, one on each side, slowly forced the mutant into the corner.
It snarled and hissed at them, like a trapped beast.
Shao Ming tested its movements again with the bat. The mutant was fast, almost anticipating their strikes and moving accordingly.
"If only we still had bullets," Shao Ming thought, signaling Lambert to step back a bit.
Once Lambert was in position, Shao Ming lunged forward and swung his bat from the left, charging straight at the mutant.
This time, the mutant couldn't retreat backward in time. It could only leap to the right to avoid Shao Ming's strike. That leap put it directly into Lambert's range, and he delivered a solid blow to its head.
The mutant spun in the air and crashed to the ground.
Without hesitation, Lambert followed up with several more brutal blows to the creature's head.
Only when the mutant's skull had been completely crushed did he stop.
"That was tough," Shao Ming muttered, shaking his head. "If it had been any smarter, we might've been done for."
"Too bad it wasn't," Lambert replied, walking over to pick up the fallen flashlight. "Let's get back upstairs."
The two of them returned to the second-floor office. As soon as the door opened, Feng Yusheng immediately noticed Shao Ming holding his injured hand.
"How did you hurt your hand?" she asked, pulling him gently toward a chair to inspect the wound.
"It's nothing…" Shao Ming quickly retracted his hand, pinching the wound between his thumb and forefinger to stop the bleeding.
"You call this nothing?" Feng Yusheng shined her flashlight on his right hand, noticing the blood staining his fingers.
Shao Ming opened his hand, revealing the torn skin of his palm, and Feng Yusheng's expression softened with concern.
She hurriedly sat him down and pulled out a roll of bandages from her bag, carefully wrapping his hand.
Meanwhile, Lambert, having retrieved a bottle of water, gulped it down in one go before refilling the cup and handing it to Shao Ming.
Shao Ming took a sip of water and glanced at the desk. Feng Yusheng had organized all the available supplies in the office. Unfortunately, there weren't many usable items: a paper cutter, a pack of candy, and a water dispenser sitting in the corner.
Feng Yusheng continued tending to Shao Ming's hand, her soft fragrance calming him. The warmth of her touch seemed to soothe the ache in his muscles.
"All done," she said, releasing his hand. "We'll disinfect it with alcohol once we're back on the train. We didn't bring any with us."
Once Shao Ming's wound was properly bandaged, the three of them found a place to lie down.
They shared a few pieces of candy, each too exhausted and hungry to do much else, sipping water and trying to get some rest.
The sun had already set, and the warehouse was completely immersed in darkness.
Shao Ming lay by the door, reflecting on the fight.
Was that a new mutation? Or some kind of special infected?
In the days they'd been traveling, they hadn't encountered a mutant so agile, or one with this kind of intelligence.
Could the virus have mutated in less than half a month? Or had it always been capable of enhancing physical abilities?
Lost in these thoughts, Shao Ming eventually drifted off to sleep.
How long had passed, he wasn't sure, but he woke up with the sunlight streaming through the ventilation shaft.
Most of the warehouse was still shrouded in darkness, and when Shao Ming tried to sit up, every muscle in his body screamed in protest, aching from the strain of the previous day's battles.
Not to mention his torn palm.
He drank a cup of water and heard Feng Yusheng making soft noises beside him.
At first, he thought he'd woken her, but she simply turned over and fell back asleep.
Checking the time with the faint glow of his watch, Shao Ming saw that it was already past eight.
He quietly grabbed a flashlight and tiptoed downstairs, heading toward the door near the canteen area.
Outside, there didn't seem to be any mutants in sight. He opened a small window on the iron door and peered out.
The canteen Lambert had mentioned was behind the train station, at a forty-five-degree angle to the platform.
It wasn't exactly a large train station. It looked more like an intercity metro station, with limited space.
Shao Ming scanned the area. Around the canteen, he spotted four or five mutants. The others seemed to have wandered off somewhere.
If the mutants had returned to the town, taking out these few wouldn't attract too much attention. After all, the warehouse wasn't too close to the town.
Just as Shao Ming was about to assess the situation further, he heard footsteps coming from behind.
He quickly turned and shined the flashlight toward the sound.
It was Lambert, raising his hand to shield his eyes from the light.
Shao Ming moved the flashlight aside, allowing Lambert to approach.
"Man, I'm exhausted," Lambert groaned, stretching his arms. "I feel like I've done nothing but run around."
"Not used to moving much, huh? You're still feeling it from yesterday," Shao Ming remarked.
Lambert sighed. "Honestly, I'm grateful for you yesterday. If you hadn't kept those zombies off us, we wouldn't have made it in here."
"It wasn't a big deal. I was just saving myself too," Shao Ming replied, stepping aside to let Lambert get a better look. "Take a look. Is that the canteen you were talking about across the road?"