The three of them returned to the office. The entire second floor had only one room with two exits, and it could be barricaded with some miscellaneous items.
However, unlike the workshop from the previous night, the fire station did not have large iron doors for protection.
"We'll take turns keeping watch," Shao Ming began assigning tasks. "Starting at 10:00, each person for three hours."
"I'll take the first shift," Feng Yusheng said. "I'm good at staying up all night."
"Then I'll take the last shift," Lambert quickly added, thinking that the middle shift would be the hardest. The person on the ends could get six hours of sleep, while the one in the middle would only manage brief, interrupted naps.
"Alright," Shao Ming nodded. He wasn't particular about it, as he wouldn't be able to sleep soundly in the fire station anyway.
He walked to the window and looked down. The mutated creatures had once again entered a state of dormancy, standing motionless at the base of the building.
During dinner, Lambert took three cans of peas out of his bag and shared them among them. Feng Yusheng took a can, poured some peas into a small bowl, and pushed it toward Gordon.
Gordon wagged his tail excitedly and buried his head in the bowl, eagerly eating.
Shao Ming petted Gordon's head. The dog was so well-behaved, it was endearing.
But on second thought, having a dog with them, especially one they'd have to keep on the train, would be a burden. After all, trains weren't like cars that could be stopped on a whim, and they no longer had passenger cabins—there was no place to keep a dog.
At midnight, Feng Yusheng was already asleep, and Shao Ming, taking over the shift, was yawning and staring blankly out the window.
The mutated creatures downstairs hadn't dispersed yet. Shao Ming really wanted to see why these creatures always seemed to vanish by the morning, as if they had reset.
Logically speaking, even if they went into a state of dormancy quickly, shouldn't they remain in place? Why would they scatter on their own?
Suddenly, Gordon, who had been lying nearby, lifted its head, alert. It had sensed something entering the fire station.
Shao Ming, still lost in thought, hadn't noticed Gordon's reaction and kept staring at the mutated creatures below.
Gordon suddenly stood up and began running toward the door. Its paws made a "clack-clack" sound as it ran. Shao Ming turned around and saw that Gordon was already at the door, sniffing.
"What did you smell?" Shao Ming whispered, reaching for his shotgun.
Through the small window on the door, Shao Ming thought he saw a shadow pass by.
Gordon let out a low, threatening growl, crouching and assuming an attack stance.
Was there a mutated creature inside? Shao Ming wondered, but something didn't seem right. He hadn't heard any noise downstairs.
This couldn't be a trick of his eyes—Gordon's reaction alone proved something was off.
Shao Ming slapped Lambert a few times to wake him up. When Lambert opened his eyes, he saw Shao Ming's tense face and the "quiet" hand gesture.
Lambert immediately woke up, grabbed an iron rod, and whispered to Shao Ming, "What's going on?"
"There might be something in the corridor," Shao Ming answered, his eyes on the window.
The corridor outside the door was pitch black. Gordon paced back and forth, its nose sniffing the air.
"I want to go check it out," Shao Ming whispered.
"Are you crazy?" Lambert replied. "Why not wait until morning?"
"I don't want to sleep with one eye open," Shao Ming answered. "And if there's something left unsealed, more zombies might get in."
He moved the cabinet blocking the door slightly, then turned to Lambert. "Want to come with me?"
"Fine, fine," Lambert shook his head, grabbing the flashlight.
Lambert woke up Feng Yusheng and asked her to keep the windows and doors shut and watch over their things while they were gone.
"Stay safe," Feng Yusheng whispered.
Shao Ming took the flashlight from Lambert and opened the door a crack, shining the light around.
The corridor was empty. Gordon squeezed between Shao Ming's legs and darted out.
It sniffed the air carefully and finally looked toward the end of the corridor.
"Looks like it's this way," Shao Ming said, stepping out of the room and handing the flashlight back to Lambert.
Shao Ming picked up a fire axe, slung his shotgun on his waist, and carefully walked toward the end of the corridor.
Gordon crouched down a few meters from the corner and let out a low growl.
Shao Ming slowed his steps, lifting the fire axe.
Suddenly, a mutated creature jumped out from around the corner, charging straight toward Shao Ming.
Shao Ming was about to block it when Gordon lunged forward, sinking its teeth into the creature's neck.
Although Gordon was a rescue dog, not normally bred for combat, its sharp teeth were no decoration. The dog clamped down hard on the creature's neck, shaking it violently. The creature struggled briefly before going limp.
Just as Shao Ming was about to pull Gordon away, he heard running footsteps behind them.
Lambert quickly turned around to see a mutated creature crawling toward them at high speed, followed by another one.
It was the same type of mutated creature they'd encountered at the warehouse.
Shao Ming had thought it was a rare case, but it seemed these creatures had developed the agility to move quickly after mutation.
But today was different. Unlike in the warehouse, Shao Ming now had a shotgun.
"Step back!" Shao Ming shouted.
One of the creatures leaped toward them. Shao Ming raised his shotgun and fired.
The creature flipped mid-air and was sent flying backward.
The second creature quickly retreated, running around a corner and disappearing from sight.
Lambert recognized the creatures and said to Shao Ming, "It's the same type we saw at the warehouse."
Outside, the mutated creatures that had been in a dormant state were now awakened by the gunshot and began attacking the fire station.
There was a loud crash and the roar of mutated creatures from below. The two exchanged a glance, realizing the situation was dire.
The barricade at the front door wouldn't last long, and there was still a mutated creature inside they hadn't dealt with.
"We need to grab our stuff," Shao Ming said. "We can't stay here."
Back in the office, the three of them quickly grabbed their backpacks, took Gordon, and ran to the other side of the building.
With a loud "crack," the baseball bat used to lock the door snapped, and the furniture blocking the entrance was slowly pushed aside.
The first mutated creature's bloodshot eyes stared at them as it charged into the fire station, followed by the second and third.
"Which way?" Feng Yusheng asked.
"That way!" Shao Ming led the group—one human, one dog—into a large room. This was the fire station's garage's emergency exit, where the firefighters could slide directly into the garage.
Shao Ming had noted this on the floor plan yesterday, specifically for this kind of situation.
Suddenly, a mutated creature appeared behind them, charging at high speed.