Even without cheats, we must survive the apocalypse

What a fool.

This is a world where people eat each other, and it is even more so now! Who told you to be a good person so foolishly? Until she died, Zhao Huanxi didn't even know her name.

When Zhao Huanxi arrived at the door of the safe zone, she was dumbfounded.

The people inside refused to open the door for her.

Because the people inside saw everything Zhao Huanxi did clearly from the surveillance video. How could anyone feel at ease accepting a despicable woman who would kill her savior?

Zhao Huanxi banged on the door of the safe zone hysterically, begging and cursing, but the door wouldn't open.

She had no choice but to leave and find another way out. After hiding here and there, she finally ran into the bathroom and took a rest.

"You hypocritical bastards, how dare you not let me in! You act as if you are so noble!" Zhao Huanxi said viciously. She didn't care about her image and poured the tap water into her mouth. "I will make you bastards pay the price!"

(ps1: The bad woman appears, don't worry, this is not a harem)

(PS2: In order to avoid making professional mistakes, the author consulted a working doctor and a doctoral student in medicine for the medical emergency section of this chapter, which should be more rigorous)

Chapter 31 Responsibility

Chu Xiao squatted in the corner, looking at the curtain in front of him. He had never felt that time passed so slowly. The family members of the patients waiting outside the operating room must have felt the same way as Chu Xiao.

I don’t know how much time had passed, Su Muhe walked out from behind the curtain, her body was wet with sweat, and each strand of hair was stuck to her forehead because of the sweat. Her young and beautiful face was filled with unconcealable fatigue.

"What's wrong?" The moment Chu Xiao opened his mouth to speak, he was surprised at how hoarse his voice was.

Su Muhe squatted beside Chu Xiao and stretched out her hand to straighten Chu Xiao's messy hair. At this moment, she exuded the radiance of motherhood: "Just barely, it can be considered a success."

On the hospital bed, Chu Yan was sleeping quietly, with an IV drip and a ventilator. Her heartbeat had recovered and her blood pressure had returned to a safe range. At this moment, her chest was rising and falling slowly, like a candle flame, although weak, but still burning.

Chu Xiao knelt in front of Chu Yan's bed, almost exhausted. He had a lot to say, but he couldn't say it. He wanted to thank her, but he didn't know how to express it.

For a moment, he seemed to have forgotten even the words.

"I don't know how long she can last in this state," Su Muhe said. "I don't know what this 'disease' is, so I can only treat it symptomatically, but I think the effect will be limited. I injected her with some immunoglobulin G to temporarily improve her immunity. How long she can last depends on Xiaoyan herself..."

——After all, a virus that can make corpses crawl up and attack people is completely unheard of. Whether it is a virus or not is still a matter of debate! Although they have always called it the "zombie virus", this is also a preconceived impression through games, movies and other works. Who knows what it is?

“I’m going to draw some blood samples from Xiaoyan for routine blood analysis to see if I can determine whether it’s a viral or bacterial infection, and determine whether to use antiviral drugs or antibiotics next…” Su Muhe started to cry as she spoke, “This is all I can do… There must be a better way… But I, but I’m not good enough… I’m sorry… Brother Xiao, I’m sorry…”

Chu Xiao didn't understand those professional medical terms, but he at least knew that the girl in front of him had done her best to prolong her sister's life. He thought to himself: What do you have to apologize for? As a high school student, you are already good enough, even enough to make some people in society ashamed.

"Susu, thank you... no matter what, I have to thank you." Chu Xiao said, "At least, there is still hope."

He reached out and wiped away the tears on Su Muhe's face, and said softly: "Don't cry, such a pretty face will not look good if you cry."

Chu Yan's condition temporarily stabilized, but this second coma was obviously much more serious than the previous one. Thanks to Su Muhe forcibly hanging on to Chu Yan's life, otherwise this deterioration would have been the end. However, as Su Muhe said, for "zombification", a situation that only appears in science fiction novels, they have no research and no special medicine. They can only rely on existing equipment and drugs to help her body barely get a chance to survive in this unequal struggle.

These are just three shallow scratches. If it was a direct bite, then there would be no hope at all.

On the other side, An Suxin and Ruan Mengmeng were sitting on other beds to rest. Although they were just helping out, they were exhausted after a busy period of work. No one had gotten enough rest last night, and after all this, they were almost exhausted.

Fortunately, the top floor is relatively closed off from the floors below, so the girls should be able to take a break for a while.

Holding on to the last glimmer of hope in his heart, Chu Xiao squeezed out the last bit of strength in his body - he wanted to go find Su Muhe's parents.

Su Muhe’s performance just now gave Chu Xiao more confidence in the couple. After all, their daughter was so outstanding. The couple, who were internationally renowned in the academic world, should... no, they must have a way!

"Susu, on which floor is it most likely to find your parents?"

Su Muhe bit her lip and said, "The dean's office is on the lower floor, but my father rarely stays in the office. He spends most of his time in the ward in the middle of the building, and sometimes goes to the laboratory to help my mother. The laboratory is not in this building, but in the annex next door. There is a corridor on the third floor of this building that leads directly to it. The door of the office and the door of the laboratory are both protected by security codes. I know the password of the office, but I don't know the password of the laboratory and I have never been in."

These are just idealized guesses. A day and a night have passed since the disaster, and the professor and his wife may no longer be in the hospital.

"No, they will definitely not leave the hospital!" Su Muhe was extremely sure.

"Why won't you leave?"

"I know my parents well. To them, academic achievements are above all else." Su Muhe said firmly, "I've heard from my mother before that the research they've been doing these days has made a major breakthrough. If the live experiment is successful, it may rewrite human history. Therefore, they will never abandon the data in the laboratory and run away."

Su Muhe didn't know what kind of research was that could rewrite human history, but it must be some amazing research that made the couple so obsessed. In fact, Su Muhe hadn't seen his parents for a week. The couple had been in the hospital for a while, and his mother, a top biologist and virologist, lived and ate in the laboratory, and her husband brought her three meals a day.

"So, there are three places to look for: the dean's office, the inpatient ward in the middle of the building, and the laboratory in the annex building." In terms of the degree of danger, going to these three places is also increasingly dangerous. The most difficult to reach laboratory happens to be where the couple is most likely to be.

——I can only look for it one place at a time.

Chu Xiao was about to leave when Su Muhe stopped him again.

"Brother Xiao, I'll take care of the wound on your back now." The girl, exhausted, took out the sterilized medical tweezers and said, "There are some pieces of glass that are quite deep. I'll get them out. It may be painful. Please bear with it for a while."

The pain is not a big deal for Chu Xiao now. It can even help him to wake up and focus more on what to do next.

"Then thank you for your help." Chu Xiao took off his shirt, revealing his bandaged back.

After removing the bandages, Su Muhe was surprised to find that some of the wounds had actually begun to heal, and some places had even started to scab over, forcing her to re-cut some of the wounds to remove the broken glass inside.

Although Chu Xiao was somewhat surprised by this, he was not completely unprepared. After confirming that everyone was infected, it was not unimaginable for such a thing to happen. He just didn't know if his situation was common.

However, this kind of neither-good-nor-bad benefit could only buy him a few chances in the dangerous apocalyptic disaster. It was like a little bit of malicious "favor" from a god from somewhere, just to see them flee more desperately and not die so easily.

"Really... When encountering this kind of thing, usually there is always some system or superpower or something..." Chu Xiao laughed at himself.

But Chu Xiao himself knew that it was just an unrealistic delusion. This was his reality, not a story. There was no shortcut to survival.

"Brother Xiao, how about I go with you?" Even though Su Muhe was very tired, her hands were still very steady. She carefully clamped the fragments in the wound that had not been removed before, and used cotton balls to stop the bleeding of the new cut. "I am familiar with the situation in the hospital and can lead the way for you."

Chu Xiao endured the pain and said in a deep voice: "If you leave, what will happen to Xiaoyan? Besides, you are already very tired now, why not take this opportunity to rest more and get enough energy to wait for meeting your parents. You don't have to worry about me getting lost, there are signposts in the hospital, right?"

Su Muhe hesitated for a moment, but finally agreed. She also knew that if she followed him now, she would at best be a burden.

"...Then...then you must be careful..."

Su Muhe rebandaged the wound on Chu Xiao's back, and his eyes could hardly open. Before he could finish, he leaned his forehead against Chu Xiao's back and fell asleep.

Chu Xiao picked up the sleeping girl, gently placed her on an empty bed, and covered her with a thin quilt.

He walked to his sister's side, looked at her sleeping face, and whispered, "It's okay, I will definitely find a way to save you."

"Are you going to fight again?" An Suxin's voice came from behind. She had walked behind Chu Xiao without knowing when.

"I can't help it. This is my responsibility as a brother." Chu Xiao looked at this smart and beautiful woman. After he left, An Suxin would be the oldest person here, even though she was not much older than the other high school students. "I'll leave this to you."

"I won't stop you, but if your sister turns into a corpse before you come back, I will shoot her in the head without hesitation." An Suxin said coldly, "If you don't want this to happen, you must hurry up."

Chu Xiao knew that this was her unique way of showing concern, so she smiled and promised, "Don't worry, I'll be back soon."

——After all, there is still a promise with you.

The secretary smiled slightly, walked up to Chu Xiao, kissed him lightly on the corner of his mouth, and said, "Well, before you leave, eat something. Fortunately, although our car is broken, we have plenty of food."

Chapter 32 Murder

Chu Xiao ate something simple. He didn't have much appetite, but at this time he could only force himself to swallow.

The girls all stayed here. With An Suxin in charge and Ruan Mengmeng as the fighting force, Chu Xiao was quite assured about the girls' safety.

Since there are many expensive teaching medical equipment on this floor, the hospital's elevator does not stop on this floor. The only way to get to this floor is to take the internal elevator to the floor below and then climb the stairs.

There is a locked iron door at the entrance of the stairs, which can only be opened from the inside without a key.

"Then I'll be off."

Chu Xiao pushed the door open, holding the bat, and walked into the corridor carefully. The door behind him closed again, and the girls would take turns guarding the door to ensure that the door could be opened as soon as Chu Xiao came back.

The hospital is a place that is perhaps too close to death, so even walking there during the day can give you a sense of horror. It is said that the world's largest haunted house was rebuilt from an abandoned hospital, which shows that in people's minds, hospitals are inherently scary.

Especially now that we know the entire building is filled with zombies.

"If I had known earlier, I should have listened to my sister and visited the famous hospital haunted house. Maybe it could have helped me prevent the current situation."

Chu Xiao muttered to himself, but did not relax at all.

Coming out of the stairs, you will reach the lobby on this floor. Six elevators are lined up on both sides of the lobby. This should be the administrative office area of ​​the hospital. It is very large, with the lobby as the center and corridors extending out. It is like a huge maze.

Chu Xiao suddenly regretted not bringing Su Muhe with him - in this situation, even if there was a map hanging on the wall, he would not be confident that he could find the correct location.

"Anyway, let's find the dean's office first."

I don't know if it's because there aren't many staff here, or for some other reason, but the whole floor seems very quiet. At first glance, there are no living people, nor zombies. After experiencing the weird monsters in the experimental building of Yuntai High School, Chu Xiao can no longer equate quietness with safety.

He remained vigilant and walked through each office. Some doors were locked, while some were not closed but no one could be seen inside.

Chu Xiao's footsteps suddenly stopped at the corner of the corridor. He heard a sound, a slow and staggering footsteps, and a disgusting roar as if there was thick phlegm stuck in it. Because of the silence, these slight movements seemed extremely harsh. He leaned against the wall and slowly stuck his head out. He saw a staggering figure wandering aimlessly in the distance of the corridor with the light behind it.

According to existing experience, zombies have no reason or thinking. They will show strong aggressiveness towards living people who appear within their perception range, but once the target is out of reach, they will quickly return to a state similar to wandering in a daze. The only exception is when the number of zombies is large enough to form a corpse tide. Although the principle is unclear, the zombies in the corpse tide seem to become part of a larger individual.

Of course, more specific situations may require more detailed research by professionals. Perhaps in the near future, strange professions such as zombie behavior experts will emerge.

When he saw the zombies, Chu Xiao was relieved because he would rather face zombies than face weird monsters like the Blood Rat Queen, which were close to Cthulhu in style. What's more, a lone zombie would not be too much of a threat to the already experienced Chu Xiao.

Chu Xiao took a deep breath and appeared from the corner where he was hiding. Of course, the moment he appeared, the zombies that were wandering around aimlessly seemed to be stimulated in an instant, like sharks smelling blood, their movements suddenly accelerated, and they rushed towards Chu Xiao, roaring like wild beasts.

"If it's a real beast, it might be a little more difficult to deal with. After all..." Chu Xiao took a step forward, holding the metal baseball bat tightly with both hands, tensing his muscles and turning himself into a fully drawn bow, "...beasts will hide..."

He hit the zombie's head with the bat. There was a muffled sound. The zombie's already distorted facial features were directly dented by Chu Xiao's baseball bat. The body fell on its back under the huge impact and fell heavily to the ground.

Chu Xiao shook the blood off the stick and was quite satisfied with the weapon - it felt much better than a golf club.

The zombie on the ground has not lost its ability to move. The previous blow smashed its face, but its brain should not have been completely destroyed under the protection of the hard bones.

Chu Xiao hit the zombie's head a few more times, and the new clothes he had just put on were stained with red and white spots. Chu Xiao didn't stop until the zombie's head was completely smashed.

This zombie should have been a doctor in the hospital before his death, and he was wearing a white coat. Chu Xiao suddenly thought of a bad possibility, so he hurriedly checked the identity card on the zombie's chest.

"…Luckily it wasn't Professor Su."

If Chu Xiao encountered Professor Su transformed into a zombie right away, he would really not know what to do.

In order to prevent the noise here from attracting other zombies, Chu Xiao found a nearby office and hid in it. In this office, he made a new discovery.

This office should be a file storage room, with several metal filing cabinets placed against the wall. Now, all of these filing cabinets have been violently opened, with a large amount of paper documents scattered all over the floor, and a large number of burned CDs in the drawers have also been turned into a mess.

Judging from the label on the surface of the CD and the text recorded on the file bag, these should be some experimental materials and corresponding video data.

"… Was there a thief here?" Chu Xiao thought to himself, and when he looked up, he saw that the surveillance camera in the office had been smashed.

——So, it was a thief from nowhere who happened to encounter a disaster when he was stealing something, or...

He continued to patrol the office, and when he walked between two filing cabinets, he saw a body lying on the ground.

He has seen a lot of corpses these past two days. They are everywhere on the streets. Even zombies that can eat people are no longer rare. Chu Xiao naturally would not make a fuss over a corpse.

However, after carefully examining the corpse, Chu Xiao's heart skipped a beat.

Judging from the clothes and work badge on the body, this should be the owner of this office, named "Zhang Shuonian", a very young man. There is a bloody hole between his eyebrows, where he was shot in the head at close range.

Moreover, Chu Xiao opened the eyes of the corpse and found that there was no yellowish sticky gelatinous substance unique to zombies on the eyeballs.

This shows that the young man was not killed after turning into a zombie, but was shot to death while he was still alive, and judging from the condition of the body, he had not been dead for long.

Chu Xiao felt a chill on his back. Guns were rare in this country. Even in this disaster, Chu Xiao and his men only found a pistol from the body of a policeman.

What happened here, why did the murderer want to kill him, and what was the murderer looking for? Suddenly, a huge shadow seemed to be looming over him.

Chu Xiao gritted his teeth and suppressed his doubts for the time being. He was not a detective and this kind of thing was not what he needed to care about right now. Anyway, all these grudges and conspiracies had become pale and powerless in the face of this disaster that swept the world.

He walked to the door of the office, observed the situation outside through the crack in the door, waited for a moment, and confirmed that there were no other zombies approaching before leaving the office.

(ps: When I was writing this chapter, I felt like I was writing a detective drama...)

Chapter 33 Nurse

Chu Xiao continued to move forward carefully in the maze-like corridor, while paying attention to the sign on the door to prevent himself from missing the dean's office.

At this time, he has to be careful not only of the zombies who have no ability to think, but also of the evil men with guns who may be hiding in the dark.

Walking a little further, Chu Xiao saw seven or eight bodies lying in disorder on both sides of the corridor. From their cloudy eyes, grayish-white skin and bloody bite marks on their bodies, it can be seen that these bodies are obviously zombies. Each of them has been shot in the head, and even bullet holes can be seen on the walls.

Chu Xiao could probably imagine the scene at that time. After the gunman came out of the file room, he was chased by the zombies on this floor, so he shot all the zombies chasing him in the head with his pistol.