Chapter 14

Chen Fei was still immersed in the excitement of the bountiful harvest, while Nangong Jin was studying the corpse of a zombie. Both were so engrossed that they did not notice someone had already walked to the door.

Hearing an abrupt voice, Chen Fei suddenly turned and looked back in panic, only to find an old man with white hair standing at the door, and behind him was an old woman with white hair as well.

"Grandpa Zhang, Grandma Li, it's you!"

After recognizing the two elders, Chen Fei let out a long breath. To say that the person he was most familiar with in this building, besides the green-hat guy next door, was these two elders.

Grandpa Zhang and Grandma Li were both former teachers. They had a son who went abroad for further studies and has been developing overseas ever since, now settled in the United States, a truly successful person. After making money, he bought a large house for Grandpa Zhang and Grandma Li, but he hasn't visited them in a year.

"Is it, is it Little Chen Fei?"

Grandpa Zhang squinted his eyes and looked Chen Fei up and down, his voice filled with doubt and uncertainty, then his eyes dimmed.

"I thought it was the state sending people to save us. Sigh... these people are all crazy!"

Chen Fei did not want to disappoint the two elders, so he did not cruelly tell them that the state was very busy and could not take care of them, and that the hope of rescue was very slim...

If it were young people, making them face reality would be necessary, but for these two elders, perhaps leaving a spark of hope in their hearts would be the motivation for them to survive. So Chen Fei, with an innocent face, told a kind lie.

"It will be! The state will definitely send people to save us!"

Then Chen Fei changed the subject and asked the two elders, "Grandpa Zhang, do you have enough food at home?"

"Um... enough! We two old people eat little, we still have a bag of rice and half a bag of flour, which will last us a long time," said Grandma Li.

Chen Fei's forehead was full of black lines. Relying on just a bag of rice and half a bag of flour, even if there were rescuers, it would be hard to last until then.

"Grandma Li, this amount of food is not enough. The situation outside is very severe. We will definitely have to wait for a long time for rescue. We must be prepared for a long wait."

Chen Fei looked at Grandma Li and explained patiently. Since he had met Chen Fei, there was no reason for him to ignore the lives of these two elders.

So Chen Fei left most of the food he got from 1202 for the two elders, taking only a ham and a box of cured meat. The food from 1202 was enough to last Grandpa Zhang and Grandma Li for a year.

Because the 12th floor had gathered four living people, the scent of life attracted more zombies, and the sound of them hitting the fire door became more frequent.

In this situation, it was definitely not wise to go out and fight the zombies. If it were just one or two, it would be fine, but now there were at least seven or eight outside. With Chen Fei and Nangong Jin's current combat capabilities, there was no doubt about the outcome.

Compared to Chen Fei's anxiety, Nangong Jin was much calmer. From her expression, even if Chen Fei suggested opening the fire door and fighting the zombies, she wouldn't object. Although Chen Fei didn't have grand ideals, now that he had the system and had made such thorough preparations, it would be too embarrassing to die before the apocalypse fully began.

The only way to break the current deadlock was to create some noise on other floors to lure some of the zombies away, reducing the pressure of the battle. Since the fire door was blocked, Chen Fei could only use the elevator to go to other floors.

Thinking of the elevator, Chen Fei's frown deepened. The floors he could press on the elevator were only the 11th, 1st, and the basement 1st floor. The only floor Chen Fei could confirm as safe was the 11th floor where he lived. Taking the elevator down to the 11th floor and creating some noise there could lure the zombies away.

This plan was theoretically feasible, but there was a significant uncertainty: the elevator was currently on the 19th floor, and Chen Fei couldn't be sure if there would be several zombies waiting for him when he pressed the elevator button.

In short, using the elevator to resolve the current situation carried some risk and required luck.

Chen Fei shared his idea with Nangong Jin. According to her analysis, the elevator in the residential building would only be crowded during rush hours. Normally, there would only be a few people, so she was in favor of using the elevator to break the deadlock.

However, although the probability of encountering a full elevator of zombies was low, Chen Fei still felt it was necessary to be cautious. Before they took action, Chen Fei moved a sofa and a dining table from 1202 to block the elevator entrance. This way, if they encountered a full elevator of zombies, it would give them some time to escape.

Everything was ready. Chen Fei took a deep breath and pressed the elevator button...

As the elevator descended floor by floor, Chen Fei's heart rate accelerated. He raised his crossbow, aiming at the elevator door, ready to shoot at any moment.

In contrast, Nangong Jin remained much calmer. She braced one foot against the sofa, holding her katana with both hands, looking like a sexy female assassin from a movie.

When the elevator reached the 14th floor, Chen Fei heard the sound of zombies hitting the elevator, confirming that there were zombies inside!

Ding...

With a chime, the elevator doors slowly opened. The stench of blood and decay hit them, and two figures immediately lunged out, but were blocked by the table and sofa.

Seeing only two zombies, Chen Fei excitedly pulled the trigger of his crossbow. An arrow pierced the head of a zombie in a school uniform with messy hair. Without hesitation, Chen Fei slightly adjusted his aim and fired another arrow, which easily pierced the head of the other zombie in a janitor's uniform, quickly dispatching both.

Nangong Jin shrugged and smiled at Chen Fei, "Looks like our luck isn't too bad!"

Chen Fei nodded in agreement. He then played the role of a body collector, dragging the two zombies from the elevator and the ones by the fire door into the bathroom of 1202. As for the large, fat zombie in the master bedroom, Chen Fei was simply too weak to move it.

Killing these two zombies wasn't without reward. Chen Fei obtained a universal card that could access any floor, which was a valuable item. With this card, Chen Fei could control the entire elevator, using it and the stairwell to outmaneuver the zombies.

After completing the basic cleanup, Chen Fei carried a box of cured meat, and Nangong Jin shouldered a large, high-quality ham. They took the elevator back to the 11th floor.

Putting the cured meat back in the room, Chen Fei walked to the fire door and listened carefully, confirming there were no zombies outside before pushing the door open. He then cleared his throat loudly and shouted, "Dinner time!"

His voice echoed loudly in the hallway, but the response was the sound of rapid footsteps, which made Chen Fei quickly close the fire door and retreat back into the room.

......

In the orthopedic department on the third floor of Zhongnan City Hospital...

"Doctor Mu, we have run out of food. The corridor outside is full of those infected. No one will come to save us. No one!"

Nurse Xiao Mei, pale-faced, crouched in a corner by the window. In three days, she and Mu Meiqing had shared two bread rolls and three packets of cookies. Now they only had one packet of chips left. Xiao Mei felt very hungry and could only keep drinking water.

As the water level in the water cooler rapidly decreased, Mu Meiqing's frown deepened.

She had made over a hundred emergency calls, but the lines were always busy, and she couldn't get through to any rescue. From the window, Mu Meiqing had witnessed people being bitten and even eaten alive in the outpatient building. Initially, she thought Chen Fei's description of these people as zombies was too extreme, but now it was clear that these infected were no longer human.

Before the communication network was completely cut off, Mu Meiqing had managed to contact her parents. Compared to Nangong Jin's parents, Mu Meiqing's parents were much luckier. They had not been infected by the zombie virus and lived in a rural area with separate yards, making it relatively safer during the outbreak. If the situation worsened, Mu Meiqing would try to return to the countryside to find her parents and then seek official protection.

But now, Mu Meiqing was trapped in the hospital's examination room, unable to leave and facing a shortage of water and food. Without rescue, she would die in the orthopedic examination room.

In the past two days, Mu Meiqing had seen cars passing by the hospital on Wutong Road, all of which were intercepted by the infected. They smashed the windows, dragged the people out, and attacked them, a scene that even a doctor who had studied anatomy could not bear to watch.

Although trapped in the department, Mu Meiqing had been studying the behavior of the infected and considering escape plans. She still couldn't accept Chen Fei's description of the infected as zombies, as accepting this would mean these people could never return to normal.

The infected had poor vision but enhanced hearing and smell. They did not like to be active in the sunlight and became more active at night. At night, the zombies that hid in corners during the day would wander the streets. Chen Fei's observations matched Mu Meiqing's.

Yesterday at noon, a small military unit passed by the hospital on Wutong Road. Four armored vehicles led the way, followed by a small bus. The zombies that could easily intercept private cars were no match for the armored vehicles, which simply crashed into or ran over them.

After the military unit passed, Mu Meiqing heard intense gunfire from the direction of the municipal building. Clearly, the unit was rescuing important figures. When they returned, Nurse Xiao Mei shouted for help from the window, but the soldier on the roof of the armored vehicle only glanced at them and did not rescue them.

At this point, Mu Meiqing realized that the military would prioritize certain people for rescue. She had to prepare for the worst.

Before the network was cut off, Chen Fei had been in contact with her via WeChat, instructing her to wait for rescue. If possible, Mu Meiqing wanted to escape on her own. The orthopedic department was on the third floor, not too high. She could tie two curtains together to use as a rope and drop to the ground.

This would avoid a direct confrontation with the infected in the corridor. The next step was to find a car to leave the hospital, but the lack of a car made it impossible for her to implement her plan.