Chapter 60 Suspicious Newcomer
Su Wanqing woke up from her sleep and the sky outside the window was already turning pale.
She stretched, thinking back to the defense work they had completed yesterday.
The mall's renovation is going well, but she knows safety is always relative.
Lin Che knocked on the door and poked his head in: "Breakfast is ready, we'll be waiting for you in the coffee shop."
Su Wanqing nodded: "I'll be there soon."
In the coffee shop, Lu Zhao was studying a map while Xiao Ran was cleaning his weapons.
"What is our plan today?" Su Wanqing asked, picking up a piece of bread.
Lu Zhao pointed to a point on the map and said, "I noticed lights flickering in this apartment building last night. There may be survivors."
"It's worth checking," Xiao Ran put down the knife in his hand, "If there are survivors, they may need help."
Lin Che nodded: "And we also need more manpower to maintain this place."
Su Wanqing thought for a while and said, "Okay, but be careful. Lu Zhao and Lin Che, go check out the situation. Xiao Ran stay and continue to strengthen the defense with me."
Lu Zhao and Lin Che prepared their equipment and set off. They crossed the streets carefully, avoiding the wandering zombies.
“That building looks relatively intact,” Lin Che whispered, “I hope the people inside are still alive.”
Lu Zhao adjusted his backpack: "If there are survivors, we need to evaluate whether they are trustworthy."
The two men arrived downstairs of the apartment building and found that the door was locked with an iron chain, but there was a small gap that they could pass through.
"Someone did this to protect against zombies," Lu Zhao observed, "which means there are indeed people here."
They squeezed through the gap and entered the lobby. Lin Che pointed to the stairs and said, "The elevator must be out of service. We have to climb the stairs."
The two went upstairs cautiously and heard faint voices on the third floor.
Lu Zhao made a gesture, and the two slowed down and moved closer to the source of the sound.
"Is anyone there?" Lu Zhao knocked on the door. "We are the survivors, and we are here to help."
There was silence inside the door, and then a female voice was heard: "Who are you? How can you prove that you are not bad people?"
"We have set up a safe zone at a nearby shopping mall," Lin Che replied, "with food and water, as well as medical supplies."
The door slowly opened a crack, and a young woman looked at them warily: "Do you really have a safe place?"
Lu Zhao nodded: "Yes, we can take you there. How many people are there?"
“Three,” the girl said. “My name is Zhang Lin, and I’m a student at the Medical College. There are also Li Zhao and Wang Feng. I met them on the way to escape.”
The door was fully opened, revealing a crude makeshift camp. In addition to Zhang Lin, there were two other men sitting in the corner.
One looked to be in his thirties and had a haggard face; the other was younger but had a bandage on his right arm.
"I'm Li Zhao," the older man said, standing up. "Thank you for coming to rescue us."
The young man - Wang Feng - just nodded and said nothing.
"Do you have anything you need to take away?" Lin Che asked.
Zhang Lin pointed to a few backpacks and said, "That's all. Mainly some medicines and personal items."
Lu Zhao observed the reactions and behaviors of the three people: "Then let's go now and return to the safe zone before dark."
The five of them carefully went downstairs, avoiding the wandering zombies, and headed towards the shopping mall.
On the way, Lin Che and Zhang Lin started talking.
"Are you a student of the medical school?" Lin Che asked.
Zhang Lin nodded. “Yes, I’m a senior. I was doing an internship when the virus broke out.”
“That’s great,” Lin Che said, “We are in need of medical personnel. I have some medical knowledge, but it’s far inferior to professionals.”
Zhang Lin smiled: "I'm happy to help. How many people are there?"
“There are only four of us at the moment,” Lin Che replied, “but we’ve established a pretty good safe zone.”
Back at the shopping mall, Su Wanqing and Xiao Ran were waiting at the entrance.
Su Wanqing breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the five people coming back.
"You have found survivors," she said. "Welcome to join us."
After a brief introduction, Xiao Ran led the three new members to visit the safe zone and explained the rules and division of labor.
"Everyone needs to take responsibility," Xiao Ran said, "We don't have any idle people."
Zhang Lin offered: "I can take charge of the medical work. I noticed that you have a pharmacy, and I can set up a medical station there."
Su Wanqing nodded in agreement: "Great, we need professionals like this."
“I can help with the moving and construction,” Li Zhao said. “I used to be a construction worker.”
Wang Feng hesitated for a moment: "I can help keep watch. I have good eyesight."
After arranging accommodation, Zhang Lin immediately began to sort medical supplies in the pharmacy.
She proposed basic health checks for everyone.
“Prevention is always better than cure,” she said. “I want to make sure no one has hidden health issues.”
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Su Wanqing agreed to this suggestion and arranged for everyone to take turns to be examined.
When it was time for Wang Feng's checkup, Zhang Lin noticed something unusual.
"What's with these marks on your wrists?" she asked, pointing at the strange marks and needle holes.
Wang Feng was obviously nervous: "Nothing, I was scratched by the barbed wire when I was running for my life."
Zhang Lin frowned. "These don't look like wounds caused by barbed wire. These are strangulation marks and needle holes. Have you been injected with anything?"
"No," Wang Feng quickly denied, "It's just an ordinary wound. I'm fine now."
He hurriedly put on his clothes and left the pharmacy. Zhang Lin thoughtfully noted this unusual situation.
Later, Lu Zhao passed by the pharmacy and saw Zhang Lin organizing his notes.
"Any findings?" he asked.
Zhang Lin hesitated for a moment, then said, "There are strange marks and needle holes on Wang Feng's wrists. They are not caused by the barbed wire as he said. It is more like he was tied up and injected."
Lu Zhao's expression turned serious: "Are you sure?"
"I've studied medicine for four years and have seen all kinds of wounds," Zhang Lin said. "These marks are very special, as if they were tightly tied with a belt or rope, and there are regular pinholes next to them."
Lu Zhao nodded: "Thank you for telling me this. I will pay attention to it."
After leaving the pharmacy, Lu Zhao began to secretly observe Wang Feng. He noticed that he often stood alone by the window, seemingly observing the surrounding environment, especially the defense facilities and entrances and exits of the security zone.
During dinner, Lu Zhao found an opportunity to talk to Su Wanqing privately.
"I'm a little worried," he whispered, "about that new guy, Wang Feng."
Su Wanqing put down the cutlery: "What's going on?"
Lu Zhao told her about Zhang Lin's findings and his own observations: "His explanation does not match the characteristics of the wound, and his behavior is also suspicious."
Su Wanqing thought for a while: "What do you think his purpose is?"
"Not sure," Lu Zhao said, "but I suggest that newcomers should not be allowed to come into contact with the core area and material reserves for the time being, especially Wang Feng."
Su Wanqing nodded in agreement: "I will talk to Xiao Ran and arrange for people to take turns monitoring them."
“Zhang Lin and Li Zhao seem to be fine,” Lu Zhao added, “but we still have to be careful.”
Su Wanqing found Xiao Ran and told him the situation. Xiao Ran immediately arranged a surveillance plan.
"I will have someone keep an eye on him 24 hours a day," Xiao Ran said. "If he makes any suspicious moves, we will know immediately."
That night, during Lu Zhao's shift, he saw Wang Feng standing on the balcony, seemingly gesturing in a certain direction.
When Wang Feng noticed that Lu Zhao was looking at him, he quickly returned to the room and pretended nothing had happened.
Lu Zhao did not take immediate action, but instead noted the direction of Wang Feng's gesture and decided to check in that direction during the day tomorrow.
Back in his room, Lu Zhao wrote down today's discoveries and doubts in his notebook.
He was not sure what Wang Feng's purpose was, but his intuition told him that this man was hiding some secret that might bring them trouble.
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