It looks like an infectious disease.
Even the strongest heart can't withstand such dramatic ups and downs; it was almost suffocating. I stepped forward and grabbed Han Bo by the collar: "Explain yourself! What do you mean you suspect me? My second uncle was bitten?"
Han Bo shook his head: "I didn't see it with my own eyes. When we got to that air-raid shelter, there were only your second uncle and your brother inside. Your brother opened the door when we knocked. Your second uncle didn't even have the strength to stand up. He said he was hungry, but I don't think so."
"Why doesn't it look like it?"
“He was delirious and talking nonsense the whole way, but your brother was very clear-headed.”
"If I threw you into an air-raid shelter and starved you for a few days, you'd be out of your mind! My second uncle is fifty years old, so he's bound to be physically weak. He'll save food for his son, isn't that normal? Does he have any wounds?"
"Your brother wouldn't let us touch him, so your dad had to carry him into the car. His expression was... strange. Maybe I'm just imagining things. You should go and see for yourself. Anyway, it's best to be careful."
Zhou Yi then approached me with a grin and said, "Little sister, I have experience. Listen to me, you have to be careful, or you'll ruin your whole family."
I glared at him fiercely: "What experience do you have? Have you even seen what it's like to be infected?"
Zhou Yi muttered, "Getting bitten will definitely cause mutations, otherwise where do zombies come from? I've read dozens of post-apocalyptic novels..."
I ignored him and stared into the direction of the main room. Listening to my mother and Binbin crying their hearts out, my heart was in turmoil. A bad feeling rose up again. What should I do if Han Bo's guess is true?
As I entered the living room, Binbin was curled up on the sofa, gulping down a two-liter carton of milk. His hair was a mess, and his clothes were so dirty that their original color was unrecognizable. When he saw me, he didn't even have time to say a word, only nodding, the sound of him gulping down his milk was heartbreaking.
He just turned seventeen this year. He was the son of his second uncle and aunt, born late in life, and the only grandson of the Qi family. He's been pampered since childhood. He's a bit of a rebellious teenager, but overall he's a good kid. At least he greets relatives when he sees them, and it's already quite good that he doesn't outwardly show his rebellious and disrespectful attitude towards elders. He was supposed to take the college entrance exam next year, but in this apocalyptic world, what future is there for him?
All I could do was sigh and say to my mom, "Mom, Hanbo and the others have worked hard too. Why don't you take Binbin and eat first? Where's Uncle?"
“Your second uncle is starving. He’s lying in the inner room. I’ll get a clay pot and cook some porridge for him.” After saying that, my mother went to set the table and serve the dishes.
I walked to the door of my parents' bedroom and heard my dad talking to my second uncle: "I'll ask your sister-in-law to look for it at home. It's chaotic outside now, and the pharmacies are probably all closed."
The second uncle's voice trembled: "Brother... Brother, don't tell your wife, it'll only cause her trouble."
I masked my alarm with a smile, knocked on the door and went in, calling out, "Second Uncle, you've suffered these past few days. Are you feeling unwell anywhere?"
My second uncle was lying on the bed, just as dirty and disheveled as Binbin. When he saw me come in, he forced a smile and said, "The wind is strong, but it's okay. I'm just weak from hunger. I'll be fine after a rest." Then he grabbed my dad's hand and said in a tearful voice, "Brother, thank you. Suhua is gone. Binbin and I are now in your hands."
My dad also said emotionally, "We're family, why are we talking like strangers? You're my own brother, who else can you rely on if not your eldest brother? It's just that we still haven't heard from the third brother's family, and it's making me unable to eat or sleep."
"Wei Ming is in the capital, so his situation must be better than ours here..."
As the two men talked, I stared intently at my second uncle's face. His thin cheeks were flushed an unnatural red, his lips an odd bluish-purple, his eyes a dull gray, and his cheekbones high and prominent. He looked strange no matter how you looked at him; at first glance, he seemed emaciated, but upon closer inspection, you could see that the shape of his face had changed. His body was covered, so there were no visible external injuries, but I wasn't sure if there were any wounds beneath the clothing…
A sharp pain shot through my heart, and I quietly left the bedroom. My family had been rescued, and my father was overjoyed. Why did he have to tell me about this terrible suspicion? I couldn't deny that I was suspicious and started looking for evidence. Nobody knew what my uncle and the others had gone through during the week of the zombie outbreak. If he really was infected, he absolutely couldn't stay here. But how could I explain this to my father?
Binbin brought in my second uncle's porridge and fed him. After everyone else had finished eating, my dad and I were the last to eat. While eating, I casually asked, "Does Second Uncle have a fever? Why is his face so red?"
My dad, still eating, didn't even look up: "Yeah, he has a bit of a fever. I just took his temperature and it was 38.5 degrees Celsius. I guess it's from being hungry and scared. I'll ask your mom to get him some fever reducer later."
I didn't say anything, quickly finished my meal, and then dragged Han Bo and Zhou Yi up to the rooftop.
"See? I wasn't lying to you," Han Bo took a deep drag of his cigarette and blew it into my face. "Even without zombies, let alone the current zombie outbreak, he's still seriously ill. His complexion clearly indicates he has a contagious disease."
I crossed my arms, my face grim, utterly displeased: "What do you suggest we do?"
Han Bo said, "Isn't that just the method in the movies? Tie them up first, observe whether it will develop further, and if it changes, just cut them off. If it doesn't change... then maybe they really are starving."
I sneered: "I agree. Why don't you go tell my dad to tie up his brother?"
Han Bo choked and coughed for a long time: "Well... that's true. The main problem is getting past Uncle Qi. How can I, an outsider, explain it to him? You have to personally present the facts and reason with him. I believe Uncle Qi is not an unreasonable person."
I started pulling my hair again: "It is him! You believe I'll tell him straight up, and my dad will definitely say that even if my second uncle turns into a zombie, he'll still take him with him. He's his own brother. He won't listen to anything you say about turning into a zombie and not being human anymore."
Han Bo was at a loss: "What can we do? Better safe than sorry. This is like raising a timed explosion barrel."
Zhou Yi, revealing a menacing expression, said, "Let's just go all the way and assassinate him quietly tonight..."
"Get out of here!" Han Bo kicked him in the butt.
Zhou Yi dodged him, squinted his eyes and said mysteriously, "Actually, you don't need to worry. Being bitten by a zombie may not be a bad thing."
"What's the meaning?"
"Some people have special constitutions. After being bitten, they will not turn into zombies. Instead, their superpowers will be activated, and they will become super soldiers!"
Han Bo and I were both taken aback: "Really? How did you know?"
He chuckled maliciously, "Of course I know. Since you took me in, I'll tell you this secret! Zombies evolve. The slow-moving ones you see now are low-level zombies. Later, after they evolve, there will be running zombies, flying zombies, super-strong zombies, hypnotic zombies, and so on. Humans can't stay weak forever, so they will also evolve, awakening the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. There will also be mutated series. Upgrade using the crystal cores dug out of zombie skulls, and your combat power will skyrocket. You can point and strike wherever you want, and strike whoever you want. Then you can assemble a super-powered army to fight against zombies, establish large human bases, set up laboratories, invent super-powered drugs, turn more humans into super soldiers, and conquer zombie territory by force, exterminating them all!"
Zhou Yi, spittle flying, grew louder and louder with each word, laughing maniacally as he threw his head back. His small eyes gleamed with manic energy as he stood beside the dilapidated satellite dish, waving his arms wildly, exuding an aura of dominance: "Humanity will usher in a new dawn! The world will no longer belong to politicians and wealthy businessmen. The future will be decided by force! Those cowards who have no ability and only spew filth with their mouths will be exterminated or used as slaves. Whoever can reach level 20 in superpowers first will rule the world, become the strongest on Earth, the king of humanity, possess wealth and beauties, and achieve unparalleled hegemony! Hahahaha!"
Han Bo and I stared at each other, both of us noticing the twitching on each other's faces. After a long while, neither of us said a word and we turned and went downstairs. Halfway down the stairs, we could still hear Zhou Yi muttering to himself like a madman: "I wonder when the mutated zombies will appear. Damn it, I've dug out a few heads and found nothing! I can't rush it. The more I kill, the more I get... The strongest on earth has to be mine!"
Han Bo said worriedly, "No wonder this kid was always racking his brains after killing the zombies, it disgusted me. Turns out he was looking for some kind of crystal core! Has he gone delusional? One's a near-zombie, the other's a lunatic, damn it, I can't live like this!"
I was also helpless: "Even if it's the apocalypse, there's no way to cure him. If it were before, we would have taken him to our hospital and, no matter if he was a super soldier or a Sanda champion, we could have made him obediently salute the nurses in less than a month."
Han Bo slapped his forehead and said, "Oh right, I forgot to tell you something. On the way back, I passed by your hospital gate and saw an SOS banner hanging on the inpatient building."
I was jolted awake: "Oh dear! There are still survivors in our compound!"
Han Bo pointed upstairs: "These days, mentally ill people live more robustly than normal people."
It started raining around mid-afternoon. At first, it was just a few drops, but after about ten minutes, it became a downpour that lasted for half a day. The torrential rain that usually only comes in early summer poured down in this early spring weather, soaking the fields and reducing visibility to no more than three to five meters. The air didn't become any fresher because of the rain; instead, the dampness mixed with a fishy smell made the smell even more pungent.
My parents and Binbin were all asleep, so I threw an umbrella to Zhou Yi and told him to keep watch. Then I dragged Han Bo to stay in my second uncle's room for the whole afternoon.
He's already taken fever reducers, and in fact, we've given him every cold and anti-inflammatory medicine we could find at home, but his condition continues to worsen. I take his temperature every half hour, and it keeps climbing; by 3 p.m., it had reached 40 degrees Celsius.
He was naturally sometimes lucid and sometimes confused. When he was lucid, he could only manage a weak smile when he saw me, and at most ask, "Where's your dad?" He couldn't have any deeper conversations or inquiries. When he was confused, he would start babbling incoherently, saying he was cold one minute, and then vaguely calling out his second aunt Binbin's name the next. Eventually, he couldn't even make a sound anymore.
I whispered in his ear, "Second Uncle, let me wipe you down to cool you down." He moved his eyelids, but couldn't answer me at all; he seemed to be unconscious.
After filling the tub with water and wringing out the towel, Han Bo lifted the blanket, and I unbuttoned his shirt and slowly wiped him down from his neck.
His skin was bluish-gray, and when pressed, it didn't spring back for a long time. His muscles and joints were very stiff, as if the blood couldn't circulate, yet his skin felt frighteningly hot to the touch. My heart sank. This color was exactly the same as the color I had seen on Liu Yu before.
After changing the water three times, I wiped my second uncle's body clean. This was something his son should have done, but I wasn't sure if Binbin would be willing to tell me the truth.
My second uncle had a clear laceration on his left calf's gastrocnemius muscle. Although it had turned blackish-purple, the teeth marks were still clearly visible—it was a bite mark. The wound wasn't fresh; the blood had congealed into black clumps, and the surrounding tissue was rotting, making it look as if a piece of flesh had been bitten off.
Han Bo said, "This definitely wasn't caused by a dog bite."
I threw the towel into the basin and slumped into the chair, my limbs so weak I had no strength left. I could only turn to look at Han Bo and say, "Is there really no cure? Movies are just made up, they're all fantasy. Who knows if being bitten really turns you into a zombie? What if it doesn't? What if my second uncle really was just starving and that's why he had a fever?"
Han Bo said with a cold face, "I don't know about others, but my dad was bitten and that's how he changed. I saw the wound on his neck."
"Maybe biting the neck will cause infection, but biting the leg won't?"
Han Bo laughed angrily: "Fengzi, is it fun to deceive yourself? You should at least know a little bit about infectious diseases!"
I was speechless. I knew perfectly well that something was really wrong, but I just wanted to argue to ease my anxiety. After a while, I raised my hand and said, "I'm exhausted. Go and call everyone over. Tell them that Uncle is dying."
I tucked my second uncle in with his clothes and blankets, my heart filled with mixed emotions. My relationship with my second uncle wasn't good, which was largely due to a series of absurd pranks he played on me when I was a child. For example, he once told me that if someone asked me why I was so tall, I should answer that I grew taller by eating fertilizer; he also pointed to a snotty-nosed child in a photo of my parents' wedding banquet and said that was me, so I often proudly told others that I had attended my parents' wedding, and so on and so forth, to the point that for a long time I suffered attacks on my intelligence from others.
He was also incredibly stingy and loved to take advantage of small things. From the distribution of his grandfather's inheritance to the thirty or fifty yuan at the mahjong table, as far back as I can remember, I never saw my second uncle lose out on a single penny, and I never received a single penny of candy from him. After marrying my second aunt, they didn't have children for many years, so he disliked me intensely. This continued until Binbin was born, and even when I was in high school, he would still say whenever he saw me, "Oh, the eldest grandson of the Qi family is here. He'll be able to get married in a few years, right?"
Who the hell can tolerate this?
But he and my dad had a very close relationship. He was five years younger than my dad, and my dad had carried him on his back since he was a baby. After my grandparents passed away, whenever our family had conflicts of interest with my second uncle's family, my dad always fully demonstrated the style of the eldest brother—he'd give way if he could. Faced with my mom's complaints, he would always say: "Think it through, the older should give way to the younger." Faced with my annoyance, he would always say: "The elders are just teasing you."
So my mom and I both find him annoying, but we're definitely not annoyed by his gleeful attitude even though he's about to die.
My dad's thunderous voice boomed from outside the door: "Weidong!"
A group of people rushed in. Binbin and my dad rushed to the bed, crying for their fathers and calling for their brothers, creating chaos in an instant. My mom gripped my arm tightly, her eyes red-rimmed: "Is what Xiaobo said true? Your second uncle..."
I patted her back and said sadly, "It's not good. She has an injury on her leg, and I'm afraid it's infected."
"Nonsense!" My dad turned around and glared angrily at my mother and me. "What infection? Infected with what? He's just delirious from the fever. Take your second uncle to the hospital!"
Seeing that he looked like he had lost his mind, I didn't want to talk to him. I went to the bedside, touched my second uncle's neck, and checked his breathing. It was so weak that I could hardly feel it. So I said to Han Bo, "Okay, listen to my dad. Go drive and take my second uncle to the hospital."
Han Bo understood my subtext and reassured me, "Dafeng, calm down. There are no doctors left in any hospital. Going there will only lead to a huge wave of zombies. Don't end up losing your second uncle and your whole family." He then turned to my father and said, "Uncle Qi, I've already told you, this is no joke."
I watched my dad silently as he kept stroking my second uncle's pale hands and forehead, seemingly not listening to Han Bo's words at all, muttering repeatedly, "No, no, it's just a fever, he was fine at noon."
Binbin knelt by the bed, sobbing uncontrollably, his cries filled with fear.
I knelt down and patted his back, whispering, "Binbin, tell me the truth, when was your dad bitten?"
Binbin's sobs faltered, and he abruptly looked up at me: "He...he...didn't."
"How did he get the injury on his leg?"
"What... injury? I don't know... I don't know."
"How did you get the bite wound on your left leg?"
I stared at his face, watching as Binbin's face slowly flushed red, turning almost purple. Suddenly, anger flashed in his eyes, and he shoved me away, shouting, "What do you want to do to my dad? Do you want to chop off his head? Do you want to bully my dad because you outnumber him?!"
It seems Binbin is quite knowledgeable about zombies; he doesn't need to answer my question, the source of his injury is already obvious.
At this moment, my dad suddenly stood up and said to me, "Other hospitals won't work, but your hospital has doctors. Let's take your second uncle to see a doctor. The doctor will definitely have good medicine. He can get two IV drips and he'll be fine."
I frowned: "Dad, what are you saying? The whole city is like this, do you still think our hospital can stay unaffected?"
My dad said firmly, "Of course there are. On our way back, we saw someone at your hospital hanging up a banner asking for help. Why would they ask for help if there were no living people?"
"A living person isn't necessarily a doctor."
"That's not necessarily true!" My dad was clearly angry, raising his voice: "The patients are all locked up. The only ones who can move around outside are doctors or nurses! Besides, would patients hang up banners pleading for help? They're all mentally unstable!"
I didn't dare argue with him, and muttered, "There are also those with milder cases..."
"Are you just going to watch your second uncle die? This is my own brother, your own uncle. You're going to let him die here without treating him? Not only will I, Qi Weiping, suffer the consequences, but you, Qi Aifeng, will also live with a guilty conscience for the rest of your life!"
My dad started yelling and screaming, while Binbin clung to my leg, sobbing uncontrollably, "Sister, please save my dad! Take him to your hospital!"
My mom hugged Binbin and cried her heart out, and I immediately lost the will to argue. In fact, whether it was an infection, and whether it would mutate after infection, were all just guesses and speculations. I hadn't personally witnessed a living person being bitten and then becoming ill in front of me. Could the infection routes of those zombies be different from our assumptions? Although I thought the chances were very small, I didn't dare to guarantee that it would definitely mutate, especially when facing family.
Han Bo shook his head slightly at me. This was clearly a particularly unwise suggestion, but I gritted my teeth and said, "I'll go! But Dad, you have to promise me one thing."
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Hahaha, not even a ghost in sight.
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