Mentally ill people have broad thinking
Darkness brings fear; in a cramped space, the sense of the unknown makes one's heart race.
My dad crouched down to observe the movements on the eighth-floor staircase, while I pressed my ear against the door of the seventh-floor stairwell and listened for a while. It was very quiet inside, as if there were no zombies; it had probably been cleared out by survivors.
The door was locked tight. Zhou Yi used the little light coming in through the small window to pry open the lock with a screwdriver. But to his surprise, there was a thick iron chain on the inside of the door, with a large iron lock on the chain. The door could only be opened half a hand's width.
My dad patted his chest, let out a breath, and said, "Alright, there's a living person here. Maybe it's a doctor. Quickly call someone to let us in."
Zhou Yi said, "No need, just don't attract zombies. I can pry it open." As he spoke, he continued to use the screwdriver to pry open the large lock from the bottom, complaining as he did so, "Ugh, the tools aren't handy. If only I had some wire, this screwdriver is too thick."
I looked at him suspiciously: "What else have you done besides being a security guard?"
Zhou Yi turned around and grinned, "I've learned this skill, but I've never made a living from it."
In the midst of this question and answer, I suddenly caught a glimpse of a dark figure flashing through the crack in the door. I hurriedly pulled Zhou Yi aside and asked warily, "Who's there?"
Half a face and one eye slowly pressed against the crack in the door, the eye fixed on us without moving, radiating an eerie light. After a long while, the lips moved, and a hoarse voice asked, "Who are you?"
I pulled Zhou Yi behind me and lowered my voice, saying, "I'm from the security department, open the door for me now."
He blinked half an eye: "Security department? Who?"
"Qi Aifeng".
The face and eyes vanished in an instant, the door was slammed shut, and the sound of footsteps echoed as they ran away.
Zhou Yi tilted his head and looked at me: "Who is this person? Does he know you?"
My dad got angry: "He's probably mentally ill."
I laughed: "That's right, 80% of the people in our hospital are mentally ill, and only 20% are normal."
Zhou Yi said, "Then I'll just pry it open."
The words had barely left his mouth when footsteps drew closer again. The small door was pulled open halfway, and that half-face pressed against him, chuckling, "Aifeng, wait for me to open the door for you, Aifeng."
I got goosebumps from his sudden, affectionate address and was a little confused: "Who are you?"
With half his face deftly unlocking the iron lock, he yanked off the chain with a clatter, opened the door, and grinned at me, revealing his white teeth: "It's me, Aifeng."
With a thin build and indistinct features, aside from the striped suit that was clearly visible even in the dark, confirming it as our hospital's "uniform," I wasn't sure I could recognize who this person was.
"I am Zhao Zhuobao."
“Uh… Zhao Zhuobao, ah! You are that flower…” I bit my tongue hard, forcing the word “infatuated” to stay in my throat.
Zhao Zhuobao nodded hurriedly: "Yes, yes, I sent you flowers before, you still remember? Haha, that's great, Aifeng, come in quickly."
I was about to step inside when Zhou Yi pulled me back and whispered, "Why is he being so enthusiastic? Be careful, it might be a trap!"
I patted him on the shoulder and said confidently, "Don't worry, no one else can say for sure, this person is fine."
The three of us entered the door, and Zhao Zhuobao locked the door with an iron chain again. He was very polite, bowing and scraping as he led us to the east end of the corridor, talking non-stop as we walked: "Aifeng, why did you come? It's so chaotic outside. How could a young lady like you run around like this? It would be bad if you encountered any danger. If I had known, I would have told you and come to pick you up. Sigh, you don't listen to me."
I could clearly feel my dad and Zhou Yi shudder violently beside me, but I remained calm: "Ah, I was worried, so I came to see you. My dad came with me, so don't worry, everything's alright."
Zhao Zhuobao suddenly stopped and turned around, excitedly saying, "Really? Father-in-law is here too?" He then reached out his hand to Zhou Yi, "Father-in-law..."
Zhou Yi was startled and took a step back: "Who is your father-in-law...?"
I slapped him lightly and quickly interrupted, "Dad, Zhuobao is saying hello to you." I took his hand and shook it together with Zhao Zhuobao's.
Zhao Zhuobao burst into laughter, bowed to Zhou Yi, and then turned to lead the way. My father, who had been silent the whole time, was now trembling so badly that even the darkness couldn't hide his shaking; he was shaking like a leaf.
"Who's here? Are you all alright?" I had a bad feeling. Judging from Zhao Zhuobao's carefree attitude, there probably wasn't a doctor with him anymore.
Zhao Zhuobao said, "Li Tonggu, Dean Liu, myself, and several other General Managers Yu are all here."
He spoke incoherently, making it difficult for others to discern any truth from his words. But when I heard it, my heart skipped a beat. Indeed, those who could survive the apocalypse were no ordinary people. Hesitantly, I asked, "Which Dean Liu?"
“Liu Meili,” he seemed to find my question strange, “don’t you know her?”
Of course I know her, but... "Isn't she a nurse? How did she become the hospital director?"
Zhao Zhuobao chuckled: "The dean is dead, the head nurse is dead, and the vice dean and the others aren't coming. A country can't be without a ruler for a day, so Nurse Liu got promoted."
The wards on both sides were dark, but seeing him move around freely, it was clear that he was not in danger. As they spoke, the four of them arrived at the third-to-last ward at the east end of the corridor. Zhao Zhuobao pushed open the door: "Xiao Li, come and see who's here."
A candle was lit in the corner of the 20-square-meter ward. Although it wasn't bright, it was enough for me to see the situation inside the room.
This is a single hospital room, furnished only with a bed and no other furniture. The window is covered with sheets, probably more than one layer, making it look very thick and blocking out the light. Under the window are some plastic bags, two bags of rice, and three bottled water containers.
The smell was strong, specifically human body odor, a sour, musty smell, like the room of a grown man who smokes, drinks, and doesn't shower for several nights.
At that moment, a man was lying on the bed, and a man and a woman were sitting on the floor. When they saw us come in, they all looked up. The two men had cold eyes, while the woman's eyes lit up with surprise.
"Xiao Qi!" She rushed over to me as if seeing a family member, throwing herself into my arms. She gave a few bitter laughs, then burst into tears, "Why did it take you so long to save me?"
I couldn't explain the misunderstanding to her, so I patted her back reassuringly and asked, "Are you the only one left? Where is everyone else?"
The man on the bed glared at me like a knife, put his hands behind his head, and said coldly, "Captain Qi, are you treating us like we're not even human beings?"
The man on the ground suddenly stood up. He was tall and burly. He wrinkled his nose, raised his fist menacingly at me, and said in a deep voice, "Anyone who dares to treat us like we're not human will be beaten to death!"
My dad and Zhou Yi both stepped forward to block me, but I quickly stopped them and said with a smile, "Mr. Yu, what are you saying? I was just showing concern for my colleagues. I didn't mean anything by it. You're overthinking it. Seeing that you're all doing well makes me feel at ease."
The man surnamed Yu snorted, turned his face to the side, and closed his eyes.
I then feigned anger at the tall man, saying, "Want to hit me, Little Li? You've really made something of yourself, haven't you? I won't bring you chocolate next time!"
The man surnamed Li stared blankly for a while, then lowered his arm and reached out to me, saying, "Where's the chocolate?"
"I didn't bring it!" I said irritably, feeling particularly bad. Was all the doctors, professors, and experts in our hospital wiped out, leaving only a room full of utterly deranged lunatics?
The only surviving nurse, Liu Meili, was crying uncontrollably, telling me in fits and starts how she had been living a life worse than death these past few days.
“I was on the night shift. Early this morning, I went on rounds with Dr. Luo and the head nurse. The patients started biting people. The head nurse had her neck bitten off in one go. I was terrified… Later, the hospital was in chaos. There were biting people everywhere. I thought the patients were having an attack, but who knew it was happening outside too. There were so many people eating people near the bus station. I ran out of the hospital and then ran back. Thank goodness…” She glanced at the man surnamed Yu, lowered her head, and sobbed, “Thank goodness Mr. Yu pulled me into his room, otherwise I would have been bitten to death too. We’ve been hiding here for days. There are monsters downstairs, and we can’t go home. I was so worried. Thank goodness you came. Waaah.”
"Hmm." I continued patting her back and asked, "Are all the on-call doctors from each department absent?"
Zhao Zhuobao answered for her: "There are no survivors left, just a few of us. Everyone else is either dead or has turned into zombies."
I raised an eyebrow: "You also know that this monster is called a zombie?"
Zhao Zhuobao looked at the person lying paralyzed on the bed with admiration: "My dad knows everything. He taught us how to kill zombies and also knew that light can attract zombies, so I went and cut off all the power. Look how clean our floor is now."
When did the guy surnamed Yu become his father?
"Mr. Yu, you're really something." I smiled perfunctorily. "You guys hung up those banners outside too, didn't you? You're living a good life, with plenty to eat and drink."
Zhao Zhuobao puffed out his chest: "Xiao Li and I went to the cafeteria to carry these. We killed quite a few zombies along the way. Aren't I amazing, Aifeng?"
"Impressive, but what are you planning to do next?" Han Bo made a very accurate point: these days, mentally ill people live more robustly than normal people.
"My dad said we should just wait here and wait for them to come to us."
"Huh?" I was taken aback. "What do you mean?"
Liu Meili lifted her tear-streaked face and smiled through her tears: "Waiting for someone to come and rescue us, huh? Well, here you are, aren't you?"
At this moment, my dad interrupted our conversation: "Dafeng, why are you chatting like this? Your second uncle is still waiting in the car! Isn't there a nurse here? Let's go get some medicine and let the nurse do the trouble of giving your second uncle an IV drip."
Liu Meili looked at me, puzzled. I shrugged helplessly. "I'm sorry, Meili. I came to the hospital to get my second uncle treated. You see, I'm neither a soldier nor a policeman. I can barely take care of my own family. It's good that you're here. Mr. Yu is such a nice person, isn't he? I'll probably have to go home after getting some medicine."
"Ah! What?" Liu Meili screamed, her face filled with disbelief. "You..."
"Smack!"
"Ouch!"
Before Liu Meili could finish her accusations, Li Tonggu suddenly pounced over with lightning speed and slapped her hard across the face, making her spin around and fall to the ground.
Li Tonggu pointed at her fiercely: "I told you not to speak loudly, and you still dare to yell! I'll beat you to death, you stinking woman!" After saying that, he kicked her again, sending Liu Meili flying more than two meters away.
"Don't hit him! Don't hit him!" I was stunned for two seconds, then rushed forward to stop him, using both hands and feet, but I couldn't hold back the tall and strong Li Tonggu no matter what I did. "Dad, Zhou Yi, come and stop him, or someone will die!"
My dad and Zhou Yi rushed to help, one dragging, one blocking, and one hugging. But Li Tonggu, with his fan-like palms outstretched, was about to pounce on Liu Meili. He was as strong as an ox and incredibly fierce. The three of them couldn't do anything to him and were instead dragged several steps away. Liu Meili on the ground had already fainted with her eyes rolled back.
"Tonggu," just as I was at my wit's end, a lazy voice came from behind me, "Stop hitting her. Just teach her a lesson. After all, she's the dean. If you break her, you'll be punished."
As if he had received an imperial edict, Li Tonggu suddenly relaxed. He was completely unharmed, while the three of us were exhausted and covered in sweat.
Zhou Yi leaned closer to me and whispered, "This must be the legendary martial arts fanatic. Goodness, he's much stronger than me."
I didn't say anything, but ran over and pinched Liu Meili's philtrum. It took a while to bring her back to consciousness. As soon as she opened her eyes and saw me, she grabbed my sleeve tightly and dared not raise her voice. She could only say in a low and urgent voice, "Please, Xiao Qi, take me away. I can't live here for another day."
I think so too. Judging from how Li Tonggu treated her just now, I knew she wasn't having a good time. A nurse who always has a poker face, either feeding medicine or giving injections, or doing physical therapy, and who restricts her freedom of movement at the drop of a hat, is in the hands of a patient. No wonder she's having a hard time.
I was in a dilemma: "Meili, it's not that I don't want to take you with me, but it's very difficult outside. I don't have the ability to send you home again. Now, if you go out to do anything, you'll have to fight zombies. Besides, you might not even see your family when you go home, you know? At least you have a place to stay here, and you have enough to eat and drink. It will be just as difficult outside."
Liu Meili was unwilling to let go of my sleeve and said excitedly, "I'm not going home, but if there's a chance... no, no, I'm not going home. I'll just follow you, I'll only follow you, okay?" She looked at my dad and then at Zhou Yi, "Look, there are several of you. Take me with you. I'll cook for you, and if you get hurt, I'll bandage you up. I can stop bleeding, clear wounds, and suture. I can treat common illnesses too. I graduated from a proper medical school with a major in special nursing."
I listened to her reciting her resume like she was in an interview. I looked back at my dad, who kept nodding and said, "Take her with you to see your second uncle."
I really wanted to tell him that if we went downstairs we would probably be collecting my second uncle's body, but I couldn't bear to.
Bringing Liu Meili along wasn't impossible, but it went far from my original purpose for coming to the hospital. I had come to pick up some commonly used medicines and medical supplies, and perhaps see if I could help a doctor or specialist. I had heard Vice President Lu boast before that those who worked in this field were basically all-rounders, the best among doctors, the elite of the industry, and would be treated like royalty in a top-tier hospital. At the time, I thought it was too tragic for him to have to deal with lunatics his whole life, so I listened to his self-praise with pity and even offered a few words of flattery.
Upon closer reflection, Vice President Lu may not have been exaggerating. This can be seen in the salaries of our hospital's doctors—higher than ordinary doctors. Why would someone with no special skills deserve such a high salary?
So, do they have any unique insights into the zombie virus? Even if they don't, having a doctor by your side in the apocalypse can ensure both your mental and physical health, which is definitely not a bad deal, especially since my parents are both over fifty years old.
But now my hopes have been dashed. All the doctors are dead, leaving only a frail and thin nurse. Will she become a burden or something better than nothing?
I hesitated, fidgeting with my fingers. After about five seconds, I realized that my hesitation was pointless, because Yu Yu, who had been lying half-dead on the bed, spoke in a sinister tone.
"Dean Liu, are you leaving?"
Liu Meili huddled behind me, trembling, and stammered, "Thank you, Mr. Yu, but I want to be with Xiao Qi."
Mr. Yu sneered: "I saved your life, and you don't even repay me, but what about Zhuo Bao if you leave? Are you planning to abandon him?"
This is bad!
I knew it was no good the moment that guy opened his mouth. A psychopathic killer, a classic case in the hospital, someone Vice President Lu treats like a treasure. His words really hit the nail on the head.
Zhao Zhuobao, who had been standing silently, suddenly seemed to have a switch flipped; her face instantly turned to despair, her eyes became vacant, and she dragged herself toward us like a zombie, muttering, "No, you can't leave me, Meili, you can't abandon me..."
Liu Meili wanted to bury her head in my lower back, and cried out in a trembling voice, "Xiao Qi, save me! He has killed people before, he will kill me."
They haven't done anything productive, just idle chatter. If I had known there were only a few animals left in the yard, I would never have come.
I glared at Yu Yu, shook off Liu Meili, strode up to Zhao Zhuobao, and without saying a word, slapped him across the face, yelling angrily, "You bastard Zhao, you dare to cheat on me!"
Taking advantage of his momentary daze, I quickly said to my dad, "Dad, you wait here. I'll take Xiao Liu and Zhou Yi downstairs to see Uncle, then we'll go to the clinic to get the medicine. Xiao Liu can give Uncle an IV drip right here in the car."
Yu Yu chuckled, as if he'd heard a joke. My dad looked at him with a slightly panicked expression, then shook his head and said, "No, no, I'll go with you."
"Then you stay, Zhou Yi."
"I'm not staying in this godforsaken place."
"Then you two take Xiao Liu there, she knows what medicine to get, I'll stay here."
Zhou Yi was confused: "Why does one person have to stay behind? We can go together. Are we going to take the medicine and come back?"
I pointed at Li Tonggu: "Do you think you can beat him?"
Zhou Yi wasn't arrogant this time: "Probably... I can't beat him, but why should I want to beat him?"
Yu Yu laughed even harder, her pale face appearing eerie in the flickering candlelight.
The room suddenly fell silent, and the atmosphere became tense.
Zhou Yi looked at this and then at that, and finally realized what was going on: "Oh, you mean you can't take this little nurse with you, right?"
After regaining her senses, Zhao Zhuobao looked at me with a mournful face and said, "Aifeng, I didn't cheat on you. I've always loved you."
Liu Meili quietly grabbed the back of my shirt again, not daring to utter a sound, but she wouldn't let go.
My dad seemed to understand too, and tried to smooth things over by saying, "How about this, bring your second uncle up here, and let Nurse Liu take a look at him."
Yu Yu glanced at us leisurely, a wicked smile on his face, like a villain in a movie: "Very good, bring the people up. Don't leave. There are zombies outside. This place is the safest, with abundant resources and a stable territory. Once we run out of food, I will take you to find another safe place. Captain Qi, take your men and pick a ward to stay in. From now on, you will follow me."
He said this, but then gestured to Li Tonggu, who stood at the door and blocked it completely.
A thousand wild donkeys galloped through my mind, and a surge of anger welled up within me. This was a sure way to get people in but never out; no wonder they say "waiting for a rabbit to run into a tree stump." That Yu guy is obsessed with becoming a leader—no, he's always been crazy. Out of over three hundred lunatics, only a dozen or so are truly troublesome, and today I've run into three of them. What bad luck! Seeing Yu Yu's smile really made me furious. He's become so smug in these chaotic times; before, he was always treated like a dog by electric shocks.
It seems that trying to take Liu Meili away through negotiations is not going to work.
"Why won't you let me leave?" I pulled out the screwdriver, tossed it in my hand, and sneered with downcast eyes: "Because of Li Tonggu? Yu Yu, don't push your luck. Whether we leave or not, and who we take with us, is not up to you. Your bullshit control techniques won't work on me. There are three of you and three of us. If it doesn't work, let's fight. Whoever wins gets to decide. Stop trying to talk your way out of this!"
"What control technique? Fighting is better! What kind of apocalypse is it if we don't fight?" Seeing that I was about to make a move, Zhou Yi also brandished his axe and excitedly pointed at Li Tonggu, "Come on, big guy, let's spar and see if I can really beat you."
Whether Li Tonggu was being treated effectively or had been brainwashed by Yu Yu, he was so angry that his eyes almost bulged out, and his fists were clenched so tightly that they cracked, but he didn't rush forward immediately. Instead, he looked at Yu Yu.
Zhao Zhuobao was still aggrieved: "Aifeng, father-in-law, please don't fight. A family should be of one mind."
Yu Yu slowly sat up from the bed, his face full of unfathomable and self-assured expression. His cold gaze coiled around me like a venomous snake, his lips as pale as his face, and his words were utterly unpleasant to hear: "I thought you were a smart person, but I didn't expect... someone like you is only fit to be zombie food, all brawn and no brains."
"Bang!"
I kicked him and yelled, "Dad! Don't just stand there like an idiot, let's fight!"
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