Chapter 164 Zhang Qiongqiong
Because the two people who broke down the door had consumed a lot of the supplies, the supplies that Lin Xi passed down intermittently did not fill the truck.
So Lin Xi picked up some more clothes, and Xiang Xin also brought some emotional support and personal belongings.
Supplies can be hoisted down from upstairs, but people have to walk out of the stairwell and go around to the trucks parked on the other side.
There were a few zombies wandering downstairs. Since the two of them were carrying a bag, they weren't very agile. Although it wouldn't be a big problem to fight off these few zombies, it would be troublesome if they made a big commotion and attracted more zombies.
Lin Xi and Xiang Xin just wanted to get back to the truck as soon as possible.
But at that moment, Lin Xi's vision turned red, and a flash of light entered her eyes.
It was very eye-catching and startling.
A red dot moved across Lin Xi's face, almost swerving and shining on the zombie's face.
It's an infrared laser pointer.
Lin Xi and Xiang Xin were somewhat annoyed, but once the laser pointer caught their attention, they stopped shining it, seemingly afraid of attracting the attention of the zombies.
Lin Xi and Xiang Xin quietly looked around. The infrared laser pointer didn't emit a beam of light, but rather a prominent red dot, making it difficult to trace its source.
The owner of the laser pointer seemed to have noticed that they were looking for a light source. The red dot carefully avoided the zombies and finally stopped moving on a wall.
Lin Xi looked in that direction and saw Ding Yong's small shady shop across from the red dot.
This signal was most likely a distress signal, but it was sent by Ding Yongjia.
Xiang Xin had lived here for several years and knew Ding Yong and the black shop. She exchanged a puzzled look with Lin Xi.
Liang Hui whispered into the earpiece again, "Why haven't you guys arrived yet?"
Xiang Xin rolled her eyes discreetly, as if she found Liang Hui annoying.
Lin Xi felt a sense of familiarity; in their previous life, these two had also disliked each other in the same way.
They all moved toward Ding Yong's small, shady shop without prior arrangement, and with the help of night vision goggles, they indeed saw a face in the small window.
This scene was actually a bit scary; the face looked listless and pale, which was quite frightening.
It was the face of a young woman.
Ding Yong's daughter-in-law.
Lin Xi's mind raced through a series of memories. She was quite familiar with Ding Yong and his wife, as well as Ding Yong's son. She didn't have much of an impression of the daughter-in-law, but she seemed to be pregnant.
Lin Xi remembered that when she saw that woman in May, she was already heavily pregnant.
The woman noticed the two men were looking at her and kept mouthing, "Help, help me."
But she seemed somewhat disoriented, and her eyes were unfocused.
Seeing this, Lin Xi's heart sank.
The woman was screaming for help, but she had just killed the woman's husband.
Who knows how many people are hiding in this shady little shop? Given the Ding family's behavior, they probably wouldn't be kind enough to take in others, especially since they threatened to abandon their original wives when they invaded Lin Xi's house in previous lives.
!
Just now, only Ding Yong and his son were at Lin Xi's house, so there should only be their wives left in the shady shop.
The woman was mouthing the words anxiously, almost banging on the window. She seemed to sense Lin Xi's hesitation and frantically gestured with her index finger to indicate that she was the only one in the room.
There were still wandering zombies around, so there was no time to waste with her.
Xiang Xin looked at Lin Xi, wanting to ask whether or not to save her.
They had not yet been incorporated into the army, nor had they received any orders from the base.
Lin Xi thought about how they had also rescued refugees in their previous life, and it didn't seem too difficult to take this pregnant woman along, except for this person...
Just to be on the safe side, Lin Xi and Xiang Xin quietly put their backpacks on the ground and put their weapons in their hands. The two of them worked together to clear out the zombies that were visible in the vicinity. Only then did the woman in the small shop open the door with trembling hands.
After entering the shop, Lin Xi remained cautious and checked the entire shop. There was indeed no one else there, except for a zombie locked in a partitioned door.
Although the zombie had a crooked nose and slanted eyes, its mouth was clean because it had never eaten a human. Lin Xi recognized it from its appearance as the owner of the small black shop, Ding Yong's wife.
The shelves in the small shop were empty, and there were many cardboard boxes and packaging bags on the ground, all empty, indicating that there were no supplies left.
The woman leaned back in her chair, supporting her large belly, and said, "I'm all alone now."
Xiang Xin held back and didn't mention that her husband and father-in-law were both upstairs at Lin Xi's house.
That was just now; now you're truly all alone.
Lin Xi pointed to the zombie inside the door: "What's wrong with her? Why did you call us here?"
The woman seemed extremely thirsty; her voice was hoarse, and she was breathless after speaking only a few words. After a while, she managed to say haltingly, "I've seen you before...you live around here...I, I'm Zhang Qiongqiong..."
Although Lin Xi and Xiang Xin are low-key, they still go out when they live here. When they go to the nearest subway station, they always pass by this small shop. Although the prices are high, it is convenient to buy some things here when they are in short supply. Xiang Xin has visited this shop a few times and once complained that the owner asked for prices arbitrarily.
Zhang Qiongqiong took another breath. Lin Xi knew she was short of water, but both of their backpacks were outside, and there was no bottled water inside; they were all on the truck.
Zhang Qiongqiong said, her voice dry, "My husband and father-in-law went out to find water and food... and haven't come back... they might have met with some misfortune..."
Lin Xi and Xiang Xin blinked at her, not exposing her: Your husband and father-in-law were living a life of luxury in our house behind your back, but now they have indeed met with misfortune.
Zhang Qiongqiong continued, "The rainwater is poisonous. My mother-in-law... in order to save clean water for me and the children... she got poisoned and turned into a zombie... she locked herself up..."
It's the zombie landlady behind the door.
Lin Xi had seen this man's domineering, stingy, and unreasonable side, but she didn't expect him to be so good to his daughter-in-law.
Even if the shop originally had some stock, the family had used it all up. Otherwise, the father and son wouldn't have gone out to find food and water. If Zhang Qiongqiong had stayed here, she would have either been poisoned and turned into a zombie or starved to death.
Sure enough, Zhang Qiongqiong gasped for breath and pleaded, "I saw you coming in a truck, can you please help me... I, I'm about to give birth to a child..."
Lin Xi had considered this possibility since she entered the room. After collecting the supplies, they would head straight to the base. Taking a few refugees along wouldn't be a problem. Zhang Qiongqiong's husband had done something wrong, but Zhang Qiongqiong seemed innocent, so it wasn't out of the question to help her.
They're people who are destined to save the world; this little thing is just something they do on a whim.
only……
Lin Xi coughed lightly: "To be honest, you look like an infected person."
Zhang Qiongqiong looked dejected: "Yes, I'm dying of thirst. A few days ago, I secretly collected some rainwater to drink, and then..."
Her body was half-covered in filth and emanated a foul odor, but due to her weakness and pregnancy, she was unable to properly clean herself.
Xiang Xin gave Lin Xi a wink, but didn't say anything that would hurt Zhang Qiongqiong's feelings.
Xiang Xin had worked at the research institute for a long time and knew quite a bit about zombies. People chronically poisoned by this oral virus fall into two categories:
The first type is asymptomatic carriers or those with mild symptoms. Strictly speaking, these people are not considered infected, as their bodies have not yet begun to mutate. They are only mildly poisoned and can be saved through drug detoxification.
The second type is the infected person. The viral load in this person's body has exceeded the limit, and the body has undergone slight mutations, making them incurable.
Just now, when Zhang Qiongqiong pressed her face against the window and looked into Lin Xi's eyes, Lin Xi had already realized from the slight changes in her appearance and expression that Zhang Qiongqiong was an infected person.
But Lin Xi couldn't bring herself to say "You're hopeless" to this woman who was about to become a mother.
She said, "I can take you to the base, but I have one condition... If you arrive at the base safely and still retain consciousness, you must cooperate with the laboratory research."
The lab has data on infected individuals mutating into zombies, but currently there is no data on pregnant women.
If Zhang Qiongqiong survives to reach the base, Lin Xi and Song Heng will try to save her and check on the infected woman's fetus.
If Zhang Qiongqiong has already mutated, she will be sent directly to the laboratory.
Previously, a research institute made a hypothesis that the zombie virus is known to be able to be transmitted through blood. Similarly, HIV and syphilis, which can also be transmitted through blood, can be transmitted from pregnant women to their fetuses. It is also very likely that the zombie virus can be transmitted, but there are no real cases to support this hypothesis.
This is also an important part of scientific research projects.
Zhang Qiongqiong was stunned, and asked weakly but somewhat agitatedly, "What will you do to my child?"
Lin Xi: "Research. Don't worry, if you and your child can recover, we will do our best to save you, but we need your cooperation in the research."
Zhang Qiongqiong's eyes darkened again and again as she struggled internally.
Lin Xi and Xiang Xin waited patiently, while Liang Hui, who heard the conversation through his earpiece, remained silent.
After a while, Zhang Qiongqiong resigned herself to her fate and said, "Fine, I'll go with you... I won't survive if I stay here anyway..."
With no water, no electricity, no food, and no one to take care of her, it would be difficult for her to survive.
Lin Xi nodded, frowning slightly with some difficulty: "Can I get you some different clothes before we go?"
Zhang Qiongqiong has had a fever and diarrhea for several days. She is unable to take care of herself and her clothes are covered in filth.
Zhang Qiongqiong lowered her head: "My clothes are in the next room, there are zombies there... I can't go."
Xiang Xin shook the baseball bat: "It's okay, I'll go get it for you."
Dealing with one zombie is no big deal.
After Xiang Xin brought the clothes, Zhang Qiongqiong asked her to go to the inner room to get paper and pen. She wanted to leave a note for her husband so that he would know where she had been if he came back.
Lin Xi and Xiang Xin remained silent and said nothing.
About ten minutes later, Lin Xi and Xiang Xin each helped Zhang Qiongqiong by one arm and walked toward the truck. Liang Hui had already opened the door and cleared away the two wandering zombies around them to meet them.
This time, Liang Hui drove, Xiang Xin observed the road conditions, and Lin Xi and Zhang Qiongqiong sat in the back seat.
Zhang Qiongqiong leaned weakly against the seat. Lin Xi took out a pair of rubber gloves and put them on her, explaining, "You have signs of infection. For our safety, it's better to cover your hands."
She then brought Zhang Qiongqiong some clean bottled water and bread from the back seat to replenish her energy, and then put a mask on her in case she suddenly mutated and became difficult to handle in the carriage.
When Lin Xi put on the gloves, he could feel Zhang Qiongqiong's body heat. Lin Xi knew from his medical studies that pregnant women's body temperature is usually a little higher than normal, but not by this much.
Lin Xi asked Zhang Qiongqiong, "I have some medicine that might be useful. Would you like to take some?"
Zhang Qiongqiong's eyes reddened, and her face showed a conflicted expression: "I... I can't take the medicine..."
Lin Xi: "As a medical student, my advice is to eat well. The longer the mother's body remains normal, the more likely you are to survive until the baby is born."
But she gave the choice to Zhang Qiongqiong, who hesitated for a moment before taking the medicine.
"Let's go." Lin Xi put a mask on Zhang Qiongqiong and then instructed the two energetic people in the front seat: "Don't run over the zombies later, there's a pregnant woman in the car."
After saying that, Lin Xi took out her phone and sent a message to Song Heng explaining her situation.
Again, in the four-person group chat 【Burning! Doomsday Terminator】, Lu Wei asked about the situation here.
Lin Xi subconsciously thought of what Liang Hui said about Lu Wei having several such groups and having to follow each one, which must have been quite a hassle.
Lu Wei is better than her in many ways, and this communication ability is one of them.
While Lin Xi was staring blankly at the chat box for a while, Xiang Xin had already reported in the group that they were setting off.
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Because they had made prior notification, the research institute and Lu Wei, who arrived at the base first, submitted applications to the base. Lin Xi's car, carrying an infected person, also entered the base, but was sent directly to the laboratory through a special channel.
Zhang Qiongqiong's condition was not good; the medication was having almost no effect, and she was already unconscious when she was brought to the laboratory.
Lin Xi, Xiang Xin, and Liang Hui went through the security checkpoint at the base, while Lu Wei was inspecting the checkpoints at the entrance to the city and welcoming them.
Xiang Xin and Liang Hui had no other plans. While waiting for their accommodations to be arranged, they chatted at the checkpoint and assisted Lu Wei. Lin Xi, however, was in a hurry to go to the laboratory and rushed to the research institute.
The Dawn Base where I lived in my previous life was originally a military base that was temporarily converted and quickly became quite complete. However, the Dawn Base was newly built and currently only has four floors open. Each floor is overcrowded and lacks complete facilities. The -4 floor only has a small laboratory.
When Lin Xi arrived, Song Heng had already led a team to conduct basic tests and scans on Zhang Qiongqiong.
"How is it? Is there any hope?"
Cheng Ling shook his head: "The scan shows that the brain of the fetus in her womb has basically mutated."
Lin Xi looked at Zhang Qiongqiong through the glass window. Zhang Qiongqiong looked listless, and her jaw would twitch uncontrollably from time to time. She was obviously about to mutate as well.
Everyone had taken precautions in advance, securing her hands and feet to the bed board.
Cheng Ling: "The mother's body actually mutated later than the fetus."
Lin Xi: "The fetus is small, so the viral load required is also small."
Several colleagues went up to administer medication in an attempt to save her, while others took notes. Still others prepared the operating room and brought in an obstetrician from among the existing staff at the base to perform a cesarean section on Zhang Qiongqiong, first removing the mutated fetus.
Some people say, "The fetus has mutated, yet it didn't bite back and infect the mother. Does this mean zombies also have emotions?"
"A medical student actually said that? Is it possible that the fetus doesn't have teeth, and therefore its fingernails can't harm the mother?"
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