Chapter 261 Escaping Danger
When Lin Xi opened her eyes, she saw a spinning, pure white ceiling and heard the beeping of the vital signs monitor.
Where is this?
What time is it now?
As her consciousness gradually returned to her body, Lin Xi retrieved the remaining fragments of her memories—
In the boundless sea of sand, Lu Wei's back as he carried the refrigerated box and Li Shuyi's stumbling steps could be seen.
She was thirsty and exhausted, the sun was so bright she couldn't open her eyes, and a mouthful of blood was about to spurt from her throat.
He forced himself to control his legs with a single thought until everything went black, and he knew neither what lay ahead nor whether he would live or die.
Lin Xi's perspective shifted, and she saw the IV drip hanging in mid-air.
This is at the hospital.
Has he been reborn?
A soft female voice rang out: "Dean Lin is awake, quickly go and call the doctor!"
Upon hearing the title "Dean Lin," Lin Xi realized that she had not been reborn.
After a series of hurried footsteps, two doctors entered the ward. They were both unfamiliar faces that Lin Xi had never seen before.
They conducted several checks methodically, filled in the information on the record sheet, and said to Lin Xi, "There is no immediate danger to his life."
Lin Xi rarely woke up without seeing a familiar face. She was eager to know her own situation and her friends' condition. She wanted to ask, but as soon as she moved her lips, she felt dry and uncomfortable, and her throat was sore and hoarse.
"Where are the people who came with me...?"
The doctor put away the record sheet: "All the healthy people who were brought in with you have been saved. They are not in immediate danger and are gradually waking up."
Dr. Wang specifically mentioned the words "normal person".
Lin Xi then asked, "Then... the half-infected..."
Dr. Wang looked up at her, then lowered his head again without giving a direct answer.
Suddenly, Lin Xi mustered up some energy and used her sore limbs to prop herself up in bed: "Where's Lu Wei?"
Several nurses stepped forward and pressed her down: "Dean Lin, you can't get out of bed until this IV drip is finished."
Lin Xi was once again in a state of exhaustion, and the two nurses worked together to press her down.
Dr. Wang adjusted his glasses: "The new regulations from relevant departments classify semi-infected individuals as illegal life forms, such as zombies, which should not exist."
Lin Xi's eyes widened.
Dr. Wang added, "But the relevant departments only sent people to search and rescue after receiving a distress signal from Major General Lu Wei. Major General Lu Wei's situation is special and will be handled after approval from the relevant department headquarters."
"An instruction? Headquarters..."
Dr. Wang: "Yes. We are currently at a checkpoint under the jurisdiction of the headquarters. Once Dean Lin's condition improves, someone will take you into the headquarters."
Lin Xi's overexerted body relaxed halfway.
After several days of desperate march through the desert, they finally reached the edge of the central base.
She suddenly remembered something, turned her head and called out to Dr. Wang, who was about to leave: "How is Lu Wei?"
On their last day of lucidity, they had used up all the medicine they carried.
Lin Xi didn't know how long it took for her to be brought back to the checkpoint after she fainted, and whether Lu Wei had received any medication.
Dr. Wang shook his head: "I'm sorry. I'm just a doctor responsible for treating patients. I can't handle Major General Lu's situation. Professional researchers have come to help. I heard he's fine for now, but he can't leave the isolation area at will."
The process of waiting for her body to recover was no easier than traveling through the desert, and Lin Xi was still not completely at ease.
Lu Wei arrived at the ward the next day. There were two armed men guarding the door. They were wearing uniforms and looked well-trained.
Lin Xi turned her head slightly; her body, which had recovered some strength after a day of rest, was able to support her in lifting her head.
Lu Wei walked steadily, with that familiar face—pale, and looking very indifferent when he didn't speak.
Lin Xi couldn't see any signs of his impending mutation with the naked eye, but she still asked, "The price of the shirt..."
Before the question could be finished, Lu Wei had already answered, "Nine pounds and fifteen pence."
He brought a sealed bag containing Lin Xi's personal belongings from when he was brought to the hospital.
There aren't many items, but they're all very important.
A pocket-sized gun that he carried with him, a piece of cloth with four anime characters drawn on it, and two chocolates that had melted because he had kept them with him and hadn't been able to bear eating them.
Before Lu could sit down on the edge of the bed to talk, an armed man at the door suddenly coughed lightly: "Major General Lu, please keep your distance from Dean Lin."
“Hmm.” Lu Wei responded and explained to Lin Xi, “The headquarters base has always strictly prohibited the half-infected program, so there are very few half-infected people here, and even if they appear, they are all… strictly controlled.”
After all, it's only a matter of time before a half-infected person mutates into a zombie, and carrying the virus makes them a mobile source of infection. These two armed men must be of high rank to have been sent to "monitor" Lu Wei.
Lin Xi asked, "Have they sent over new delay agents and antitoxins?"
Lu Wei nodded.
Lin Xi: "The delay agents are all pretty much the same, basically maintaining the same formula. But the antitoxin you're using is a version I've improved several times. I've written down the formula, please have the base prepare it as soon as possible."
She cannot be discharged from the hospital for the time being, and she has no access to the laboratory to prepare the antitoxin herself.
Lu did not agree to any of them.
"Lin Xi, we are about to arrive at headquarters," he said earnestly.
Lin Xi understood the headquarters' attitude towards them from that firm tone—there was no resistance, no pursuit or exploitation; they had truly arrived in an environment they could trust.
Regardless of how outsiders evaluate Lin Xi, the researcher who created the first semi-infected person, their actions of traveling thousands of miles across the desert and risking their lives to deliver vaccine and antibody samples to headquarters represent their belief and determination.
The journey wasn't long, but by the end, the number of people had dwindled, and only a few remained alive.
Lin Xi asked, "How is Li Shuyi?"
"I haven't seen him yet, but I heard he's already awake and out of danger."
Although Dr. Wang had mentioned the situation of the people traveling with him, Lin Xi was only relieved after hearing the confirmed information about the individuals.
Li Shuyi had considered lying down and waiting to die peacefully many times, but she persevered and, under the threat of Lin Xi's deadly needles, gritted her teeth and walked out of the desert.
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