Rebirth of MC Chapter 102

Chapter 102: Another way out

The uppermost level of the hospital is the most important place of the entire building. Ordinary patients would definitely not be allowed entry into this floor. Hence, the zombies roaming around this area are evidently victims trying to escape the undead by running all the way up here, but ultimately falling to the transformation.

After the trio reach the twentieth storey, Huo Zaiyuan immediately begin to lay arrays on the top of the stairs and in every corridor they pass through. For some reason, the longer they spend in this place, the more agitated his heart becomes, making him feel very uncomfortable.

"Move a little faster. The medicine storeroom is over there." Long Zhanye stops before a closed room with the words "Medicine Storage" written on the door below the sign used to indicate the presence of important items within.

As expected, the door is locked and none of them had any idea where the key for it is located. Therefore, Long Zhanye picks the simplest method of shooting the electronic lock. Once it is reduced to scrap metal, the door naturally comes ajar.

Pushing the door open cautiously, they are greeted with the usual smell of disinfectant. What makes them frown is the strong odour of rotten meat that wafts over.

"This stench, there may be zombies within. Be careful."

Pistol in hand, Long Zhanye slowly treads into the room. Behind, Huo Zaiyuan closes the door soundlessly.

The interior of the medicine storage room is very dark. With a high possibility of mortal danger lurking behind or between the shelves of medicine, none of them dares to let down their guards for even a split-second. Inching their way to the centre of the room, they are treated to a rather sorrowful sight.

The rotting corpse or a female nurse is sprawled on the ground, unseeing eyes opened wide, an expression of terror frozen on her face, white foam filling her mouth and trails of dried white substance staining her chin…an empty glass bottle lays on its side next to the body. Evidently, she drank this bottle of medication and committed suicide.

"This nurse was probably on night shift in this hospital when the zombies woke and overran this hospital. She ran and hid in here, eventually taking her own life." Nudging the glass bottle with a foot, Long Zhanye squints down to read the label before speaking again. "Quickly find everything we need, then let's leave."

"Yeah." Zhou Xingfeng nods distractedly, then walks over to the back of the room, where he caught a glimpse of the freezer just now.

Removing the slip of paper Qin Jun handed over before they came here, Long Zhanye raise an eyebrow at Huo Zaiyuan. Coming to a tacit understanding, Huo Zaiyuan dips his head curtly. They will separate for a little while to search for the medications Qin Jun wrote down.

After Long Zhanye wanders off, Huo Zaiyuan gazes down at the woman's body. A flick of his wrist and a peach wood tile appears. Igniting the talisman, he whispers. "You have no need to fear anymore. Peacefully go to where you ought to be." With that, he drops the burning tile onto the corpse.

When the flames disappear together with the body, a sphere of silver light wafts upwards, gradually forming into a transparent silhouette. The female nurse offers Huo Zaiyuan a grateful smile then slowly dissipates.

With the disappearance of the corpse, the rotten stench hanging in the air also mysteriously vanishes. Satisfied, Huo Zaiyuan begins his search for medicines. Chancing upon the section for traditional medicines, he sends everything into his space. Next is a shelf with piles of tools necessary to perform a safe injection as well as glass bottles of intravenous fluids[1]. Those are also cleared off the shelves before he goes off to look for Long Zhanye. The soldier's speed is also pretty fast, having already found every medication on Qin Jun's list. Under his directions, Huo Zaiyuan drops everything into the space. That done, the pair reunites with Zhou Xingfeng.

"Xingfeng, are you done?"

"I found the pills for Wen Bin, but there is a limit to how many we can carry." The backpack on Zhou Xingfeng's bag is already bulging. Sufficient to say, he has packed as much as he can into the bag. "There's also another problem. Thirty minutes after the shot leaves the freezer, it will lose its effectiveness…"

Which means they have only thirty minutes to retrieve the shot and return to the school. But that is obviously impossible to achieve.

"Don't worry, I have an idea. Go with older brother Long to grab a few more pills. Leave the matter of transporting the shot to me." Taking out a piece of yellow paper, Huo Zaiyuan smiles reassuringly at Zhou Xingfeng.

Although he doesn't know what his friend wants to do, seeing him take out a talisman makes him pause for a second, then nods in consent.

He has personally experienced the effectiveness of Huo Zaiyuan's talismans, so maybe this one will enable them to take the injection away without worry…Wen Bin, wait for me. I will definitely return to you.

As the other two walk away to grab more pills, Huo Zaiyuan runs his fingers over the steel box containing the injection, sending it into his space. Since his space is extraordinary, it will ensure everything that enters is kept in the same condition. Hot things will stay hot and cold will stay cold. This box will be no different.

"Are you guys done? I've secured the injection already." Huo Zaiyuan calls as he heads over to where the other two are.

"Un, we can only carry this much." Glancing between Long Zhanye's and his own full bags, Zhou Xingfeng bites his lower lip.

This many will be sufficient for Wen Bin to use for quite a while even if they will eventually need more in the distant future, but…if he becomes greedy and want to take more, it is possible they will die here, then there will be no one to bring the medicine to Wen Bin.

"Then let's go." Knowing what his friend is thinking, Huo Zaiyuan initiatively takes up the position of rear guard.

Seizing the chance when Zhou Xingfeng is unaware, he vanishes the few large boxes that the other student was so recently racking his brains for a plausible way to transport out of the hospital.

Mission accomplished, the trio head towards the storage room's door. Just as they are about to cross the doorway, Huo Zaiyuan's expression changes.

"Halt! Don't cross it!" Catching Long Zhanye and Zhou Xingfeng's arms in a flash, Huo Zaiyuan stops them from taking another step forward.

"What's the matter?" Zhou Xingfeng asks.

"The array I set on the staircase on the nineteenth floor has just been ripped apart. There is something outside." Staring at the tightly shut door of the storage room, Huo Zaiyuan pulls the other two men together as he retreats.

"I can sense it now." Long Zhanye's eyes sharpen as he unholsters his pistol.

He doesn't know what the thing outside is, but his acute sixth sense is warning him to be alert of the presence on the other side of the door, skulking there in wait for them. The moment they open that door, it will attack and tear them to shreds.

"Is it a zombie?" Xingfeng whispers as he gazes nervously at the door.

When faced with the scene of a horrible carnage at the hospital's entrance and even when killing their way through undead from the first level to the twentieth, both Huo Zaiyuan and Long Zhanye's tranquil expression is always unchanging. Now, these two are displaying high-levels of cautiousness. Suffice to say, whatever is waiting outside wouldn't be so easily handled as ordinary undead.

"Don't know, but it shouldn't be far from it. Maybe a mutant of some sort." Huo Zaiyuan replies.

"If that's the case, then you two guard my back. I'll open a path." Long Zhanye unclips the QCW-5 submachine gun from his waist and hands it over to Huo Zaiyuan, then turns to the wall on their right and heads in that direction.

"We'll blow a hole here and leave!" The soldier announces, already in the process of knocking a hole in the wall to place explosives in.

"This is the twentieth storey!!"

Ka - blam!!

Before Long Zhanye can answer Zhou Xingfeng's incredulous cry, a loud bang rings out from the direction of the doorway. Wood shavings fly into the air, five neat holes appearing in the surface of the door, created by long, sharp purplish-red claws piercing through. The eyes of the two younger man widen.

"The heck…what is that? A zombie with chicken claws?!"

"Have you seen a zombie with this kind of claws before? Open fire, but make sure you don't shoot the lock! I'll lay down some barriers!" Huo Zaiyuan snaps at Zhou Xingfeng, itching to send his friend flying with a smack. How can someone still joke around at a time like this?!

At the same time, he silently praises himself for developing a good habit of closing and locking doors after entering a room.

The sound of a submachine gun firing fills the air. Not caring if his interdimensional space is discovered by Zhou Xingfeng, Huo Zaiyuan waves his hands, producing five talismans in each palm. Throwing them in the direction of the door, the talismans sink into the walls on opposite sides and link together, creating a barrier.

The creature outside slams against the door once more. The bullet-ridden plank of wood shudders from the force. Ripples appear from the door as the epicentre, travelling through the transparent array and threatening to give out. However, what gives rise to panic is that one slam actually knocked lose a nail at the hinge.

Rargh…grr…

The chorus of growls and howls from numerous zombies resonate through the entire level. Clearly, they are already caged in.

"Zhanye, hurry up!" Not letting Zhou Xingfeng waste any more bullets, Huo Zaiyuan throws a few more talismans towards the door, creating several more layers of barriers as he yells at Long Zhanye.

"Ready!" With the fuse place properly, Long Zhanye replies curtly and retreats from the wall, thumb pressing down on the remote control in his hand.

Boom!!

Plaster and stone explode outwards, revealing a man-sized hole and allowing sunlight to shine into the room.

Footnotes:

[1] In other words, the liquid in IV drips.

Chapter end