odessanovel Chapter 34, The Second Virus Rain (2)
Chapter 34, The Second Virus Rain (2)
DAY66
Unlike Yang Xiao's precognitive dream, this viral rain fell all night without stopping.
No one in the provincial and municipal government command centers dared to let their guard down, because according to Beijing's virus prevention and control guidelines, the viral rain would accelerate the evolution of the zombie foes, and the evolved zombies would become more frenzied, with the possibility of launching surprise attacks on human safety bases.
“If it’s a precognitive dream, it should be exactly the same, right?” Zhong Qiang stood by the window, looking at the heavy rain that had fallen all night. Now he seriously suspected that Yang Xiao was a person who had been reborn. Although his academic performance was not good, it did not stop him from reading novels. “The novels all say that every decision a person who has been reborn makes will have a butterfly effect. So from the moment you decided to run out of the dormitory first, the timeline changed.”
“You’re quite knowledgeable.” Pei Sihao pulled Zhong Qiang, who was standing by the window sighing, back to his senses, and then quickly drew the curtains. Now, what he looked forward to most was mealtime, because he didn’t have to go to the cafeteria to eat those dry steamed buns and pre-made dishes, but could eat the fragrant delicacies that Lu Yuan brought out from his space.
Although they hadn't digested their breakfast much, it didn't stop them from having a delicious lunch. If it weren't for the strong smell of hot pot, Pei Sihao would have liked to have some hot pot too.
"Right now, I really wish I were someone who had been reborn. This feeling is really not good." Yang Xiao was also a little depressed. The situation with the virus rain was different from what he had dreamed of. Could it be that the zombies' combat power was also different? They risked their lives to come to the safe base and worked hard to build infrastructure. Could it all be for nothing in the end?
"Let's look on the bright side. Maybe the zombies won't even attack the base after the rain," Gu Nanfeng said calmly as he helped Lu Yuan set the table. He had observed the situation since yesterday and noticed that although the zombies had evolved, they didn't seem to be planning to attack the base. He guessed that, at least for now, it wouldn't be like Yang Xiao's dream, where the zombies attacked the base immediately after the rain stopped. It was possible that the intelligent zombies would even have more detailed plans for their actions.
The five of them skillfully concealed the doors and windows and quickly began eating lunch. After all, secretly eating such a good meal in the base was simply outrageous. They also didn't want to accidentally expose Lu Yuan's spatial ability while eating, so they ate much faster than usual.
Lu Yuan and his friends had just finished eating and tidied up their dorm room when they heard Qin Yuan's loud voice in the corridor, followed by a knock on their door.
"You grown men, wearing perfume?" Qin Yuan smelled the lemon scent of deodorant in the air as soon as he entered the room.
"It was too humid, and there was a musty smell in the air, so I sprayed some air freshener." Lu Yuan scratched his head sheepishly. They had almost been caught cheating, so it was a little embarrassing.
Qin Yuan came with Lin Yun, the captain of the 0922 supply team. Last night, their 0788 team and 0922 team patrolled together, and today was their day off.
Last night, Lin Yun heard Qin Yuan boast about their great achievement in capturing the pre-made vegetable factory. He learned that Lu Yuan and his group each had a Tang sword and two really awesome crossbows, so he wanted to come and see for himself.
Qin Yuan was a crossbow enthusiast, so he naturally wanted to touch Lu Yuan's two crossbows whenever he had the chance. So after taking a nap in the morning after his shift, he dragged Lin Yun, who was still eating compressed biscuits, over.
Since everyone was young, we discovered that we all happened to enjoy playing the same domestic holographic game. Although it was a pity that we couldn't play against each other online or add each other as friends, it didn't stop the young people from quickly becoming acquainted.
After getting to know each other, Yang Xiao wasn't awkward at all. He took out the crossbow that Lu Yuan had told him to keep safe from his locker. Pei Sihao originally thought that since Yang Xiao had taken it out, he could dodge it quietly. Who knew that Qin Yuan's eyes never left him. One reason was that he knew Pei Sihao had another crossbow, and the other reason was that he had witnessed Pei Sihao's amazing skills at the factory. His eyes were filled with admiration for the technical master.
Unlike Pei Sihao, who dawdled over taking out the crossbow, Zhong Qiang was absolutely enamored with his Tang sword. He slept with it every night, so it was always kept on his bedside table. Although he liked it, he wasn't as careful as Pei Sihao and Yang Xiao, who wouldn't let anyone touch it. So he openly showed off his Tang sword and even performed a set of standard moves for the Tang sword class in a holographic game.
Qin Yuan and Lin Yun enviously touched Zhong Qiang's Tang sword and Pei Sihao and Yang Xiao's two crossbows a few times, wondering how they could borrow them to play with for a couple of days, when they heard a scream coming from some ward or dormitory downstairs.
Qin Yuan and Lin Yun immediately rushed towards the sound, and Lu Yuan and the others followed curiously.
Because of the rain, the elevator in the inpatient department, which serves as the dormitory, has temporarily lost power to ensure that everyone stays within their bounds and doesn't wander off. So, the group of seven ran down the emergency staircase.
After running about three or four floors, I saw a lot of people gathered at the door of a ward, which was being held tightly by two uniformed people at the door.
Qin Yuan and Lin Yun rushed over and found that it was Du Wenqing, the captain of 0419, and one of his soldiers. The two of them held the door tightly to prevent the people inside from opening it, while looking inside through a small window in the door.
"Damn it, I knew it! Some people just have itchy hands." Du Wenqing, the captain of 0419, was different from Qin Yuan and Lin Yun. He was a veteran around 40 years old. He already had a high rank and a bad temper. As soon as Qin Yuan and the others pushed through the crowd, they heard Du Wenqing cursing.
"What's wrong, Lao Du!" Qin Yuan also leaned over to see, but the angle was wrong and he couldn't see anything.
"Who the hell is staying in this room?" Du Wenqing asked casually when he saw that it was Qin Yuan. Qin Yuan was usually a chatterbox and had good interpersonal relationships. He could chat with anyone.
"It seems to be the family that drove here a few days ago." Qin Yuan is indeed a social butterfly. Whenever he has free time, he wanders around and strikes up conversations with people. He doesn't know everyone in the base, but he's basically familiar with everyone on the floors above and below his dormitory.
"Damn, my hands are itching!" Du Wenqing, Qin Yuan, and Lin Yun were all on their off-duty days, so none of the three of them or their squad members were armed. They could only take turns pulling the door shut and waiting for other patrolling comrades to come over.
Qin Yuan and Lin Yun only saw the scene inside the door through the small window when they helped open the door. The room was indeed the family Qin Yuan had mentioned, an elderly mother, her son, daughter-in-law, and grandson. The four of them were now zombies with bluish-purple skin, white eyes, and twisted limbs.
Qin Yuan could see that the window in the room had a fist-sized gap open, which was really hard to describe. After the first rain of the virus, the government announced that the rainwater was toxic, and the air during the rain and the air that evaporated after the rain stopped were also toxic. Contact with the air would cause immediate mutation, but unexpectedly, this family did not take it seriously at all.
Because of the rain, no one in the base went outside. To ensure that all the air purification systems in the base could circulate normally, the base has been experiencing power outages for the past few days, and even the water purification system has been shut down, so there is no water available for the time being. The power outages have resulted in the air conditioning being set at a high temperature, and now that it's the hottest month of August and September, the rooms are stuffy and hot.
When there's no power outage, Lu Yuan and the others have to rely on him to retrieve some ice from his spatial storage to cool down their rooms. Otherwise, they, who are used to Gu Nanfeng's villa, simply can't live in this base.
However, the fact that this family was so carefree as to open the window for ventilation truly exceeded Lu Yuan's imagination.
Soon, a series of orderly footsteps came from downstairs. A fully armed five-man squad with oxygen tanks ran over with guns. Qin Yuan and Lin Yun switched places with them and, together with the other resting soldiers, drove away the ordinary people like Lu Yuan and his group who had come to watch.
Then the five-man squad with guns quickly opened the door and rushed in. Several gunshots rang out from inside the room, followed by the sound of a window closing. After a while, one of the five men in the squad opened the door a crack and waved to the outside. Another group of people in protective suits arrived and carried in stretchers and body bags. Soon after, the group carried away four bodies.