Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Fifty-One: The Hospital
"Stop, stop, stop!!"
Little Pan seemed unusually fixated on one side of the office building. The beam of the flashlight flickered back and forth, and Pan Luo finally confirmed she wasn't mistaken. In a rush, she stopped everyone, pointing at the flashing light in the middle of the second floor and urging them to take a look.
Jiang He and the others exchanged glances; the light was unmistakable and definitely real. Moreover, the rhythm of the beam's changes was consistent—three long flashes followed by two short ones, repeating in cycles.
"See? I told you there were people!" Little Girl wrinkled her nose, wearing a triumphant expression that seemed to say, 'Now do you believe me?'
"Girl, we need to get the medicine first," Ming Junwei said with a wry smile. To be honest, he didn't care whether there were people in the government building or not. Even if there were, what difference would it make? They could very well be like those guys at the Power Station. Previously, they had Bai Yudong and other Soldiers accompanying them, which gave them confidence. Now that their group had already dispersed and the harvesting team was hastily assembled, they had no energy to spare for anyone else.
"What did you see?" Song Yao asked curiously. Little Girl usually had a steady temperament; why was she so restless today?
Pan Luo bit her lip, her big eyes blinking as she shook her head. "Nothing much; I just got a bit excited seeing living people all of a sudden."
Jiang He exchanged a glance with Ming Junwei, both understanding that the young girl likely had thoughts of saving someone. The latter shook his head, implying that it was better to avoid unnecessary trouble.
"Let’s go to the hospital first. If we have a chance when we come back, we can check it out," Cao Liang said as he strode over to push open the iron gate of the county hospital and peeked inside.
Song Yao affectionately patted Pan Luo's head and whispered, "You want to go save someone?"
"Yeah." Pan Luo licked her lips, feeling a bit shy as she said, "If Sister Yao hadn't saved me back then, I probably would have died too, so..."
"I understand," Song Yao replied with a slight smile as they both entered through the hospital's main door. "Let's get the medicine first and then see what we can do. I'll go with you."
"Hush." Jiang He made a shushing gesture as he illuminated Luci's supporting flashlight, casting a bright beam into the dark registration hall.
The county hospital was not large. Upon entering through the iron gate, one would find the Outpatient Building. On either side were three-meter-wide driveways, and the greenery beneath the windows of the Outpatient Building had withered away to a dull yellow. Next to the iron gate, the wooden door of the reception room was ajar, revealing a dismembered corpse stuck in the doorway, its lower half exposed and skeletal.
The driveway stretched about ten meters long, with several micro vehicles parked on either side, but no signs of zombies were detected.
"Let's go take a look," Ming Junwei gestured, and he and Jiang He dashed toward the parking area.
Cao Liang did not dare to slack off; he positioned himself protectively in front of the two women as they ascended the steps. He enlarged the beam of his flashlight and swept it across the entire lobby. Directly opposite the main entrance was a staircase leading to the second floor. The Registration Window and payment counter were situated closely together, behind which lay a row of offices. At the other end was another row of small rooms extending inward, their pale yellow wooden doors tightly shut and lacking any labels.
"This place is quite clean," Song Yao remarked in surprise as she slowly pushed open the glass door and stepped inside. The spacious registration hall contained only two rows of seats against the wall and a service desk in the middle—nothing else.
"Any idea where the pharmacy is?" Cao Liang asked, raising his flashlight to scan around. The corridors on both sides were not deep, each extending into five or six rooms. At the end of the left corridor, a door stood open, revealing trees outside.
"Let's look around."
With no zombies in sight on the first floor, the three felt somewhat relaxed. Cao Liang took charge of checking the right corridor while Song Yao and Pan Luo moved cautiously down the left passage.
"How's it going?" Ming Junwei and Jiang He met up in the lobby after inspecting their vehicles.
Jiang He looked displeased and muttered, "Damn it, I couldn't even open the car doors! There was even a BMW!"
"What's the use if you can't open them?" Ming Junwei grinned. "Don't be discouraged; we're getting close to Shanxi. There are plenty of coal bosses there; we might just find a Hummer or a Land Rover to drive."
"I'm not stupid," Jiang He scoffed, shaking his head dismissively. "What's the point of driving a gas guzzler?"
"Just for fun," Ming Junwei replied casually as he continued up the stairs at a brisk pace, reaching the corner quickly.
The three members of Song Yao returned empty-handed, seeing Ming Junwei peering out like a thief. Feeling awkward standing still, they quietly approached on tiptoe.
"Wait, there's movement," Ming Junwei said, placing a finger to his lips. He squinted and suddenly turned on his flashlight.
A short gasp came from above, quickly followed by silence.
"Is someone there?" Jiang He mouthed.
Ming Junwei nodded, picked up the flashlight, and took his 81-style rifle from his back, holding it in front of him as he ascended step by step.
The corridor was narrow, and to avoid causing a commotion, Jiang He and the others stayed back, weapons at the ready for support. The stairs here did not split left and right like most hospitals, so it was likely there were no other exits.
Song Yao felt a bit anxious and quietly chambered a round.
Since encountering Zhou Huai and his group at the bar, the surprise of meeting other Survivors had faded; vigilance and caution became their first reactions.
Ming Junwei leaned at the stairway entrance, holding his breath to listen to the sounds inside. He gestured for the others to remain still, as if sensing something.
A map of the hospital's examination rooms hung around the corner of the stairs. The second floor housed the obstetrics and gynecology department, directly facing the stairway was a waiting area with three or four rows of metal benches lined up together. On either side were windows for collecting test results. Like the first floor, examination and treatment rooms were located along both sides of the corridor.
Moonlight seeped through the window cracks, casting a pale glow on the anatomical diagrams of the reproductive system on the walls.
Both sides remained silent in the darkness, clearly aware of each other's presence, yet neither broke the awkwardness.
Jiang He considered whether they might be overly cautious and signaled to Ming Junwei to inquire first before resorting to bullets without any greeting.
Ming Junwei nodded and gestured to Song Yao to ask the question. Since they were women, perhaps the other side would let their guard down?
Song Yao's throat felt a bit dry as she gathered her words, trying to control her voice's volume. She called out to the second floor, "Is anyone there? I mean no harm; our companion is sick, and I'm here to find medicine."
Jiang He gave Song Yao a thumbs up with a cheeky grin. Her voice was already bright and sweet, and now, lowered in pitch, it maintained an innocent quality that sounded soft and pleasant.
After a moment, there was indeed a response from the second floor, and it was another woman!
"We're also looking for medicine."
With just that one line, everyone strained their ears for more information but heard nothing further.
"Then... can we come up?" Song Yao asked tentatively.
"No, you need to step back first. Wait until we leave before you come in."
"What the hell? Is this your family's hospital?" Jiang He chuckled softly, muttering under his breath.
Song Yao shot him a glare and exchanged a questioning look with Ming Junwei.
Ming Junwei couldn't help but chuckle internally. Here they were trying to negotiate calmly, while he was acting all high and mighty?
Ming the Great Hero cleared his throat.
Comment 0 Comment Count