C22 The Rescue from the Hospital

The following morning, Lee Yuanhong returned to Wang Jingrong's side. Observing the special police officer still lying in bed, he noted a significant improvement in his condition. Though not yet able to walk freely, as an elite officer, he was expected to be mostly recovered by the next day.

Lee Yuanhong offered his praise, "True to the special police, you're healing up fast. I'd probably be starving or laid up for a week. What's your next move?"

Wang Jingrong took a moment before responding, his hesitation giving way to resolve. "My plan was to take care of something once I was better, then regroup with my team to find a national relief base. But I can't afford to wait. I need to ask you, Mr. Lee, to help me rescue someone. After that, I'll follow your lead."

Lee Yuanhong, noting Wang Jingrong's firm resolve, considered the request. "Who do you need to rescue, and where are they? If it's something I can handle, I'm willing to help. In these times, every life saved counts. Don't worry about owing me anything."

Wang Jingrong nodded in agreement. "We'll discuss everything after the rescue. I need to save Director Huang's family—his wife, Han Yuyao, and their child, Huang Xiaopeng. They're likely at Tongzhou County Hospital, not far from here. On the night before the virus broke out, Director Huang and I were on duty, so his wife and child stayed at the hospital. They should still be there."

"Do you know their exact location in the hospital?" Lee Yuanhong asked.

"I'll draw you a map; it'll make the search easier," Wang Jingrong replied.

Lee Yuanhong added, "And if you remember where the pharmacy is, mark that too."

Wang Jingrong nodded, and with paper and pen provided by Lu Yi, he began to sketch. The drawing was simple but clear, the work of someone well-trained. It was evident that Wang Jingrong was no ordinary special police officer.

Lee Yuanhong studied the map, noting the county hospital's three-story structure. The main entrance faced south, leading directly to the emergency and surgical wards. The pharmacy was conveniently located in the outpatient building's lobby. To the left was the outpatient building, and further back stood the general inpatient building—their target was on the third floor of that building.

After tucking the map into his inner pocket, Lee Yuanhong summoned two riflemen and two archers, ready to depart. However, Lee Luoxia approached, determined to join them. Initially reluctant, Lee Yuanhong conceded, considering they might need her lock-picking skills. And so, the party of six embarked on their journey.

Safety was Lee Yuanhong's top priority en route. He utilized the archers' Eagle Eye ability for long-range reconnaissance of zombie movements. If they spotted a large horde, they would steer clear, maintaining a safe distance. Despite the short distance of just over two kilometers, it took them over an hour to reach the street across from the hospital's main entrance.

Across the street, the hospital entrance was choked with vehicles, a grim reminder of the chaos that ensued during the virus outbreak, when a driver-turned-zombie had sparked pandemonium. The sight of dozens of wandering zombies and the ground strewn with blood and flesh spoke volumes of the terror that had unfolded.

With the entrance swarming with zombies, the front door was no longer a viable option. Besides, the individual Wang Jingrong sought to rescue was in the inpatient building at the rear of the hospital. Lee Yuanhong led his team around to the back, arriving after a cautious half-hour trek.

Peering over the wall, Lee Yuanhong surveyed the area. The wall was a mere three meters from the back windows, and the secluded spot was free of zombie activity. He signaled for the group to leap over into the hospital grounds. Approaching a ward's rear window, he stealthily peered inside. The power outage had left the room dim, but the disarray was evident. The bed was splattered with blood, bedding tossed to the floor, and several skeletal remains scattered about. A lone zombie shuffled near the doorway—evidence that the ward's occupants had fled, drawing the creature out.

Lee Yuanhong surveyed the rear wall's setup and noticed protective nets on all the windows. Entering through a back window would mean dismantling the net, inevitably drawing the zombies' attention. In a hushed tone, he turned to Lee Luoxia and asked, "Can you make it up to the third floor? If you can, find an empty room, drop down a rope, and we'll climb up."

Lee Luoxia eyed the wall and nodded confidently, "No problem."

With the agility of a cat, Lee Luoxia scaled the drainpipe to the third floor, hoisted herself onto a balcony window, and peered inside. She swung from window to window until, after the third one, she quietly opened a window and slipped inside. In under five minutes, a makeshift rope of tied-together bedsheets dangled from the window. Lee Yuanhong sent Lu Yi up first to keep watch, followed himself, and then helped the rest of the group inside.

They entered a room with two beds. Bloodstains were present but trailed off outside the room, suggesting someone had drawn the zombies away. There were no remains inside. Leading the way, Lee Yuanhong and the gunmen approached the door. Passing a nearby bathroom, they discovered a dismembered body clad in patient attire, the trail of blood leading right to it. To be safe, Lee Yuanhong instructed the gunmen to prod the corpse with their spears. To their shock, the body stirred. Lee Yuanhong reacted swiftly, commanding Lu Yi to deliver a decisive shot to the corpse's head.

Lee Yuanhong silently reflected, "Since when did zombies start playing dead? We'll need to proceed with extra caution during this search to avoid danger."

The close call made Lee Yuanhong even more vigilant. Peeking through the ajar door, he spotted over a dozen zombies shuffling outside, mostly clad in hospital gowns with just one in a nurse's uniform. No child zombies were in sight. He withdrew his head, stroked his bearded chin, and furrowed his brows, contemplating how to dispatch the zombies with minimal noise.

He scrutinized the room's arrangement. The six-square-meter ward, with its adjacent bathroom, had a small corridor about one and a half meters long and one meter wide. An idea struck Lee Yuanhong. He instructed two soldiers to lift a bed and quietly position it across the corridor's entrance. They spread the bedding across the floor of the corridor and gently pushed the ward door open. Once ready, Lee Yuanhong stood behind the bed, flicked a pebble against the door frame with a sharp "snap," and watched as it landed silently on the bedding.

At that moment, zombies lurking near the ward door were drawn by the noise and shuffled inside. Upon entry, they detected the scent of humans and charged with guttural growls. But the quilt on the floor slowed them down, turning their ferocious assault into a sluggish advance. By the time they reached the sickbed, they were devoid of momentum and were promptly dispatched by the waiting gunmen. Two more zombies followed, but they too were swiftly dealt with, their demise barely audible thanks to the quilt's muffling effect.

The team then removed the zombie corpses from the narrow corridor, clearing the area. After five or six repetitions, the corridor was finally free of the undead. Everyone was drenched in sweat; while the battle posed little risk, moving bodies was physically demanding. Nonetheless, their efforts were not without reward. Among the dozen zombies, there were five Level One zombies, granting Lee Yuanhong five additional Crystal Cores. He contemplated whether to craft an Evolution Liquid that night and embark on his own evolutionary journey.

Following a ten-minute breather, Lee Yuanhong began scouring the third floor for the person he sought. The absence of child or doctor zombies during the cleanup suggested the survivor might still be alive. When the search party reached the room at the far west end, they noticed a sign: Doctor's Duty Room. It appeared the individual they were searching for could very well be inside.

Lee Yuanhong tried the door and found it barricaded. To gain entry, they could either clear the blockage from within or force the door open. However, the latter option would create a significant disturbance, which was undesirable.

Examining the door, a 1.9-meter-tall wooden barrier, Lee Yuanhong noticed a half-meter-tall glass transom above. He climbed onto Lu Yi's shoulders and peered through the transom. Inside, three figures lay motionless—two adults and a child—seemingly lifeless. A bed was propped against the door, with the trio on the far side, their condition unknown. The room's window was shut, yet not sealed tight. Given that it was late September in Yanjing, where days were still scorching without electricity, it was reasonable to assume the window was left ajar for ventilation. This hinted that there might still be life within.

Lee Yuanhong called over Lee Luoxia and inquired, "Is it possible to enter the room from the outside?"

Without responding verbally, Lee Luoxia proceeded to the adjacent room—a nurse station that had been cleared out. She peered outside to assess the terrain and, finding no issues, prepared to climb out the window. Lee Yuanhong quickly caught hold of her and handed her his climbing pickaxe, advising, "Be cautious. Once inside, wrap these individuals in blankets to prevent any harm if they turn."

Accepting the pickaxe with a nod and a faint blush, Lee Luoxia leaped out the window.

Meanwhile, Lee Yuanhong and the rest anxiously waited by the door, feeling the minutes stretch on like hours. It was only when he heard the faint rustling of bedding from inside that Lee Yuanhong's tension eased. The lock clicked, and the door cracked open just wide enough for a person to slip through. Lee Yuanhong hurried in first and sighed in relief upon seeing the three figures on the floor securely wrapped in blankets. He turned to Lee Luoxia and softly expressed his gratitude, "Thank you for your hard work."

Lee Luoxia passed the pickaxe back to Lee Yuanhong, her cheeks coloring with a sudden flush as she shyly averted her gaze. Lee Yuanhong clipped the pickaxe to his belt and, alongside Lu Yi, cleared the bed aside and fully opened the door. Approaching the three individuals, they found them all unconscious, with dry, cracked lips, yet not as severely affected as Wang Jingrong. Scanning the room, Lee Yuanhong noticed several empty glucose bottles and instant noodle packets scattered on the floor, deducing that these were the meager supplies that had kept the trio alive. They had likely run out days ago, and without their timely intervention, survival would have been uncertain.

Lee Yuanhong then returned to the nurse station, retrieved more glucose bottles, and instructed the soldiers to administer the solution to each of the three individuals. Within half an hour, their eyes fluttered open, signaling they were out of immediate danger.

On the first day of the new year, he wished everyone a year filled with blessings.