C5 Tang Bing Was in Danger, but the Zombies System Saved His Life.
As Tang Bing left the Bluestar Branch, he was engulfed by a sense of life's futility. The thought of dying in an imminent apocalypse didn't stir a single regret within him.
Yet, when the end of the world actually descended and he faced the terrifying zombies, his will to survive surged with unexpected ferocity. He refused to die, especially not in such a pointless manner.
Sacrificing his life for Qin Mengli had been a rash decision, driven by the severe blow that had left his heart in tatters.
From the window of his fifth-floor hospital ward, Tang Bing could see a horde of three to four hundred zombies swarming near the entrance. Doctors, nurses, janitors, security guards, patients, and their families had all become soulless husks.
Given his predicament, driving was his only escape. The hospital parking lot was full of cars, but the real challenge was finding the right keys and maneuvering through the teeming mass of undead.
Zombies would give chase upon detecting the living, and despite being slower, they never tired. They would relentlessly pursue their prey until it became their next meal.
The prospect of merely exiting the hospital, let alone returning to the Bluestar Branch, was daunting.
Tang Bing peered out the window, covertly studying the zombies. He noticed their acute response to even the slightest noise—a door banging in the wind could draw them from a hundred meters away. However, their vision seemed significantly impaired; several times, he locked eyes with a crooked-headed zombie without eliciting any reaction.
His observations suggested that while their hearing was slightly superior to humans, their sight was poor, only detecting prey within five or six meters. But their sense of smell, particularly for blood, was incredibly sharp, drawing them from great distances to the scent of torn flesh.
This raised a question: why hadn't any zombies ascended to his floor? He had been bitten in the elevator, surely the scent of his blood had spread.
Curiosity overcame him, and with a Fire axe in hand, he cautiously descended the stairs. At the second floor, he discovered the answer. The stairwell was barricaded with heavy furniture, creating an impenetrable barrier. The zombies' frenzied roars and scratching from below confirmed they couldn't breach the blockade.
Someone had fortified the second floor, indicating survivors might still be within the hospital.
Feeling secure from the zombies, Tang Bing decided to search the floor. Perhaps he'd encounter survivors who could provide car keys, or at least more information.
But first, he needed to prepare. Food and water were essential; his hunger was growing, and his throat parched. The medicine cabinet might hold health-boosting drugs and potentially life-saving antibiotics.
Unsure if the chaos was confined to A City or had engulfed the world, Tang Bing knew the city's silence meant few survivors remained. Otherwise, the police or military would have intervened by now.
In this perilous world, a zombie bite meant infection and eventual transformation. Stockpiling antibiotics from the hospital could be his safeguard against future encounters.
Passing a corridor, he spotted another Fire axe. He backtracked, taking it down. Fire axe (Superior) Attack Power: 10—a pleasant surprise. He stowed the ordinary axe in his virtual bag and wielded the superior weapon as he entered the nearest room.
It was a treatment room, yielding only common medical tools. Undeterred, he moved to the opposite room—a pharmacy brimming with drugs. His thorough search rewarded him with 23 painkillers, 18 blood bags, 16 splints, 20 bandages, and seven antibiotics. The splints would be crucial for mending a broken leg.
In the corner, a discovery: several hot water pots. Tang Bing grabbed one, relieved to find it full of boiling water. "Perfect," he thought.
Parched beyond belief, Tang Bing quickly grabbed a pack of disposable plastic cups from nearby, took one out, set it on the table, and stashed the rest in his virtual backpack. He filled a cup, gazing at the clear, steaming water, and felt an unexpected surge of happiness.
Cooling the water with his breath, he drank several cups in succession. Once his hydration level hit 100, he stopped and packed all the kettles into his backpack.
With his thirst quenched and enough water to last a couple of days, Tang Bing's hunger still gnawed at him. He turned the room upside down, searching through drawers, cardboard boxes, and cabinets.
The system chimed in:
You have obtained paper!
You have obtained shredded cloth!
You have obtained a ruler!
You have obtained chocolate!
You have obtained potato chips!
You have obtained crackers!
You have obtained a first-aid kit blueprint!
You have obtained a first-aid bandage blueprint!
The haul was impressive. To Tang Bing's delight, one drawer was a treasure trove of chocolate, potato chips, and crackers.
Eating the chocolate added 5 points to his satiety and restored 10 HP. The potato chips increased his satiety by 15 points, decreased his hydration by 10 points, but restored 5 points of stamina. The crackers upped his satiety by 20 points, reduced his hydration by 20 points, yet restored 10 points of stamina.
The first-aid kit blueprint detailed how to make a life-saving kit at critical moments, requiring one roll of tape, one bottle of alcohol, one blood bag, and one bandage. The kit would restore 50 HP and relieve conditions like dizziness and bleeding. The first-aid bandage blueprint required one bandage and one tube of aloe gel, restoring 25 HP and alleviating similar ailments.
Tang Bing quickly devoured the chocolate, a whole bag of potato chips, and the crackers, which ironically left him thirsty—as if all the water he'd drunk earlier had vanished.
With no other option, he drank several more cups of water until his satiety and hydration were fully replenished.
Feeling satisfied, he immediately learned the two blueprints, and two new crafting options appeared in his menu. However, he lacked the necessary tape and aloe gel to create either the first-aid kit or bandages.
Ignoring his incomplete supplies, Tang Bing felt his strength returning. The persistent moans of zombies at the stairwell spurred him to continue his search for resources.
He scoured every room on the second floor, accumulating 56 painkillers, 111 bandages, 45 bottles of alcohol, 37 blood bags, 54 cold medicines, 57 sleeping pills, 30 vitamins, 10 nutrient supplements, and 22 antibiotics.
The vitamins, once consumed, would increase his health points by 0.5. Tang Bing wasn't quite sure what that meant, so he set them aside for the time being.
The 22 antibiotics were a comfort; even if he were scratched or bitten by zombies, he wouldn't have to worry about infection. With these miraculous drugs, he could recover his health!
After clearing the second floor and checking for zombies at the stairwell, Tang Bing confidently ascended to the third floor.
The hospital had thirteen floors in total. Ideally, he would take all the medicine he could carry, as each type only occupied a single slot in his virtual backpack, allowing for endless stacking.
On the third floor, he meticulously searched each room, leaving no potential hiding spot unchecked.
Regrettably, the hospital's doctors were too professional; finding snacks and drinks in their drawers was a rare feat. After scouring numerous rooms on the second and third floors, he found no food except for the chocolate, potato chips, and crackers he had already consumed.
However, he did find several barrels of pure water on the water dispensers, which he promptly collected. His virtual backpack would prevent any spillage.
Tang Bing felt frustrated. Food was his most pressing need, yet it eluded him.
The last room on the third floor, tucked away in the back, was locked. Locked rooms often held valuable items, right?
Filled with anticipation, Tang Bing swung his fire axe, shattering the door lock, and pushed the door open.
"Roar~!!" To his surprise, he was greeted by a terrifying zombie in a white lab coat!
"Damn it!" Tang Bing's heart nearly stopped from fright, but he quickly regained his composure and cleaved the zombie's head with his axe.
You have killed a zombie. You have received 10 experience points!
Before he could relax, two more zombies, a man and a woman both in white coats, likely doctors from the hospital, charged at him. Tang Bing braced for battle, but weakened as he was, fighting two pain-immune zombies proved challenging.
After managing to kill one, the other, a female zombie, sunk her teeth viciously into his abdomen.
Tang Bing was in excruciating pain, nearly on the verge of passing out. With every ounce of strength he could muster, he hoisted the fire axe and brought it down with a vicious chop.
Once he had dispatched the three zombies and made sure there were no others lurking in the room, he bit down hard on his teeth and hastily retrieved a bandage from his virtual backpack to staunch the bleeding from his abdominal wound. He then quickly popped a painkiller to restore his health points and an antibiotic to combat the infection.
It was a terrifying ordeal! Without this enigmatic game system that had appeared out of nowhere, he would have been dead long ago!
