The glucose bag was thin and filled to the brim. The moment I cut it open, some of it spilled out, but right then, I didn't have
the mind to worry about such a tiny
loss. The fact that I was still alive was the greatest stroke of luck I could ask for.
I lapped up the glucose solution like a thirsty beast. Once I felt my body starting to recover, I opened the ham sausage and instant noodles and
chewed them dry,
washing them down with the glucose solution until I had finally filled my stomach.
With a sigh, I took out my lighter and flicked the wheel.
"Fwish... fwish... fwish!"
It took three tries to get it to light. My fingers were weak; this must have been a side effect of that state. No... I
must have used up too much energy while in that state.
As I thought about it, I looked down—and nearly jumped out of my skin. More than twenty corpses lay around the landing on the sixth floor,
their bodies charred black, stretching from the landing all the way to the Iron Gate on the sixth floor. The entire flight of stairs was covered in blackened
corpses. What made cold sweat break out all over me
was the one whose hand was almost resting on my shoe!
"That was close... just a little closer, and I would've died here!"
After all... I didn't know if I was immune to the Zombie virus. Even if I'd survived, that didn't mean I was immune.
Once I'd recovered a little strength, I pulled out a Changbai Mountain cigarette and shook one free. After lighting it, I put out the lighter. In the dark
stairwell, the only light came from the orange flame of my cigarette.
Leaning against the cold wall, I drew a mouthful of choking smoke into my lungs, then slowly breathed it out. I felt like I'd regained
quite a bit of strength. This body really did have its advantages. At least, compared to before... if I'd been my old self, that situation just now would've meant a death
sentence.
But then again, if I'd been my old self, I would've thought of another way instead of fighting head-on.
The orange glow slowly lit up the stairwell, letting me make out a little of what lay below. After thinking it over, I struggled to get to my feet and put on my backpack.
I ignored the trash bags and the like. Holding onto the white steel handrail, I slowly made my way down. The stairs were covered in corpses, and stepping on them made
"Crack... squelch..." sounds. They were disgusting, but I could only endure the revulsion and walk down over the pile of corpses!
Just as I reached the middle of the stairs, suddenly—
"Graaah..."
A strange cry rang out, and something grabbed my foot!!
There was still one alive!!!
I'd let my guard down!!!
My strength hadn't fully recovered, and the corpses underfoot made my balance unsteady. I lost my footing in an instant!
"Ugh!" The world spun around me. Luckily, my backpack and the corpses on the ground cushioned my fall; otherwise, I would've been badly hurt. At the
same time, I could clearly feel the hand still gripping my calf!!
It had rolled down with me!!
My head was still muddled, and the Zombie lunged at me!
"Ah!!!"
I raised my arms and braced against the Zombie's body. A foul stench rushed straight into my nose. In the darkness, by the faint moonlight, I saw a Zombie with half its face
missing and its entire eyeball exposed, its face completely stripped of skin. It stared at me with a charred expression, and the blood-red eye made
me shudder!
"Gah! Gah! Gah!"
The Zombie opened its mouth and tried frantically to bite me. Its huge mouth had torn its cheeks wide open, splitting its whole face apart. It could have fit two
fists inside!!
"Die!!"
In an instant, I jolted and instinctively drew the military knife at my waist. I braced the Zombie's neck with my left hand and drove the knife upward through its chin
with my right!
"Squish!"
Black blood trickled slowly down the knife. The Zombie on top of me spasmed a few times, then stopped moving.
"Ugh!!"
I shoved the thoroughly dead Zombie aside. I was almost out of strength, but I still didn't want its
blood getting on me. I had no idea if getting those disgusting fluids on my skin could infect me with the virus or something.
"Ha! Ha! Ha!"
I gasped for breath. My strength still hadn't fully recovered, and now I'd used up most of what I had left. I could only lie on my cold
backpack and rest.
After a while, I finally managed to brace myself against the ground and slowly stand up.
"Ha... I... I let my guard down." My breathing was still unsteady, but I didn't want to stay here another second. Even though those Zombies were all dead,
I couldn't check each one of them to be sure...
I had to admit, I was scared. But who wouldn't be, facing things like these?
I'd fallen down the stairs, and now I was outside the Iron Gate on the sixth floor. When I saw the gate clearly, my brow furrowed
tightly...
"The gate's open!"
I instinctively took the military knife in my hand. It gave me a little sense of security in the darkness, even though I barely had the strength left to swing it.
Just as I thought... they'd escaped.
"That **!!"
I cursed angrily, but that wouldn't solve anything. It only let me vent a little. I looked around. There were hardly any patient rooms on this floor.
The signs above each door bore the numbers of different laboratories.
Directly opposite the Iron Gate, though, was a lounge. It looked like a place for the staff to rest.
Through the lounge's glass, I could see beds and some everyday supplies inside. There was even a television, though in a world without electricity,
it was worth less than junk.
I closed the Iron Gate behind me. I needed to rest... I didn't want to be eaten by a Zombie in my sleep because I'd let my guard down.
Closing the gate was just a precaution. The Zombies in the stairwell had all been taken care of, but an extra layer of security would help put my mind at ease.
Goal! Home!
I pushed open the lounge door. The bed was a mess, and the room smelled musty. It looked like the mother and daughter had spent those
days here. One of the nearby laboratories had probably been used as a bathroom, right?
But... speaking of bathrooms, why hadn't I needed to go at all after eating so much? Out of habit, I brushed the hair beside my cheek
behind my ear.
But... sometimes just mentioning something was enough to bring it on.
The urge to pee really did come out of nowhere!
It was completely different from when I'd been a boy. As for how it was different... well, it just was!
What normal person would think of something so perverted, anyway!
But... thinking about it, this was the first time I'd used this body to go to the bathroom!
So awkward...
But... the urge came rushing in. I didn't know how to describe it. Anyway, it was very different from when I'd been male. The feeling didn't
seem to come from my little guy, but from my lower abdomen.
Ugh...
I had no choice. Gritting my teeth, I left my backpack in the lounge, turned around, and looked both ways before entering a laboratory. I didn't just fling the door open. Even
though I could barely hold it in, I was still extremely cautious!
I gently knocked on the laboratory door.
"Knock, knock..."
There was no sound, but I knocked three more times anyway, a little louder this time.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
There didn't seem to be any danger...
I let out a breath, pushed the door open, and went inside. Even though taking care of business in the empty laboratory felt awkward, in a place like this, what could I even ask for...
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