Knife Wound

Zhou Zhi felt a slight sense of familiarity with the building before him.

To a certain extent, it resembled a hospital from his past life.

The exterior was grim, but it was even worse at this moment.

On one side came the bizarre sounds from the communicator, and on the other lay the gray, decaying world inside the doors.

Yu Jinhai and his companion were no fools.

"You... go in and take a look!"

Yu Jinhai commanded in a cold tone, "Hurry up!"

The person being ordered was none other than Zhou Zhi.

So, he hasn't even let me finish two bites of the pie he promised before starting this, has he?

Zhou Zhi felt somewhat helpless; there was no room for refusal.

If he did not move, Yu Jinhai would likely cut him down without a moment's hesitation.

Clutching the urn, Zhou Zhi walked up the steps one by one.

Then, he squeezed through the gap in the small hospital entrance and stepped inside.

There was little difference between the exterior and the interior.

Zhou Zhi narrowed his eyes, sensing the dimness within.

There was also an exceptionally heavy scent of disinfectant, like formaldehyde...

"It's even somewhat pungent."

Clearly, this was not normal, but Zhou Zhi kept his gaze fixed straight ahead.

Broken tables and chairs lay scattered across the floor in disarray.

They served as a testament to the fact that this place had once been a hospital reception hall.

Yu Jinhai stood outside the door, observing Zhou Zhi's situation.

Zhou Zhi's eyes flickered.

There were no corpses on the ground.

It was even somewhat clean; the peeling wall paint seemed to have been artificially swept into the corners.

"It doesn't seem like there's any problem."

Zhou Zhi took two steps forward, where a circular staircase led to the second floor.

Further away stood an elevator with a strange design.

As expected, the technological level of this world was not as poor as he had thought.

Seeing that Zhou Zhi was unharmed, Yu Jinhai stepped inside as well.

After emitting a burst of static, Lin Rui's communicator fell silent once more.

"Yu Jinhai, be careful. It seems there's something strange here."

Lin Rui whispered, "As for the captain's side..."

Yu Jinhai nodded.

In a world of plague, anything could happen.

The interior of the hospital was quiet to the extreme.

"This place should fall under the jurisdiction of that [Plague Exterminator]. Why is it in this state? There are no corpses, but there are no infected creatures either."

Zhou Zhi observed the corners.

There were several possibilities, the most likely being that the Plague Exterminator had perished along with the monsters.

However, Yu Jinhai seemed to have full confidence in that Plague Exterminator.

Zhou Zhi's gaze swept across a corner of the wall.

[Simple Bandage].

[Possesses basic effects for stopping bleeding, reducing infection, and protecting wounds.]

[Can reduce the infection index to a certain extent.]

[The effect of this item isn't that great, but it's at least somewhat useful.]

Wrapped in messy strips of cloth, it stood out among a large pile of discarded, used bandages like a holy lotus flower.

This thing is somewhat useful.

Thinking this, Zhou Zhi picked it up.

Lei Heng and the others were not exactly stupid.

The hospital was a mysterious place to them, and there might be more useful supplies hidden within.

Seeing Zhou Zhi's actions, Lei Heng began to follow suit.

However, Zhou Zhi glanced at what Lei Heng had picked up.

"[Useless Bandage]."

"[Worn-out Syringe]."

"..."

Lei Heng had even managed to procure a metal crutch from somewhere, gripping it in his hand.

Under normal circumstances, Yu Jinhai would have laughed, but now, he did not.

He took two steps down the stairs.

An abnormal sensation welled up in his heart.

"Wait."

Yu Jinhai's expression shifted.

Thud.

Something fell from the ceiling of the first floor above.

It was fast.

Bang!

A metal chain, tethered to a dead person, plummeted from above.

It slammed directly into Xiao Nan, knocking him to the ground.

The corpse hung suspended in the air by the chain.

"Ahhhhhhh!!!"

"What is that!!"

Xiao Nan had not yet recovered his senses, his eyes locking with the corpse in front of him.

An inverted face.

It was white to an indescribable degree.

Its eyes were wide open, staring at the world just like that.

Yu Jinhai and Lin Rui both felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity; they exchanged a glance, certain that this feeling was not wrong.

The corpse hanging in the air showed no signs of disease, nor any reaction.

Yu Jinhai walked over, took one look, and his expression changed completely.

"It's... it's..."

"It's Zhu Xie!"

"Ah Xie... this is Ah Xie's epidemic prevention suit."

Lin Rui's pupils dilated, unable to believe it.

"It really is Ah Xie... wasn't he with the captain?"

"How could this..."

Heartbeat stopped.

No pupillary light reflex.

Pupils dilated.

No pulse.

Zhou Zhi was certain that this person had been dead for a long time.

A faint stench of decay already emanated from the body, making him want to open his urn and take a whiff of the fragrant Wood Taisui to refresh his spirits.

Xia Yu and Lei Heng dared not even breathe loudly.

The words of the two Plague Exterminators just now had revealed a great deal of information.

The gaunt boy hanging above was one of the five medical students who had come here for their internship with Yu Jinhai!

He had also been following the [Captain] they kept mentioning.

Clearly, for Lei Heng, Xia Yu, and the others who had always viewed the two Plague Exterminators, Yu Jinhai and Lin Rui, through rose-colored glasses, their sense of security plummeted in that instant.

The strength Yu Jinhai had displayed in previous battles had been truly convincing.

But the appearance of this corpse proved that even Plague Exterminators could die in this epidemic disaster!

And die in such a miserable fashion, at that.

Zhou Zhi had no such illusions.

If he compared them horizontally to his past life, these guys were just students to begin with; they were never as reliable as imagined.

And the initial information was [Corpse].

After Yu Jinhai called out the name, the information in Zhou Zhi's mind updated rapidly.

[Corpse of an unknown individual]

[Died from an epidemic pathogen].

[In life, he was an Apprentice Plague Exterminator who possessed spiritual power; his body retains a certain degree of spirituality].

[Before the infection, the body seems to have sustained even stranger wounds].

[As a talented individual, he was murdered out of jealousy].

Even stranger wounds?

Zhou Zhi's expression shifted.

Clearly, the current danger had already exceeded the level that Yu Jinhai and his companions could handle.

Zhou Zhi stepped forward, observing Zhu Xie's corpse.

On the inner side of the outer garment, there appeared to be a bloodstain.

"Get lost, don't touch him!"

Yu Jinhai barked sharply.

How could a piece of trash like this be allowed to touch his classmate?

Zhou Zhi didn't mind: "There seems to be a strange wound on him."

Lin Rui's eyes flickered.

She slowly approached.

The sorrowful expression had yet to fade from her face.

Her pupils constricted.

"What is it?"

Yu Jinhai noticed that Lin Rui's complexion had turned wrong.

Lin Rui turned back.

"Something isn't right."

"Yu Jinhai."

"You... had better take a look."

Yu Jinhai turned toward the corpse and slightly flipped back the inverted clothing.

"This is!"

A tiny wound, yet no blood flowed from it.

This was not an injury caused by a plague.

This was a blade wound.

A wound inflicted by a Plague-Slaying Blade.

Zhou Zhi toyed slightly with the scalpel in his pocket.

Now, this was getting interesting.

It seemed this journey was not merely a story of seeking help from a Plague Exterminator and then leveling up to fight monsters.

I originally wanted to update twice a day after signing the contract. I signed ten days ago, but then there was the ID card verification, and the review wouldn't pass at all. It finally passed yesterday, but today, during the online signing, because I changed my phone number and the number isn't registered to me, it still won't pass. Top-tier frustration.