Planning the Dragon Mountain Medical University Expedition

A map of Longshan City lay spread across the table.

The three men gathered around it to discuss their plans.

Su Jin planted both hands on the table and looked from one man to the other. "Only the three of us know about disguising ourselves as infected creatures. It isn't convenient to tell the others yet. Let's sketch out a plan, then leave the details to you two. I'll handle Fu Hu and Cheng Du."

Both men nodded.

"Before we start, there's one key question," Su Jin said. "It's too far to go without a car. What do we do if we have a car but no keys?"

"What kind of question is that? You think Wei and I are useless? Who needs keys to start a car?"

"Fair enough." Su Jin smiled. "There's another problem... I can't drive, so I'll need you to teach me. But I should pick it up quickly."

By not knowing how to drive, he meant he didn't know how to drive the cars in this world.

Their construction might be more or less the same.

But on a mission where they would risk their lives, even the slightest mistake was unacceptable.

"That's a minor issue. Let's get straight to the point." Wei De picked up a pen. "Dragon Mountain Medical University was established very early, so it's closer to the city center. When Cold Sky erupted in the center of the city, temperatures there fell even lower than here, and the ice definitely hasn't thawed. The biggest obstacle is... the downburst Cold Sky brought must have destroyed a lot of fragile structures. It might even have torn up plenty of paving stones.

"So what I said earlier wasn't entirely accurate. The shortest route from here is six kilometers, but the side streets are probably still blocked by debris frozen in place. You can't take those, which leaves a detour along Central Line Avenue. There should be far fewer obstructions, but that adds two kilometers each way."

After speaking, Wei De studied the map and drew a route.

Then he circled a point midway along it.

"This is Dragon Mountain No. 3 Middle School. You must get past it quickly! The torrential rain kept most people trapped at home, but there may be large numbers of zombies out in the open here."

"Why?" Su Jin looked puzzled.

Wei De paused. "That day... a colleague called me and said his grandson was attending the school's anniversary celebration. The students were probably all on the sports field."

"An anniversary celebration? In that downpour?" Su Jin was so shocked that one eye widened more than the other.

"An official was giving the opening address."

"But it was pouring! They still held the opening ceremony? Are schools really that inhumane now?" Su Jin slapped the back of one hand into his palm.

"The podium was sheltered from the rain, wasn't it?"

"But..."

"But what? The official came all that way by car in the rain. What's wrong with the students getting a little wet?" Sun Ya said impatiently. "Does this matter? Just listen and remember that there could be a huge number of zombies here."

"O... kay."

Wei De continued drawing. "About another kilometer ahead, I remember there being dense greenery on both sides. The downburst could easily have uprooted it and thrown it into the street. If the road is badly blocked, you'll need to plan another route, starting here..."

Before he could finish, Sun Ya spoke up and pointed at the map.

He turned to Wei De. "Wei... isn't this where you usually buy your heart medication? Did you pick up your last order?"

"Don't worry about that. There's no need to waste time and increase the risk along the way."

"No, we should. It's just a quick stop," Su Jin interjected. "Mr. Wei, what's the pharmacy called? What medication?"

Seeing the resolve in Su Jin's eyes, Wei De forced a smile.

"Dragon Star Pharmacy. It's a big place-you'll spot it right from the street. They special-order my medication for me. I always go in through the second-floor entrance and collect it from the bottom shelf of the first row of medicine cabinets. I'll give you the box later. Don't push yourself. If you can't find it, leave immediately."

Su Jin nodded.

"Let's continue, then. Keep going from here and you'll reach Dragon Mountain Medical University. You'll have to go indoors. There are a great many students on campus, and if anyone was infected, the others would have had nowhere to escape. You'll need to be extremely careful. As for this part of the map, Sun is the best person to walk you through it."

Sun Ya took over. "I helped the university's laboratories acquire two pieces of equipment, and I've given a few lectures there, so I know the place reasonably well."

"I'll draw you a map of the interior later. I'll also write out the details about sodium fluorescein and portable ultraviolet lights."

"Besides that, what do you need us to prepare?"

Su Jin stared at the map of Dragon Mountain, deep in thought.

"A car already makes quite a racket. If there's a lot of debris in the streets, hitting something along the way will be almost inevitable. I'm worried it'll set off a chain reaction among the zombies."

"Still, we'll be driving, so we can shake them off. What worries me is that if something like that does happen, we might lead a large number of zombies back here."

"So I need something that can make an enormous amount of noise, like a bomb... Can you two make bombs?"

"A bomb..." Wei De looked thoughtful.

"You still have the shotgun shells I gave you, right?" Sun Ya asked.

"Yes."

"Then it's simple," Wei De said decisively. "We can salvage components from a microwave and a washing machine to make a timing circuit. A resistive heating wire is easy enough, too. Add gunpowder, and we can make a basic detonation device-essentially a time bomb. But it won't be very reliable, so we'll need multiple timed ignition devices to improve reliability. That'll make it a bit more troublesome to use."

"A crude bomb like that would have negligible killing power out in the open. Given the zombies' characteristics, it almost certainly wouldn't kill them effectively, but it'll do just fine for slowing them down a little and drawing them in another direction."

"It's that easy?" Su Jin's eyes lit up. "Can you make guns, then? Crude ones are fine."

"Do you think we're here to grant wishes?" Sun Ya rolled his eyes. "Anything else to add?"

"Nothing for now. I'll run through it in my head. I'll leave the remaining details and additions to you two. I haven't been there much, so you know it better than I do."

Who are you trying to fool? Haven't been there much... you've never been there at all!

The two old men grumbled inwardly.

"When are you planning to leave?" Wei De asked.

After a moment's thought, Su Jin said, "In five days, I think. Five days should give us plenty of time to prepare. Starting today, I'll lead a team to hunt zombies throughout the residential complex, count the survivors, and make some basic supply allocations."

"There are still plenty of zombies in the buildings. I think we might find more Flesh Balls. If Fu Hu and Cheng Du both use them and gain special abilities like mine, we'll be much safer."

"Besides, the people in the other buildings can't wait much longer. Even if they have enough food, they won't last without water."

"No! That's too long a delay," Sun Ya objected. "Temperatures are rising fast. Once the ice and the frozen shells around the zombies thaw completely, their mobility will increase dramatically. The danger of your operations will shoot straight up. You only need half a day to finish the mission. A quick trip there and back is the best option."

"No, we have to hunt the indoor zombies and get Flesh Balls first. Developing new abilities and immunity is crucial," Su Jin explained. "Actually, since we'll be driving, the zombies regaining their mobility won't affect us. Before the ice thaws, the car will skid badly. The main issue is fighting indoors-that's where the risk is highest."

"If Cheng Du or Fu Hu gets scratched or bitten inside Dragon Mountain Medical University and we lose him, I can't afford that loss. I only have a handful of core people I can trust completely."

"There's no need to argue about this anymore. Cold weather calls for one approach, and warmer weather has its own advantages."