Chapter 18: The Zombie Virus

Su Xiaomu felt his reaction had been a bit excessive. He cleared his throat, "Ahem..." "Doesn't the book say that if you're bitten by a zombie, you turn into one?"

Zhang Yi pressed his lips together, glaring fiercely at Su Xiaomu. He then reached out, grabbed his wrist directly, and said, "Come with me!"

Su Xiaomu had no idea what this guy was losing it about now. First, he'd grabbed him by the collar, and now he was seizing his hand. "What are you doing?!" His hand felt like it was going to snap.

Zhang Yi didn't answer his question, just kept dragging him forward. They didn't stop until they reached a cell door.

"What's gotten into you?" Su Xiaomu immediately started rubbing his wrist the moment he was released. He looked closely—it was already bruised purple. Did this guy even think about...?

Zhang Yi pressed his lips together. "Go look..." he said, then unlocked the cell door and shoved Su Xiaomu inside.

"Fuck! Zhang Yi! You damn bastard!" Su Xiaomu swore loudly. Then came the sound of the door—Crunch—as it slammed shut behind him.

Su Xiaomu decided people from the future must all be mentally ill. Why else would they dump him in a place like this without a word? A sudden gust of wind rushed towards him—the young man jerked his head aside just as a fist slammed into the door where his head had been, making a loud thud.

Su Xiaomu sidestepped two paces to the right and finally got a clear look at his attacker. "You're crazy!" he stated bluntly.

Blood dripped steadily from Yan Qing's hand. "Even if I die, I'm taking you with me!" he snarled. If this brat hadn't attracted the zombies, Zhao Sheng wouldn't have gotten infected. And now, he himself was beyond saving.

Su Xiaomu deemed the man insane. He dodged to the side and yelled, "You dying is your own business! Don't drag me into it!" Life was tough after the apocalypse, but he wasn't suicidal yet.

Feeling the situation was disadvantageous, Su Xiaomu decided to try and calm the man first. Even though he was fast, facing a madman was beyond anyone's capability. "Actually," he said, trying to sound reasonable, "you could tell me why you think you're going to die?" The guy looked perfectly alert and healthy.

Yan Qing lifted his eyes and raised his arm, pointing to a mark. "See this? It's a zombie bite. I'll either turn into one soon or be killed first!" If it weren't for his captain, he'd probably be dead already.

Su Xiaomu used his keen vision to examine the mark on the arm closely. "Who says a bite means you turn?" he asked, while internally cursing Zhang Yi relentlessly. That despicable guy knew there was a zombie-bitten person in here and still threw him in?! Was he deliberately trying to get him killed?!

"Zhao Sheng got bitten and turned into a zombie! If it weren't for that..." Yan Qing's voice was thick with regret. People like Luo Jiahui were completely fine; they'd dodged the attack immediately.

Seeing Yan Qing's emotions seemed somewhat steadier, Su Xiaomu slowly explained, "Okay, then tell me, did Zhao Sheng's wound change color after he was bitten?" A purplish-blue bruise was a telltale sign. He found it strange that people 200 years in the future wouldn't know such basic information.

Yan Qing recalled cleaning the wound and nodded. "Yes, but we squeezed all the blood out."

"And how long have you been in here?" Su Xiaomu inquired. By this point, he had an idea. Thank goodness he'd been skeptical back then; otherwise, he'd know nothing about zombies.

Yan Qing looked coldly at Su Xiaomu. "Don't think you can distract me like this. Before I turn, I will kill you!" This useless rich kid shouldn't have any skills, yet his reaction speed during the attack had been surprisingly fast!

"Yes, yes, yes... you're the boss right now, okay?" Su Xiaomu rolled his eyes dramatically. Humans were selfish. When their own interests were threatened, anyone would kill without hesitation.

Seeing Yan Qing press his lips together and remain silent, Su Xiaomu continued calmly, "There's a difference between people who are scratched or bitten by zombies. If the wound is bright red, they won't turn. If it's purplish-blue, they will. It depends on how fast the zombie virus spreads. Usually, it takes about twenty-four hours to know for sure." He shared what he knew.

"People bitten before didn't turn," Yan Qing frowned. That's why they'd been so unprepared. Zhao Sheng turning into a zombie had been a complete shock.

"That's because you didn't observe the wounds..." Su Xiaomu sat down in a corner. "Just wait and see," he said, his dark eyes unnervingly bright.

Yan Qing's emotions stabilized. "Fine! But if you're wrong, it's your death sentence!"