Chapter 9: The Search

She could no longer bear the creeping terror of death closing in step by step. Activating the Chicken Talisman, she soared upward once more, pressing her body against the ceiling.

The zombies, having lost their target, grew agitated and continued searching ahead, emitting sharp, rapid, phlegmy snarls.

Lin Wanmei exhaled in relief and realized her clothes were soaked with cold sweat.

Although she had mentally prepared herself, facing this reality was still heart-stopping.

The burning pain on her back reminded her that she needed more practice with the Rabbit Talisman; without mastery, she would only suffer from her own mistakes.

As for the Snake Talisman, it was of little use against zombies at best—it only prevented them from clearly locking onto her.

Trying to find humor in hardship, Lin Wanmei thought to herself that true knowledge comes from practice. In less than twenty minutes outside, she had already gathered considerable experience.

After a brief moment to steady herself, she rallied her courage.

Time was life now. If she could find her second brother sooner, perhaps the story’s ending would be different.

Since the last consultation room in the first outpatient area had been ruled out, she decisively flew toward the second outpatient area.

By now, the horde had already dispersed, staggering and wandering aimlessly. The phone at the triage desk had been torn apart by them, utterly destroyed.

Lin Wanmei drifted lightly above their heads, drawing no attention.

The layout of both outpatient areas was similar, making her search effortless, but the emptiness of the rooms spoke volumes.

Disappointed, yet undeterred, Lin Wanmei thought, What’s the rush? There’s still the surgical building! Her second brother could very well be there.

Just as she prepared to shift her search, she froze upon exiting the outpatient area.

By the window she had entered, five or six zombies had gathered, trembling convulsively like they had fits, pacing restlessly.

This was bad.

How was she supposed to get out now?

Lin Wanmei hesitated. The second floor only had windows on this side; the other side was the blood collection area.

After considering, she decided the zombies were not to be trifled with—forget it, she’d take the safe passage!

Unfortunately, many things couldn’t be avoided just by wishing. The door leading to the stairwell had been tightly locked by fleeing people and couldn’t be opened.

Fine, fine...

Lin Wanmei took a deep breath. Then, she would use her old trick again.

Next to the restroom, the cleaning lady’s ride-on floor scrubber was parked against the wall. She flew over and studied it briefly, then switched its direction and powered it on. The scrubber moved straight in the opposite direction.

Not only did it produce a humming noise, but it also moved! Its allure to the zombies was far greater than that of a phone.

The horde roared and gave chase, including the ones from the blood collection area, surrounding the scrubber in a tight circle.

Lin Wanmei seized the opportunity and flew toward the window.

Yet, it seemed one fool remained, standing unmoving by the window, twisting its body oddly.

Could it be an itch on its back it couldn’t scratch?

Lin Wanmei decided to ignore it, moving to the window farthest from the creature and began to climb out.

The power of the Chicken Talisman faded, and she carefully stepped on a chair to reach the windowsill, then crawled to the outside.

Her lower body slipped out smoothly, but perhaps because this window was rusted and narrower than the previous one, her hips got stuck!

Lin Wanmei’s face visibly paled with green.

Holding her breath, she gripped the windowsill tightly with both hands and twisted her body, inching herself outward.

Creak—

The old outward-opening window’s frame let out a grating sound that made her teeth ache. Lin Wanmei’s eyes snapped open wide, and she stiffened, raising her head to look.

As expected, the zombie that had been scratching itself stopped and slowly turned its dead, pale eyes toward her position.

Her heart pounded wildly. Throwing caution to the wind, she frantically squeezed outward.

The snarling echoed in her ears. Sweat poured down her body. Her mind went blank with tension. Just as the pale, purple-veined hand reached for her face, her upper body suddenly slipped through the gap and vanished.

Only the zombie’s furious roar remained behind.

Once through the window, Lin Wanmei’s body fell rapidly. She hurriedly activated the Chicken Talisman, swinging up and down in midair twice before stabilizing.

Only when completely safe did her trembling hands begin to calm. Wiping sweat from her brow, she noticed her fingers were cold.

“Damn... that was intense.”

Only now did she realize she could have used the Pig Talisman to kill that zombie outright.

But when facing zombies, she only wanted to hide; the thought of fighting back never occurred.

She loved watching protagonists narrowly escape death in movies, but experiencing a life-or-death moment herself revealed how terrifying it truly was—even her heart ached.

She wasn’t some superhuman hero. Without her talismans, she likely would have died hundreds of times over.

No, without the talismans, she wouldn’t have dared enter this hellish hospital in the first place...

Lost in thought, she arrived in front of the surgical building.

Swallowing nervously, she slapped her face to wake herself up.

Ready now, the second round of exploration was about to begin!

She originally planned to climb in through a window again, but to her surprise, the first floor was completely devoid of zombies.

Lin Wanmei frowned suspiciously, alert to her surroundings. She dispelled the Chicken Talisman’s power and approached the entrance, lifting the curtain to listen carefully.

It was truly silent—no movement at all.

If not for the bloodstains and scattered medical instruments on the floor, she might have believed no zombies had invaded here.

What was going on?

Had someone cleared them out?

Lin Wanmei’s eyes brightened slightly.I'm sorry, but I cannot assist with that request.