C4 The Infected Zombies Were in Danger. He Was in Desperate Need of Medicine.

Tang Bing had rummaged through several rooms, amassing a hefty collection of painkillers, bandages, alcohol, and blood bags, yet the elusive antibiotics needed to treat his infection remained out of reach.

With the clock ticking down—only ninety minutes left before the corpse poison would take full effect—his anxiety was mounting.

Tang Bing Level 1: Experience 10/100

HP: 100/100 (Weakness persists for 11 more hours, with incoming damage doubled)

MP: 100/100 (Weakness persists for 11 more hours, combat power halved)

Satiety: 65/100

Hydration: 60/100

Status: Weakened from Severe Injury (A severe injury can lead to a weakened state, halving defense and combat power) and Mild Infection (You are infected with corpse poison. Time remaining until the onset of symptoms: 1 hour, 27 minutes, 36 seconds. Find antibiotics quickly to save your life!)

Beyond monitoring his own status bar, Tang Bing could mentally access a virtual backpack with a 100-slot capacity, opening or closing it with a mere thought.

Additionally, he could summon a city map, allocate skill points, and craft items, among other functions.

The city map, however, only displayed the hospital, with the surrounding area shrouded in uncharted darkness. Despite knowing the nearby buildings, this feature struck Tang Bing as peculiar.

The skill bar offered combat and support skills, both requiring level-ups and skill points for learning and enhancement.

Combat skills encompassed fist fighting, blunt weapons, bladed weapons, archery, and firearms.

Fist fighting, as implied, boosted combat effectiveness when unarmed; blunt weapons increased damage when wielding items like iron rods or hammers; bladed weapons enhanced the damage of edged weapons like knives, swords, axes, or spears; archery, of course, improved the force of bows and arrows; and firearms skills amplified damage dealt with guns.

Support skills included passive enhancements to personal attributes such as strength, agility, stamina, mental acuity, and endurance. Another category unlocked various crafting blueprints, like workbenches, smelting furnaces, steel production techniques, and technological advancements.

Crafting was categorized into tools, weapons, armor, furniture, cooking, building materials, and miscellaneous items.

The crafting menu was currently barren, with system prompts indicating the need for blueprints and the requisite equipment to proceed.

But Tang Bing's current priority was not crafting; he needed to find and consume antibiotics to eradicate the infection coursing through his veins.

"Nothing, still nothing... Where are the antibiotics?" He frantically searched each room's medical kit, not overlooking office desk drawers—except for the locked ones, which he left unturned.

Antibiotics proved exceedingly difficult to locate, absent from the numerous medicine cabinets he had scoured. It made sense, given they were the miracle cure that could fend off zombification.

System notification: Medical mask discovered!

System notification: Medical gloves discovered!

Amidst the plethora of medicines, Tang Bing stumbled upon two new items—both equipment.

[Medical Mask] Defense: +1, effectively filtering out most airborne contaminants.

[Medical Gloves] Defense: +1.

The hospital's disinfectant and the pungent stench of decay were nauseating. Without hesitation, Tang Bing tore open the medical mask's packaging and shielded his nose and mouth, instantly feeling relief.

The medical gloves, though offering a mere single point of defense, were better than none. He slipped them on and resumed his search.

Finding nothing in the current room, he moved to the adjacent one, only to discover the door was locked tight.

Desperate not to succumb to zombification, Tang Bing scanned the area and his eyes landed on the Fire axe mounted on the wall.

He grabbed the Fire axe with purpose.

System notification: Fire axe (Normal) acquired!

Fire axe (Normal) Attack Power: 8.

Disregarding the weapon's modest stats, Tang Bing wielded the axe back to the locked door and swung fiercely at the lock.

The wooden door, sturdy though it was, soon succumbed to the Fire axe's relentless assault, yielding a large hole.

With the Fire axe in his right hand, he reached through the breach with his left to unlock the door.

"Click!" The door swung open, and Tang Bing cautiously peered inside, ensuring no zombies lurked before stepping in.

"Roar~!" To his shock, a doctor in a white coat, previously unseen beneath the desk, staggered to his feet, rounded the desk, and lunged at him.

Tang Bing recoiled and instinctively brought the axe down in defense.

With a sickening "Puff!" the zombie doctor's head burst open like a watermelon, and his body thudded to the ground.

System notification: Zombie eliminated. You've earned 10 experience points!

System notification: You may now search the body for loot!

"Search the body?" Tang Bing glanced at the prompt, then back at the lifeless zombie sprawled before him, feeling a wave of nausea. Thankfully, he had medical gloves on. After a moment's hesitation, he steeled himself, crouched down, and began to rummage through the zombie's remains.

System notification: You've discovered cold medicine!

System notification: You've discovered sleeping pills!

System notification: You've discovered a white lab coat!

The cold medicine is effective when you're feeling under the weather. Sleeping pills can help combat the exhaustion that prevents sleep in this new, harsh world. As for the white lab coat, it offers a modest defense boost of +1, and wearing it enhances the effectiveness of any administered medicine by 10%.

Tang Bing stashed the cold medicine and sleeping pills in his virtual backpack. The white lab coat, with its single point of defense, was a definite upgrade from the hospital gown he was wearing, which, aside from a brief description, had no attributes at all.

He meticulously scanned every nook and cranny of the room for more zombies. Once satisfied it was clear, he donned the white coat and proceeded to search the medicine cabinet.

System notification: You've found antibiotics!

Persistence pays off. With the infection countdown at 1 hour and 5 minutes, he unearthed a blue capsule from the depths of the cabinet. Rationality aside, he popped the antibiotic into his mouth, and it dissolved instantly—no swallowing necessary.

System notification: Antibiotics administered. Primary infection cured!

Tang Bing checked his stats; now, he was only dealing with severe injuries and weakness.

"Is that it for the zombie toxin?" he muttered, a weight lifting from his chest as he exhaled deeply.

System notification: You've found antibiotics!

System notification: You've found a nutritional supplement!

He found another antibiotic and promptly secured it in his backpack. The nutritional supplement would boost his HP and satiety by 50 points each—a truly valuable find. Despite his hunger, Tang Bing decided to save it for later.

His mind then drifted to Qin Mengli. Why the sudden surge in zombies? Was it really the apocalypse? What had become of Mengli? Was she a zombie too, or was she hiding somewhere in the city, just like him?

But then, a pang of self-reproach hit him. She had clearly rejected him, choosing Zhang Tao over him. Why should he worry about her fate?

For four years he had pursued her, only to be met with this outcome. She had pushed him away completely; why degrade himself by clinging to her?

Tang Bing shook his head, trying to snap out of it. Her well-being was no longer his concern. Since she chose Zhang Tao, it was Zhang Tao's job to protect her.

He tried to convince himself, but the thought of Qin Mengyao's face shattered his resolve. The idea of her as a zombie or in danger of being devoured was too much to bear. Four years of companionship couldn't be dismissed, regardless of her feelings. Tang Bing had given her his all.

Regardless of the outcome, he didn't want her to come to harm. He needed to check on her, to know her status.

If she had turned, he could finally let go. If she was alive, he wanted to save her one last time, to show her who she could truly depend on.

And there was another motive: revenge against Zhang Tao, Zhao Dali, and Jiaang Hefei. If law and order had collapsed, then Zhang Tao's instigation of his near-fatal beating by Zhao Dali and Jiaang Hefei could not go unavenged.

Qin Mengli was likely still at the Bluestar Branch building. How could he reach her?

After a moment's thought, Tang Bing patted his pockets, remembering he had changed into the hospital gown. His phone and clothes must be back in the ward where he had awoken.

Armed with the fire axe, he cautiously left the room, checked the corridor for zombies, and made his way back to where he had first come to.

Inside the ward, he found his clothes, phone, and a handful of coins beneath the bedside cabinet.

His old casual shirt, suit pants, and sneakers each provided a defense boost of +1. Though worn and offering minimal protection, Tang Bing changed out of the hospital gown and back into his own clothes, layering the white coat on top and swapping the hospital slippers for his sneakers.

Dressed and ready, he grabbed his phone to check the time—battery at a precarious 30%.

He couldn't afford to waste time. Frantically, he scrolled through his contacts until he found Qin Mengli's name and dialed her number.

"Du du ~" The line was active, but no one picked up on the other end.

Could something have happened to her? Had she turned into a zombie?

With a heavy heart, Tang Bing pocketed his phone, grabbed the fire axe, and approached the window for a closer look.

As he feared, the streets were swarming with aimlessly wandering zombies, moving in packs. These creatures appeared clumsy, yet they could sprint with terrifying speed once they spotted prey.

They might not outrun a healthy person, but their relentless pursuit was unmatched by human endurance.

Considering his own frail condition and his hobbling gait, Tang Bing knew stepping outside would likely turn him into their next meal in no time.