81: Is Chapter 81 about to mutate?

The noise in the hallway vanished at that moment. Everyone was staring at Qin Qingru's arm. It was quiet for a few seconds, but it felt as long as several hours.

Qin Qingru looked down at her bitten arm. The expression on her face shifted from pain to bewilderment, then from bewilderment to fear, and finally, that fear solidified into calmness.

It was the kind of calmness one has when they realize they are about to die and there is nothing that can be done to save them. "I…"

She opened her mouth, her voice trembling uncontrollably, "Ningning, I've been bitten."

Xu Wanning kicked the zombie on the ground away and grabbed her arm. She carefully examined the depth and location of the wound, and her heart sank to the bottom.

The zombie had bitten her just above the wrist. The wound was deep; the teeth had pierced at least one centimeter in, and there was significant bleeding. The artery might have been affected. Even if she were to amputate immediately, it would be too late to stop the spread of the zombie virus.

She turned on the walkie-talkie, "Second Uncle, Second Aunt has been bitten by a zombie. I'm taking her back to the Safe Zone. You and Xu Yu come with me."

Her face betrayed no emotion, but her knuckles were white from gripping the walkie-talkie.

Her gaze swept past Qin Qingru's shoulder to the Tattooed Man, who was being pinned to the ground and beaten by Xu Yu.

Even though the Tattooed Man was being beaten, he showed neither fear nor despair. Instead, he was smiling, his lips curled upward, while his eyes were wide open, filled with a morbid sense of satisfaction.

"Satisfied?" Xu Wanning's voice was very low, low enough that only those in the corridor could hear.

The Tattooed Man didn't speak, the curve of his lips frozen in place.

The curly-haired woman was still sitting on the ground with her mouth agape. The arrogance she had displayed earlier was shattered, replaced by a belated sense of terror.

The woman holding the baby clutched the infant that Wen Shuyang had shoved back to her tightly, saying nothing.

The old woman's half-broken wooden pole had fallen to the ground at some point, making a final dull thud.

The old man who had been shouting the loudest earlier was trembling, his lips quivering as if he had only just realized the horror of The Apocalypse.

Footsteps came from upstairs, and before long, Xu Jingan and Xu Jingping ran down.

Xu Jingping grabbed Qin Qingru in a hug, "It's okay, it's okay. We're going back to the medical center; you'll be fine."

"Let's go. Grandpa Zhou can handle things here." Xu Wanning went out first and took out an off-road vehicle from her space. Xu Jingping carried Qin Qingru into the car, and Xu Jingan and Xu Yu quickly followed.

Xu Wanning glanced at the drops of Qin Qingru's blood on the floor. It was a dark red, blooming on the floor tiles, leaving behind a flower that shouldn't have bloomed there.

The off-road vehicle practically crashed through the gate of the Safe Zone. Xu Wanning slammed on the brakes, the tires screeching and leaving two black rubber marks on the concrete floor. Before the car had come to a complete stop, she pushed open the door and shouted to the backseat, "Carry her out, be careful with her arm."

Xu Jingping and Xu Yu supported Qin Qingru on both sides as they helped her out of the car. Her face was already deathly pale.

It had only been a 20-minute drive, but around her wound, a scalp-tingling grayish-green line had already emerged, creeping up along the veins of her forearm.

Once those grayish-green lines crawled to her heart, she would no longer be human.

With every inch those fine lines extended, Xu Jingan's breathing became more rapid. His head was covered in cold sweat, his eyes misty, unable to see anything.

He didn't cry or shout; he just bit his lower lip, the teeth marks so deep they were about to draw blood, with an occasional muffled groan escaping his throat.

Xu Wanning only took one look before looking away. In her previous life, she had seen such veins too many times. Most of those infected had mutated; only a very small number witnessed a miracle and awakened a Supernatural ability. She hoped Second Aunt would be that special one.

The base's medical center was located at the site of the former Central People's Hospital, with a national flag hanging at the entrance.

A young man in a white coat was squatting at the entrance organizing bandages. When he saw the car rush in, he froze for a moment, then reacted, dropping the bandages and running inside, shouting as he ran, "Sister Chen! Someone's injured! Someone's injured!"

The door to the medical center was pushed open violently from the inside. A woman wearing a mask walked out quickly. She had short hair, and the mask covered most of her face, leaving only her eyes visible.

She nodded when she saw Xu Wanning, then her gaze fell on Qin Qingru's arm, her pupils constricting sharply.

She strode over to the stretcher, lifted Qin Qingru's arm, took one look, and clicked her tongue.

The sound wasn't loud, but it made everyone's heart sink. "How long has it been?" she asked, her tone urgent yet calm.

"20 minutes, at most 25 minutes." Xu Wanning, Xu Jingping, and Xu Yu followed behind them as they moved inside. "Bitten on the middle of the left forearm. The bite force was strong, the wound depth is about one centimeter, and the artery is suspected to have been affected."

"Understood." Sister Chen turned and shouted inside, "Where is Old Qiao? Old Qiao, prepare Operating Room No. 2, clear it out. Turn on all the ultraviolet disinfection lights. Also, call Head Nurse Shen Ning and Song Yunqing over. Call them now."

Qin Qingru was carried into Operating Room No. 2. The windows were all sealed with blackout curtains. Four high-power ultraviolet disinfection lights hung from the ceiling. Oxygen tanks and an ECG monitor were piled in the corner, and several layers of bedding were spread on the hospital bed.

Qin Qingru was placed on the operating table. Her condition was even worse than it had been in the car. The grayish-green veins on her arm had already passed her elbow and were slowly advancing toward her shoulder. The skin where the veins had passed began to feel slightly feverish, reaching a full 40 degrees to the touch.

Her lips were starting to turn purple—not from lack of oxygen, but because the virus spreading through her blood vessels was killing cell after cell.

"Husband, Xiaoyu, Ningning." Qin Qingru turned her head. She squinted, finding their silhouettes in the blurry light and shadow. Her voice was very soft, "Am I going to mutate?"

Xu Wanning walked over and stood by the bed, her hands hanging by her sides. Her right hand subconsciously gripped the strap of the holster on her outer thigh as she looked down at Qin Qingru.

"Second Aunt, don't worry, you won't. Being bitten by a zombie doesn't mean it's over; there's still a chance to awaken a Supernatural ability. You must be the special one."

Xu Wanning's voice was calming, filled with a bit of certainty, "There are Light-type Ability Users and Healing Ability users here. You absolutely won't be in danger. Hang in there."

Just as she finished speaking, the door to the ward was pushed open, and two people entered. The one in front was not very tall and quite thin, wearing a white coat that had been washed until it was pale white. It was Head Nurse Shen Ning.

The one behind was Song Yunqing, whom they had just parted ways with that morning. Song Yunqing was stunned for a moment when she saw them, then looked nervously at the hospital bed, "Second Aunt, she…"

Sister Chen didn't give them any time to hesitate. She quickly cut open Qin Qingru's sleeve, revealing the arm that was already half-covered in grayish-green veins.

She turned to Head Nurse Shen Ning and said, "Within a 4.5-centimeter radius from the center of the wound, reaching a vascular layer at least 1.5 centimeters deep—can you do it?"

"I can." Head Nurse Shen Ning walked to the bedside and lowered her head. She hovered her right hand about 20 centimeters above the wound and closed her eyes.