One couldn't help but admire Chen Xu's foresight.

I kept sniffing the delicious meat scent in the air, roaring non-stop. This time, my craving for meat was stronger than ever before.

Everything in front of me was covered with a layer of blood red, my conscious self started to disperse, and finally fell into a deep sleep.

Such a delicious meat scent.

I'm so hungry, really hungry.

...

Huh? Where did the sweet juice come from?

When I regained consciousness, I saw Chen Xu staring at me warily, holding his arm.

As I was about to sit up, I suddenly noticed that there were several more bundles of ropes on me.

I gazed at Chen Xu's injured arm and asked softly, "What happened during the day?"

"Don't you remember what happened during the day?" Chen Xu frowned and continued, "Your strength suddenly increased a lot today. The mouthpiece that was still useful yesterday was bitten off by you forcefully. Your whole body turned red and you kept struggling."

"My arm... accidentally got hooked and blood dripped into your mouth, then you slowly calmed down," Chen Xu said with a serious expression.

So, the sweet juice was actually Chen Xu's blood?

I had some difficulty accepting myself in this way.

On the bright white tiles, there were broken equipment stands. The neatly organized equipment was scattered all over the floor. I looked at Chen Xu's somewhat tired face again.

I don't know how much effort he spent retying me.

"Chen Xu, let me go outside."

"I don't know what I will become tomorrow when I wake up. Let me go out, don’t let me endanger you," I said.

Chen Xu pressed his temples and said coldly, "No."

"Why not? Staying with you will only put you in constant danger. Besides, I am already a zombie, it will be safer for you if I go out," I insisted.

"Safer my ass!" Chen Xu suddenly raised his voice, "Military personnel are already clearing the zombies outside, and there were gunshots all day long. Stay here and don't think about going anywhere."

After speaking, he got up and sat on the sofa in the living room.

Suddenly, the sound of a large truck's engine resounded on the street, accompanied by the broadcast from the loudspeaker.

"Attention all residents, attention all residents."

"Unbitten residents, please come to the red truck at the end of the street under the premise of safety. After inspection, we will take you to a safe zone to reside temporarily."

I looked down at my bitten arm, it was clean and new, without a single scar.

Surprised, I looked up at Chen Xu.

"Chen Xu, my wound is gone," I said.

He walked over to me, opened my mouth with a flashlight, and inspected my arm carefully, indeed there was no trace of being bitten.

And the scratches on his arm had just scabbed over.

We exchanged a glance, and both saw panic in each other's eyes.

If someone who had been bitten was to be executed, many mutants would likely take advantage of the situation. Once it spreads to other safe areas, the consequences will be unimaginable.

Chen Xu immediately took out his phone and tried to call the police. However, no matter how many times he dialed, he only heard a busy tone.

The only consolation was that there was a safe zone in a suburban town in this city. And the whole city was already under lockdown.

All kinds of rumors were flying all over the internet.

After glancing at a few of them, Chen Xu put away his phone, and seeing me lost in thought, suddenly held my hands.

"Don't worry, we'll face this together."

Hope, or death, no one could be sure.

I spent that night in a daze, as dawn approached, my body felt increasingly hot. It was like someone was holding a torch to the soles of my feet, my mouth as dry as fire.

Chen Xu had gone to another room, and before leaving, he locked the door of the clinic, where he could monitor my condition through surveillance.

The sun finally rose, but this time I didn't lose consciousness immediately.

I lay on the dental treatment chair, listening to the gradually noisy street outside, and my heart started to feel restless.

Screams, horns, gunshots, roars...

My bones itched, and a voice in my mind kept urging me:

Break the rope.

Break the door.

Go to where there are people and eat them.

So thirsty, so hungry.

I began to struggle to break free of the ropes that bound me, contorting my limbs into strange positions, but the hemp rope still clung to my body like a shadow.

No! Can't be controlled!

After regaining consciousness, I slumped in the chair. But the next moment, I started to struggle again.

What does it feel like to fight against instinct?

Probably like fighting off drowsiness during a math class in school in the afternoon; vacillating between procrastination and self-discipline during holidays; vacillating between effort and luck in everything you do.

Every time, I succumbed to my own humanity, my laziness. Maybe this time, it should end like this.

Just go to sleep, I'm really tired.

But...

I thought of my parents still at home; thought of the year-end travel plans with friends; thought... of Chen Xu next door.

Like being pulled ashore in the last moments of drowning, I stared, gasping for breath. The heat in my body gradually subsided, leaving only a pounding headache.

I looked at the wall clock.

.

I regained human consciousness.

The street outside had returned to quiet, but this daytime quietness inevitably carried a heavy atmosphere of death.

I jumped off the chair and bounced in front of the monitor. Chen Xu appeared outside the door shortly after, anxiously watching me.

"Chen Xu, I think... I can control myself now."