Chapter Thirty-Five: The Second Wave of the Undead

Military Bloaters, aside from being able to self-destruct like the Fat Zombies, are also the only zombies in Seven Days to Die that possess ranged attacks.

When this particular Military Bloater landed beside Qin Fei, it didn’t rush forward to attack. Instead, it stood in place, its belly swelling, emitting the retching sounds humans make when about to vomit.

At this moment, the Military Bloater’s stomach was swelling and contracting rhythmically, reminiscent of a beating heart.

It was clear that acidic bile would soon spew from its gut.

Qin Fei instantly donned the scrap iron armor from his backpack and bolted from the workshop.

The thick, yellow-green fluid spewed from the Military Bloater’s belly as Qin Fei fled, splattering across his back.

This yellow-green liquid was corrosive.

Where it touched Qin Fei’s armor, the leather was instantly charred black.

The corrosive power of the fluid wasn’t particularly strong—it couldn’t even damage the iron armor. But the worst part was its overwhelming stench.

Never in his life had Qin Fei encountered such a foul odor.

Once outside the workshop, he could endure no longer and vomited up everything he’d eaten.

Meanwhile, nearly all the zombies inside the workshop, previously dormant, had been roused by the Military Bloater’s commotion.

The workshop was now filled with the shuffling footsteps of zombies.

But as it was daytime, the zombies couldn’t run, so none could catch up to Qin Fei.

Even though he’d escaped outside the Shanwei Food Factory, the acidic bile still clung to his armor, releasing an unbearable stench.

The acid was truly nauseating.

Qin Fei was still fighting the urge to retch.

Once out of danger, he felt a burning pain at the back of his neck—a searing, fiery sensation, as if his skin were being roasted.

He guessed the acid had splashed onto the nape of his neck.

A system prompt appeared:

[Mild Infection 2%: You have a mild infection. Unless you use antibiotics, the condition will worsen over time.]

[Being attacked by zombies or animals will worsen the infection.]

Damn!

He was infected?

Qin Fei’s heart raced with anxiety.

The infection value continued to climb, starting at 2%, increasing by about 0.1% every half minute.

In Seven Days to Die, after being attacked by a zombie, there’s a chance of becoming infected by the zombie virus.

If antibiotics aren’t taken promptly, the infection progresses, eventually turning the body into a zombie.

The longer the infection lasts, the more severe the zombification, and the harder it becomes to cure.

Qin Fei needed to return to Baishui River Camp and take antibiotics as soon as possible.

He quickly stripped off his iron armor and stowed it in his backpack.

Then he took out a bottle of drinking water and rinsed the wound on the back of his neck.

Once finished, he set off for Baishui River Camp.

With the armor packed away and some time spent on the road, the stench had faded significantly by the time he returned to camp.

Otherwise, the smell alone might have barred him from entry.

Fortunately, in the world of Seven Days to Die, curing the zombie virus isn’t difficult.

So although Qin Fei was infected, he wasn’t ostracized as in some movies.

Upon returning, he immediately took an antibiotic.

Of course, basic quarantine measures were still required. After cleaning his wound, Qin Fei was confined to a room by the others.

Not everyone who contracts the virus recovers—some people have natural resistance that renders antibiotics ineffective. So even after taking the medication, Qin Fei had to be isolated for a while.

It was easy to tell if the antibiotic was working. The zombie virus acts swiftly; if not cured, the infected person would begin to show signs of zombification within a day, their skin turning a bluish-gray.

If that happened, the camp would eliminate him immediately.

Qin Fei, however, had no such worries.

After taking the antibiotic, his status on the system interface changed:

[Treated Mild Infection 7.5%: Your mild infection has been treated. Under continued effect of the medicine, your infection will gradually disappear.]

The infection percentage was steadily decreasing.

The camp provided free medication for infected members, but unless you were on the brink of starvation, food was never given for free.

Luckily, Qin Fei had brought back plenty of canned hamburgers from the Shanwei Food Factory, so he wouldn’t go hungry.

After spending a night in confinement, Qin Fei was finally released.

Today marked the fourteenth day since his arrival in this world.

In other words, today was the day of the second Blood Moon.

This Blood Moon would be far more difficult than the last—not only would there be a massive increase in the number of zombies attacking the camp, but there might also be mutated zombies among them.

All day, Qin Fei and nearly everyone in the camp worked to reinforce the perimeter defenses.

They patched the walls with cement, nailed iron sheets to the outer walls, and placed wooden chevaux-de-frise outside the camp. Qin Fei even saw a row of iron chevaux-de-frise made from scrap metal.

Iron chevaux-de-frise served the same purpose as the wooden ones—to slow down the zombies. But in terms of durability and strength, iron was far superior.

They also strung wire mesh around the walls. This could scratch zombies, though such wounds meant little to the undead. Still, the wire mesh would slow them as they pushed through, making them easier targets for those defending the walls with ranged weapons.

In addition, the camp doctor had managed to acquire a weapon resembling a machine gun.

It was called a Junk Turret, loaded with ammunition made from scrap metal.

Because this ammo was easy to produce, Junk Turrets were very popular in the Navigan region.

The turret didn’t require electricity or diesel; winding a spring by hand was enough to power it.

However, due to its weight, it couldn’t be carried around and was usually set up inside the base for defending against zombie hordes.

Night fell.

Under the Blood Moon, the sky glowed a deep crimson, punctuated by rolling thunder.

Qin Fei and the others took up their positions atop the four walls, just as they had during the last Blood Moon.

Before long, it was ten o’clock at night.

A spine-chilling screech, like that of a spider, echoed from not far from the camp.

In the darkness, countless figures surged from all directions, flooding toward Baishui River Camp.

The zombie horde had arrived.