I didn't have much interaction with that boy, and his death, rather than making me feel sad, left me with a psychological shock.
The sudden event caught all of us off guard.
This was completely different from being bitten to death by a walker.
For example, with the death of Wai Zui, before going out, we all more or less had the thought that someone might not come back, it was a mental hint.
But Zhao Qiuting's sudden madness happened in just that one moment.
It took everyone completely by surprise, and there was no time for any psychological preparation.
"Do you think that female student might have been infected?"
Suddenly, Mei Jing appeared, and her unexpected question left everyone in a daze.
I noticed that after she said this, everyone who had been standing next to me quietly moved away, not saying a word.
The wound on my arm had only been simply bandaged, and now, waves of pain were hitting me.
I bit my lip and endured it.
If a single bite can cause this much pain, what kind of extreme suffering did those who had their organs ripped out alive, or were skinned and eaten, experience before they died?
"That girl wasn't bitten. How could she have been infected?" Shu Guang spoke up from the side.
"That doesn't mean she wasn't infected. Who knows if the virus has suddenly mutated?"
Mei Jing said, her face emotionless as she looked at him.
Shu Guang frowned and looked back at Mei Jing.
"Isn't that a bit ridiculous? There's no evidence to support that."
"Ridiculous?" Mei Jing sneered.
"Is there anything normal happening now? Isn't it ridiculous that a horde of walkers will come and kill us in a few days? Isn't it ridiculous that people can be bitten to death by others? Isn't it ridiculous that dead people can rise and bite after rotting? In this absurd world, nothing can be considered ridiculous anymore."
I stood to the side, my eyes fixed on Mei Jing.
Her pale, gentle face had long lost the quiet and timid expression it once had.
Looking at her face, a fierce thought flashed through my mind— I should have let this bitch die in that room back then!
What have I done that's so unforgivable for her to treat me this way?
A sudden flash of Suo Tian's face appeared in my mind, and I realized I hadn't seen him.
I quickly scanned the crowd, searching for his figure, but I couldn't find him.
"Mei Jing, what are you talking about? Did Chen Yang offend you? Why are you pressuring him so much?" Shen Xue, who was quick-tempered, couldn't help but get a little flustered after seeing the current situation.
Mei Jing glanced at her, tugged at the corner of her mouth, and said, "I'm just expressing my thoughts. After all, we moved here to ensure everyone's safety. Now, with this uncertain factor, for everyone's safety, I have to bring it up. What if…"
Mei Jing's gaze shifted to me. "What if Chen Yang turns into like that little girl, suddenly going mad and killing one or a few people? What would we do then?"
"My sister wouldn't do that." Yangyang, who hadn't spoken before, now spoke with a slightly gritted tone.
"Wouldn't? Can you guarantee that? Or can any of you keep an eye on her 24/7 to make sure she doesn't hurt anyone or suddenly go insane?"
"What's wrong with you, Mei Jing?" Shen Feng also looked displeased.
"I think Miss Song's point is valid," said Li Jianguo, who had been silent until now.
"We are so many people here, we absolutely cannot take any risks."
"Otherwise, let's do it this way. Miss Chen will stay in the room to rest for a while," Li Jianguo said as soon as he finished speaking.
Shen Xue immediately screamed, "Are you saying we should lock Chen Yang up?!"
Sister Sun, standing next to Li Jianguo, looked at Shen Xue with a worried expression and said, "Sister, don't worry. Sis Chen's injury is serious, and she definitely needs rest. To make everyone feel at ease, and for her own peace of mind, she should stay for two days."
Sister Sun's words were cleverly phrased, skillfully avoiding the most sensitive point of the issue.
Since it had already been said like this, I couldn't be bothered to argue any further.
"Sister Sun is right. I do need to rest for a few days."
"Big sis!" Yangyang still wanted to say something.
"Yangyang!" I called out to him, signaling him to stop.
"Song Meijing!" Yangyang didn't listen to me and shouted at Mei Jing angrily instead.
"Since you're talking about the virus mutating and all, if that's what you're insisting on, then any of us could be infected! According to your logic, does that mean everyone should be locked up?"
"The only one who was bitten is Chen Yang," she responded quickly and naturally, as if it was no big deal, just like saying 'good morning.'
"Isn't that a bit far-fetched?" Yangyang glared at Mei Jing with anger.
Honestly, right now, I really want to grab Mei Jing by the hair and beat her to a pulp!
Damn woman! Is there anything more ungrateful than her?
The saddest thing about humanity lies here:
Jealousy and hatred combine, stirring the deepest malice within.
And Song Meijing is exactly the person surrounded by jealousy and inexplicable hatred.
"Alright, alright, don't get involved in the adults' business, kid. Your sister agreed herself, so stop causing a scene. Letting Chen Yang stay in the room for two days is safer than running around, right?" Sister Sun stepped in to calm Yangyang.
......
For the sake of everyone's "safety," I was taken to an empty classroom in another building, and my belongings were also brought to me.
Zhao Qiuting was also locked in this building, but she was on the top floor, behind an iron door.
I couldn't help but laugh a little.
They still had a level of risk assessment, even for us "potentially infected" people, as they had us separated and classified.
With a "since I'm here, I might as well make the best of it" attitude, I endured the pain in my wrist and pushed the desks together in the classroom, laid out the blankets, and climbed in to lie down, ready to get some rest.
But no matter how much I tossed and turned, I just couldn't fall asleep.
Feeling quite restless, I flipped around for a few more minutes, unable to stand it anymore, and simply wrapped myself in the blanket and sat up.
Outside the window, I could faintly hear voices and laughter, which made the quiet in the room even more pronounced.
I sighed, pulling my arm out from under the blanket.
No matter what I did, I wouldn't be able to affect anyone else's life.
I rolled up the sleeves of my sweater. The bandages wrapped around my arm were almost completely soaked through.
They were very red.
I stared at the bandages for a while and suddenly remembered—didn't Shu Guang forget to disinfect the wound?
Being alone was really boring, especially when there was nothing to do, making time feel even harder to pass.
Dinner was brought to me by Yangyang and a few others.
When they saw me wrapped in a blanket with messy hair, they all shook their heads and sighed.
Their unanimous reactions made me a bit unhappy, and I shouted, "Hey, hey, hey, what's wrong with you all? Are you deliberately trying to annoy me?"
Jun Di clicked his tongue and said, "Sis Chen Yang, look at your image..."
I rolled my eyes at him and purposely spoke in an exaggerated tone, "What? What's wrong with my image? It's got so much character, right?"
Lili, who was being supported by Wang Jun, chuckled and said, "Chen Yang, look at you. We were all worried you were upset, so we came to check on you, and here you are, looking all sharp—doesn't seem like there's anything wrong at all."
"Alright, alright, Chen Yang, just eat your food before it gets cold," Shen Xue said, handing me several plastic containers, which I didn't know were filled with what.
I took the containers and opened one.
It was porridge, still steaming.
I took a sip and then looked up, asking, "What about Mei Jing? How did she react after I came in?"
Shen Xue curled her lips and said, "What reaction could she have? She's been with Li Jianguo and his group. Li Jiaqiang's eyes were practically glued to her, that damn woman. Just looking at her makes me angry!"
"I never liked her when she first came to our house. After spending some time with her, I thought she was okay, and I started to warm up to her, but then she pulled this stunt," Yangyang said, his voice filled with resentment.
"However..." Yin Shangtang chimed in, "I think she might have a point. What if that girl got infected for some reason?"
"How is that possible? That girl was perfectly fine—when have you ever seen a living person get infected directly?" Jun Di rebutted.
"Not seeing it doesn't mean it doesn't exist," Yin Shangtang said.
"I think we're all limited by the movies we've seen in the past. Just because it's not in those films doesn't mean it can't happen now. We're living in the real world, where there are no directors or screenwriters limiting the storyline of a living person getting infected."
Yin Shangtang's words quickly silenced the room.
Everyone's expressions turned somewhat grim.
What if Yin Shangtang's speculation was true? What if that girl really was infected?
Then I...
Would have been infected too.
And what does being infected mean?
They had been struggling to survive in this apocalyptic world for months and were well aware of the consequences.
After a brief silence, Yangyang took a deep breath and said, "Sis, don't worry. This kind of thing is impossible. It's never been reported in the news. Your wound will heal soon."
He glanced at my arm and said, "It might leave a scar, but it won't change the fact that you're a beauty."
"Of course, your sister is naturally beautiful. No small scar could erase that," I said, trying to make light of it.
But in reality, my heart felt heavy.
After what Yin Shangtang said, I wasn't even sure myself what this wound really meant.
This world is no longer the one we knew, and whether a virus could directly infect the living, none of us knew.
I used to mock the experts online who tried to explain certain situations, laughing at them for saying unnecessary and redundant things.
But now, if there were someone who could stand up and assure everyone that the virus wouldn't infect the living, I would undoubtedly believe them without hesitation.
I scanned the group, suddenly realizing that Suo Tian wasn't there.
It seemed I hadn't seen him all day.
"Where's Suo Tian? Why isn't he here with you?"
As soon as I asked, their already grim faces became even more unpleasant.
They stammered, but no one answered my question.
I eyed them suspiciously and asked, "What's going on? Where is Suo Tian?"
"Brother Tian went out." Yangyang rubbed his nose, a subconscious gesture he always made when lying.
My heart sank. "It's almost dark. What did he go out for?"
Yangyang didn't respond, his eyes darting to the others for help.
"I think he said he was going out to find something to bring back. I wasn't really paying attention at the time," Lili said with a smile.