Doomsday: I Build a Space Fleet

Chapter 7 The Strange Pit

The two stood in a corner, adjusting to the darkness. While remaining vigilant, Ouyang Nian suddenly asked softly, "Why do you insist on exploring this dormitory building? Wouldn't it have been better to hide on the ship?"

Lorraine paused for a moment before replying, "Everything is too bizarre. On my way to find fuel, I saw bloodstains and signs of looting on the streets. The only time I saw a zombie was in the convenience store at a gas station. At that time, I noticed that the activity level of zombies during the day and at night was drastically different, but it's not like I shouldn't have encountered any at all."

Lorraine swallowed hard and continued, "This time, I only dared to come in and investigate because I was fairly certain there were no zombies in the building, and with a strong teammate like you, I was able to find out more. We can't just stay ashore forever just because we have a gunboat that can take us away from land, can we? Besides, water and food will eventually run out, so we'll have to come down and explore eventually."

Ouyang Nian turned around and patted Lorraine on the shoulder: "Let's go, I'm curious too. It's a promise, you can't aim at me." Then, she raised her shield and faced the stairwell.

A joke eased Luo Lin's tension. Looking at Ouyang Nian, who had her back to her, Luo Lin smiled, patted her on the shoulder, indicating that she could move forward, and then turned her attention to observing her surroundings.

The first floor mainly consisted of various functional rooms and a few dormitories. Looking at the broken doors lining the corridors, it was clear the place had been ransacked. After checking several rooms, no zombies were found.

Under Ouyang Nian's protection, Lorraine crouched down, touched the dust on the ground, and then squinted. In the dim light, he could see the room clearly: the floor was unusually clean, without a single footprint.

Lorraine stood up, rubbed her feet on the ground, looked at the thick layer of dust, and told Ouyang Nian her judgment.

"There haven't been any zombies here for a long time; the dust on the ground has piled up into a thick layer. Now, only the infirmary and restrooms haven't been checked. Let's check the infirmary first; hopefully, we can find some clues."

The two entered the infirmary and, after a thorough examination, found no signs of zombies or medical supplies. They then moved toward the restroom.

Before even entering the restroom, they were met with a foul stench. This immediately tensed them up again as they relaxed. They exchanged a glance in the darkness and decided to back away.

After moving a distance away from the bathroom, Ouyang Nian said, "This is clearly not a human smell. Things from before the disaster should have dried out long ago and wouldn't have any odor."

Lorraine asked, "Should we retreat first? There's still some sulfur left outside; we can add some to it later." Ouyang Nian nodded, facing the bathroom and remaining vigilant. The two slowly retreated backward to the dormitory building entrance.

Ouyang Nian kept a close eye on the direction of the restroom, while Luo Lin quickly returned carrying the sulfur. Afterwards, the two of them went back to the restroom entrance together.

Lorraine placed the sulfur at the bathroom door, raised his pistol, and inspected the area with Ouyang Nian. The two had barely turned into the bathroom when they were startled by the large hole in front of them. Holding their breath, they could faintly hear rustling sounds coming from inside the hole.

Lorraine gently patted Ouyang Nian's shoulder, pointed to the large hole in front of her, signaling her to be careful of the opening, and then quickly poured the sulfur from the doorway all over the area in front of the bathroom.

Immediately afterwards, he put the pistol back into its holster, adjusted the position of the shotgun so that it hung in front of his chest, allowing him to quickly hold and fire it, and then took out a Molotov cocktail from his pocket and nervously pressed the lighter.

By the dim light of the fire, the two quickly surveyed the underground area: it was a circular tunnel with smooth walls, and beneath their feet was a broken floor slab that led directly to the first floor.

As the sounds around him grew closer, Lorraine decisively lit the Molotov cocktail. Stimulated by the increased light, the roars of zombies echoed through the tunnel.

"Sure enough, the zombies that disappeared earlier were all hiding in the tunnel!" Without time to think further, Lorraine and Ouyang Nian decisively retreated. After moving a distance from the bathroom door, Lorraine threw the Molotov cocktail in her hand.

With a "bang," the Molotov cocktail ignited the sulfur on the ground. The zombies, already gathered at the cave entrance, rushed forward at the sight of the fire. But their shriveled bodies, almost completely dehydrated, were easily engulfed by the flames. Knowing that burning sulfur would produce toxic fumes, the two quickly retreated outside.

Soon, zombies burst out of the inferno, engulfed in flames, but quickly collapsed in the stairwell. As oxygen and flammable materials were consumed, the flames gradually weakened, and more and more zombies rushed out of the doorway, only to be tripped by the cables laid out earlier, falling down the stairs and igniting the surrounding sulfur with their own flames.

While keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings, Lorraine and Ouyang Nian retreated, maintaining a safe distance. As zombies continued to emerge from the inferno, Ouyang Nian, wielding a shovel and shield, used the zombies to his advantage, killing one by one the engulfed, heavily agitated zombies.

As more and more zombies rush into the inferno, the flames can only hold them back for a shorter and shorter time. Fortunately, passing through the inferno will still slow down the zombies' movement speed.

To conserve ammunition, Lorraine took the entrenching tool back from Ouyang Nian, while Ouyang Nian drew his short knife. Working together, the two killed numerous lame zombies engulfed in flames.

As the flames grew weaker, the zombies emerging from the dormitory building no longer carried flames, and their mobility was no longer affected. After expending more than 20 bullets, only a few scattered zombies remained.

Ouyang Nian picked up the entrenching tool again, told Luo Lin to keep watch on the surroundings, and went forward alone to kill the remaining zombies.

With no more moving zombies in sight, Lorraine was about to check the remaining ammunition in her pistol when suddenly a heavy roar rang out, followed by a dark figure darting out of the building!

Ouyang Nian, shield in hand, charged swiftly from the side towards the suddenly appearing zombie. Lorraine raised her shotgun, fired without even aiming, and the powerful recoil sent her staggering back two steps. Fortunately, the first shot hit, causing the rapidly moving zombie to abruptly halt.

Taking this opportunity, Ouyang Nian went up, raised his shield, and smashed the edge of it at the zombie, causing it to lose its balance. He then decisively swung his shovel at the zombie's head, but hit the zombie's shoulder instead. Using the force of the blow, the zombie landed on all fours and quickly scurried away.

"Danger! Don't chase!"