Chapter 56 /Part 1

"It seems that there haven't been any living people or infected individuals here for a long time."

In the lobby of the hospital outpatient department, the floor tiles, once smooth as mirrors, were now covered with thick layers of dust. The ground was littered with dried bloodstains, barely visible, along with scattered pamphlets and various medical equipment.

Looking at this scene, one could imagine the chaos that must have ensued during the Cordyceps outbreak.

Corbett crouched down, running his fingers through the dust on the ground, rubbing it between his fingers. He surveyed the lobby, devoid of any footprints, and made his assessment.

Around him stood two dozen heavily armed soldiers, their guns aimed at the blind spots and corners, ready for any potential appearance of infected individuals.

One of the soldiers, a sergeant, stood behind Corbett and asked softly, "So, sir, what do we do next?"

"Hmm..."

Upon hearing the soldier's inquiry, Corbett slowly stood up, supporting his chin, pondering for a moment. He decided it was best to explore the area thoroughly before making any decisions.

"I just observed from outside. The outpatient department consists of the ground floor, minus one level, and the underground parking lot. Assign each person to a small team, with each team responsible for two levels. Remember to bring gas masks when entering the underground parking lot. We'll search every inch of this place."

"Yes, sir!"

Receiving the orders, the sergeant didn't hesitate, immediately turning to issue commands to the soldiers around him and assigning team leaders to each group.

In no time, eighteen soldiers, led by their respective team leaders, sprinted into the hallways on both sides. Soon, the echoing sound of boots on stairs filled the air as they quickly moved up and down.

After the three groups of soldiers had departed, the remaining soldiers in the outpatient department's lobby nodded at Corbett. "Let's begin the search. We need to ensure the safety here as soon as possible. We can't keep the people outside waiting for too long."

Then, leading this small team personally, they began a thorough search of every room and corner of the outpatient department lobby, not overlooking any possible hiding places for humans or infected individuals.

The lobby's area wasn't as spacious as the upper floors, and even a simple stroll around wouldn't take more than a few minutes. Even with the need to enter each room, the teams completed the search in less than half an hour.

In most of the consultation rooms, apart from the clutter on the floor, overturned chairs, and dust-covered surfaces, there was nothing unusual.

Only a few rooms had been blocked from the inside. After confirming that there were no people inside, the soldiers broke open the doors from the outside, finding mostly human corpses inside, starved to death as they hid from the infected individuals outside.

"No issues here. Let's go to the second floor."

Breaking open the last door of the room, Corbett stepped inside, observing the twisted bodies. After confirming there was nothing abnormal, they left the room and headed with the soldiers towards the second floor.

However, halfway there, Corbett seemed to remember something. He abruptly stopped, turning to look at the large doors at the end of the corridor, leading to other buildings.

Thinking for a moment, he pointed to the two remaining soldiers. "You two stay here and block all exits except the main entrance."

Then, with the remaining four soldiers, he entered the staircase, making their way to the second floor of the outpatient department.

Compared to the lobby downstairs, the second floor was even more chaotic. The interconnected corridors led to dozens of rooms, and the dozen or so hospital beds made the already narrow space even narrower. Some areas were so congested with debris that they had to climb over it.

Continuously pushing open the doors on either side of the corridor, Corbett briskly walked along the passageway, just as confident as he had been downstairs, not worried about any infected individuals suddenly appearing.

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