The Decaying Dream of America: I Assemble Corpses and Confront Madness

A chilling fear froze the others; the crack in the door had opened into a gaping maw ready to devour everything.

But for Lin Zheng, the continuous excruciating pain and the overwhelming pressure of despair violently unlocked a switch deep within his brain that had been locked.

The gunshot wound on his right arm was still burning, and gushing blood flowed down the skin of his forearm, dripping onto the damp, dusty ground.

The moment the axe cleaved the large hole, his consciousness was jolted awake from its daze.

The dizziness briefly disappeared, replaced by an extreme clarity. Every detail around him rushed into his senses at an unprecedented speed, and was then rapidly categorized and analyzed by his brain.

Under the dim incandescent light, the old laboratory preparation room revealed every trace of its dilapidated state.

His gaze, like radar, swept from the teetering light bulb overhead to the old mop lying scattered in the corner.

His gaze was fixed on the storage shelf.

There were carbon dioxide fire extinguishers stored in the fire cabinet. The cylinders were painted a striking red, heavy and huge, and the nozzles were covered with thick plastic protective covers.

Not far away, inside a brown glass bottle, deep purple crystals shimmered in the light. That was potassium permanganate, commonly used in redox reactions, and also a strong oxidizing agent and disinfectant.

Next to it was a bottle of clear, concentrated hydrochloric acid, labeled as highly corrosive. The liquid inside was clear, colorless, and odorless, but its potential dangers could not be ignored.

He noticed a sturdy glass beaker with a large enough diameter to hold both chemicals.

Further away, there was an abandoned instrument frame, welded from thick angle steel. Originally used to support precision instruments, it could now be used as a handy weapon.

The room was filled with countless discarded chemical products and equipment, but Lin Zheng saw a glimmer of hope in it.

A crazy yet logically sound plan took shape in Lin Zheng's mind in an instant.

He knew they were running out of time.

Each time the wooden door was struck by the butt of a gun, it groaned under the strain.

The cracks in the door were clearly visible, and through the gaps, one could vaguely see the arrogant, blurry figure outside.

"Smith, get the fire extinguisher ready!" Lin Zheng leaned close to Smith to wake him from his fear, and said to him urgently in a low voice, which was completely different from his usual low-key and reserved image.

Smith jolted awake, snapping out of his near-dazed state.

The instinct for survival overcame extreme fear and despair in an instant.

Without hesitation or asking any questions, he rushed towards the fire cabinet and tightly hugged the heavy fire extinguisher with both hands.

The huge metal bottle was cold and hard. He dragged his tired body and held it in his arms. His heavy breathing could be clearly heard in the small space.

"Sam, lift that metal frame up. Susan, give me the potassium permanganate and hydrochloric acid, get ready to pull the door open later." Lin Zheng's instructions followed closely, his low voice carrying a dying madness and an explosive determination.

He pointed to the metal instrument rack in the corner and the chemical reagent bottles on the shelf, indicating that Susan should place them next to the beakers.

Sam gripped the abandoned metal frame of the instrument tightly, his body tense from the effort, the muscle lines faintly visible in the dim light.

He stared intently at the rickety wooden door, awaiting further orders from Lin Zheng.

The girl, Susan, acted quickly, handing the potassium permanganate crystal bottle and the concentrated hydrochloric acid bottle to Lin Zheng. The moment their fingertips touched, they felt the cold, damp sweat on each other's palms.

"Find something to cover your mouth and nose, and wet it with this!" Lin Zheng pointed with his right arm to a glass bottle labeled "Sodium Bicarbonate Solution" in the corner, and quickly pulled a piece of cloth from under his soaked T-shirt.

Smith, Sam, and Susan quickly followed suit, tearing corners off their sweat-soaked shirts and rushing to the corner.

Sodium bicarbonate, commonly known as baking soda, has a weakly alkaline aqueous solution. In emergencies, it can effectively neutralize some acidic gases, such as chlorine, which they are about to produce, minimizing the irritation and corrosion to the respiratory tract caused by inhalation.

This is a simple chemical fact.

"Put on your lab goggles again to protect your eyes."

Lin Zheng quickly wet the torn cloth and wrapped it around his mouth and nose. Then, he used one hand to pull down his baseball cap and the other hand to quickly put on his experimental goggles.

Lin Zheng issued the command again in a hoarse voice, each word as difficult yet powerful as if squeezed out of sand:

"Susan, wait until I say 'now,' then open the door immediately, and everyone find cover! Smith, aim the fire extinguisher at his eyes. After I mix the gas, I'll throw it at him right away. We all drop to the ground to avoid gunfire. As soon as the gunfire stops, Sam, rush in and attack his gun-wielding hand with all your might!"

This plan was pieced together by Lin Zheng in just a few seconds, using his dying rationality and familiarity with basic chemistry. It was a desperate counterattack plan to catch the opponent off guard.

The high-pressure, low-temperature gas emitted by a carbon dioxide fire extinguisher can instantly form a thick white fog wall in front of the door, greatly obscuring vision and reducing visibility. Moreover, the rapid cooling effect can cause intense physical discomfort to anyone who gets close, and even frostbite.

Chlorine is an effective chemical weapon that can strongly irritate the human respiratory system and eyes, causing symptoms such as coughing, burning throat, nausea, and vomiting. Short-term exposure to high concentrations of chlorine can lead to pulmonary edema, which is extremely lethal.

Even if the gunman was fully armed, this irritating gas was enough to expose his weakness.

Finally, there's the metal frame of the instrument in Sam's hand.

Its role as a physical impact weapon is self-evident.

The three took their places, and the atmosphere became heavy.

Smith aimed the fire extinguisher nozzle at the blurry figure outside the door, his finger on the trigger, his whole body tense.

Sam hid behind a heavy lab bench, gripping the metal frame tightly, his eyes fixed on the doorway, holding his breath and waiting for Lin Zheng's instructions.

Lin Zheng stood beside the lab bench, with beakers, potassium permanganate, and concentrated hydrochloric acid within easy reach. His breathing was still somewhat difficult even with the damp cloth filtering through it, and he felt a faint stinging pain in his lungs, but he did not back down.

His eyes, through his experimental goggles, were fixed on the crack in the door panel, his gaze filled with focused concentration and composure under extreme pressure.

Susan took a deep breath, mustered her courage, and quietly moved to the door, holding the latch, ready to suddenly pull the door open at Lin Zheng's command.

They were like three taut bowstrings, waiting to be released at the last moment.

Outside the door, the gunman pounded on the wooden door more and more frequently and with increasing force, each impact accompanied by the ear-piercing sound of wood fibers snapping.

"Now!" Lin Zheng roared, his voice drowned out by the increasingly loud banging sounds coming from outside the door.

Almost simultaneously, Susan yanked the bolt, and with a final jerk, she ripped the broken wooden door open.

The gunman was completely unprepared for this situation. He rushed into the preparation room, staggered due to inertia, and didn't have time to show any reaction on his face.

In that instant, Smith pulled the trigger of the fire extinguisher without hesitation. The icy white, high-pressure carbon dioxide gas, carrying a huge impact, rushed straight at the gunman's face!

Almost simultaneously with Smith's application of the fire extinguisher, Lin Zheng mixed potassium permanganate and concentrated hydrochloric acid.

Potassium permanganate and concentrated hydrochloric acid, two seemingly ordinary chemical reagents, react violently the moment they come into contact.

Lin Zheng swiftly grabbed the beaker emitting highly toxic chlorine gas and smashed it with pinpoint accuracy at the feet of the gunman who had just rushed in. The beaker shattered, and the yellowish-green toxic gas exploded outwards, its target aimed directly at the gunman's mouth and nose!

This is chlorine gas, a highly toxic gas, a chemical weapon that can rapidly irritate the respiratory tract, corrode the lungs, and cause blindness or even death. Its odor is typically asphyxiating, and it can penetrate any simple protective gear, directly attacking the mucous membranes and nervous system.

Lin Zheng took a small sip, and his stomach instantly spasmed. His eyes were also stimulated, causing them to sting and tear up. However, the protection provided by the goggles and the damp cloth kept the sensation within a tolerable range.

Almost as soon as they started, the three of them quickly ducked down and hid behind the nearest lab table.

The gunman was caught off guard by the sudden and fierce counterattack. Before he could even fully raise his weapon, he was completely enveloped by the white mist and pungent chlorine gas.

The intense stimulation caused him to instinctively let out a suppressed roar, but his body's instinctive reaction still made him raise the muzzle of his gun and fire wildly into the dimly lit room.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!" A series of deafening gunshots rang out, bullets hitting the lab table and walls, sending debris flying everywhere.

Lin Zheng and his men lay tightly behind their cover, feeling the cold wind as bullets whizzed past their heads.

The gunfire finally stopped, and the gunman seemed to be coughing violently due to the irritation from the chlorine gas.

"Sam!" Lin Zheng's roar rang out again.

Sam leaped out from behind cover, raising the metal frame of the instrument high and, with all his might, aimed directly at the gunman's wrist holding the gun, smashing it down fiercely!