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墨書 Inktalez
I was dragged out for dinner by a friend today and ended up drinking quite a bit. My head is pounding, and I had planned to write something, but thinking of you all, I decided to push through.
However, due to the headache, there might be quite a few typos and the writing may not be as exciting as usual. I sincerely apologize for that.
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The weight of the Buick Business Van is considerable; crashing into a few people is hardly a problem. But the key issue is that what lies ahead is not just "a few people"!!!
The road before them was filled with hundreds of Zombies. Although the Buick Business Van is large and heavy, it has a significant drawback: its engine power is low, meaning it doesn't have much horsepower.
This doesn't mean the vehicle is bad; it's simply designed as a business vehicle, so there was no intention to incorporate the horsepower typical of urban SUVs or off-road vehicles.
Nonetheless, the weight of this vehicle cannot be overlooked. With over two tons of weight combined with its speed, it could clear all obstacles in front of it.
“Everyone, buckle up; there might be some bumps ahead,” Li Xue said, looking at the passengers in the rearview mirror, offering a 'kind reminder' about their seatbelts.
Unfortunately, there was no time for them to fasten their seatbelts. As soon as she finished speaking, the Buick crashed into the horde of Zombies. The sudden impact sent everyone except Chen Rui and Li Xue crashing into the backs of the front seats, filling the vehicle with cries of distress.
The Buick charged into the enemy ranks like a lone warrior; no guards could stop its advance. All who tried to obstruct its path had already fallen beneath its wheels.
“Drive steadily, sister!” Zhou Zhi shouted as he gripped the armrests tightly, feeling dizzy.
“Sorry, I can't fulfill that request,” Li Xue replied with a smile, gripping the steering wheel even tighter. But it wasn't a matter of not holding on firmly; they wouldn't be able to sit comfortably until they broke free from the Zombie horde.
“Turn left at the next intersection, then immediately turn right at the following one, and go straight. There should be a parking lot ahead where we can enter the airport. There should be a barbed wire fence; just crash through it!!!” Chen Rui instructed while watching his phone shake along with the movement of the vehicle.
“My! Brother Chen, are your eyes playing tricks on you?” Zhou Zhi exclaimed in surprise. Sitting in this Buick made him feel dizzy just being there, yet Chen Rui could still read maps on his phone!
“Not really; it's much better than flying Camelback,” Chen Rui chuckled.
“Camelback?” Zhou Zhi paused for a moment before cursing, “Get lost! When was the Hump Route? Was your grandfather even born then?”
“Seems like he was,” Chen Rui replied uncertainly, as he had hardly seen his grandfather since he could remember, until he passed away…
“Hold on tight!” Li Xue suddenly shouted.
Everyone instinctively grabbed onto whatever they could, because Li Xue wasn’t just driving; she was rocketing down the road!!
The Buick spun out of the zombie horde in a dramatic drift, the two-ton vehicle feeling like a high-performance sports car under Li Xue’s control.
The high-revving rubber tires left four distinct marks on the concrete road, the smell of burning rubber and visible smoke indicating that the tires wouldn’t last long at this rate.
“Hold steady!” Li Xue shouted again. No, this time it was more about holding steady; it was clear that this would be even more intense…
“Are you kidding me? More?” Zhou Zhi managed to fasten his seatbelt in a matter of seconds, his hands still gripping the armrest like a girl on a roller coaster.
The screeching sound of drifting filled the air once more as the Buick executed another tailspin. Due to its weight, the Buick couldn’t accelerate out of the drift like a sports car; instead, it would lose control due to excess momentum and veer off its intended path. The only way to regain control was to push forward completely, which resulted in severe tire wear.
“Yes, that’s it, accelerate!” Chen Rui pointed at the barbed wire ahead. According to the map, they were approaching the northeast corner of McAllen International Airport, which included part of the private jet parking area.
“Turn left once we get in!” Chen Rui urged as he studied the map.
With a loud crash, the Buick broke through the barbed wire and barreled into the airport, where dozens of various private jets would typically be parked—only now, there wasn’t a single plane in sight.
Li Xue pressed down on the accelerator again when Chen Rui suddenly shouted, “Don’t turn left! Slow down!”
“What?” Li Xue questioned in disbelief. Slowing down now? There were zombies closing in from both front and back! Wouldn’t that be suicide?
“Everyone, check to see if there are any private jets on the left!” Chen Rui was frantic. He knew all too well what slowing down meant; the zombies following them were almost at the airport, and it seemed that their earlier crash through the barbed wire had attracted quite a few zombies’ attention. They were about to be surrounded by the horde!!!
However, from this distance, everything happening in the northern part of the airport's northeast corner was clearly visible to the naked eye, so there was no need to waste time turning left. Chen Rui quickly corrected the order to avoid wasting more time.
“No. No. Where is it!!!” After reaching the same conclusion, Chen Rui nodded and said to Li Xue, “Turn right and drive along this runway, but don’t go too fast!”
Then, Chen Rui turned back to the five people in front of him and said, “Everyone, start looking to the right now. We’re still searching for private jets, so please pay close attention. Thank you!”
Seeing Chen Rui suddenly become serious, everyone felt it was inappropriate to continue their previous lightheartedness. They nodded solemnly and turned their gazes toward the right side of the vehicle.
Li Xue lowered the car's speed to about thirty miles per hour. This speed was definitely beyond human running limits while still allowing a clearer view of the scenery outside.
“Are you sure it’s parked on the tarmac and not in a hangar?” Zhou Yan asked, implying that even if there were planes at the airport, if they were parked in a hangar, wouldn’t that just leave us stranded?
McAllen International Airport had a total of twenty-one rented hangars, all located at the far west end of the airport, right next to Runway 1L.
Although there were only fifty-one planes, they were mainly distributed in three areas: the northeast corner where they just entered, west of the runway's landing transition point, and mid-west of Runway 1L.
But these weren’t the key issues; the crucial problem was that if a plane was parked inside a hangar and the hangar doors happened to be closed—most would likely be closed—what would we do then?
“Yeah, I’m sure,” Chen Rui replied vaguely.
“I see it!” Li Li shouted. “Turn right!”
Li Xue immediately jerked the steering wheel, and their Buick drove into a passage leading to the hangar.
Zhou Yan pointed at a private jet parked at the hangar entrance and sneered, “Brother Chen said it wouldn’t be inside a hangar?”
Chen Rui rubbed the back of his head and retorted, “Look, it’s not inside! It’s right here at the hangar entrance.”
“Wait, look next to the plane!” Wang Xinzhuo pointed at the private jet straight ahead.
The boarding stairs of the plane parked directly in front of the Buick were open, and not far from the aircraft, a black Bentley was also parked.
"Park the car to the side, everyone get out, and prepare for battle." Chen Rui unbuckled his seatbelt, chambered a round in his rifle, and looked at the plane in the distance.
There were a total of seven hangars in this area. Except for the one facing the runway, all the other hangar doors were tightly shut, so there was no need to worry about a Zombie ambush from the sides.
The Buick pulled over, and everyone quietly got out of the vehicle, raising their rifles and crouching as they slowly approached the plane.
"Keep it down. If we can avoid firing, let's do that. Otherwise, if we damage the plane, we won't be able to leave."
Seeing the heavy atmosphere, Chen Rui tried to lighten things up with a joke, but as soon as he said it, the mood grew even more somber.
Unless they hit the plane's engine or tail, gunfire wouldn't have much impact on flying. Of course, excessive damage to other critical areas could also affect flight.
Chen Rui raised his left hand to signal them to stop and crouched low as he quickly moved toward the Bentley. After confirming that there was no one inside and no strange creatures lurking about, he hurried back to the boarding stairs.
There were some bloodstains near the stairs, but they had dried on the ground; it seemed to be from when the airport incident occurred.
Chen Rui made a fist with his left hand towards his team. He wasn't sure if they understood this gesture, but given their military training, they should be able to recognize such basic tactical signals.
Sure enough, Li Li mirrored his action while the others lowered their gun barrels, quietly watching Chen Rui.
Chen Rui nodded and tapped the silencer of his rifle against the railing of the stairs twice. The sound of metal clashing immediately echoed around them, causing Chen Rui's heart to race.
There was no response.
He tapped again with a bit more force this time; the sound was louder. Chen Rui aimed his rifle at the end of the stairs: the cabin exit.
Still no response.
Chen Rui nodded to Li Li and the others, then quietly ascended the gangway.
Upon entering the Cabin, he found no signs of life. Chen Rui slowly opened the cockpit door, just as he had imagined—unlocked. He quickly pushed the door open, raising his rifle to aim ahead, only to find it still empty.
Chen Rui disengaged the safety on his rifle and slung it over his shoulder before taking a seat in the pilot's chair.
The aircraft's safety lock had been released, and the flight key was already inserted in the ignition. It seemed they were about to take off, but something had gone wrong just as Boss arrived.
Chen Rui checked the status of the plane. Since it was in standby mode, the engine had not completely shut down. The fuel level had dropped to three-quarters of its total capacity, but overall, the aircraft was still in good condition and ready for takeoff at any moment.
Suddenly, as Chen Rui prepared for their ascent into the plane, a series of gunshots echoed in his ears.
He hurriedly looked forward and saw dozens of Zombies charging toward him.
The Hump Route was a major aerial corridor during World War II between China and the Allies, beginning in 1942 and ending with the conclusion of the war. It played a crucial role in combating Japanese Fascists. The Hump Route extended west from Assam, crossing over the Himalayas, Gaoligong Mountain, Hengduan Mountains, Salween River, Nujiang, Lancang River, Jinsha River, and Lijiang Baisha Airport before entering China's Yunnan Plateau and Sichuan Province. The entire route spanned 5 miles with an elevation ranging from 45 to 55 meters, peaking at 7 meters. The peaks were undulating like a camel's back, hence its name "Hump Route."
Flying over Camelback was nearly a suicidal journey for Allied pilots. The route crossed the Himalayas and navigated through the rugged mountains between northern Myanmar and western China, frequently encountering severe turbulence, strong winds, icing conditions, and aging equipment. Thus, it was also referred to as the "Death Route."
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