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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Nine: Rainy Night (Part Four)
The rain had eased slightly, and the rushing water began to calm. Ming Junwei, injured, pulled himself out of Jiang He, while Bai Yudong had gone into the water several times but returned empty-handed.
Two warriors surfaced, reporting that the mountain flood had swept down and toppled a row of coffins at the back. Several medics and Culinary Team warriors resting inside hadn’t had time to escape and were trapped under the collapsed Brick Wall.
It must be said that Jiang He and the others were fortunate; their dwelling was in the front row, which somewhat shielded them from the flood's force.
Even so, the situation was not optimistic. After vomiting a pool of dirty water, Jiang He regained consciousness. With only the faint light of a flashlight to guide him, he could see nothing but the slowly flowing floodwaters.
The few survivors gathered on the rooftop as the water gradually rose over it. Ming Junwei, Chao Yifan, Song Yao, Bai Yudong, An Zheng's Son, and two other warriors sat or stood on the roof. Pan Luo, Xiaoyun, and young Nan Nan were nowhere to be seen.
Bai Yudong crouched at the eaves, trembling, while two warriors beside him whispered words of comfort.
Ming Junwei had sustained multiple injuries and was now at his limit; he hadn’t treated the wound on his head from being struck by the Brick Wall, and fresh blood seeped through the soaked bandage on his shoulder.
Chao Yifan held a little boy in his arms, staring blankly at the dark waters below. Only Song Yao remained by Jiang He ’s side, tears of joy streaming down her face when she saw him awake.
“How are you?” Song Yao asked, her wet hair clinging to her face as droplets fell from it.
The rain had lessened in intensity, falling softly and scattering with the wind.
Jiang He rested his head on Song Yao's thigh; his eyes rolled slightly as waves of nausea washed over him. His head throbbed painfully. Earlier on the highway, Zhou Huai had stomped on him hard enough to cause a concussion, and now after briefly drowning underwater due to lack of oxygen, both old and new injuries flared up simultaneously. It felt as if his brain was being violently whipped.
However, he had managed to survive.
Jiang He closed his eyes until the pain in his head subsided somewhat. When he opened them again and looked at Song Yao’s concerned expression, he tilted his gaze slightly and pouted his lips. “I’m exposed.”
Song Yao was momentarily stunned before realizing what he meant. Chao Yifan had cut her clothes open while performing CPR during an emergency; there hadn’t been time or conditions for her to change clothes. Moreover, it was dark night; everyone’s attention was focused underwater, so no one noticed her. With Jiang He lying on her lap, this angle revealed everything.
Seeing that Jiang He still had a sense of humor despite everything, Song Yao couldn’t help but chuckle softly. Earlier, when Jiang He had been unconscious for so long, she feared he might never wake up or end up in a vegetative state or worse—after all, many people who suffered from oxygen deprivation during drowning ended up with brain damage.
Thinking of this made Song Yao unable to feel angry; she wiped her face clean of tears mixed with icy rain and pulled her clothes to cover herself. “It’s not like you haven’t seen before—can you sit up?”
Jiang He nodded. With Song Yao's help, he sat up while trying to suppress the dizzying sensation and looked around.
“Where are the others?” Jiang He asked.
Song Yao did not answer, only shaking his head sadly.
"Yi Fan and the other warriors took turns diving in to search for her, but they found nothing. The current is too strong, and it’s dark; we can’t see anything," Song Yao sighed uncontrollably. "Xiao Yun was standing right in front of me, and in the blink of an eye, she was swept away."
Jiang He sighed as well, looking at the dim night sky, momentarily at a loss for words.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
They were not the only ones gazing at the night sky; Pan Luo was also lost in thought.
The little girl had been swept out of the camp by the rushing water and into the forest, where she got caught in a low tree.
Pan Luo had gone to open the door for Xiao Yun when the flood pushed her out. Fortunately, she had a loaded Rifle on her back, which got stuck in the tree branches, and the sling caught on her body.
She choked on quite a bit of dirty water but was lucky enough not to be hit by any floating debris. After a brief moment of unconsciousness, she regained her senses and climbed up onto that life-saving tree.
The flood surged into the forest, bringing misfortune to the wandering Zombies within. Although they couldn’t swim, they wouldn’t drown either. A few Zombies were swept under the tree, leaving Pan Luo with no place to hide. The swaying trunk looked unstable, and she dared not make any sudden movements. Instead, she curled her legs up as much as possible, hoping for another wave to wash the Zombies away.
Pan Luo had no idea what was happening with everyone else at the camp. She couldn’t swim; it was already a miracle that she hadn’t drowned. Thus, she dared not recklessly jump into the water and could only sit pitifully on the branch, staring blankly at the sky.
The nights in the forest were cold, especially with the drizzling rain.
Her school uniform clung wetly to her skin, making her feel uncomfortable beyond words.
A figure slowly approached along the surface of the flowing water, lying face up and drifting downstream.
The Zombies below noticed the drifting figure and roared as they tried to wade through. The current wasn’t too strong at that moment, but the Zombies could barely keep their heads above water. Any movement caused them to stumble awkwardly, splashing water everywhere while they remained rooted in place. Of course, there was no need for them to chase after flesh; the figure was slowly getting closer due to the flow of water.
Pan Luo recognized the figure in the dim moonlight—it was Xiao Yun.
Xiao Yun lay on her back, unable to show signs of life or death. Blood seeped from her waist and abdomen, a thin line of crimson spreading out along the current.
The smell of blood clearly excited the Zombies. Though their movements were clumsy, they still shrieked as they lunged toward Xiao Yun.
Pan Luo trembled as she raised her 81 Rifle, aiming at one Zombie's head before pulling the trigger.
"Bang!"
The flash of fire illuminated the scene as the Zombie's head exploded in a spray of Blood Mist, causing it to collapse and float to the surface. At the same time, the recoil from the 81 Rifle snapped a tree branch, and Pan Luo let out a sharp scream as both she and her weapon fell into the water.
The other two Zombies, drawn by the gunfire, caught sight of the fresh meat falling from the tree. They abandoned their pursuit of Xiaoyun and lunged toward the submerged Pan Luo instead.
The young girl couldn't swim. As she hit the water, panic set in; her flailing limbs grasped at nothing, but her feet touched the bottom.
Pan Luo pushed off with her feet and leaped out of the water, only to see two grotesque, rotting Zombies rushing toward her.
Pan Luo's legs went weak, and she hurriedly tried to dodge backward, but she forgot she was in water. Her body failed to coordinate, and she fell back into the depths.
The Zombies could keep their heads above water, indicating that it wasn't very deep. Pan Luo was petite, around five feet three inches tall; even on tiptoes, she could barely keep her head above the surface. However, she couldn't swim and was momentarily overwhelmed by fear.
Ignoring her plight, one of the Zombies lunged into the water as she fell, its claws grasping at her calf while its gaping mouth prepared to bite down.
Feeling the grip on her leg, Pan Luo panicked and kicked out repeatedly to fend off the Zombie's sharp teeth. In a desperate instinctive move, she extended her gun and pulled the trigger.
Underwater, there was no spark from the gun's muzzle—only a surge of water as the bullet shot forth, creating a visible trail.
The bullet pierced through one Zombie's eye socket and exited through its skull, blooming a flower of blood in the water.
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