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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Nineteen: Gunshots
Big Mousy and Little Russian were not biological brothers; they just shared the same surname. Both were of similar age and had joined the military together after failing their college entrance exams, eventually rising in rank as their squad leader became the Vice Commander, allowing them to benefit from his success.
Little Russian was slightly smaller and crawled quickly through the narrow pipe, which was filled with grime and sticky filth, emitting a nauseating stench.
Worried that the two pipes might not lead to the same source, they crawled into the same sewage pipe one after the other. They supported themselves against the pipe walls with their elbows as they advanced, the beam of their flashlight flickering in and out of sight, with only their heavy breathing echoing in their ears.
Ming Junwei had initially been concerned about the complexity of the pipe system and had advised against crawling through it. Having participated in drainage construction at factories, he knew well how intricate underground drainage systems could be. Not to mention whether they could find the correct manhole leading to the Living Area, there was a high possibility that the pipes would suddenly narrow or have filters installed deep within, making it impossible to maneuver. If they encountered an obstruction, they would have no choice but to turn back.
However, after twenty minutes of crawling, they found their path clear. Although there were some bends along the way, they were not completely impassable. The deeper they went, the more humid it became; large patches of mold appeared on the walls of the pipes, and what started as sticky sludge beneath them turned into pooling water, with dark clumps occasionally surfacing.
Little Russian's arms began to ache, so he tapped on the pipe wall to signal Big Mousy to stop and take a break.
Crawling was exhausting, but in this cramped space filled with a pungent odor, they couldn't breathe deeply and had to conserve their strength slowly.
Big Mousy pinched Little Russian's leg.
"Don't you want to rest?" Little Russian managed to say while holding his breath.
"The smell is making me dizzy," Big Mousy replied, frowning and gesturing for him to keep moving.
Little Russian nodded and turned on his flashlight again as they continued forward.
Meanwhile, Ming Junwei had taken a long detour and parked back where he originally started.
Pan Luo sat in the passenger seat holding a small boy while Chao Yifan kept watch in the backseat.
Ming Junwei rolled down the window to let out some smoke and suddenly remembered something, looking around anxiously.
Noticing his sudden movement, Pan Luo quickly sat up straight and looked at Ming Junwei with confusion.
"What’s wrong?"
Ming Junwei waved his hand dismissively. "It's nothing; I just remembered... where's that dog?"
"Huh?" Pan Luo paused at his words and leaned out of the window to look around. "It feels like it's been following us all along."
Ming Junwei moved his shoulders a bit and smiled, "That dog is quite clever. It went up the mountain and now I haven't noticed where it ran off to... Is it your dog?"
"It's my teacher's," Pan Luo said, gently stroking the sleeping boy's face. "It wouldn't have run into the Power Station, would it?"
"I don't know. I was all flustered earlier and just remembered now." Ming Junwei was quite interested in the big Yellow Dog and leaned over to ask Chao Yifan in the back of the truck, "Hey, have you seen that Yellow Dog?"
Chao Yifan gave a puzzled expression and shrugged, indicating he didn't know.
"Don't worry. That little thing is pretty smart; it might pop up from somewhere in a bit," Ming Junwei reassured, scratching his head.
Pan Luo wasn't too concerned about the dog. She pointed at Ming Junwei's shoulder and asked, "How's your injury, Wei Ge?"
"It's okay, just can't exert much strength," Ming Junwei replied, trying to clench his fist. As soon as he applied force, he felt a tingling sensation in his muscles.
The two of them had little to talk about, and after a brief exchange, they fell into silence. Chao Yifan leaned against the side of the truck, his bald head resting on his arm as he stared intently at the starry sky.
In the darkness, someone’s stomach growled.
In contrast, the few people waiting by the pipe were more talkative, especially after Bai Yudong suddenly threw out a statement.
"Don't go."
Jiang He and Song Yao looked momentarily stunned, not quite understanding what Bai Yudong meant.
"Vice Commander, are you saying... don't go to the capital?" Jiang He asked tentatively.
Bai Yudong's eyelids flickered but he didn't answer Jiang He directly. Instead, he countered with a question: "Why do you insist on going to the capital? The mountains are high and the roads are long; it's bound to be fraught with danger. Why go?"
Song Yao sat on the sandy ground opposite him and asked, "But where else can we stay? Where isn't dangerous?"
"That depends on how you think about it. If all you want is to survive, it's not difficult at all," Bai Yudong said while rubbing his fingers together. Jiang He tossed him a cigarette, which he leaned over to light.
Bai Yudong took a deep puff and exhaled two streams of smoke through his nose. He looked at the two young men with interest and asked, "Let's not even mention Zombies; if I were to throw you two up in these mountains, would you have confidence in surviving?"
The two exchanged glances and fell into thought.
"I don't think I could survive. I have no wilderness survival skills. If I were just left here... not even considering food and water; if I got sick, that would be it," Jiang He admitted candidly.
Song Yao nodded in agreement, feeling that relying on the strength of the two was a bit far-fetched.
"So if we all stay at Power Station, do you think we can survive?" Bai Yudong asked again.
"Yes," Jiang He replied without hesitation.
"Why?" Bai Yudong chuckled.
"There's strength in numbers," Jiang He said, shrugging. He thought to himself that with Ming the Great Hero's versatility, it wouldn't be surprising if they could build a villa on the mountaintop instead of just clearing land.
Bai Yudong calmly extinguished his cigarette and smiled, "There is strength in numbers, but have you considered that this strength belongs to others? You're just relying on them."
Seeing Jiang He fall silent, Bai Yudong continued, "When we just rescued you guys, Dr. An said you were the leader. We were all puzzled about how you ended up as the leader."
Jiang He's face turned red with embarrassment as he stammered, "It was just a casual remark..."
Noticing his discomfort, Bai Yudong decided not to press further and returned to the previous topic. "You want to go to the capital because you think there are more people there who can offer protection."
Song Yao thought for a moment and replied, "What's wrong with that? We are just ordinary people. The capital definitely has military protection, and their strength is certainly greater than our own."
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