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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Twenty-Three: Into the Jar
Jiang He and Ming Junwei immediately thought of Brother Mao, who had infiltrated through the pipes, and the sudden gunfire filled them with sorrow. Bai Yudong, however, did not show any signs of shock; his pupils behind the lenses widened for a moment before returning to normal.
Mediterranean noticed that the three were silent and seemed unsure of how to proceed. He didn't know if he had offended them, so he forced a smile on his face, nodding and bowing repeatedly.
"Have your people been at the Power Plant this whole time?" Bai Yudong asked in a low voice.
"Yes, some have left. We few have no skills and were afraid we wouldn't survive outside, so we stayed here," Mediterranean replied, relieved as Bai Yudong's gun lowered slightly.
Jiang He wanted to ask about Brother Mao's situation but saw that Bai Yudong was emotionless and decided against it, remaining silent and pretending to be engaged.
Mediterranean glanced outside the doorway; the sky was gradually brightening, and the morning mountain breeze brought a chill.
"How about... I take a few brothers to our place?" Mediterranean suggested tentatively.
Ming Junwei pondered for a moment and asked, "Did you clean out all the food and supplies at the Power Station?"
"Yeah." The taciturn Round-Headed Man grunted in response.
The group cursed inwardly; they had traveled so far over mountains just for the supplies that might be at the Power Station. After a night of effort, they ended up with nothing—like lighting a lamp for a blind person—completely wasted effort.
"The zombies are gone!" Song Yao, who was keeping watch at the doorway, called out.
The three exchanged glances and nodded silently. Bai Yudong shook his rifle and said sternly, "Take us to your leader."
"Huh? Oh yes, yes! We can discuss this. Our boss is an easygoing person; who knows, we might even become friends," Mediterranean nodded vigorously, smiling awkwardly.
"Do you have any weapons?" Ming Junwei kicked Round-Headed Man lightly. The latter stood up silently and followed behind Mediterranean.
"No—well, we have one handgun," Mediterranean started to lie but suddenly remembered they had all heard the gunfire and had to come clean.
"Where have you been hiding? We've circled around the Power Station several times; did you discover us long ago?" Jiang He followed Bai Yudong's instructions, unbuckling his weapon belt and binding Round-Headed Man's hands behind his back.
"No, no, we only went to check after hearing noises from the back door."
Mediterranean raised his hands and walked ahead, while Bai Yudong held a rifle pressed against his back. Jiang He and Ming Junwei flanked the stout black man on either side. Chao Yifan and the others, having finished their tasks, gathered around.
"Lead the way, and don't try anything funny," Bai Yudong said, poking Mediterranean with the gun. The latter nodded repeatedly and took small steps down the narrow path.
"The zombies have scattered; where do we go from here?" Song Yao asked as she picked up the fallen dagger and handed it back to Jiang He, leaning closer to him.
"I don't know; let's just follow along," Jiang He replied, running his fingers through her messy hair before gripping the dagger firmly.
Pan Luo was holding onto a small boy as they followed behind, while Chao Yifan brought up the rear with a wooden spear.
Mediterranean claimed that their people were hiding in the Plant Area and Engine Room. The Engine Room was flanked by two large units, both constructed of steel frames, with emergency passages connecting the two buildings. In case of necessity, pressure doors could be closed to prevent zombies from entering.
Jiang He and the others had no concept of factory architecture and let Mediterranean ramble on. They followed him through the narrow passage and waited at the exit for a while until most of the zombies in the Boiler Room had dispersed. Only then did they hurriedly make their way up a gentle slope, sneaking through a flat-roofed cafeteria into the core area of the Power Plant.
The Plant Area did not have a grand entrance marked as such, as there was only this one route leading in. Trees that helped purify the air lined both sides of the concrete path, while low walls separated them from the large buildings inside, creating a spacious area. Two tall chimneys stood in the northeast direction; Jiang He recognized them as those he had seen outside their high walls. The buildings within the Plant Area were densely packed. Initially worried about the large number of zombies they had heard earlier, Mediterranean appeared completely relaxed, showing no intention of hiding.
Jiang He felt puzzled and voiced his concerns.
"It’s not a problem; those zombies are over by the open Coal Yard. We’ve sealed off the entrance to it, so they can’t get out," Mediterranean explained proudly.
The group remained vigilant, urging the two ahead while keeping a close watch on their surroundings.
Upon hearing that there were more than ten people on the other side, Song Yao felt uneasy and whispered, "With that many people, they might have weapons too. Isn’t it just asking for trouble to walk right into them?"
"Shh." Jiang He glanced at the round-headed man walking in front of them. Sure enough, although he hadn’t said a word all along, he perked up his ears at their conversation.
Jiang He pulled Song Yao back slightly and quietly explained, "Old Bai isn’t foolish; he wouldn’t just walk into their den like this. Look at this place; it’s like a maze. They could take us out in seconds."
"Then why—"
"We have a hostage. Old Bai wants to scout first before making any moves. Right now, we can’t even leave; those Russian brothers might have been captured by them." Jiang He spoke lightly but felt anxious inside. Bai Yudong hadn’t elaborated much; he simply told everyone to stay alert and adapt as needed. As for what exactly to do next, Bai Yudong hadn’t made it clear.
Song Yao clearly realized that things were not as easy as Jiang He had described, but there seemed to be no other way forward.
The group moved along the side of a hyperbolic Cooling Tower that stood sixty to seventy meters tall, the massive structure silently towering over them, watching a line of ants scurrying by.
Bai Yudong suddenly raised his hand, signaling everyone to stop.
Ming Junwei tugged at the armed strap binding the Round-Headed Man and waved for Jiang He to come over. Jiang He quietly leaned in beside him, cautiously peeking out from the side of the tower. He saw a group of Zombies wandering aimlessly in the open space between their concealed Cooling Tower and the one across from it. The Zombies had not detected the food hidden behind them; they simply roamed without purpose.
Jiang He scanned the surroundings. The two water towers were about ten meters apart, with the one across closely adjacent to a high wall. One corner was occupied by a building that looked like a pump house, with large pipes extending from its side. The Cooling Tower where they were hiding was a standalone structure, supported by human-shaped steel frames that crisscrossed at the base of the concrete tower. The bottom edge of the water tower had a diameter of about forty to fifty meters, and three to five meters behind it were stacked cement pipes forming three layers of water storage. According to Mediterranean, they needed to pass through both Cooling Towers to reach the main Plant Area behind. Since they couldn't go this way, they would have to circle around to the other side of the water tower and slip through the gap between it and the high wall.
"Actually, we usually walk through that gap... Zombies often wander around here," Mediterranean said with a smile.
The group switched positions, with Chao Yifan leading the way while Bai Yudong kept Mediterranean at the rear.
The rising sun broke through the twilight, casting long-awaited sunlight onto the mountain peak. The golden rays gently swept across the desolate Power Plant. The enormous Cooling Tower blocked some of the sunlight, casting a shadow over Jiang He and the others.
After jogging around the base of the Cooling Tower for a few minutes, they finally reached the spot Mediterranean had mentioned—the gap between the high wall and the water tower.
Jiang He couldn't help but swallow hard, thinking that this gap must be as wide as a road.
The so-called gap was actually a path between the high wall and the water tower, with a Color Steel House situated next to it. The house was small,
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