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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Twenty-Five: High Altitude
Chao Yifan dragged the man whom Bai Yudong had knocked down by the collar, pulling him along. The man, rather tough, saw that Jiang He's side was overwhelming in numbers and chose to give up resisting, allowing Chao Yifan to haul him like a dead dog.
Outside the Color Steel House, the Zombies were becoming increasingly agitated due to the commotion caused by these two. They surged together, using brute force to press against the flimsy Color Steel House. Some Zombies noticed the two figures on the water tower's ladder and reached out their claws towards the sky, continuously howling.
"Did you climb down from the tower?" Ming Junwei asked as he pulled on the man's collar.
The man had a scruffy beard and appeared to be in his forties. Although he wasn't very tall, he looked strong enough.
The Bearded Man rolled his eyes, sneaking a glance at the unconscious Mediterranean inside the hole. The Round-Headed Man, seeing that Mediterranean had been knocked out by a gun butt, dared not stick his head out and could only cough quietly to himself.
Chao Yifan looked up at the two figures climbing the ladder and found it hard to believe. "Damn, that's impressive; they aren't afraid of falling from such a height."
Everyone was momentarily stunned; the water tower must have been at least sixty meters high, with the ladder resembling a scar tightly affixed to its curved body. The two figures climbed higher and higher, their speed gradually slowing.
Jiang He thought this situation wouldn't last long; being cornered like this wasn't a sustainable plan. He stood on the steel frame and asked the Bearded Man, "Where are your other people?"
The Bearded Man turned his face away, ignoring Jiang He's question.
Chao Yifan cursed and forcibly turned the Bearded Man's head back toward him, facing Jiang He directly. "I'm asking you a question; just answer it. If you keep playing dumb, I'll make sure you regret it." With that, he drew a sharp knife and pressed it against the Bearded Man's mouth.
A flicker of panic crossed the Bearded Man's eyes as he stammered after much hesitation, "B-below... by the well."
Jiang He sighed inwardly; it seemed that civility and politeness had no place in this world anymore. It was better to use tactics like those of Chao Yifan and Ming Junwei.
"What well? Be clear!" Chao Yifan took over Jiang He's interrogation while Jiang He found it uninteresting and stepped aside.
"This... inside the tower." The Bearded Man pointed at the Cooling Tower beside them. "There are a few who went to the back door."
Chao Yifan slapped him on the back of his head and scolded, "Who are you trying to fool? Can anyone fit in there?"
Ming Junwei quickly waved his hands to stop Chao Yifan from delivering another blow and explained, "He shouldn't be lying; the well below should be dry. Besides, there’s an escalator inside this water tower; it can still hide a few people."
"Really knows how to pick a spot," Song Yao remarked with curiosity as he leaned against the awning, watching the two black dots high above.
“How many people are inside? Do they have weapons?” Chao Yifan continued to interrogate without participating in their discussion.
“Five, no weapons…” The Bearded Man sighed in relief as the Bald Kid retracted his dagger.
Clang!
While a few were still discussing their escape route behind the house, the door of the Color Steel House was already breached by a Zombie. With several crashing sounds, the entire Color Steel House began to shake.
Ming Junwei's expression turned serious as he glanced up at the tall tower and gritted his teeth. “Up!” He said, picking up the little boy and urging Pan Luo to hurry up.
Before anyone could think further, screams erupted from within the Color Steel House.
“Help—ahhhhh!!!!” The Round-Headed Man desperately leaned out of the hole, but as everyone turned to look, he was dragged back inside by a Zombie, while the Mediterranean was knocked unconscious by Pan Luo's gun butt without even having a chance to scream.
Jiang He felt a long-lost sense of dread returning, her hair standing on end.
“Quick!” Ming Junwei had already carried the little boy onto the rooftop and noticed that Jiang He and the others were still in shock, causing him to panic.
Song Yao reacted quickly, shaking Jiang He awake before hastily climbing up the steel frame.
“Get up there now.” Chao Yifan pushed Song Yao onto the rooftop and pulled Jiang He along.
Jiang He nodded and scrambled up to the roof. Outside the Color Steel House, a long line of Zombies was pushing forward with great effort. It was clear that the house was filled with Zombies, and it began to sway from side to side.
Pan Luo had a fear of heights; her face turned pale as she stood beside the ladder, too scared to climb. Despite Ming Junwei's urging, she repeatedly reached out her hand only to pull it back. The little boy was quick on his feet; Ming Junwei initially intended to tie him with a belt but found that the boy had already grabbed onto the ladder and climbed up swiftly.
One by one, they ascended the ladder, which was covered in rust and felt cold against their hands. Pan Luo looked down at the Zombies below and then at the towering water tank. She probably thought that falling would be better than being bitten, so she bit her lip and climbed up.
Ming Junwei glanced back; Chao Yifan was still standing below. A Zombie poked its head out of the hole, seemingly just having feasted on something, its face smeared with blood. Upon seeing living people outside, it struggled to push itself out.
The Bearded Man had already been terrified into submission by the Round-Headed Man's screams. His legs trembled as he tried to climb onto the roof but was yanked down by Chao Yifan.
Chao Yifan approached the Zombie with his dagger in hand, slowly stabbing it into its eye socket. Once the Zombie stopped moving, he leisurely withdrew his dagger and wiped off the sticky blood from its neck.
"Yifan! Get up here!" Ming Junwei frowned slightly. "Forget about him, the house can't take it anymore!"
Chao Yifan responded with a nod and waved his hand, signaling him to go ahead.
Ming Junwei, feeling helpless, saw that the Color Steel House was about to collapse and hurriedly climbed the ladder to catch up with the others.
"Where's Yifan?" Jiang He, who was ahead of Ming Junwei, turned his head to ask.
"He's coming! Hurry up—ugh!"
Jiang He's foot slipped, sending a spray of rust flying into Ming Junwei's face. Ming Junwei quickly turned his head to brush off the rust flakes and rubbed his eyes, only to see Chao Yifan pull a bloody dagger from the chest of the Bearded Man. The Bearded Man weakly reached out, trying to grab Chao Yifan, but the latter shook him off and kicked him down from the steel frame, sending him rolling toward the hole. Inside, a Zombie pushed aside the one Chao Yifan had just killed and reached out with its gray, withered claws to grab the Bearded Man, eager to tear into him. The Bearded Man had lost most of his life from that stab wound and had no strength left to escape the Zombie's bite. A few short cries of agony were all that remained before silence fell.
Chao Yifan casually jumped onto the roof and climbed up the ladder at a leisurely pace before the Color Steel House was completely crushed.
Jiang He and the others were struggling against the wind as they climbed upward. They thought that climbing a height of several dozen meters wouldn't be too difficult, but after just over ten meters, their arms began to ache. Ever since the flash flood, everyone had been tightening their belts for survival, but after all this running around, they hadn't even caught a break.
After climbing some distance, the little boy also found himself running out of energy. However, he was quite clever; knowing he was small and short, he sat down on the empty ladder rungs and wrapped his arms around them to rest. Following behind him was Song Yao, who imitated the little boy but lacked his carefree attitude toward enjoying the view. She didn't dare look down and could only close her eyes to regain her strength.
Bai Yudong had climbed ahead of everyone and was still chasing after a shifty-eyed man. The two were nearly at the top of the tower now, having gained over thirty meters on Jiang He and the others. Bai Yudong was furious; coupled with how fast that man was escaping, it only fueled his anger further. He ignored Ming Junwei's advice and charged after him with determination.
The man in front watched helplessly as Bai Yudong leaped out of the hole and knocked down his companions with a flurry of punches and kicks. He realized that his comrades' tricks had failed to fool this relentless pursuer.
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