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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Thirty-Two: The Warehouse
On the distant hillside, a group of people had appeared at some point, slowly making their way along the edge of the white wind turbine.
Pan Luo was situated at the Cooling Tower, which was on one side of a high wall, allowing her to see the entire hillside clearly from this angle. Unfortunately, the water tower was too tall, and the figures were too far away for her to discern their clothing or appearance. It seemed that this group was moving quickly and had a clear objective.
Pan Luo felt a surge of panic. Could they be allies of Mediterranean? Her companions had been forced into the Living Area by Zombies, and with only herself and the little boy atop the water tower, there would be nowhere to run if they were discovered. The memory of the nightmare in the tent flashed through her mind, causing her to shiver involuntarily. She pulled the little boy down beside her, trying to keep them hidden from those below.
The group moved swiftly and reached the back wall in about ten minutes, which was where Jiang He's team had first arrived. Pan Luo crouched down and carefully peeked out from behind the wall. Unfortunately, the group did not give her time to observe; they quickly approached the base of the wall, rendering her height useless.
After some internal deliberation, she considered whether to take advantage of the lack of Zombies below and descend quickly. However, without any weapons and with the little boy in tow, she worried about potential mishaps. After much thought, she decided it was better to stay hidden at the top of the tower. If they were indeed allies of Mediterranean, she could wait at the ladder entrance; as soon as anyone dared to show their face, she would… Pan Luo bit her lip as she glanced toward the ladder side, recalling how Jinx had been thrown down it by Bai Yudong.
Resolute now, Pan Luo felt less anxious. She led the little boy back to the ladder entrance and sat beside the iron railing.
Zombies from the Plant Area spread out at the intersection; some headed toward the main entrance while a larger group entered the Living Area. Although Pan Luo had a vantage point from above, she could no longer see anyone below. A wave of concern washed over her; while she had spotted a new team approaching, Jiang He and his group were still unaware.
"What should I do? What should I do…" The relief she had just felt vanished again as she pondered her next move. She looked around for a long time but couldn't figure out how to proceed.
Gunshots rang out again in the Living Area, accompanied by intermittent Zombie screams that echoed with an oppressive sense of danger.
The newcomers were none other than An Zheng and He Yong's group.
They had heard the urgent gunfire from halfway up the mountain and quickened their pace. By the time they reached the summit and spotted the massive Power Station in the distance, the gunfire had ceased.
The group concluded that those firing must be their own people since the sound of an 81-style Rifle firing in bursts was easily recognizable. They remained oblivious to two tiny figures atop the towering water tower; all their attention was focused on the direction of the gunfire.
Like Jiang He and the others, they arrived under the high wall first before discussing their next course of action.
The Communications Soldier was injured and unable to fight, while An Zheng was a key protected individual. Leaving them outside would mean needing to allocate more personnel for their protection. Besides, the sounds of gunfire from inside the wall were accompanied by the unmistakable roars of zombies, which echoed ominously. If too few people entered the Power Plant, it was likely they wouldn't make much of an impact.
He Yong checked everyone's ammunition and felt a bit more reassured. Initially, he intended to leave Er Jin and another soldier to protect the two, but An Zheng firmly rejected his suggestion.
"I need the sanitary facilities in the Power Station," An Zheng stated decisively. "His leg injury must be treated as soon as possible, and we don't know what the situation is inside. What if you can't find the White Company Commander? Are we supposed to wait indefinitely or enter in batches?"
The Communications Soldier's face flushed red; he felt he was slowing them down and was about to speak when Er Jin interjected, "Don't you think the sounds of zombies are getting closer?"
He Yong and the others paused, pressing their ears against the wall. Indeed, it seemed like the zombies were right behind the high wall; the auditory effect of their approach was unmistakable.
Er Jin wiped his nose and said, "With zombies this close, there can't be many left at that gate. We need to move faster and find a safe place first. Then, Squad Leader, you can take some people to look for the Vice Commander."
After considering it for a moment, He Yong realized they had no other choice. He immediately ordered the soldiers to load their ammunition and chamber their weapons. The Communications Soldier was carried on the back of a tall soldier, who handed him a gun and said, "Our lives depend on you."
The Communications Soldier nodded; although his legs were incapacitated, he could still shoot.
He Yong approached An Zheng with an 81-style rifle and asked, "Dr. An, can you handle this?"
"No need; I have this." An Zheng revealed the handgun that the Communications Soldier had given her earlier. "I’ll follow behind you; my shooting skills aren't very good."
He Yong nodded, counted their numbers, waved his hand, and led the team along the base of the wall.
Jiang He and his group had no way of knowing about their comrades outside; at that moment, they were desperately fleeing for their lives.
The group followed Chao Yifan's suggestion, trailing behind the two companions from Mediterranean. It was unclear whether those two were simply running away in a panic or intentionally trying to shake off Jiang He and the others. They had been running for quite some time without any sign of stopping, instead continuing to circle around several dormitory buildings.
The paths in the Living Area crisscrossed, and the dormitories were not arranged in a row as they had initially imagined; rather, they were scattered according to their designated zones. As they ran past the Health Room that the Russian Brothers had visited earlier, they noticed zombies wandering near one of the dormitory buildings. Hearing the noise, the zombies turned to face them.
At this point, Song Yao had regained his strength; aside from a deep red mark on his neck, he seemed otherwise fine.
The zombies pursued them relentlessly. Although a few stragglers fell behind, most of the zombies appeared determined to eliminate this group that had caused chaos at the Power Station.
After circling around Dormitory 02 again, Chao Yifan's suppressed anger erupted once more. Jiang He and the others realized that the two were indeed trying to lose them; they would rather waste time running in circles than lead them any further. Behind the dormitories was a fork in the road, with two distinctly different buildings visible at the end of one path. Ming Junwei guessed that their hideout must be among those buildings, but to avoid leading them there, they had no choice but to keep circling, hoping to lure the zombies in and escape amidst the chaos.
Chao Yifan was not about to let them have their way. Seeing the two jump over a flower bed and attempt to slip through a gap behind the dormitory, he fired two shots without hesitation.
Though not far away, the two were not static targets; one bullet grazed a man's scalp before embedding itself in the wall. The two men recoiled, losing their balance and falling to the ground.
Chao Yifan and Brother Mao rushed over and pinned them down. Chao Yifan's ferocity showed as he pressed his gun against the forehead of a bespectacled man, growling, "Where's your hideout? If you keep wasting time, you won't make it out alive!"
The bespectacled man looked weak but displayed a stubborn defiance. He broke free from Chao Yifan's grip and gasped, "I'm not stupid. You’ve killed so many of my people; do you really think you’ll let us go? Since we're bound to die anyway, why should I take you there?"
Chao Yifan furrowed his brow and prepared to shoot when Bai Yudong arrived just in time to restrain him.
"It was your people who provoked us first," Bai Yudong said as he adjusted his glasses. "Now there are zombies right behind us. If you're willing to take us there, we can coexist peacefully and get what we need." He temporarily set aside his hatred for this group that had caused his comrades' deaths and tried to speak calmly.
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