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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Forty-Five: The Road Ahead
The crimson glow of the sunset spread across the sky, as the sun slowly sank behind the western hills. A gentle breeze swept through the desolate Power Station.
Bai Yudong walked steadily, illuminated by the flickering flames, along the silent Tree-Lined Path. He paused for a moment in front of the dormitory building, his eyes hidden behind glasses, revealing a fleeting glimmer of emotion.
He stripped off a European man's jungle combat uniform and replaced his dirty, torn military attire. The combat uniform was well-made, fitting him reasonably well except for the slightly long cuffs. The only blemish was the bullet holes and a patch of blood on the chest.
The man's combat boots were excellent, but they carried a strong, unpleasant odor. After much hesitation, Bai Yudong decided against putting them on but couldn't bear to part with the waterproof, slip-resistant boots. In the end, he hung them from his backpack, hoping to air out the smell.
The backpack was also an enemy's remnant and now belonged to Bai Yudong as a trophy. It was a small black backpack from which he retrieved a gilded Bible, two flashlights of different sizes, several boxes of golden HK416 ammunition, a windproof lighter, a metal water bottle, some military ration bars, and several magazines featuring a blonde girl on the cover.
Bai Yudong discarded the magazines, filled the water bottle, and selected some hard candies and savory snacks to stuff into his bag. He flipped through the hefty Bible; it was in English and contained a photo of a family of four tucked inside its front page, with a string of English words written on the back. After pondering for a moment, he placed the photo beside the man's corpse and stuffed the heavy book back into his backpack.
The man who died by the cylinder had plenty of useful items as well. Bai Yudong packed away everything useful like lighters and cigarettes into his bag. To his surprise, he found a replica MC1 military utility knife sheathed at the man's waist. The straight blade had undergone excellent heat treatment, double-edged and incredibly sharp. He collected all the guns from several corpses; He Yong had gathered two fully loaded Magnum handguns into his holster at his lower back while slinging one last HK416 over his shoulder.
After organizing his gear, Bai Yudong piled cardboard boxes in the equipment warehouse and ignited them using accumulated oil from various pipes and equipment. Flames danced wildly as thick smoke billowed; having completed this task, Bai Yudong left the warehouse with an expressionless face.
He withdrew his gaze from the dormitory building and placed his right hand on the knife's handle as he walked forward at a steady pace.
He chose not to pursue his companions through the back door of the warehouse; after all, they had left that way too. Although he was now well-equipped, he couldn't rule out an ambush from behind. Bai Yudong calculated that Jiang He and others had been gone for quite some time; there hadn't been any gunfire after they left, suggesting they had temporarily avoided danger. Thus, he only needed to follow their agreed route along the highway.
They had entered Power Station just last night; after much commotion, who would have thought it would end like this?
Bai Yudong exhaled deeply as he drew out his utility knife from its sheath at his side and swung it towards an approaching Zombie.
The sharp blade met no resistance as it effortlessly severed half of the Zombie's head from its body. The headless Zombie toppled over awkwardly, and Bai Yudong stepped over it, wiping off blood on a tree trunk before sheathing his knife again.
Minutes later, Bai Yudong found himself standing once more at a long-forgotten intersection.
In front of him lay the road leading to the back door where a truck stood silently in the middle of the road. To his right was the entrance to Plant Area littered with many fallen Zombies. The towering Cooling Tower loomed like a silent giant overseeing the entire Power Station.
As Bai Yudong exited Living Area, he noticed numerous spent shells scattered on the ground beside a tree lay another corpse dressed similarly to him. The man had a gash in his throat as if cut by a sharp weapon; his eyes were wide open in shock from an unexpected attack. His gun was missing; those unblinking eyes stared blankly toward the main entrance.
Old Bai tilted his head in thought when suddenly he heard rustling sounds coming from nearby bushes. He turned on his flashlight to investigate and found Yellow Dog with drooping eyelids and ears hanging limply as it panted with its tongue out.
“Oh?” Old Bai was quite surprised. He leaned over and picked up Yellow Dog, only to find a leash tied to Yellow Dog's hind leg, secured to a tree.
Old Bai swung his knife and cut the leash. Yellow Dog let out a low whine and ran to Bai Yudong's side, circling around him with its tail wagging like a windmill.
“Here, eat.” Old Bai pulled out a pack of chicken feet from his bag, opened it, and held it up to Yellow Dog's mouth.
Yellow Dog shook its head and grabbed the chicken feet, devouring them eagerly, swallowing them down with a gulp.
“Let’s go.” Bai Yudong patted its fluffy head. “Go find your Little Pan.”
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
As the evening glow was replaced by nightfall, Jiang He and the others arrived at the rural dirt road mentioned by the graduate student.
The dirt road was narrow, flanked by mountains on one side and shadowy trees on the other. The path was pockmarked and uneven, reflecting cold light in the dim moonlight from the puddles.
A breeze stirred through the forest at night, drying everyone's sweat-soaked clothes and sending a chill into their bones.
Song Yao shivered and tightened her loose jacket around her.
“How much farther is the village?” Ming Junwei asked, exhaling white mist as he spoke. The group had been panting heavily, and they all paused at his question.
The graduate student rubbed his hands together and pointed to a small hill in the distance. “Just go over there. We’ll probably arrive around midnight... that Village still has Zombies.”
Ming Junwei nodded and looked at Jiang He and the others. “Can you all hold on?”
The three women were clearly struggling to keep up. Although they hadn’t complained along the way, their uneven breathing betrayed their true condition.
Song Yao placed her hands on her hips and squatted down, her short hair blowing wildly in the wind. She glanced at An Zheng and Pan Luo, who were also panting heavily, then shook her head shyly. “Can we take a short break? Just five minutes?”
Jiang He and Chao Yifan could still manage, though they too were gasping for breath.
Zhuzi looked troubled, glancing anxiously back at the winding mountain path. “Ladies, just hang in there a little longer. Let’s rest up ahead instead. We haven’t encountered many Zombies on this route; it’s better if we keep moving.”
"Take a break," Ming Junwei sighed. "You all need to rest; your bodies can't take it."
Xiaomi and Xiao Wei exchanged glances, and after a moment of thought, the pillar nodded and said, "Then let's rest for five minutes. I'll keep watch in the back."
Ming Junwei nodded and stood guard at the edge of the forest with Xiaomi and Xiao Wei, leaving Jiang He and the others to rest in place.
Once they left the reservoir, they didn't stop for a moment. Along the way, they encountered some scattered Zombies. Perhaps due to the lack of food in the mountains, those Zombies were skin and bones; a single blow could turn them into nothing but bone fragments.
The graduate student squatted between Jiang He and Chao Yifan, rubbing his hands together and exhaling visibly, clearly feeling very cold.
The little boy leaned against An Zheng's chest, drowsy.
" Jiang He." An Zheng gently placed the little boy into Pan Luo's arms and stepped aside to call out to Jiang He.
Jiang He was talking to Song Yao when he heard An Zheng call him. He turned back curiously.
"Come here for a moment," An Zheng said, biting her lip, looking somewhat uneasy.
Jiang He walked over and noticed her strange expression. He asked in confusion, "Sister An, what's wrong?"
An Zheng furrowed her brows tightly, hesitating for a moment before whispering, "If—I'm saying if the White Company Commander and the others can't catch up..."
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