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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Sixty-Two: The Strong Wind
“Old Bai?” The three of them didn’t have time to think and immediately turned to chase after him.
The Farmhouse was located high up on the hillside of the village, with a row of more than a dozen different houses built on either side. There were pathways at both ends leading straight up and down, and from the rooftops, one could overlook the dirt road and forest a hundred meters away.
Today, a sudden Yellow Wind had arisen, causing a sharp drop in temperature. The strong wind whipped up sand and gravel, hitting their faces painfully.
By the time Jiang He and the others rushed out, they could no longer see the figures of Zhuzi and his group. The three squinted against the wind, scanning their surroundings as the howling wind filled their ears. The other side was empty; clearly, Zhuzi and his group hadn’t gone that way.
“Let’s go back and grab our gear!” Ming Junwei shouted, pulling Jiang He and Chao Yifan, who were about to chase down the slope from the side courtyard, back. He pointed toward the village path at the end of the steep slope. The path was right next to a row of lush trees, their leaves swirling wildly in the fierce wind, making the entire forest sway rhythmically.
Scattered Zombies occasionally peeked out from among the trees, unsteadily stepping onto the dirt road. Perhaps due to the strong wind, the Zombies hadn’t noticed the small courtyard above, but the raging Yellow Wind was forcing more and more Zombies out. From Jiang He ’s position, he could see a long line of Zombies forming on that winding village dirt road.
Seeing this situation, Jiang He turned around and ran without saying a word. Ming Junwei and Chao Yifan also retreated into the main entrance, closely watching the movements of the Zombies through a gap in the opposite Brick Wall.
After this commotion, those inside the house couldn’t sit still anymore. They rushed out against the strong wind to ask what was happening.
Jiang He quickly put on his coat, grabbed two Rifles from the corner of the wall, and ran outside. Cao Liang and Luci, who had just finished clearing off the dining table, hurriedly followed him out.
“Everyone go back!” Ming Junwei waved his hand, catching one of the Rifles thrown by Jiang He. “Don’t come out; something’s not right!”
Chao Yifan, who always kept his pistol close at hand, paused at the door upon hearing this and turned back to ask, “What’s going on?”
“It’s been quiet these past few days. Zhuzi and his group have been crossing through the forest to get to the highway every day. Why are there suddenly so many Zombies out today?” As he spoke, Ming Junwei gestured for the women to return to the house and instructed, “Old Cao, you keep an eye on things from upstairs.”
Cao Liang was a man of action; he nodded and quickly ran into the room.
"Yao Yao, Girl, keep an eye on the surroundings of the courtyard and take your weapons," Ming the Great Hero efficiently assigned tasks and followed Jiang He out of the courtyard.
Song Yao wanted to help as well, but seeing the room full of women and children, she had no choice but to heed Ming Junwei's advice. She and Pan Luo secured the door with a bolt and stood guard with their guns at the entrance.
The once cheerful dinner atmosphere was suddenly filled with tension, as the main fighters rushed out one after another, leaving the remaining people feeling somewhat anxious.
An Zheng couldn't help but feel a pang of anxiety. He hurriedly reassured his son and went to the living room with Luci. Wheat followed Cao Liang to keep watch on the second floor, leaving only a stunned graduate student in the dimly lit living room.
"What is happening..." The graduate student couldn't keep up with the sudden shift in mood. As people grabbed their guns or took defensive positions, he sat on the sofa, afraid to even breathe.
"Do you know how to use a gun?" An Zheng glanced at his small, chicken-like frame and sighed inwardly.
The graduate student shook his head vigorously, waving his hands in denial.
"Go close the kitchen door; the wind and sand are too strong. We don't want to contaminate the water tank," An Zheng casually assigned him a task and suddenly remembered something important. He quickly ran upstairs.
Luci sat upright with Tabby Cat in her arms, observing the two women guarding the doors. She felt she needed to do something as well. The empty living room was incredibly dim, with all windows tightly shut and candles placed around, unlit.
"Yao Yao, what should I do?" Luci stood up and approached the two guards, asking timidly.
She wasn't skilled in hand-to-hand combat with Zombies. For a while now, Cao Liang had been fighting on the front lines while her task had been to find safe shelters and gather supplies. Fortunately, they had found this courtyard and avoided direct confrontations with Zombies, leading a relatively peaceful life. But now, seeing everyone switch into combat mode left her feeling somewhat lost.
Song Yao turned her head and exhaled. She felt equally bewildered; it should have been a good thing that Zhuzi and the others went after White Company Commander. However, Ming Junwei's expression upon returning was one of complete vigilance. Coupled with the sudden change in weather, it made her feel confused and tense as well.
"Do you know where the pillars went?" Song Yao recalled that they were all eating earlier when Xiao Wei rushed down in a panic, telling the pillars that he had seen a figure in the southeast, which seemed to be Bai Yudong. As a result, the three of them put down their bowls and rushed out, unable to be stopped.
"That way..." Luci tilted her head and thought for a moment, her expression becoming serious. "That's behind the cornfield, right? The direction I brought you all to... We haven't gone deeper back there; it seems to be an orchard? Beyond that is wasteland, and the local farmers haven't cultivated it."
"Then didn't they run in the wrong direction?" Pan Luo suddenly turned around in surprise. "Brother Ming and the others went downhill towards the forest!"
Song Yao's short hair was disheveled, making it hard to see her expression. The wind outside grew louder, and the view through the window turned into a gray blur as sand and stones pelted against the glass with sharp sounds.
Noises came from the kitchen as a graduate student tumbled in, crying out, "There are zombies behind us!!"
The farmhouse had both front and back yards; the back yard was small, with a direct exit from the kitchen's back door. In the corner were piles of charcoal and firewood stacked against the wall.
As mentioned earlier, this village was situated on a flat section of hillside, leading down to dirt roads and forests below, while above was a smooth dirt platform. The hilltop wasn't high and was sheltered from the wind.
The back yard relied on this dirt platform, with about ten meters of drop from above. According to Luci, there was a flat open area on top of the platform with an abandoned small temple. There were no trees in the open space, only overgrown weeds. Walking further back led down a gentle slope; beyond that lay a graveyard on the back hill, but she didn't know what lay deeper.
This small village was already quite modest; aside from the farmhouse, other houses appeared old and worn. They were likely once homes for workers from the power station. After economic improvements, most people moved to the county town, leaving this small village of just over twenty households gradually abandoned. Such mountain villages were not uncommon across the country. Song Yao and her companions had been brought here by Luci; during their late-night arrival, no one had paid attention to what lay behind the small courtyard's hill. A few days ago, under sunny weather, they had merely gone to fetch water from the reservoir without exploring further.
The group looked in the direction indicated by the graduate student and indeed saw shadows of zombies swaying at the edge of the dirt platform from their vantage point. The exact number was unclear. Many zombies stumbled as they walked unsteadily, being swept off the platform by strong winds and crashing heavily down.
A chill ran down Song Yao's back; their small courtyard was also below that dirt platform. In the distance...
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