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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Eighty-Six: Untitled 5
Kenny took the resignation notice handed to him by the Black Man, his expression shifting like the weather before settling into a half-smile.
"Should I now wait for the Ministry of Justice to take me to Headquarters for my debriefing?"
The Black Man shrugged his broad shoulders and replied, "The people from the Ministry of Justice have already come. I told them you had left."
"Oh?" Kenny raised an eyebrow, tearing the brief notice into a flurry of snowflakes. He chuckled, "Where did they go?"
"I don't know, maybe Europe," the Black Man grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth. "I'll go inform Caroline."
Watching the Black Man's retreating figure, Kenny silently laughed, appearing somewhat fatigued. He loosened his tie and slumped into a reclining chair, his gold-rimmed glasses set aside. His gaze was filled with hesitation and determination.
After a moment, Kenny stood up and closed the door. He retrieved a tube of badminton feathers from the corner of the wardrobe, unscrewed the cap, and carefully reached inside with two fingers to extract a sealed reagent. The reagent was beautifully colored, with distinct layers from top to bottom: pure white at the top, gradually transitioning to a light rosy hue, and finally deep black-red at the bottom, resembling a cocktail.
Kenny was mesmerized as he gently shook the reagent. The three layers of color were disrupted, spreading and merging like a drop of ink in water. He paused, watching as the once distinct colors transformed into a bright red liquid that seemed to shimmer through the glass wall of the tube, tempting him to lick a drop with his tongue.
"Resignation? That's fine; I was just worried about not having enough time." Kenny's gaze was lost in the vibrant liquid for quite some time before he suppressed the urge to gulp it down. He opened a drawer and took out a cigar box. Inside, one cigar was missing from the three-pack, leaving a slender pipette in its place. Sitting back in his chair, he gently peeled away the exquisite seal from one end of the reagent tube and tilted it over. The alluring crimson liquid dripped through the fine filter at the tube's tip and fell onto the seal.
A glimmer of excitement reflected in Kenny's cold pupils as he caught the droplet with the fine pipette, almost reverently letting it fall onto his tongue.
...
An hour later, Kenny stepped out of the elevator right on time. The Black Man had parked at the entrance and hurriedly got out to open the car door upon seeing him.
"Heading back?" The Black Man glanced at Boss through the rearview mirror and noticed some color returning to his face, easing his worries significantly.
"Yes, stop at all contact zones along the way and let all standby Field Personnel catch up." Kenny closed his eyes for a brief rest while his mind raced: "Class A confidentiality; carry all weapons."
"Understood." The Black Man nodded in comprehension and refrained from disturbing Boss further as their black sedan turned out of the garage and sped away into the distance.
A waxing crescent moon hung in the sky, casting a cold light over the desolate city.
The Cement Forest exuded a decaying odor, with towering buildings and darkened windows, their cold lobbies silent and uninviting.
Once bustling streets now lay in eerie silence, where the sounds of life had faded away, leaving behind only aimless figures wandering in solitude. Autumn had arrived, yet these figures still wore thin clothing; though they moved without purpose, their steps never faltered.
The line between city and ruin was thin, defined solely by humanity.
In stark contrast to the silent empty cities, the long-dormant Air Raid Shelter buzzed with an unprecedented commotion today.
Jiang He recalled Ming Junwei jokingly saying before, "We can’t seem to find peace wherever we go; we’re just troublemakers."
At that time, Jiang He had disagreed, believing it was trouble that sought them out. Now, however, Jiang He felt differently as he held the trembling figure of Song Yao close, his heart a mix of emotions.
“It’s okay, don’t be afraid. I’m right here,” Jiang He reassured her, patting her back as their breaths echoed clearly in the dark passageway.
“I’m freezing,” Song Yao replied, lifting her head. There were no tears on her face; she was not one to cry easily. She had stumbled through the damp and chilly corridor for a while before stopping due to the cold. It was this pause that allowed Jiang He to find her without much effort.
“Just hang in there; I’ll get you out,” Jiang He said, rubbing his arms to warm himself. His touch felt icy. He draped his jacket over Song Yao’s shoulders, but it did little to help; the cold here was unbearable. Initially, he hadn’t felt anything amiss, but as they ventured deeper, a bone-chilling cold seeped into him.
“Can you find the way back?” Song Yao asked anxiously. In her panic while escaping, she had rushed into a passageway without thought. To her dismay, it branched off in many directions, and after running for a while, she had completely lost her sense of direction. Fortunately, the corridor had speakers; she heard Jiang He calling for her; otherwise, finding her would have been quite difficult.
Jiang He briefly explained the situation. Upon hearing that Pan Luo had escaped safely, Song Yao felt relieved. The two of them wandered through the passageway with flashlights for what felt like hours but found no way leading to light. Instead, they heard a series of rapid gunshots.
“Could it be Brother Ming and the others?” Song Yao listened intently and confirmed the direction of the gunfire before quickly running toward it with Jiang He.
“It should be them. How did they get in?” Jiang He sensed something was off; it seemed Pan Luo hadn’t been able to relay information effectively. What he thought would be a stealthy escape had turned complicated.
They were not the only ones navigating through the twists and turns of the passageway; Ming Junwei and Zhuzi were also scrambling after crawling out from an explosives hole.
When they realized they were in the Air Raid Shelter, their questions about the explosives were answered. Just as they marveled at their surroundings, gunfire erupted nearby as expected.
Ming Junwei had lost count of how many times he had chased after the sound of gunfire. Each time he found the source, it was never a good sign; trouble always lay ahead. Right now, the group had completely scattered, unable to communicate with one another, and each had to fend for themselves.
Ming Junwei was coughing persistently, which made Zhuzi feel increasingly uneasy. Although inhaling too much dust could lead to poisoning, it shouldn't happen so quickly. Even in cases of acute poisoning, symptoms would typically manifest on the skin first. Why was Ming Junwei coughing up blood? Zhuzi wasn't a doctor; he only knew that yellow explosive dust could damage eyesight and liver function, but he was unaware of its severe effects on the respiratory system.
Ming Junwei understood the cause all too well. He had sustained injuries that had yet to heal, and he hadn’t been able to rest properly. He was either fleeing or battling against the harsh weather, and the roots of his illness had long been planted. Initially, he hadn't paid much attention to it; after all, he was still young and strong. He thought that any ailments would be a concern for later. For now, living another day felt like a gain—who had time to worry about decades down the line? However, just because he brushed it off didn't mean his body was indifferent to the pain. Since falling into the water earlier, Ming Junwei had felt something was off. First, it was his hearing; he couldn't hear the airflow from the vent or the sounds of people passing below. If it weren't for Zhuzi's reminder, they might still be sitting there in a daze.
He noticed Zhuzi's concern and quickly fabricated an excuse to brush it aside. He knew he still had some strength left, so he reassured Zhuzi not to worry and suggested they hurry back to find Dr. An.
With their thoughts occupied, they quickened their pace and finally reached the brightly lit No. 4 tunnel before the gunfire ceased. Their sudden appearance startled everyone present; they were met with anxious faces among the women gathered there, leaving them momentarily at a loss.
“Is something really wrong? What happened to Uncle Two and the others?” a younger girl stepped forward and asked. “Are you here to help?”
Ming Junwei exchanged glances with Zhuzi, both wearing expressions similar to Jiang He's earlier one. Ming Junwei's mind raced as he quickly formulated a response: “Yes, something serious has happened! You all need to go back and hide; don’t come out!”
The group of women and children erupted into chaos instead of following Ming Junwei's advice. Several middle-aged women immediately grabbed their children and rushed toward the passageway while shouting words like "head of the household." The others who didn’t follow also ran back into the side tunnels, their voices indicating they were starting to pack their belongings.
The two men sighed in relief when they noticed only one young woman remained standing in place. Zhuzi exchanged a glance with Ming Junwei, who understood and pretended not to see her as they maneuvered around her.
The young woman chased after them and blocked their path.
“Miss, you should go back quickly; we need to help,” Ming Junwei said, feeling overwhelmed as he wondered if she had seen through their ruse.
“Many people have already gone ahead; you two should stay behind to protect us,” she insisted without caring whether they agreed or not, grabbing their clothing and pulling them back. “If anything happens to us, Uncle Two will skin you alive!”
Ming Junwei felt speechless; young people could be so stubborn—telling them not to do something only made them more determined not to do it. He immediately signaled Zhuzi with his eyes and subtly made a downward cutting motion with his right hand.
Zhuzi understood and took advantage of the young woman’s distraction as she craned her neck to look around; he raised his hand and struck at her neck!
“Ouch—why did you hit me?!” The young woman clutched her neck in pain and jumped up angrily while pointing at Zhuzi. “Have you lost your mind?!”
Zhuzi felt a wave of frustration wash over him while Ming Junwei felt equally disheartened—was this girl’s neck made of steel? Zhuzi’s chop that could break bricks seemed utterly ineffective?!
"Young Woman!" The shout drew out everyone from the other doorways, a group of women and children began to chatter and scold the two men. A few middle-aged women rolled up their sleeves, ready to confront them.
"Don't be impulsive, don't be impulsive." Ming Junwei felt as if he had been kicked by a donkey for even thinking of calming them down. He immediately grabbed his gun, cocked it, and aimed it at the crowd of women. "Step back!"
"Go ahead and shoot me then!"
"Yeah, go ahead! Shoot!"
"…"
Seeing this, the women were even more enraged and rushed forward, trying to snatch the guns from their hands. The two men never expected to find themselves facing a group of women. Although these adults and children were unarmed, a slap from each would be enough to make them suffer. Zhuzi, young and hot-headed, was furious after receiving two slaps. With a roar, he fired at a nearby water barrel.
The barrel shattered with a loud crash, half a barrel of water splashing everywhere, effectively blocking the agitated women.
"Stop making a scene! Go back!" Zhuzi shouted defiantly. "Don't make things worse!"
The women parted to create a path, watching in fear as the two men turned down the corridor. The Young Woman quickly ran into Jin Bo's dwelling, grabbed a dagger hanging on the wall, and hurriedly chased after them.
Cave No. 4 was not far from Cave No. 1 where Jin Bo and the others were located. Initially, to prevent the zombies raised in Cave No. 1 from escaping, Uncle Two and his group had sealed off several abandoned caves completely, leaving only one passageway open. This passage ran through Caves No. 2 and No. 3, with only two turns; the rest was a straight line.
As Ming Junwei and Zhuzi turned around one corner, they encountered a hunched middle-aged man walking towards them. The man glanced at them without saying a word and continued walking past them.
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