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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 106: The Growing Unease
"Hmm?" Shaoshan glanced up at him through the rearview mirror, noticing his hesitant expression. He smiled and said, "Looks like you know something?"
"Sort of, I just passed by not long ago." Jiang He didn’t hide anything and honestly shared the situation, even throwing Principal Huang and his group under the bus.
Shaoshan cracked the window open a bit and said, "Seems like you know quite a bit."
"Not really. What do you plan to do with me?" Jiang He's wounds were mostly bandaged now; they hurt intermittently but his mind was clearer. "I still don’t know who you are."
"We're soldiers. As for you, if you want to leave, you can get out of the car now."
"Really?" Jiang He was somewhat surprised, thinking he might have actually encountered some benevolent white-clad angels.
"Of course. We have a mission, and running into us is your good luck." Shaoshan wore a nonchalant expression and added, "However, since you've provided some information, we can drop you off at a safe place as a gesture of thanks."
"Thank you then." Jiang He realized he should be more appreciative; they had gone this far in their conversation. Watching the night rush by outside the window, he couldn’t help but ask, "Once your mission is complete, could you take me back to our place?"
"What?" Shaoshan seemed not to have heard clearly. His expression in the rearview mirror turned bemused, and the scar behind his ear twitched slightly with his facial movement, resembling a centipede.
"If it’s on the way..." Jiang He chuckled awkwardly. "Isn’t your mission to rescue the survivors?"
Shaoshan stopped smiling, fell silent for a moment, and replied flatly, "Are there many people in your area?"
"A lot. There are many elderly people and children, as well as women." At that moment, Jiang He couldn’t discern much; he just felt that soldiers performing surgery on him in the middle of the night on a highway couldn’t be bad people.
"I still don’t know your name." Shaoshan abruptly changed the subject and smiled. "I think you might be misunderstanding. We’re helping you out of convenience and to gather information, but right now we can’t spare anyone to rescue your people."
"What does that mean?" Jiang He was puzzled and finally voiced a question that had been bothering him for a long time: "Aren't you soldiers? Is your mission more important than rescuing the Survivors? I find it strange; since the Cataclysm began, I've seen three groups of soldiers. One group hides in the mountains farming and raising pigs, another rules like tyrants over their territory, and now there's this group executing some mysterious mission... Damn it, could you tell me if there’s a dedicated team in your unit for searching and rescuing Survivors? Or is the people's army just a private guard for the leaders now?"
Shaoshan and Old Ma remained expressionless. Jiang He felt himself getting worked up; seeing their indifferent reactions only fueled his anger further. If it weren’t for the fact that they had just saved his life, he would have wanted to slap these two thick-headed soldiers.
The Jeep fell silent, with only the sound of Jiang He's heavy breathing breaking the stillness. After a long while, Shaoshan finally spoke up, "Calm down a bit, young hothead."
Old Ma suddenly chuckled twice, sending a chill down Jiang He's spine.
"Military orders are as solid as a mountain; the mission is different." Shaoshan lit a cigarette and tossed the pack to Jiang He. "Light one for Old Ma; you don't smoke."
Jiang He rolled his eyes, took a cigarette, and lit it, only for Old Ma to snatch it away. "If you don't want to die, don't smoke. You've got enough wounds already; what's the point?"
The two of them enjoyed their clouds of smoke, ignoring Jiang He as if his earlier comments were merely his own ramblings. After waiting for what felt like an eternity, Jiang He realized they had no intention of responding.
With a long sigh, he carefully leaned his uninjured left shoulder against the seat and lamented, "I've really had enough of you mysterious guys. I couldn't wait to see the troops before, but now that I have, I'm just disappointed."
"Disappointed? If you hadn't seen us, you'd probably be dead by now," Shaoshan exhaled a thick plume of smoke and wiped his face. "You're still young; stop blaming everything on fate."
"I can't be bothered with you." Jiang He closed his eyes, feeling increasingly irritated.
What was going on? They came to Daliugou hoping for the imagined Safe Zone and Garrison, but what did they find? Sure, they encountered two groups of soldiers, but none were there to 'protect' them.
Shaoshan glanced at the dozing Jiang He in the rearview mirror and asked, "You still haven't told me your name."
" Jiang He."
"That name—hey, call me brother. Once we finish our business, I'll take you back to our base. How about that?" Shaoshan repeated ' Jiang He' with a chuckle. "I'm the mountain; you're the river. Tsk tsk, if you were a girl, you'd make a great little sister."
Jiang He took another deep breath to control his urge to curse and decided not to engage further. Shaoshan felt rebuffed and fell silent as well, focusing intently on driving.
The convoy sped along, moving from side roads into several suburban districts and encountering two Horde of Zombies.
The first encounter was at a Town Entrance Checkpoint where Zombies clogged the road and noticed the approaching convoy.
Shaoshan received a request for instructions from the lead vehicle through the radio. Without hesitation, he issued a command for fire coverage. In the next moment, sparks erupted from the truck as dense bullets mowed down a group of Zombies in one sweep. The truck then used its weight to forcefully clear a path, leading two smaller vehicles through safely.
The second encounter was even more brutal, taking place at the intersection of a secondary road where the Horde surged, blocking the convoy's path.
This time, the convoy did not force its way through but stopped a hundred meters away. Five soldiers jumped out of the truck, carrying several dark, tube-like objects towards the front of the vehicle, and fired three flaming projectiles at the stumbling Horde. With a deafening explosion, Jiang He saw countless shadowy figures flying out amidst the towering flames.
As the smoke cleared, the intersection was empty and unobstructed.
Jiang He stifled her curiosity and continued to rest with her eyes closed.
The journey ahead encountered no further incidents and proceeded smoothly. Fatigue and weariness washed over her; after yawning several times, she finally fell into a deep sleep.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Song Yao curled up on the mattress, hugging her knees as she stared blankly at the large dark red stains on the sheets.
The bloodstains had dried, their color now even duller.
Just a day ago, in this very spot, Pan Luo had died in Song Yao's arms.
The arrival of Chao Yifan and others left them all stunned by the sight before them. They looked at the "baby" crawling out from Pan Luo's body, none daring to step forward to investigate for a long time.
Overwhelmed by repeated shocks, Song Yao fainted. Pan Luo lay in her arms, his youthful face smeared with...
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