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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 121: Black Hole
As dawn broke, the Wheat Waves swayed gently.
The convoy, moving at high speed, shattered the tranquility of the area. Half-height Artemisia Bushes were crushed under the tires, neatly falling in the direction of the vehicles.
Animals foraging in the grass were startled and scurried away, covering their heads in panic.
The convoy maintained its speed, kicking up Loess as it thundered toward the distant Coal Gangue Pile. Behind a truck, a dog was carrying a cat, its Crimson tongue hanging out as it panted heavily, bounding forward.
The soldiers in the truck laughed heartily at the cat and dog behind them, thoroughly entertained. One soldier rested his Rifle on his shoulder, took aim for a moment, then lowered his gun.
As the clouds of Loess settled slightly, two vehicles came to a steady stop beside the Coal Gangue Pile. The doors swung open, and three men jumped down in succession.
Jiang He rubbed his eyes and waved away the dust. In the distance, he spotted a swift yellow figure darting through the Artemisia Bushes, racing toward him with comet-like speed, accompanied by a chorus of 'woof woof' sounds that echoed like a fanfare.
With a short yelp of pain and a dull thud of something heavy hitting the ground.
Jiang He cursed as he pushed aside the overly enthusiastic Yellow Dog, clutching his injured side as he got back on his feet.
"Wow, are you two here to welcome me?" Jiang He grimaced in pain but felt joy bubbling inside him at seeing these two mascots.
"Yours?" Shaoshan approached with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, scratching under Yellow Dog's chin. Yellow Dog wagged its tail excitedly, tongue lolling out like it was caught in a whirlwind. The Tabby Cat meowed softly, stepping lightly down from its perch on Yellow Dog and stretching with an exaggerated yawn.
"Um... ours," Jiang He chuckled. It had been a few days since he last saw them; they seemed to have lost quite a bit of weight.
"Come on, let's not waste time playing with pets," Shaoshan exchanged glances with Old Ma and couldn't help but shake his head with a wry smile. It was quite unusual to see someone fleeing disaster with their pets in tow.
Jiang He picked up the Tabby Cat while Yellow Dog followed closely behind him. Half of the soldiers remained on the truck while the other half descended into the pit with them. When they reached the entrance that Jiang He had discovered earlier, he stopped in his tracks. He noticed several mounds of earth rising about ten meters ahead of the cave entrance.
Jiang He stared blankly for a moment; he didn't recall these mounds being there before. They must have formed after he and Jin Bo had left.
"Wait a minute." Jiang He set down the Tabby Cat and strode forward, instantly frozen in place at what he saw.
It was a new grave, the soil still slightly damp. The tombstone at the front bore the name "Pan Luo," alongside several other names etched into the stone.
"Is this your friend?" Shaoshan asked, having waited for a moment before walking over.
Jiang He nodded silently, feeling a slight sting in his nose. Although he had known this outcome would come, seeing Pan Luo's grave still stirred something deep within him.
"She was just a girl, not even an adult yet," Jiang He said, turning his head and exhaling deeply.
"Zombie?" Shaoshan asked tentatively.
"Yeah. Let's go down."
The entrance to the tunnel was not sealed off; it remained an old wooden door, slightly ajar amidst the wild grass and weeds.
Jiang He jumped down first. The tunnel was dark, devoid of light or torches, only the familiar damp smell filled the air. Shaoshan and Old Ma followed closely behind, turning on their flashlights, the beams cutting through the darkness and illuminating the walls.
"No outpost? This is bold," Shaoshan remarked, waving his hand to take a rifle from a soldier behind him, grabbing hold of Jiang He who was moving forward without a care.
"What are you doing?" Jiang He asked, confused. "There were some issues here recently; they might be short on personnel."
"That's not right." Shaoshan made a shushing gesture and leaned toward the corner of the tunnel, cautiously peeking around. He frowned in confusion. "There's no light inside either?"
"There is," Jiang He replied, looking puzzled as he leaned out to see nothing but pitch black.
The tunnel should have connected directly to the Air Raid Shelter, with torches lining both sides of the archway. Although the flames flickered, there should have been ample light. But what lay ahead was an expanse as dark as ink.
"Huh?" Jiang He snatched Shaoshan's flashlight and adjusted the beam to narrow it down before shining it into the darkness. The light flickered across the concrete walls and swept over several corpses, finally landing on a pale face.
"Stay alert!" Shaoshan shouted as he jumped out, quickly pulling out a cold flame grenade from his waist pouch and throwing it into the distance with force.
The cold flame hissed as it ignited and raced through the archway, illuminating the passageway further. More bodies appeared along both sides of the archway—some lying down, others sprawled out—surrounded by scattered belongings.
Jiang He felt a chill run through him; it was as if thousands of bees had suddenly buzzed into his mind. Cold sweat trickled down his cheeks. If it weren't for Old Ma supporting him beside him, he would have likely collapsed to the ground.
The soldiers behind were on high alert, each turning on their flashlights and swiftly moving past Shaoshan, their guns aimed at the darkness.
"What... what is this..." Jiang He's legs felt weak, but he forced himself to steady his nerves, leaning against the cold archway. Ignoring Shaoshan and the others' warnings, he approached the body lying to the side.
Shaoshan blocked Jiang He's path, nudging the corpse with his foot. The body was already stiff, showing no signs of decay.
Jiang He turned the body over; it was a man he recognized—Jin Zhong.
Jin Zhong's eyes were wide open, still holding an expression of anger. His chest was caved in, covered in blood, and he clutched a sheathed long knife in his hand.
Jiang He shone his flashlight around, finding no other injuries apart from the one on his chest.
"This..." Jiang He looked up in confusion at Shaoshan, who wore a grave expression. He trembled as he said, "This wasn't done by a Zombie..."
"No, it was a gunshot wound." Shaoshan's face had turned slightly pale as he swung the flashlight to the side, revealing a pale, plump face with a black hole in the center of its forehead. Behind it on the archway were splattered bloodstains.
"There are no shell casings." Shaoshan sighed and ordered, "Search inside to see if there are any survivors."
Suddenly, Jiang He stood up, raising his flashlight as he rushed deeper into the archway, shouting hoarsely, "Song Yao!!"
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