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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Two: October Debt
A yellowed, withered leaf twirled down from the sky, landing softly on the ground. The asphalt road lay silent, covered with a blanket of fallen leaves.
In the distance, a faint rustling sound could be heard. A disheveled figure, hunched over, stepped onto the thick layer of leaves, making its way to the center of the street. This wide street, flanked by towering factory buildings, once served as a hub for the Plant Area, where countless Finished Pharmaceutical Products, cars, Electronic Devices, and furniture were transported to various distribution centers for customers to purchase. The former vibrancy had long since faded, leaving only a carpet of dead leaves and ghostly gray-white structures.
The figure walking down the street appeared extremely forlorn. Clad in a light blue uniform stained with blood and dirt, she was gaunt and trembling. Judging by her attire, she was a woman; her long black hair hung loosely behind her, tangled and matted. Below her knee-length skirt were two legs wrapped in wrinkled stockings—one foot in a low-cut shoe while the other rested directly on the ground, creating an uneven stance that she seemed unaware of.
She was among the first victims here. It had been a bright sunny afternoon when she went to rest in the flowerbed of the courtyard after lunch, just as she did every day. The Gatekeeper greeted her from afar with a cheerful smile. She closed her eyes, basking in the sunlight while inhaling the fragrant scent of seasonal flowers mingling with the faint aroma of sunshine in the air.
Before long, several vehicles pulled up at the entrance of the Plant Area, their engines roaring loudly enough to disturb those resting inside. She turned her head out of annoyance to see the gatekeeper negotiating with a driver. Curiosity piqued her interest; their company was an Electronic Devices manufacturer with fixed schedules for logistics vehicles that never arrived early or late. Moreover, their transport fleet consisted solely of Boss's own uniform vans—not this type of Container truck which was too large and only used for product exports. Many others shared her curiosity as it appeared that the gatekeeper was unable to reach an agreement with the driver. The driver insisted on entering and mentioned the name of the factory's owner, making it clear that the cargo in his truck needed to be unloaded into the Courtyard.
Unable to convince the young driver otherwise, the gatekeeper retreated to the dispatch room to contact the Security Office. Shortly after, several young men from Security Office arrived at the entrance carrying Galvanized Steel Pipes, shouting at the driver from behind the iron gate. Those inside refused to let him through while he remained adamant about not leaving. Tension escalated as more onlookers gathered, including curious employees from neighboring companies.
The young driver seemed desperate; he turned his vehicle around and rammed it into the courtyard with great force.
The crowd was stunned. Working at Technology Park was usually monotonous—this rare spectacle excited them immensely. The situation infuriated the young men from Security Office, who dragged the driver out of his vehicle and knocked him down onto the concrete floor. Bloodied and shouting curses, chaos erupted until it finally caught the attention of leaders lounging in their air-conditioned offices.
Dressed in ties and striding with feigned authority, they rushed outside to grasp what had transpired. Their expressions mirrored curiosity as they hadn’t received any notifications regarding cargo transport. Despite their confusion, they recognized that what the young driver claimed made sense; not wanting to disrupt company operations further, one leader personally apologized to him and dispatched someone to open the Container for unloading. She stood among her colleagues watching this entire dispute unfold; sharing a quiet laugh with a few friends, they hurriedly slipped away from the crowd.
As soon as the cargo doors opened, a metallic partition fell with a loud clang onto the ground, releasing a wave of putrid odor followed by an eerie silence.
The few friends who had already reached the door turned back curiously only to see several hunched figures staggering out from within that dark Container. One, two, five, nine… Her friends gasped in surprise: “Smuggler?” Before she could respond, those dazed ‘Smugglers’ slowly lifted their faces. Pale or waxy visages emerged before everyone’s eyes—eyes devoid of life filled with murky impurities; skin darkened and shriveled; covered in Crimson stains with numerous bloody wounds attracting swarms of flies eager to feast on them.
No one knew who let out the first scream. Those 'Smugglers' trapped inside the Container seemed to have been switched on, suddenly roaring as they burst out, lunging toward the living flesh that was so close.
In an instant, terrified screams rose and fell, intertwining with the hoarse, hideous howls. The crowd panicked and scattered in all directions; some stumbled and fell to the ground, only to be devoured by the monsters that pounced upon them. The cries of anguish quickly spread, and those who had gathered from various companies to witness this bizarre scene were not spared. After a brief moment of shock, people chose to flee and scream, some standing frozen as they were knocked down and torn apart, while others ran like headless chickens for a short distance before being bitten to death.
On that sunny afternoon, bloodied limbs and desperate cries abruptly became the main theme of the entire Technology Park. Every street lined with trees was flooded with a horde of blood-soaked demons chasing after the living, tearing at their bodies and leaving behind pools of flesh and blood. Many who were bitten struggled to escape or hide, but soon they too convulsed and died. She and her friend quickly hid back in their office, huddling in fear under their desks, watching the chaos unfold around them and listening to the intermittent wails that pierced the air—fear had reached its peak.
The workstation where she hid faced a large floor-to-ceiling window. Outside, her former boss lay bloodied against the glass, half of his face gnawed away, one eye hanging out of its socket. Blood flowed like a torrent, smearing the glass facade. Her mind went blank as she stared at that horrifying face until he shakily got up and stumbled into the workplace, step by step approaching her… At the moment when his ghastly white teeth sank into her neck, she saw through the glass several military-green canvas-covered vehicles passing outside the Courtyard. She futilely reached out her hands, watching as the military-green vehicles disappeared beyond the door, feeling her life force drain rapidly from her body until she finally succumbed to darkness.
Months later, she found herself back on this street she had traversed countless times before. This time there was no fear or panic—only hunger.
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