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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 181: Compromise
Kenny was never short on patience. From a mere lab assistant to a commanding boss figure, he had faced countless challenges over the past decade. The reason he had managed to navigate through all the obstacles was not just his intelligence and strength, but most importantly, his patience. Endurance and waiting were not unfamiliar to him; they had long become a norm.
With Ming Junwei and the others remaining silent, Kenny was more than happy to bide his time, waiting for the right moment to act. From their respective strengths, it was clear that Ming Junwei and his companions had no hope of winning; their only leverage lay with An Zheng and Caroline. But what good would that do? They dared not take hostages and leave the premises. With no windows in the hall, there was no fear of snipers, but once exposed in public, a single spit from anyone in the base could drown them.
After a period of stalemate, the atmosphere in the hall grew increasingly strange, with restless emotions gradually taking root.
Ming Junwei had considered mutual destruction, but given the vast disparity in strength, he dared not act recklessly. However, he could not afford to continue wasting time either; if their mental and physical states began to wane, the bullets surrounding them would quickly pick them off one by one. He could roughly guess Kenny's thoughts; the other party knew they were trapped with no way out and was merely giving them an opportunity to surrender voluntarily. As for why they were being given time instead of being struck down immediately, Ming Junwei suspected it was primarily because of An Zheng.
Kenny would never propose terms involving An Zheng as leverage, nor would he give up on him. His claim of not wanting to see bloodshed was sincere because he could feel himself becoming increasingly sensitive to blood—this was not a good sign but rather indicated that the effects of the drug were beginning to wear off. In this situation, An Zheng became even more valuable.
The oppressive and dull atmosphere lingered for a while longer. Jin Bo's hand gripping the knife began to tremble slightly; fortunately, a martial artist's composure was generally better than that of an ordinary person. Despite beads of sweat forming on his forehead, he remained steadfast.
Time ticked away second by second, testing everyone's patience. Many were nearing the brink of collapse, with heavy breathing echoing through the hall, adding to the sense of suffocation.
To resolve this standoff required someone who could unlock it—the unconscious An Zheng held both sides in a stalemate while the boy with his bloodline began to stir awake.
Jin Bo had previously acted impulsively and grabbed people without considering the boy; after all, he was no infant and had been placed on the cold ground. Following that confrontation filled with tension and vigilance, most attention had been drawn towards An Zheng, leaving little notice for this small child.
The first person to notice something unusual about the boy was Wheat. Utilizing Summer Rain's equipment, she had been skirting around the edges of everyone's attention. Returning from the Control Room to the archive room, she witnessed the boy frantically tearing apart two adults. Initially thinking he had succumbed to madness, she was surprised to find that he still retained some awareness—at least he recognized Wheat and remembered his mother. Suppressing her fear, Wheat picked up the boy from atop the remains and heard commotion in the hallway; she decisively hid deep within the File Area. It was then that Wheat saw Disguised Ming Junwei and others and heard Summer Rain emphasize Four Stories before pursuing them after Security left.
The boy had killed two people yet appeared even more terrified than Wheat herself. She understood it was due to drugs but felt powerless against it. The scent of blood seemed to have a strong allure for him; in Wheat's eyes, he resembled a Zombie but still retained some semblance of consciousness. Perhaps because the drug acted quickly, its effects faded just as fast—the boy went into a frenzy for a while before suddenly collapsing as if cut off from power. Seizing this opportunity, Wheat quickly left and eventually encountered Cao Liang and Luci at Four Stories, leading to a series of subsequent events.
As Wheat watched the little boy tremble and stand up, walking toward Xiao Wei, who was carrying An Zheng on his back, he could no longer contain himself and let out a startled scream.
That scream was like thunder in the stillness of the moment, even the indifferent Kenny couldn't help but furrow his brow and glance at the transparent little girl.
Su Lan quickly pulled Wheat close to comfort him, but Wheat, in a panic, pointed at the little boy and shouted, "Xiao Wei! Be careful behind you!"
Xiao Wei was burdened and unable to move easily, while Ming Junwei quickly shifted his position and saw what Wheat was pointing at. For a moment, he stood there in shock.
The shy and adorable little boy now resembled a malevolent spirit; his innocent face was smeared with dried blood. His gait was strange, reminiscent of a marionette, with movements that were exceedingly odd. His once bright eyes were now replaced by bloodshot pupils; his mouth opened and closed as he emitted a low hissing growl.
Everyone present had faced zombies before, and this peculiar gait and growl were all too familiar. They were all stunned at the sight.
Ming Junwei found himself at a loss. The little boy was just a step away from Xiao Wei; even if Xiao Wei could dodge, An Zheng on his back would not escape unscathed. Ming Junwei couldn't bear to imagine the horrific scene of his own child being torn apart.
At the moment Jin Bo heard the signature growl of the zombie, his grip on the knife involuntarily tightened, leaving another mark on Caroline's pale neck. Jin Bo swallowed hard and tentatively called out the little boy's name. The boy turned his head stiffly, glaring at him with an eerie posture, his small body tense as he continued to hiss.
Jin Bo shifted to the side; he couldn't gauge what was happening. They were too close together—if the little boy suddenly attacked, he wouldn't be able to defend himself properly.
It wasn't just Ming Junwei and his companions who were flustered; the Field Encirclement team was also bewildered. The standoff had lasted so long because both sides understood their positions; neither would act recklessly. But now there was suddenly a small zombie among them—what should they do? Ideally, the Field Personnel should have applauded the awakening of this little zombie since Ming Junwei's group was closest and would be in danger first. However, frustratingly, it seemed that the zombie had no interest in the other three; it neither lunged at them nor attacked with its teeth but focused intently on the unconscious An Zheng as if it had singled him out as prey.
The situation was particularly difficult for the Field Personnel; they couldn't just open fire. Killing a zombie wasn't hard, but if they acted rashly and triggered a chain reaction among Ming Junwei's group, it would be disastrous. Besides An Zheng, their boss was also within range of potential firepower; any mishap could lead to serious trouble. Especially with An Zheng at the center of it all—if someone accidentally shot him under Kenny's watchful eye, the consequences would be unimaginable.
The little zombie seemed to sense the tension around it; its bloodshot eyes widened as it turned its head around before taking two steps back.
Kenny suddenly burst into laughter; things were getting more and more interesting.
"Chengyu..." Su Lan saw the smile spreading across his lips and thought he was about to take action. He quickly pleaded, "No, that's An Zheng's child."
Kenny glanced at him but said nothing, turning his attention back to the situation in the arena.
It seemed that the commotion had caught the attention of the little boy, who stumbled around and wobbled his way toward the Field Encirclement. A group of Field Personnel cursed under their breath; although they could easily crush this little sprout of a Zombie with a single kick, who would dare to fire a shot without the Boss's command? As the little boy approached, moving like Wu Lao Er with a stroke, the Field Personnel in front hurriedly sidestepped. The moment he moved, everyone else followed suit, causing the entire encirclement to sway like waves. No one wanted to face the Zombie head-on. After all, they were all seasoned fighters who had survived gunfire; being bitten to death by a tiny Zombie was far too undignified.
Fortunately, Kenny had no interest in watching Zombies feast today and called out in time, "Clear the way!"
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