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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 240: Countdown 9
The China Zun Tower is equipped with a total of 53 elevators, capable of traveling at a speed of 16 meters per second, making it one of the fastest and longest-distance elevators in the world. Among these 53 elevators, 2 are external sightseeing elevators, 1 is designated for maintenance, and the remaining 50 are open to the building's staff. Half a year ago, this skyscraper located in the CBD was bustling with people every day; men and women hurriedly moved up and down like tiny screws within the building—insignificant yet indispensable.
Every morning, people stepped into the sunlight as they entered the tower, gathering in an elevator to greet each other and depart on different floors. As evening fell and the city lights began to twinkle, those same individuals returned, dragging their weary bodies back to this place. They pressed the button for the ground floor and parking garage, yawning amidst the sound of the elevator's operation, hoping to get home early to rest.
As the political center, the entire city only entered a state of alert during the mid-phase of the Cataclysm. Troops appeared in every street and alley, while television broadcasts repeated updates on the pandemic daily—providing reassurance while simultaneously instilling fear. A heavy cloud loomed over the vast cityscape, and those struggling within felt an overwhelming sense of anxiety, unable to maintain composure under such pressure.
In early September, the city's emergency power grid collapsed, leading to a complete communication breakdown.
By late September, large numbers of Military Police were dispatched to the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region, effectively entering a wartime state.
In early October, chaos engulfed City as disorder reigned before the Zombies even arrived. The societal order completely disintegrated overnight, turning what was once a political and cultural hub into a wasteland. Doomsday rhetoric filled the air as people scrambled to escape, looting resources in a frenzy. Underneath the encroaching darkness, humanity unleashed astonishing destructive power upon itself, dismantling the very city that had once sustained them. They tore away civilization's facade and unreservedly expressed their inner beastliness and darkness, enacting an early "Judgment Day."
By late October, Zombies surged from all directions; massive hordes approached Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei like a flood, obliterating defenses with relentless force as vital areas fell completely.
At the end of October, a full-scale outbreak occurred; Zombies swept through as the Establishment evacuated Bohai Bay. The RCA faced internal strife and external threats while communication with remnants abroad was severed.
In early November, land fell entirely to chaos as the Establishment set sail while remnants of RCA were trapped in China Zun, engaging in negotiations with them.
By late November, the CBD Zone faced airstrikes on the same day that Establishment vessels came under attack.
In early December, cold air swept across the region; daylight shortened significantly as temperatures plummeted and winter arrived as expected.
At this moment, Jiang He and the others had been trapped in China Zun Tower for half a month, with the number of Zombies not only failing to decrease but actually increasing daily. Two days ago, the Field Personnel stationed on the blocked floors reported that the Zombies were already at the base of the building. The stench of Rotten Flesh grew stronger behind the destroyed stairwell, and through the reinforced concrete, the roars and howls of the Zombies echoed ominously. Although the Zombies could not break through the concrete barricades, a massive horde was surging into the building uncontrollably. Once they reached the critical weight limit of the structure, a collapse would be inevitable. At that point, there would be no need to ponder who was defending whom; everyone would share a common fate, buried together in one room, waiting to be excavated as artifacts a hundred years later to be handed over to the state.
Of course, after that meeting, sitting idly by had been removed from the agenda. Led by Jones, over a hundred people had begun implementing an escape plan; another group had failed to negotiate and rejected Jones's proposal for cooperation, choosing instead to sit back and observe.
Fortunately, the two groups did not come to blows over dwindling supplies; unfortunately, by the time they considered fighting over resources, there were none left.
To this day, Jiang He remained puzzled about how RCA's resource storage and distribution worked. Logically speaking, Jones was currently the highest authority in this building; his power was supreme. Even though power had become mere words now, people still adhered to certain unspoken rules that were not easily broken. Whether Mercenaries or technicians, they were all long-time employees of RCA. Their survival in this apocalypse relied partly on the company's vast resources and partly on these "rules" that played an equally crucial role.
These individuals understood the importance of "rules." Perhaps some among them were unwilling to follow orders any longer, but they also did not choose to completely shatter these "rules." A tacit coexistence was evidently the best outcome; tearing each other apart would serve no purpose. Thus, both sides adhered to principles of peaceful coexistence, ensuring that neither side encroached excessively on resources while also avoiding losses—exactly as it had been before, despite appearances.
Thus, a ridiculous scene unfolded.
The personnel responsible for supplies from both sides simultaneously discovered that their provisions had run out and reported back to their respective leaders. Both leaders realized that breaking the rules was unavoidable; continuing to deplete resources would yield no benefits for either side. After some discussion, they decided it was time to confront each other—after maintaining peace for so long, they had done their part; after all, survival was paramount. Soon after, both groups gathered at the supply warehouse, staring at their last meal in silence.
In any case, there was no conflict; each side went to collect their final rations and continued their silent coexistence.
Jiang He, Song Yao, and eight Establishment Soldiers actually constituted a third faction. They had initially reached an agreement with Jones and shamelessly enjoyed provisions for half a month. Now that supplies were critically low, if they continued like this, they might have to start eating from their desks. Fortunately, the preparations from the technical team were finally complete. On this early morning in early December, Jones's group gathered in front of the elevator shaft with their remaining food and weapons, silently awaiting their impending fate.
Jiang He had originally thought they could act immediately after that meeting but never expected that connecting and debugging the circuits would be so complicated; it took a whole week to set everything up. Jiang He and his companions visited the Spare Generator team only to find that what they imagined as high-tech equipment was nothing like reality—the machines bore faded serial numbers and rusted surfaces that revealed their inferior quality. They looked like items salvaged from a junkyard; tangled wires were covered with insulating tape everywhere. It was hard to believe how those technicians managed to cobble together what seemed like scrap.
To save power, technicians dared not make extensive adjustments or calibrations. They checked which elevator was closest to the 108th floor from the control computer and then opened the gate for operation. A group of personnel anxiously gathered around the monitoring screen, waiting for an empty elevator to rise steadily. However, things did not go as hoped; when a technician pressed the 'up' button, static suddenly filled the monitor screen. Before anyone could react, the elevator inside shook violently; images distorted on screen as motors buzzed loudly and a thunderous roar echoed from within the shaft... then there was silence.
The technicians were sweating profusely; they claimed this was just a test and that they had anticipated such an outcome. They quickly disassembled circuits and worked frantically to troubleshoot issues.
Song Yao swallowed nervously and whispered, "I think... it's precarious." The eight Soldiers nodded vigorously in agreement with Song Yao.
"My question is... do we need to keep someone at the control room for the elevator operation?" Jiang He furrowed his brow, pointing at the technicians in front of the building control system, puzzled. "What will they do once we go down?"
"They're not leaving," Jones stepped closer to the two and said quietly. "They believe that rather than going outside to be devoured by Zombies, it’s better to quietly end their lives here."
"So?"
"Yes, exactly," Jones nodded. "So they are willing to help us with a few things in the end; consider it their farewell performance."
"I really don't want to take this 'Farewell Elevator.' If we fall like before, dying would be fine, but what if we end up half-dead?" Jiang He expressed his concerns, not waiting for Jones to say anything further as he pulled Song Yao and several Soldiers away from the control room.
"What's wrong?" Song Yao asked.
"I just remembered something," Jiang He continued walking, leading them to the floor-to-ceiling windows and pointing outside.
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