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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 248: Diverging Paths (Part Two)
Luci turned the small Coach around, positioning it beside a makeshift barbecue stall to act as a windbreak. The luggage had been neatly packed and distributed evenly in the trunk. Yin Nuo and the graduate student took their weapons and made their way to the center of the road, taking a quick look around. The graduate student had mentioned earlier that there was quite a commotion in that area, and they wanted to avoid any trouble during their picnic. After all, not all Zombies had been buried beneath the snow.
They had learned a lesson on their way here; their previous experiences had led them to mistakenly believe that areas covered in snow were safe, causing them to let their guard down. One day, as the team traveled through the Gannan Region, they found the climate had turned cold. The distant mountains were no longer lush but were instead blanketed in white. Many ponds and streams in the nearby countryside were frozen over. For safety reasons, the Coach did not enter the city but followed rural roads according to their map, encountering only bumps along the way.
As night approached, the group discussed their situation and agreed that traveling without rest during both day and night was exhausting. Since most of the cities along their route were covered in ice and snow and had lifted their alerts, this area clearly appeared to be remote and sparsely populated. With the sudden drop in temperature, it was likely that there were no Zombie threats. Moreover, everyone in the group had survived through encounters with Zombies before; as long as they stayed alert, they should be fine. However, all unexpected events tend to occur at such moments, with almost no exceptions.
That night, only Xiao Wei stood guard while everyone else finished a simple meal without extinguishing the campfire. The weather had turned colder, and their clothing was insufficient to withstand the deep chill of midnight. Running the air conditioning was impractical; conserving energy was essential, and nothing warmed them better than a blazing fire. The group wrapped themselves up like Zongzi and fell asleep around the fire. Xiao Wei kept watch from atop the vehicle for half the night but eventually dozed off due to fatigue. Fortunately, two mascots—a cat and a dog—were also part of their party. They sensed danger in their sleep and quickly emerged from under their blanket, ears perked up as they gazed into the dark wilderness.
Sure enough, the flickering flames attracted not only warmth but also lingering Zombies from the forest. Shadows stumbled around on the muddy country road, moving hesitantly toward them. The Tabby Cat crouched low, its fluffy tail raised high as it emitted a low growl from its throat before darting back into the Coach. Seeing this, Yellow Dog barked loudly to rouse everyone who had been enjoying their warm blankets.
The ensuing chaos was uneventful; although Xiao Wei's momentary lapse nearly put them in danger, the mascots' brave intervention bought them precious time to escape. The number of Zombies was significantly reduced compared to previous encounters, but so was their team size. Thus, they chose not to linger; without even wiping away sleep from their eyes, they grabbed their belongings and hurried back into the Coach, starting it up without hesitation and driving away swiftly. From then on, regardless of how calm or stormy things became along their journey, no one dared to let down their guard again.
In fact, there was quite a stir at Century Avenue's central location. The graduate student and Yin Nuo did not dare venture too deeply into it; while heavy snowfall had buried countless Zombies, it also concealed many dangers beneath its surface. Zombies lay dormant under layers of snow—too troublesome to deal with individually—and leaving them alone could lead to unexpected surprises; suddenly having a skeletal hand reach out from beneath could be startling even if it didn’t inflict harm.
They stopped next to several cars with open doors; beyond this point, the abandoned vehicles were no longer orderly. An accident must have occurred ahead—perhaps due to frantic attempts to escape or an unexpected Zombie attack that disrupted their escape plans. The vehicles were haphazardly parked along the roadside; one car jutted out awkwardly with its front half hanging over an embankment while its wheels dangled above ground. Inside, they could see a figure slumped over the steering wheel.
The sounds they heard came from behind that car where a bus was wedged awkwardly between vehicles—clearly having turned around and gotten stuck amidst traffic congestion on Century Avenue.
"Is it coming from inside or outside?" Yin Nuo asked uncertainly; it sounded neither loud nor soft—more like claws scratching against metal. From where they stood, they couldn’t see what lay behind the bus nor discern where exactly those sounds originated.
"I'm not sure," replied the graduate student. "I'll go take a look and see what’s happening behind us. If it's blocked off ahead, we need to quickly discuss an alternate route." He maneuvered around the private car and peered over the guardrail; there was about twenty meters between them and the lake below—the surface snowy but not yet frozen solid despite recent snowfall.
"Maybe we should come back later. It's too far from here, and if something goes wrong, we won't be able to support you in time." Yin Nuo's small face was flushed from the cold, her hand gripping the knife handle tucked inside her sleeve. To avoid hindering her movements, she wore fingerless gloves, and her exposed fingertips were already feeling a bit numb.
"Alright, but we need to move quickly," the graduate student hesitated before nodding in agreement with Yin Nuo's suggestion. Times had changed; Zombies no longer chased them, yet they had to provoke the Zombies themselves. It was quite ironic when he thought about it.
The two returned along the same path to where they had parked. The fire was roaring there, and Ming Junwei was squatting by the grill, casually holding a cigarette. He moved his hands in slow motion, flipping two skewers of meat that were evenly heating up. The frozen meat was thawing, and the dripping fat sizzled as it hit the charcoal. They had saved this meat during their return to Chang'an; when Luci left the Farmhouse, she had been clever enough to bring some marinated meat and eggs with her. She hadn’t taken the remaining chickens from the backyard but had instead kept them in storage, shaking out a bag of Xiaomi and pouring out half a bucket of precious clean water. Luci's thinking at that time was simple: if she couldn't successfully reunite with Ming Junwei and the others, she could always return here. After leaving the group, she intended to spend her remaining days here, leaving a few live chickens to continue laying eggs—better than just having a full belly for one meal.
Later, when they successfully regrouped, they rested for a night on their way back and Luci recounted what had happened here. Then she led them to the backyard and opened the storage room door to find several plump chickens calmly sitting there laying eggs. Xiao Wei and the others were stunned, holding heavy eggs with tears of joy in their eyes. But after a brief moment of emotion, they turned around and slaughtered the chickens, cleaning and marinating the meat and offal. The graduate student and Yin Nuo brought back large chunks of solid ice and somehow found a foam box used by street vendors for ice pops. They stuffed it with ice chunks and wrapped raw meat in plastic bags before putting it inside for preservation during their journey.
In truth, the quality of the meat had likely changed somewhat; however, it didn’t smell bad. Plus, after being salted for a long time and then roasted over high heat, it would be fine for filling their stomachs. Ming the Great Hero skillfully flipped the skewers of meat; even without seasoning, they could already smell the delicious aroma wafting through the air. Yellow Dog and Tabby Cat sat obediently nearby, their eyes fixed on the skewers without moving an inch while their tails wagged like windmills. Luci and Xiao Wei were also busy; there were plenty of furnishings in the vehicle, so they set up a small stove next to the grill. A pot of water boiled vigorously on top as Luci dragged out half a bag of golden cornmeal from the car and poured several bowls into the pot. This meal was quite elaborate; it took nearly half an hour to prepare. With an uncertain road ahead, they dared not consume all their supplies at once. Noticing that there weren’t many skewers left, Xiao Wei figured that just drinking porridge wouldn’t be filling enough, so he secretly pulled out a few sprouted potatoes and tossed them into the stove.
"Slow down; no one is going to steal from you," Luci said as she held a porcelain bowl filled with corn porridge, chuckling at Xiao Wei's messy eating beside her as he slurped loudly.
"It’s hot," Xiao Wei replied as he lifted his head to catch his breath, tilting it towards her while complaining, "Who said no one is stealing? Just look at your cat."
"Hey now, don’t bully our driver," Ming Junwei came over holding a pair of iron tongs and tossed some chicken offal to the cat and dog to help Xiao Wei out of his predicament.
"What did you find?" Luci asked as she served porridge to the graduate student and Yin Nuo, recalling that they had gone out earlier to scout.
"I was just about to mention that," the graduate student said as he blew on his steaming bowl of noodles, looking somewhat worried. "The car is definitely not drivable anymore; walking might not be safe either. The traffic is completely jammed up ahead, and from what I can hear behind us... it sounds like Zombies."
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