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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 257: Aerial Rescue
Waiting is not a pleasant task. While the body may find some respite, the mind grows more fatigued than in a life-or-death struggle. The pressure comes not only from the Zombies below and the creaking of the Reinforced Rainbow Bridge, but also from the absence of Song Yao and others who had disappeared from view. Two hours had passed, and apart from his brain and eyes, every other part of Jiang He’s body had stiffened. To keep the Reinforced Rainbow Bridge stable, he and his companions dared not make any sudden movements; they could only focus on maintaining their balance, sitting still in mid-air at a height of one hundred meters. Yet, Song Yao and Brother Feng still had not reappeared.
From tension to worry, then from anxiety to numbness, his emotions shifted with the passing time. There was no signal inside the building; all he could hear was the mournful howl of the cold wind and the continuous roars of Zombies beneath him. Jiang He sat on the Rainbow Bridge, gazing intently into the void, while the building remained eerily silent, as if no one had ever ventured inside. He was uncertain whether to continue waiting; the silence within was maddening. He wanted to investigate but found himself unable to do so.
“Don’t be impatient; let’s wait a bit longer,” said the Field Personnel who had previously scolded Jiang He, sensing his anxiety. “It’s windy here; it’s normal not to hear anything inside. They might be succeeding right now.”
“Successful?” Jiang He took a deep breath, trying hard to suppress his growing negative emotions. He patiently engaged in small talk with the Field Personnel to distract himself. “What success?”
“They might be preparing to break through at the bottom of the building,” replied the Field Personnel with a yawn, pointing at the base surrounded by Zombies. His words were somewhat mumbled. “With dozens of floors above us, it takes time to descend, and breaking through the Zombies’ blockade is another challenge.”
Jiang He forced a laugh but didn’t respond further; he knew that this Field Personnel was trying to calm him down, though his methods were lacking. Over a hundred people had fought fiercely for so long and had barely made it down to over eighty floors. Before the explosion occurred, there were only about fifty people left together; how many could possibly remain now? Moreover, given what had happened earlier, it was evident that those who had miraculously survived were now out of ammunition and supplies—how far could they go with just knives in hand? The Field Personnel had far more combat experience than Jiang He and surely understood this reality as well; he couldn’t be bothered to argue about it. As long as Jiang He stayed put quietly, that was enough.
“Why haven’t these Zombies frozen to death?” The Field Personnel glanced at Jiang He again and seeing his unstable demeanor, decided to find another topic.
“I don’t know,” Jiang He tightened his clothing around him and cautiously stretched his legs; he had been crouched for too long and was losing feeling in his feet.
“Many outside have already frozen to death; we observed that this morning,” said the Field Personnel, licking his dry lips as he continued searching for conversation. “So how do you know that Zombies can be frozen by heavy snow?”
“I guessed,” Jiang He sighed. Noticing that he wanted to press further, he proactively added, “I’ve seen similar situations in Jiuquan; it’s just that there are fewer Zombies there than here.”
“Oh, so it’s due to their numbers?” The Field Personnel raised an eyebrow curiously and asked, “When will these Zombies beneath us be affected?”
“I don’t know.” It wasn’t a dismissive answer; Jiang He truly didn’t understand the connection between heavy snow and Zombies either. He wanted to know when they would collapse just as much as anyone else—he wished for their demise more than anyone else did.
“Did the Establishment not tell you anything?” The Field Personnel transformed into a character from The Hundred Thousand Whys of the Walking Dead, continuing to ask questions. He shared the same thoughts as Jones, believing that Jiang He must have obtained some information from the Establishment.
“Nothing.” Jiang He replied impatiently, saying, “I’ve already told everything I know to the Americans. I trust he has relayed it to you, so don’t ask me why anymore. I don’t know the reason, and I don’t want to know right now!” The emotional outburst caused his breathing to quicken, and the Reinforced Rainbow Bridge trembled once more. The fixed locks attached to the building’s surface showed faint signs of coming undone.
“Alright, alright, I won’t ask anymore. Just calm down!” The Field Personnel was also intimidated by this hothead and quickly tried to stop him from shouting further. He shot Jiang He a fierce glare and muttered, “If we were on solid ground, I would knock you out.” Jiang He rolled his eyes, dismissing him as if he were talking nonsense.
The window remained empty; those who had left did not return, and it was uncertain if they ever would. After venting his frustrations, Jiang He felt much better. Looking down at the surging Horde below, he began to wonder: why hadn’t the Zombies here frozen to death? Could it be that they were too tightly packed together? Was it due to their mutual warmth? That shouldn’t be the case; Zombies didn’t have body heat. If the Zombies remained this energetic today, what would they do? After pondering without any clear answers, his earlier anger flared up again. He regretted going down to see the commotion; if he had sealed off the floor back then, they wouldn’t have ended up in such a predicament. Being trapped while lying in bed was far better than sitting in mid-air.
“No, we can’t keep waiting.” Jiang He furrowed his brows and thought for a moment before an adventurous idea suddenly struck him.
“What are you planning to do? Do you really want to throw your life away?” The Field Personnel was exasperated with this Survivor who seemed reckless and thoughtless.
“Do you still have bullets in your gun?” Jiang He directly ignored the Field Personnel's complaints and asked seriously, “Or grenades?”
“What do you want to do?” The Field Personnel hesitated to agree, instinctively tightening his grip on his gun, fearing that Jiang He might act impulsively and lead them both to destruction.
Jiang He closed his eyes for a moment and tried to calm his tone as he said, “We need to find a way to save ourselves. We’ve waited long enough; the situation inside is unclear. Can we wait one day and end up waiting a lifetime? Look at that steel rebar over there; it’s holding up part of the wall. If we move even slightly, it will shift the entire structure. The locks on that side won’t hold much longer; if they come loose again, we’ll definitely fall to our deaths.”
“I understand all that; just get to the point,” the Field Personnel said without interrupting this time. He knew their current predicament but felt helpless. Seeing Jiang He speak with such conviction sparked some hope within him.
“Let’s bring down that wall,” Jiang He pointed toward the broken wall hanging at the end of their precarious position and said, “It’s too heavy on that side. If we can bring it down, when the rebar retracts, it could pull us back! Even if we can’t bounce back completely, at least it will relieve some weight so we can climb over.”
“A high-altitude pole vault? I can’t believe you thought of that.” The Field Personnel was both amused and frustrated by his wild idea. After a bitter laugh, he doused Jiang He with cold water: “Honestly, it is a plan, but… how do we bring down that wall? We have bullets in our guns, but unfortunately, bullets can’t cut through steel.”
"How about the grenade?" Jiang He persisted, his eyes fixed on the lower back of the Field Personnel. He remembered that the grenade pouch was hanging there, but he wasn't sure if there were any left.
"There is one, but I can't let you use it," the Field Personnel replied without hesitation.
"Why not?"
"The grenade relies on shrapnel damage; the impact isn't very strong. In a closed space, it might work, but throwing it against a wall? The effectiveness is questionable." The Field Personnel shook his head helplessly and sighed, "And being this close, if it explodes, we'll definitely be the first to go."
"This is the only way. Otherwise, we crawl back and take a gamble," Jiang He felt a bit disappointed in the Field Personnel. During the bloody battle in the corridor, he seemed quite spirited, but now he was indecisive and hesitant.
"Do you lack confidence in your people?" The Field Personnel pretended not to notice the disdain in Jiang He's eyes. "Let's wait a bit longer."
Jiang He could only respond with a long sigh. The Field Personnel refused to take risks, and he had nothing useful in hand. Arguing would only drain his energy without achieving anything. Life and death could sometimes come swiftly, but there were always exceptions. For instance, their current situation—trapped with no way out and unwilling to take a chance—felt like a dull knife cutting through flesh; death would come slowly and painfully. The three solitary survivors crouched at a height of one hundred meters, with no sign of the wind and snow letting up; in fact, it seemed to intensify. Covered in snow, they looked like three foolish birds perched on a power line from afar.
Time passed slowly, and the biting cold began to pose a threat. Jiang He felt an increasing sense of fatigue; his eyelids were heavy, and his body struggled to maintain balance. The two Field Personnel were not much stronger than him; their expressions showed they sensed something was wrong. Even if their bodies could hold up for now, they could not withstand the increasingly fierce cold wind. The Reinforced Rainbow Bridge shook continuously, with the amplitude growing larger; their combined efforts were no longer enough to keep it stable.
"Damn it, if we're going to die, then let's just die," the Field Personnel finally relented. He shook off the snow that had settled on him and reached for the dark grenade at his waist, handing it to Jiang He with a look of determination in his eyes. "I’ll tell you this: if this thing blows up, you might be the first one to get hit. Don’t say I’m putting you in danger."
Jiang He's muddled mind instantly cleared as he took the grenade and weighed it in his hand. "Don't worry; if I live, it's fate; if I die, no one can be blamed."
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