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墨書 Inktalez
The outcome of the situation surprised many, as the anticipated fierce battle turned into a friendly negotiation. Song Jiu was taken aback, watching the diverse expressions of those who exited the carriage side by side. He realized he had definitely missed a good show. The armed thugs waiting outside were also stunned for a moment; there was no sign of the cold-faced boss among the approaching crowd. What was going on?
The negotiating parties skillfully skipped over the contents of the carriage, gathering their subordinates and emptying out the experimental carriage, transporting all the supplies and equipment to Roundabout. When questioned by their subordinates, Ming Junwei and Wu Wentao remained silent, simply stating that circumstances had changed and they would discuss it later.
Song Jiu exchanged glances with Lin Daozhang, throwing a questioning look that earned him an eye roll from Song Yao.
"Don't be so impulsive in the future; it was too chaotic," Song Yao huffed, twisting her brother's ear in frustration. Lin Daozhang quickly kept his eyes downcast, trying to avoid drawing attention as he slipped behind the siblings.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch," Song Jiu quickly pleaded for mercy, confused. "What’s going on?"
"They reached a reconciliation," Song Yao shot him a glare, signaling him not to ask further questions. She whispered, "Consider yourself lucky this time; you stumbled into a fortunate coincidence. Otherwise, you and that Fake Taoist wouldn't have made it back alive."
Song Jiu felt disconnected from the situation, thinking to himself: I had everything arranged; it was you all who changed the script midway.
Seeing his brother's attitude, Song Yao had nothing more to say and could only sigh helplessly. He was no longer that little brother who followed her around with a runny nose.
The crowd walked in silence, with Ming Junwei and Wu Wentao at the center. The combat personnel maintained an orderly vigilance around them as they crossed the rain-soaked streets and returned to what had become Swamp Country's Roundabout base in the afternoon. The ones left behind were equally surprised by such an outcome; compared to a victorious return, achieving peace without bloodshed was evidently more gratifying. However, they were caught off guard by the sudden influx of people, many of whom were robust foreigners, which raised some wariness.
Ming Junwei made a few simple arrangements. Wu Wentao's subordinates were taken to KTV by Luci. With Roundabout having significantly reduced its population earlier, there were plenty of accommodations available for these new arrivals. Wu Wentao, Old Tian, and Dr. Zhong followed Ming Junwei to the hospital, which remained in a closed state. The lobby had turned into a makeshift morgue; when they opened the door, a foul stench wafted out.
"What’s going on?" Wu Wentao frowned upon seeing many dismembered limbs and asked in confusion, "Were you attacked by zombies?"
"This is complicated to explain," Ming Junwei thought for a moment before turning to instruct a graduate student nearby. "Go call some people; we need to bury them."
"Okay, I'll take care of it." The graduate student nodded in acknowledgment but suddenly remembered something. "Liu Yan seems to have made some discoveries; I'll have him come here to find you."
"Alright, we'll start setting up the laboratory first." Ming Junwei replied and led Wu Wentao and others through the lobby up to the third floor. There were operating rooms and laboratories available on that floor that had been locked up for years but could now be put to use.
Ming Junwei coughed twice from the dust and opened a window for ventilation. He introduced, "There are many pieces of equipment here that we collected from various hospitals over the years. We usually don't use them and keep them locked up here. Dr. Zhong, take a look yourself; keep what you need, and I'll have someone clear out what’s unnecessary."
"Alright, leave it to me." Dr. Zhong seemed a bit flustered as he walked around the laboratory a few times and asked, "Can it be powered?"
"Yes," Ming Junwei replied, touching his eye mask thoughtfully. "There's a backup Diesel Generator; I'm not sure if it still works, but we can check it later."
"A small power motor probably won't do," Dr. Zhong frowned in contemplation and hesitated, saying, "At the very least, we need to ensure low-temperature refrigeration."
"Let's bring the boiler and steam generator from the vehicle," Wu Wentao said frankly, without holding back. Noticing Ming Junwei's puzzled expression, he explained, "Our train is Coal-Powered. We happened to find a Coal-Fired Power Boiler on the way and brought it along."
"Installing the boiler is quite a project," Ming Junwei chuckled, pointing out the window. "We'll have to demolish the buildings on both sides of the hospital, right?"
"My team can handle that; you just need to mark the area," Wu Wentao quickly shifted roles. Since they had decided to form an alliance, he didn't dwell on details. He leaned over to Old Tian and whispered a few words before turning serious. "You need to get a few Blowers or large fans; burning the boiler will produce too much smoke and be very conspicuous."
"I'll take care of it," Ming Junwei nodded and asked, "What about Coal-fired? Do you have enough reserves?"
"We must keep some as backup on the train. Is there a coal yard nearby?"
"List what you need, and I'll handle it all at once." Ming Junwei was slightly surprised; it seemed building a laboratory wasn't as simple as he thought. He truly wondered how the massive underground base in the Gobi Desert had operated back then.
Just then, footsteps were heard outside the door. Liu Yan peeked in, knocked lightly, and walked in.
"You were looking for me?" Liu Yan asked.
"Ah, Little Bear said you had some findings," Ming Junwei gestured to Wu Wentao and left the laboratory to Dr. Zhong and Old Tian. The two followed Liu Yan into the corridor.
"I have a hypothesis," Liu Yan frowned in thought for a moment, his tone uncertain. "When do you think the laboratory will be operational?"
"It's hard to say; we still have other matters to attend to first, and we're missing a lot of equipment," Ming Junwei estimated the time roughly after discussing with Wu Wentao. "It should take at least a week."
Liu Yan bit her lip, pondering for a moment before saying, "Then I'll collect some rainwater first, just in case the rain stops."
"Rainwater?"
"Yes, I want the lab to analyze it." Liu Yan adjusted her glasses and continued, "I think the strange transformations in the hospital are closely related to this rain."
Wu Wentao looked confused and interjected, "Transformations?"
"Those downstairs," Ming Junwei briefly recounted what had happened over the past couple of days and turned to Liu Yan, "What are your thoughts?"
"It's just a guess; I can't be sure." Liu Yan shrugged and nodded towards Wu Wentao. "Captain Wu should remember that Kenny once used Zombie pheromones to lead a large number of Zombies to attack The Establishment's port."
Wu Wentao's expression became somewhat uncomfortable, and he forced a smile. "I personally flew the plane to disperse them; how could I forget?"
Ming Junwei raised an eyebrow, as if recalling something.
"So I'm wondering if there's something wrong with the rainwater. Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense for normal people to suddenly transform," Liu Yan expressed her speculation. Her tone was casual, but the implications made Ming Junwei's heart tighten.
Noticing the concern in Ming Junwei's eyes, Liu Yan reassured him, "I'm just guessing. As for whether it's necessary, Ming Ge, you decide."
"Let's put it on the agenda. Once the lab is operational, we'll take it step by step." Ming Junwei nodded in agreement. The group discussed the lab issues for a few more minutes to ensure nothing was overlooked before heading back to Fan Bar together.
The bar was packed with people. Wu Wentao's subordinates, many of whom were Old Russians, couldn't sit still upon seeing the bar. They settled into booths pretending to chat, but their glowing eyes betrayed their true feelings.
Chef Jia and Yinuo were busily occupied, while Pockmarked Girl and Dream Fan were also sweating profusely. The amount of supplies brought by Wu Wentao and his team was substantial; many items were still in unopened wooden crates. When they opened the lids, they found them filled with Rations, luncheon meat, and canned fruits. Surprisingly, the last group that arrived even brought two cows and seven or eight clucking fat hens.
Chef Jia didn't have time to inquire about the specifics. Ming Junwei assigned her the task of inventorying the supplies without much explanation. The newcomers seemed indifferent to the supplies; they simply dropped them off in front of a few women before rushing into Fan Bar, ready to indulge in Ming Junwei's private stash.
Song Jiu had been merely an observer during this alliance event. Although his impulsive actions had triggered a chain reaction, he did not participate in the meetings and was unaware of the underlying details. He was quite content with this arrangement, having realized that ever since arriving at Roundabout, most of his subordinates had adapted to the Roundabout way of doing things. The only one who remained steadfastly by his side was Lin Daozhang, while the others were busy with their own tasks.
"Commander, I think you're about to be demoted again," Lin Daozhang said, holding a bottle of homemade wine from Ming Junwei as he and Song Jiu sat on the second floor of the bar, watching the bustling scene below. They clinked their glasses together leisurely.
"I don't mind as long as everyone has food, drink, and a good night's sleep," Song Jiu replied with a grin, swallowing down the cheap liquor with a grimace. "Being a hands-off manager is one of my dreams too."
"Does it sting to see everyone calling Ming Ge now? You, Brother Jiu, are about to become Xiao Jiu," Lin Daozhang teased, laughing heartily as he curled up in his chair, using all his might to poke fun at Buddy.
Song Jiu chuckled and retorted seriously, "You know what? Being ordered around is actually more comfortable than giving orders. Just between us, when I first got here, I looked down on Cyclops Dragon. But after spending some time together... well, I've come to respect him."
"If you want to cry, I can lend you my shoulder," Lin Daozhang said with a wink. "Having your spotlight stolen must really hurt."
"It doesn't hurt," Song Jiu replied lightly, crossing his legs. "My sister has a much worse temper than I do; she completely trusts Ming Ge. So what do I have to feel bitter about? Family matters are family matters. If you keep stirring up trouble for me, I'll report you for misconduct."
"Hahaha!" Lin Daozhang burst into laughter, shaking with joy. The busy crowd downstairs glanced over at the commotion; two lazy slackers quickly covered their faces and slipped away, leaving behind a scattering of empty bottles.
Around four in the afternoon, after arranging supplies and personnel placements, Chef Jia walked into the bar with weary steps. He tossed a thick ledger onto Ming Junwei's table without saying a word and headed straight into the small office for a nap. Ming Junwei opened the book and pulled out several pages tucked inside, handing them to Wu Wentao, who seemed lost in thought.
Wu Wentao blinked in surprise when he received the papers. After glancing at them briefly, he tossed them aside absentmindedly. "Your people work efficiently; no need to show me—it's just food and drink stuff."
Ming Junwei chuckled in disbelief, unsure if Wu Wentao was being generous or simply oblivious. "Food and drink are essential for survival."
"For me, it's all about firepower," Wu Wentao replied as he took a drag from his cigarette and exhaled a puff of smoke. "Anyway, I have plenty of people and food; I'm not worried about shortages."
"Hahaha." Ming Junwei didn't press further and tucked the papers back into the ledger before sliding it under the bar counter. He then asked curiously, "Where did all those boxes of supplies come from? They don't seem like something you'd have gathered yourself."
Wu Wentao smiled faintly and replied casually, "I took them from a Signal Base Station I passed by a few days ago."
"Wu Wentao's" expression darkened as he brought up the topic. He sighed, "If I had known back then, I wouldn't have acted so rashly. Just tell me where that new territory of 'e' is so we can deal with it quickly and avoid any prolonged troubles."
"I'm really curious, is that Kenny really that terrifying?" "Ming Junwei" asked with a strange look on his face. Just then, he spotted "Song Jiu" and "Old Lin" coming down from the second floor and quickly called out to them.
"You don't understand him; I do," "Wu Wentao" replied irritably, whistling loudly to summon a group of "Foreigners" who were lost in their cheap liquor.
"Song Jiu" scratched his head and asked, "What’s going on?"
"We're going to take care of some business; it's your show," "Ming Junwei" grinned and turned to shout for the "Militia" to bring out "Old Five."
"Song Jiu" put down the "Molotov Cocktail" in his hand and called over a few "Direct Descendant Young Men" who were gathered around playing poker. He leaned towards "Lin Daozhang" and whispered, "You jinx, you've really turned into a thug now."
"Lin Daozhang" wore a mischievous grin, his shoulders shaking with laughter.
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