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墨書 Inktalez
The advancing Veterans halted on the road, while the Foreign Operatives climbed high and low, swiftly entering a state of readiness. They quickly occupied advantageous sniper positions, each armed with a tactical flashlight that illuminated all directions, casting bright circles of light everywhere. The aircraft's nose was wide open, ready to unleash deadly flames at any moment.
Professionalism and amateurism were evident in these small details. Even though Ming Junwei's team had faced great storms before, their response in this emergency situation was still a beat slow, and their subsequent actions seemed somewhat sluggish. However, this was not a significant issue, as they were not facing a well-trained professional team. From Lin Daozhang's feedback, it appeared that the enemy was merely a ragtag group.
Several leaders gathered around the fresh manure for quite some time, and the only conclusion they reached was that the area likely fell within the Bald Monster's operational range. According to Lin Daozhang, this location was several kilometers away from where they had been ambushed. This distance was not too far even on foot, especially considering that the enemy had primitive high-mobility troops.
Ming Junwei turned off his flashlight and leaned against the barrier, gazing at the swaying sea of grass. In the distance lay rolling desolate mountains, shrouded in deep night, cold and lonely, with no signs of Zombie activity.
Liu Yan wiped the fog from his glasses and frowned. "This place isn't far from the service area where they previously stopped. The manure is fresh; I think..."
"What is it?" Ming Junwei asked, lighting a cigarette with a contemplative look in his eyes.
"We should have already been targeted," Liu Yan replied, his brow relaxing as he revealed an unexpectedly carefree expression that clashed with their current environment. "I underestimated the enemy."
Song Yao and Luci exchanged glances, both feeling incredulous. Perhaps they couldn't compare to the professionalism of the Foreign Operatives, but both women were seasoned combatants and confident in their ability to sense danger. Since nightfall, they had maintained a high level of vigilance; their unique Zombie physiology granted them keen senses that would not miss any subtle movements. If everyone had been targeted half an hour ago, there was no reason they wouldn't have noticed.
"Your doubts are also my doubts," Liu Yan said helplessly, glancing at the silent Dream Fan and shrugging. "We have no understanding of our enemies."
Luo Yu wrapped her arms around Dream Fan's trembling body and whispered comforting words in her ear. It was clear that Dream Fan was struggling with her inner turmoil; Luo Yu wanted information but couldn't force her to speak.
"Old Lin," Ming Junwei said quietly after finishing his cigarette. Cyclops stared at the smoldering butt being carried away by the wind and remarked lightly, "You were attacked after entering the grass, right?"
"Yes, the first horse I saw was also in the grass," Lin Daozhang replied as he stroked his long beard while recalling the events of the day. "There were pits in the grass; Wu Wentao's people were the first to spot those monsters. At first, there were only two, but then suddenly they appeared from all directions. They also had ranged weapons."
"Ranged weapons?" Song Yao raised an eyebrow; this detail hadn't been mentioned before at Roundabout.
Lin Daozhang furrowed his brow as he considered how to phrase his thoughts. After a pause, he said, "There were sharpened wooden stakes about a meter long; it felt like they had a long range. If thrown by human strength, it wouldn't have landed at such an angle." He gestured with his hands to illustrate the trajectory of those spears falling from above and sighed. "One guy didn't dodge in time and got pinned to the ground; human strength shouldn't be able to achieve that."
Everyone exchanged glances, their minds conjuring images of ancient and sophisticated long-range weaponry, feeling a sense of disbelief.
"The bow and arrow," the graduate student chuckled in surprise, gesturing to indicate length and thickness, exclaiming, "Goodness, this kind of spear must require a crossbow!"
"Why not?" Ming Junwei smirked, flicking away the extinguished cigarette butt. Stretching his waist, he casually replied, "You all are too quick to judge. The other side may dress like savages, but they aren't truly savages. Those with the ability and resources will use guns and cannons; it's not surprising if our ancestors' inventions return to the stage. Xiao Wei and I have studied the manufacturing of crossbows; we only gave up because we couldn't overcome the technical hurdles."
Song Yao blinked, suddenly turning to look at the grass sea under the night sky. Whether it was a psychological effect or not, she felt an unsettling sensation of being watched. Liu Yan and Luci also became alert, lowering their voices as they directed their gazes toward the seemingly ordinary expanse of wild grass.
The temporary leader among the Foreign Operatives was an old Russian with a bushy beard and a distinctly violent demeanor. The Field Duties had been on standby for quite some time, growing impatient as Ming Junwei and the others continued their discussion.
"Ming, can we move forward?" the old Russian asked in fluent Chinese, standing tall above Ming Junwei.
Ming Junwei shook his head lightly, squinting toward the direction Song Yao and the others were watching. He sneered, "We've already arrived at our destination."
The old Russian's expression changed as he realized Ming Junwei had discovered something. He quickly signaled to the Field Duties to turn their weapons around.
"Don't panic." Ming Junwei raised his hand, signaling the Field Duties not to rush into firing. He instructed, "Those who are good with guns should keep watch; everyone else get in the vehicle."
"What?" Everyone looked puzzled.
"The vehicle." Ming Junwei turned around, pointing at the scattered abandoned vehicles on the road with a sinister grin on his face. "Find everything that can catch fire—cushions, sponges, fuel tanks, paper, clothing—everything!"
Liu Yan and Luo Yu's eyes lit up in realization.
Ming Junwei smiled as Cyclops stared at the undulating waves of grass, his lighter clicking incessantly in his hand, its flame flickering unpredictably.
In another dark and deep place, two dim yellow beams of light darted around erratically amidst gusts of cold wind and trickling water.
Song Jiu wiped the beads of water off his face and looked up at the five or six-meter-high waterfall, feeling a twinge of anxiety. This height could be considered a small waterfall, and thankfully, the drop led into a deep pool of still water. If there had been jagged boulders in that pool, he would have been dead or at least severely injured.
“How did you get down?” Yang Chun Yue asked, surprised. She moved the beam of her flashlight back and forth, searching for any protrusions on the rock walls beside the waterfall that could be climbed. However, the opening where the water poured down was irregular, and the rock walls hidden beneath the rushing water were incredibly smooth. The side with less water flow was covered in moss, making it damp and slippery—there was no way to get a grip.
“I fell down,” Song Jiu replied with a self-deprecating smile, his brows knitting together in frustration. How on earth was he supposed to get back up?
Seeing him lost in thought while staring at the rock wall, Yang Chun Yue tentatively asked, “Do you need to go back up?”
“Yeah, we have to follow the Dark River to get back,” Song Jiu said, feeling a bit disheartened. This was just not going to work; he couldn’t suddenly acquire rock climbing skills out of nowhere.
Yang Chun Yue’s expression showed a hint of satisfaction as she smiled and stood up to head back.
“I told you there was no need to follow me,” Song Jiu glanced back at her but didn’t engage further.
A few minutes later, he heard rustling sounds behind him. Turning around in frustration, he saw Yang Chun Yue returning with two large backpacks in tow.
“Are you underestimating women, or do you just look down on everyone except yourself?” Yang Chun Yue wiped the sweat from her forehead and squatted down to rummage through one of the backpacks while muttering, “I see you’re not so impressive after all, yet you boast about going to save someone. Tsk tsk.”
Song Jiu raised an eyebrow at her confident demeanor and teased, “So, does our heroine have some tricks up her sleeve?”
“Just watch,” Yang Chun Yue smirked as she pulled out a jumble of items from her bag and headed toward the side of the rock wall where the water flow was weaker.
Song Jiu didn’t respond but followed her with interest as he shone his light over what she had taken out.
“Looks can be deceiving,” he thought, feeling a flicker of hope. Although he couldn’t name all those scattered items, it was clear they were professional climbing gear for outdoor use.
“You're just peeking through the cracks,” Yang Chun Yue shot back playfully as she wrapped a main rope around herself and secured several carabiners tightly. Holding what looked like a small power drill in her hand, she approached the rock wall. The small impact drill buzzed incessantly as Yang Chun Yue systematically selected several spots to drive in tiny expansion bolts. After securing them with hangers and checking their stability, she stepped onto a few protection points and began to climb upward.
Song Jiu stood to the side, a bit embarrassed, and said, "Be careful."
"Just wait down there, don't run around. It's safe," the woman replied, busy with her tasks and not forgetting to return Song Jiu's earlier words.
Song Jiu shook his head with a wry smile, sitting back on the rock and keeping quiet. He watched as she gradually climbed higher, seemingly on the verge of falling but always managing to find a foothold at the last moment. Within moments, she reached a ledge. Turning her back, she began to hammer away at something above, then tossed down a rope coiled around her waist, proudly declaring, "Come up."
"Yes, yes, yes." Song Jiu felt as if he had been granted a reprieve. He obediently caught the rope, turned on his flashlight to locate the expansion bolts, and began to climb.
It looked easy but was difficult in practice. While Yang Chun Yue managed to climb barehanded in just over ten minutes, Song Jiu took even longer pulling himself up with the rope. Yang Chun Yue, with a hint of malicious intent, deliberately refrained from helping him and sat comfortably at the edge of the cliff watching Song Jiu sweat profusely, a smile on her face.
"Women," Song Jiu sighed after exerting tremendous effort to scale the rock face.
Having overcome the only major obstacle, he was left with only the task of feeling his way forward. When he had been swept down earlier, he hadn’t had time to observe his surroundings; now he could finally use his flashlight to discern the environment. The river was narrow with swift currents; the cave varied between wide and narrow sections, with large boulders scattered everywhere. Above him hung stalactites resembling sharp thorns, and many stones bore cracks that seemed ready to crumble at the slightest breeze.
Song Jiu looked down at the direction of the water flow and waved for Yang Chun Yue to follow him as he carefully stepped over loose rocks along the riverbank.
"What are you?" Song Jiu couldn't help but ask.
"What does it matter to you?" Yang Chun Yue replied.
Song Jiu was somewhat speechless; this woman really held grudges. He helplessly said, "Since we're working together, we should get to know each other."
"Stop. You said earlier that once we go in, we each do our own thing and don’t interfere with one another," Yang Chun Yue shot back without any gratitude, effectively stifling Song Jiu's olive branch.
"Suit yourself." Song Jiu wasn't angry; he smiled and continued forward.
The return journey always felt short. Although he had been swept away by the current for what felt like a long time, it turned out not to be very far at all. After about twenty minutes of walking, Song Jiu vaguely spotted flickering lights at the end of the passage.
"That's the place," Yang Chun Yue said as she moved closer, gripping her exquisite sidearm tightly.
"Right," Song Jiu replied, glancing at her gun. "That shot you fired probably alerted them."
"Do they have guns?" Yang Chun Yue maintained a calm expression, but the tremor in her voice betrayed her anxious heart.
"No," Song Jiu suddenly recalled their own equipment and felt a wave of uncertainty wash over him. "But they have quite a few."
"What do you plan to do?" Yang Chun Yue quickly shifted her stance, the righteous bravado she had just displayed vanished without a trace.
"Let's observe for now," Song Jiu said, unsure himself. He gestured for her to slow down and proceed cautiously, uncertain if the Bald Gang was searching along the riverbank.
Just a few steps later, a man's piercing scream suddenly echoed from the end of the flickering flames.
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