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墨書 Inktalez
Wu Wentao and Jiao Ziqian's expressions changed drastically. Ignoring the man who had inexplicably appeared, they hurriedly ran towards the direction of the gunfire.
Jiao Ziqian grabbed the still-dazed Ying Dou Dou and exclaimed, "Our reinforcements have arrived!"
"Hey, wait a minute!" Ying Dou Dou hadn't fully processed what was happening when he was dragged along, anxiously adding, "My companions are coming too!"
"What good is he?" Jiao Ziqian had no time to care about others. Out of concern for Ying Dou Dou, he ran a distance before turning back to shout, "Whoever doesn’t want to die, just follow!"
"Why are you like this?" Ying Dou Dou felt a bit displeased, but before he could argue further, Jiao Ziqian had already picked him up, leaving him feeling too embarrassed to say anything more.
The man hesitated for a moment but decided to follow. Although he was unsure about the situation of the others, it seemed that Ying Dou Dou was among them and appeared to be safe.
Wu Wentao moved quickly, while Dan Fengyan and Zebra Stripes struggled to keep up with his pace. They hadn’t run far before they stumbled and fell. Wu Wentao didn’t bother with them and casually tossed a chain to Jiao Ziqian, who looked exasperated and thought to himself, "What’s the rush?"
The tranquil forest suddenly erupted into chaos. The dense gunfire echoed from a distance, bouncing around the mountains and valleys, startling countless birds from the trees. Several shadowy figures dashed forward in a panic, stumbling as they ran for several minutes until they climbed a high mound, finally gaining a vantage point to locate the source of the gunfire.
It wasn’t hard to find; at the foot of the mountain was a sea of red flames reaching towards the sky. If it hadn’t been for the dense forest they had just come from, they would have noticed something unusual much earlier.
"Oh my God," Jiao Ziqian was stunned, both shocked and ecstatic. This was what excitement felt like!
As far as the eye could see, tongues of fire surged and spread outwards. The blazing light almost painted the mountains red. From their vantage point, they could see that in the grassy expanse at the foot of the mountain, flames flickered everywhere. The furious blasts from gun muzzles couldn’t compare to the raging inferno, but the rapidly advancing line of firepower silently conveyed one message: reinforcements were coming in force.
Ying Dou Dou and Dan Fengyan were completely mesmerized by the scene. Setting aside life and death concerns between enemies and allies, it could only be described as spectacular. They had all lived in an iron forest where fires were common, but this kind of surging inferno was truly unprecedented. Unlike movie scenes, this was real—an all-consuming flame.
The blinding light from the fire illuminated everything on that side of the grassy sea. The mountain wind fueled the flames as they advanced like living creatures. From front to back, near to far, a rolling wall of fire surged forward with overwhelming destructive power. Though they were still quite far away, they could already feel the scorching heat emanating from it.
“It’s over,” Zebra Stripes stared blankly at the towering inferno and the deafening gunfire behind her. A chill ran down her spine as she lost all hope for the lives of her companions in the cave.
Who would have thought that after hiding within the mountain for so long, they would meet such an end? After three years of freedom and comfort where they only knew of Zombie threats, they were now faced with something even more terrifying than Zombies—the destructive power of Living Persons.
The two women exchanged glances filled with despair. They knew there were many Eunuchs still loyal to them inside and outside the cave, but what good would that do? The dense gunfire was something they had only heard on television; how could those faceless thugs possibly contend with it? Even without these brutal forces, this raging fire alone was enough to drive everyone in the cave into a corner. Fire is merciless; once such overwhelming destruction loses control, its lethality can surpass that of natural disasters.
The cave relied on the desolate mountains for shelter, where everything they needed to survive was found. However, the fire before them had clearly spiraled out of control. Once the raging flames consumed the grasslands, they would spread deeper into the mountains. This wild mountain had plenty of lush vegetation and trees, and this season was perfect for new buds to sprout. With the wind fanning the flames, how could they possibly resist? Although they had spent many years in prison, they were not strangers to fires; the devastating wildfire of '87 that shocked the world was a prime example.
Zebra Stripes was filled with sorrow. The people in the cave likely had no idea that a disaster was about to befall them.
"It's terrifying," Ying Dou Dou said, her eyes shining with the reflection of fire. Her face was pale, and her hands instinctively clenched Jiao Ziqian's arm, drawing curious glances from the men behind them.
"We're doomed; the others are still inside," Jiao Ziqian snapped back to reality, shock and joy mingling as he remembered those who were still unaccounted for.
Wu Wentao appeared unfazed, smiling lightly as if he found amusement in the chaos. Clearly, this fire suited him just fine; he had no concern for those inside the cave—whether it was Red Mother and her group or Song Jiu and his companions—they meant nothing to him. Whether they lived or died made no difference.
"Let's go; stop staring," Wu Wentao huffed, jumping down from the mound.
"Where to?" Jiao Ziqian frowned, sensing something was off.
"To regroup," Wu Wentao replied matter-of-factly.
"Damn it, you don't care about those inside? What about your subordinates?" Jiao Ziqian stood his ground, realizing that arguing with him was futile. Despite his anger, he knew that if Wu Wentao didn’t care about his own men, he had little leverage.
"Life and death are fated," Wu Wentao said. After spending a few days together, he actually had a decent impression of Song Jiu and his friends; they were brave fighters, much like himself in his youth. So he took a moment to elaborate: "The fire is fierce; if it spreads up the mountain, it will be too late. We have to descend a ways before we can regroup—there's no time to turn back."
"Damn it," Jiao Ziqian cursed under his breath. He had no plan either; the key issue was that he didn’t know where Song Jiu was now. If he had escaped, he would surely have noticed the current situation. But there were only a few exits; there was no sign of Song Jiu in the vertical shaft, and the so-called Special Door was sealed. The most likely scenario was that Song Jiu had broken free but hadn’t left the cave yet. So no matter how reasonable Wu Wentao sounded, Jiao Ziqian couldn’t just walk away.
"That fire is your doing," said the outsider Dapeng, noticing the standoff and quickly interjecting: "Doudou, what’s going on?"
Startled by his voice, Ying Dou Dou suddenly remembered her wild appearance and hurriedly wrapped herself in animal skins to cover her body. "It's complicated; I’ll explain later. Where's Chun Yue?"
Dapeng’s expression fell immediately, his voice cracking with emotion: "Chun Yue, she... she’s dead."
"What did you say?" Ying Dou Dou's face changed dramatically as she exploded with anger, jumping down from the mound to grab Dapeng by his collar and demand: "How could this happen? Didn’t you escape from the Zombie? How could she die?"
"This is not the place to talk. We need to leave," Wu Wentao said, noticing the sudden change in circumstances. "If we don't hurry, it will really be too late."
Before Jiao Ziqian could respond, Dan Fengyan and Zebra Stripes jumped down first, standing on either side of Wu Wentao to show their support. They may not have had overwhelming combat power, but they were not lacking in the ability to weigh the pros and cons. Despite their lingering concerns about the cave, they knew that freedom and life were worth sacrificing for.
"Tell me how Chun Yue died!" Ying Dou Dou's emotions were spiraling out of control. She grabbed Dapeng by the collar and shook him vigorously, forgetting all else.
"She... she was deceived," Dapeng said, his face filled with bitterness and his eyes reddening. After hesitating for a moment, he choked out, "We were hiding from zombies in a cave, planning to find you at dawn. But suddenly someone appeared in the cave claiming to have seen you. Chun Yue was worried about your safety, so..."
"Explain clearly! What cave? What person? What happened?"
"Doudou, calm down. Just take a deep breath," Jiao Ziqian said, realizing this was not helping matters. She quickly embraced the frantic Ying Dou Dou and whispered soothingly, "Relax, just relax."
Dapeng glanced gratefully at Jiao Ziqian and continued, "I don’t know who that person was; he just appeared out of nowhere. He said he had seen you, and Chun Yue believed him. I couldn't stop her no matter what."
"And then?" Ying Dou Dou's eyes were filled with sorrow as tears streamed down her cheeks.
"I advised Chun Yue not to trust him, but she wouldn’t listen and even kicked me out." Dapeng pounded his fist against his chest in frustration. "It's all my fault; I was impulsive and left. By the time I calmed down and returned, the cave had already collapsed."
Jiao Ziqian listened in confusion. She thought her own experiences were bizarre enough but realized things could be worse.
"Take me there! I want to see her alive or dead!" Ying Dou Dou struggled to control her emotions, taking several deep breaths before asking tremulously, "Where is the cave?"
"Doudou, just let it go," Dapeng said sadly. His feelings for Yang Chun Yue were genuine, but he didn't want to take Ying Dou Dou back because the situation wasn't as dire as he described; it was merely a rockfall at the cave's entrance. There were still gaps visible beneath the compacted earth. However, Dapeng lacked the courage to enter; he preferred to believe that Chun Yue had perished inside the cave. In his mind, if she had truly gone in there, her chances of survival were slim.
"What do you mean 'let it go'?" Ying Dou Dou murmured in a daze. "Akin said that no matter who it is, we must see them alive or dead! Take me there! Hurry!"
"Doudou, please calm down! She..." Dapeng started but suddenly paused as if realizing something. He stiffened his neck and looked at Jiao Ziqian and Wu Wentao with shifting expressions before yanking Ying Dou Dou back and stepping away. "It’s them! Chun Yue was killed by them!"
"You must be crazy!" Jiao Ziqian exclaimed in shock at his sudden movement and reached out to pull Ying Dou Dou back toward her.
Dapeng, who had just been timid moments ago, suddenly became animated, pointing at Jiao Ziqian and Wu Wentao, nearly screaming in desperation, "Doudou, you have to believe me! I'm just like them, chained up. They're both perverts, and if you follow them, you'll end up dead!"
"What the hell are you talking about?" Jiao Ziqian was about to curse back when a sudden realization struck him. He quickly asked, "What do you mean? Did you see a man? What did he look like? When did this happen?"
Wu Wentao sighed and glanced back at the increasingly fierce flames at the foot of the mountain. He was surprised to find himself feeling a bit hesitant. Zebra Stripes and Dan Fengyan had completely turned against them, and now he felt calm, saying nothing.
Just moments ago, it was Jiao Ziqian who had urged Ying Dou Dou to stay calm, but now he seemed frantic. He grabbed Dapeng and insisted, "For God's sake, just tell us!"
Dapeng was bewildered as he was shaken by both of them. His mind felt like mush, and seeing Ying Dou Dou leaning towards the others made him reluctantly recount what had happened. In a low voice, he added, "I couldn't see what that person looked like; it was too dark inside."
"It's Brother Jiu! It has to be Brother Jiu!" Jiao Ziqian exclaimed with joy, pulling Dapeng along and commanding him to lead the way immediately.
"So you just left Chun Yue behind and planned to escape on your own?" Ying Dou Dou shook her head in disbelief. "How could you leave her all alone?"
"I... I tried to convince her, but she wouldn't listen," Dapeng admitted, feeling guilty. His voice trembled as he said, "I'll take you to the cave."
"You’re so young; it's really annoying," Wu Wentao remarked, feeling as though he had vented half a lifetime's worth of frustration that night. Seeing the situation escalate further, he thought for a moment and said, "Enough with the chatter; let's get moving."
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