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墨書 Inktalez
"Put down the gun."
A figure stepped out from the crowd, resembling a leader. His unkempt long hair obscured half of his face, and the other half was equally indistinct, smeared with dirt or perhaps deliberately so, leaving only vague outlines of his brow, eyes, nose, and mouth visible. He was tall, standing straight and likely taller than Song Jiu, but his lanky frame lacked any intimidation. He wore a fire-red leather jacket that resembled a cloak, open at the front to reveal prominent ribs, and his malnourished skin made the tattoo of an eagle on his chest appear somewhat wilted.
Song Jiu was momentarily stunned, his gaze sweeping over the assorted weapons in the hands of the group. He couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight of more than ten makeshift machetes made from welded galvanized steel pipes and a few shabby-looking shotguns that were clearly homemade. Who gave them the courage to order them to disarm?
The Leather Jacket Man paced around, gripping a steel pipe while the blade of his machete clanged against the concrete ground. His dark pants were filthy, and his shoes were wrinkled and frayed. Noticing that Song Jiu and his companions remained unresponsive, he grew impatient and pointed behind them. "Tell them to turn off their engines; it's too noisy."
"May I ask where you’re from?" Song Jiu asked with a hint of amusement. It wasn’t unusual to encounter Survivors in the city, but what kind of situation warranted such foolishness? If it weren’t for the concern of disrupting their yacht transport, he would have sent them packing with a volley of bullets long ago.
"Stop wasting my time. This is our territory; what are you doing here?" The Leather Jacket Man spoke arrogantly, casting a disdainful glance at the rifles in their hands. "Who are you trying to scare? Put those down."
""
"Did you hear me?" The Leather Jacket Man stepped forward two paces, casually nudging one of their guns with his machete. He sneered, "I was playing with guns when you were still in diapers. Don’t push your luck."
Song Jiu ignored him and counted heads—fewer than twenty people, both men and women, all rough around the edges and trying hard to appear fierce. The sound of their machetes clanging together suggested they were eager for attention.
"Are they stupid or what?" Jiao Ziqian muttered under his breath as he glanced back at the Trailer team; most of the yacht was already in place. Wu Wentao in the Fuel Truck appeared calm and was tilting his head to observe them.
"Say that again," the Leather Jacket Man said as he dug into his ear, seemingly not having heard Jiao Ziqian's comment.
"Just wait." Song Jiu stopped the eager young man from acting rashly. The yacht was precious; if a fight broke out and damaged it, it would be a loss they couldn’t afford. Suppressing a smile, he asked, "Boss, we’re just passing through. There’s no need for weapons here."
"Did you drive these cars here?" The Leather Jacket Man ignored Song Jiu's question and pointed at their Cherokee. With a flick of his head, two girls dressed like mismatched dolls rushed over to open the car doors and rummaged inside excitedly. "Nan Ge! There’s food!"
The man referred to as Nan Ge nodded and raised his hand to brush aside the hair covering half his face. He declared arrogantly, "Put down all your stuff or get lost if you don’t want to die."
"You’re asking for trouble," Jiao Ziqian retorted angrily, ready to explode. As a member of Zombie reserves, he didn’t take those homemade shotguns seriously; this group looked more like starving scavengers than sharpshooters. If they could land a headshot on him, he'd write "fool" backward.
Song Jiu nudged Jiao Ziqian lightly with an amused glint in his eyes. "How about this: I can share some food and drink with you if you let us pass without blocking our way?"
"What?"
"I can provide ample food and some water; take what you need and go back where you came from. We won’t interfere with each other—how does that sound?" Song Jiu displayed an extraordinary level of patience as he gestured for Jiao Ziqian to lower his weapon. He smiled gently. "We’re all just trying to survive here; if we end up fighting, there will be casualties on both sides. You wouldn’t want your people to die over food and drink now, would you?"
Jiao Ziqian and the two young men were momentarily taken aback. Damn it, those Field Duty guys at the Industrial Park could only suffer losses against them; why would they negotiate with this ragtag group? Brother Jiu must have lost his mind.
Song Jiu didn’t explain, instead smiling as he gestured toward the Cherokee and made a welcoming motion. “If you want, I’ll throw in these two cars as well. We’ll be leaving soon, and your territory will still be yours.”
The Leather Jacket Man remained silent, seemingly deep in thought. The crowd behind him, however, was intrigued, whispering and pointing at one another.
Song Jiu noticed that while this group projected an intimidating aura, they were actually just a bunch of half-grown kids. The boastful Leather Jacket Man’s maturity was questionable, especially with those two girls checking the car—they were just young girls. In that moment of surprise attack, Song Jiu had considered giving them a taste of their own medicine, but upon seeing them, he changed his mind. It wasn’t about being kind; it was simply unnecessary.
Indeed, they were battle-hardened and could hold their own against the ruthless Field Duty gang. Taking down this rowdy group of youths would be easy enough. But then again, knives and guns don’t discriminate; a crude firearm is still a firearm. Jiao Ziqian and Wu Wentao weren’t afraid, but he and Lao Cao were flesh and blood. As they traveled safely along their route, nearing the sea, Song Jiu genuinely didn’t want to see bloodshed. In the past, he wouldn’t have cared; now he was very concerned. These kids had survived for so long for a reason; they seemed to only want to seize supplies rather than slaughter indiscriminately.
Otherwise, if they had fired a shot earlier, it would have been far more effective than just throwing bricks.
What Song Jiu needed to do now was take a step back; there was plenty of room in the sea ahead. He wanted to take everyone with him out to sea and didn’t wish for anyone to fall on the land they were about to leave behind. In comparison, parting with some supplies was a minor sacrifice.
The Leather Jacket Man pondered for a moment, seemingly in disbelief. He cautiously said, “Don’t try any tricks on me; I’m telling you…”
Song Jiu didn’t waste words. He pulled out the car keys from his pocket and tossed them over casually, shrugging as he said, “They’re yours now.”
“What about food and drinks?”
“Easy enough.” Song Jiu relaxed completely, pulled out a cigar and lit it before tossing one to the Leather Jacket Man. “It’s fate that we meet; let me finish my business here first.”
A few simple sentences in any other context would have sounded ridiculous.
The Leather Jacket Man frowned in thought before nodding. “Alright then; you’re not too bad. I can’t ignore your face.”
Jiao Ziqian rolled his eyes dramatically at this little brat who was getting way too cocky.
Song Jiu chuckled lightly and called the young men back to the courtyard, whispering to Jiao Ziqian, “Let it go.”
“Let what go?” Jiao Ziqian was taken aback.
“Don’t make a scene; they’re just kids.”
“ Brother Jiu, something seems off with you.”
“I’m serious.” Song Jiu’s expression turned serious as he spoke softly, “Don’t underestimate them. Think about how destructive and intolerant you were at this age. My ship can’t sustain any damage, and we must return unscathed. There’s no need to get into trouble with them.”
Jiao Ziqian seemed to understand but glanced at the crowd rummaging around the two cars, feeling a pent-up frustration.
Song Jiu noticed and sighed, saying, “Don’t be upset. Let’s focus on getting the ship sorted first. Once it’s in the water, you can do whatever you want.”
“Forget it.” Jiao Ziqian replied, feeling quite dejected, “It sounds like I’m the one trying to bully kids.”
The truth was simple; if tempers flared, a confrontation was inevitable. It was better to cool off and let things settle.
Song Jiu enjoyed this feeling, leaning against the car while his mind wandered back to the Cyclops dragon. In the past, he would have played Jiao Ziqian’s role, perhaps even more aggressively.
“Hey, that kid.” The Leather Jacket Man approached with a machete in hand, causing the two young men to change their expressions.
Song Jiu waved his hand dismissively and smiled, asking, “What’s up?”
“What are you moving this ship for? Planning to launch it?” The Leather Jacket Man flicked away a booger and grinned at the Luxury Yacht with curiosity.
“Exactly.” Song Jiu didn’t hide anything and replied candidly, “We can’t stay on land anymore; we’re planning to go out to sea.”
The Leather Jacket Man looked at Song Jiu and licked his lips, saying, “I think you’re a decent guy. Just a heads-up: don’t bother; it’s pointless.”
“What do you mean?” Song Jiu raised an eyebrow and asked, “What’s pointless?”
“The port is full of Zombies. How do you plan to launch?”
“What about other places?” Song Jiu feigned ignorance and inquired, “I’ve seen the map; there are coastal parks in the city with plenty of waterfront areas. Surely there’s a safe spot somewhere?”
“There are some,” the Leather Jacket Man said as he struggled with a cigar before pulling out a homemade cigarette from his leather jacket pocket and lighting it up for himself. “But there’s nothing out at sea. What are you planning to do?”
“What else?” Song Jiu replied with a smirk. “Nan Ge, do you have any suggestions?”
"How about this," the Leather Jacket Man coughed twice and said, "You all can join me. I see you are honest folks, so I'll show some kindness. Ahem, this city is my territory, and most of the zombies are at the port. It's quite safe here."
"Join you?" Song Jiu chuckled and shook his head. "No thanks."
"What's that? You look down on me?" The Leather Jacket Man frowned, casting a sidelong glance at Song Jiu, his expression slightly awkward.
"No, no, no." Song Jiu waved his hands repeatedly, explaining, "We have quite a few people. Our consumption for food and other necessities is too high. Besides, it's not easy for you to bring along a bunch of kids. We wouldn't want to be a burden."
The Leather Jacket Man's expression softened gradually, but a hint of panic flashed in his eyes. They had always extorted and intimidated passing Survivors in this manner, but now that they were faced with a group of youths, he felt somewhat uncertain. He casually laughed it off to cover up his discomfort and changed the subject. "Well, do as you please then." After a pause, he added, "About your guns..."
"We're not giving up our guns," Song Jiu flatly refused. "Food and drink are negotiable, but firearms are essential for survival. You can forget about that."
"I was just asking casually. Tch, I have guns too; what's so impressive about it?" The Leather Jacket Man felt a bit embarrassed. Song Jiu's approach was different from what he was used to; in similar situations before, there would have definitely been a fight. However, since Song Jiu's terms were reasonable and they chatted for a while without any thoughts of violence, the tension eased.
Meanwhile, over at the workshop, things had finally wrapped up. The Catamaran was successfully transferred and securely settled onto the trailer. Cao Zheng and Dai Wei didn't bother asking about the situation here; they took out ropes to firmly tie down the boat's hull and spent time installing the propeller at the stern. After moving the Oil Drums and finishing these tasks, two hours had already passed.
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