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墨書 Inktalez
Gobi, under the starry night and bright moon.
The high walls and spacious courtyard were silent, with a few windows illuminated, curtains half-drawn, and shadows swaying within. Security personnel patrolled the yard, the main gate was locked with chains, and outside, the cold wind howled through the empty streets, isolating the flickering neon lights beyond.
Ming Junwei had already taken a nap. The free bedding provided by the staff was of decent quality; sleeping on the hard bed felt relatively soft, and the pillow retained a faint fiber scent—clean and comfortable.
"What time is it?" Ming Junwei yawned. If it weren't for the important matters at hand, he would have liked to sleep a little longer.
Hou Xiong on the lower bunk glanced out the window and mumbled, "It's almost nine." All their personal belongings had been confiscated, including their watches, so they could only guess the time. Yellow Dog lay dozing at the door, curled up beneath it was a nest of Kittens, while Tabby Cat rested on Hou Xiong's blanket, breathing steadily with faint purring sounds.
"When did they bring it?" Ming Junwei rubbed his numb face and took a deep breath to roll out of bed. The bedding was too comfortable; most of their journey had been spent cramped in a car, leaving him sore after half a month. The hard bed was just what he needed to relieve his fatigue.
"In the afternoon. They even brought food, but I saw you sleeping soundly, so I didn’t wake you." Hou Xiong carefully sat up, trying not to disturb the sleeping Tabby Cat. He got out of bed to stretch his limbs and added, "Also, there's a health check scheduled for tomorrow. We'll go together."
"Oh, they are quite efficient." Ming Junwei nodded, scratching his messy hair as he stared blankly out into the darkness. He murmured, "If we’re going tomorrow, we need to act tonight."
"Have you thought about how to do it?" Hou Xiong asked uncertainly, hesitating as he continued, "There are still patrols outside, and the gate is locked."
"What about that group during the day?" Ming Junwei jumped out of bed and walked over to crack open the door slightly. The night breeze slipped in through the gap; Yellow Dog opened its sleepy eyes in discontent at Ming Junwei's actions, grumbling softly before jumping onto Hou Xiong's bed with the Kittens in its mouth.
"They're all on the second floor. Besides us on the first floor, there are three rooms with lights on; I don't know what they're doing." Hou Xiong hadn't slept all afternoon and had been preparing instead. Watching over was not particularly skilled work; it seemed that the patrolmen outside didn't suspect them much either—most of their attention was focused on that large group of people.
"The second floor? That's a bit troublesome." This was slightly different from what he had anticipated; he thought those people would be kept under close watch on the first floor but found they were sent upstairs instead. The staff had mentioned earlier that there was only one staircase connecting both floors; their range of movement was limited. They could wander around in the yard but were prohibited from approaching that large group of people. There were no hiding spots in the yard, and there was light at the staircase entrance—getting up without alerting the guards would be quite difficult.
Hou Xiong pondered for an entire afternoon but still couldn't grasp Ming Junwei's specific plan. There were indeed many people upstairs; how could they unite? Just relying on their words to persuade those terrified individuals to join them in rebellion seemed unrealistic.
"What are you thinking?" Hou Xiong couldn't help but ask curiously. He wondered aloud, "You said that Launch Site isn't close; we're strangers here. If anything happens here, I doubt we can reach our destination."
"Don't rush me; let me think." Ming Junwei raised his hand to interrupt his questioning. He checked his pockets—he had run out of cigarettes—and felt a wave of annoyance wash over him.
Ming Junwei was never one to plan meticulously. Given the current situation, he could only focus on immediate issues—namely escaping from this compound. As for the chain reactions that might follow once they got out, he hadn't considered them yet. However, after Hou Xiong's reminder, Ming Junwei had to start thinking carefully. This place was not like being out in the wild; there was only one way forward or back. They needed a relatively safe period to reach Launch Site—at least for now, they couldn't expose themselves. This Lonely City was more complex than he had imagined; once their movements were revealed, perhaps there would be no need for Field Duty to intervene—Ming Junwei felt that the residents would likely capture them themselves and turn them over to authorities.
Initially, Ming Junwei planned to create some chaos with the hundred or so people, taking advantage of the crowd. With so many eyes around, he and Hou Xiong could easily slip through unnoticed. Ming Junwei had once spent long nights in the Gobi Desert, and he knew that those tied up with hemp ropes during the day were not there voluntarily. Most likely, they were similar to the individuals held in the Underground Testing Facility years ago—experimental subjects or used for other purposes. The enemy's enemy is a friend; this simple principle sometimes proves effective. The defenses of the compound were generally weak, and as long as they could grab a weapon, it would surely spark some localized chaos.
However, the problem lay in how to incite those people and manage them. Even if they could provoke a distraction, once those individuals left the compound, their first instinct would likely be to rush out of the city gates, which was contrary to Ming Junwei's intentions. It would be akin to walking into a trap; before they could escape amidst the confusion, those people would be caught by the moat outside the city—an insatiable force ready to swallow them whole.
Thus, Ming Junwei pondered not how to leave the courtyard but how to keep those people in the city to continue creating chaos. Hou Xiong was unaware of Ming Junwei's plans. If he knew what Ming Junwei was thinking, he would probably curse him for being despicable—sending those people towards a dead end just to buy time.
Ming Junwei frowned, and both of their spirits were low. Hou Xiong had little confidence to begin with, and seeing Ming Junwei like this made him doubt their mission's success.
"The physical examination tomorrow is going to be too late," Ming Junwei said with a furrowed brow, gazing at the bright moon outside. "That girl Yao Yao mixed some blood for me; I’m sure it will show up in the tests."
"What?" Hou Xiong was taken aback, not understanding.
Ming Daxia scratched his head; he could guess that the purpose of the physical examination was likely to eliminate potential threats. The Zombie blood supplied by Song Yao would definitely not escape their relatively sound medical inspection system. Once any abnormalities were detected, it would surely attract a lot of attention.
"You say that easily; if only we could be separated," Ming Junwei muttered to himself before suddenly having a bright idea. He turned to Hou Xiong and whispered, "You were hiding in the city all along."
"What?" Hou Xiong rolled his eyes in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
"The ancient city—you went where after your fight with Song Jiu?" Ming Junwei asked urgently.
"Nowhere; I didn’t go anywhere," Hou Xiong replied stiffly. Seeing Ming Junwei's serious expression, which was far from casual conversation, he continued, "I got injured back then and thought I was done for, so I just waited to die on the city wall. Later on, I didn’t die; when the Zombies dispersed below the wall, I had nowhere else to go and decided to try my luck at the temple."
"So you were hiding in the temple all that time," Ming Junwei raised an eyebrow and asked, "You didn’t step out at all?"
"Not exactly; they went to Roundabout, and there was hardly any supplies left in the temple. I did go out looking for food and medicine," Hou Xiong replied, feeling puzzled by Ming Junwei's sudden interest in this topic.
"Did it rain for several days afterward? Did you get caught in it?" Ming Junwei’s eyes sparkled with an inexplicable glimmer.
Hou Xiong was taken aback and frowned as he thought back. During those days of heavy rain, his burns hadn’t scabbed over yet; the continuous downpour had been quite torturous for him. He remembered going out once—wasn’t that when he lost his way trying to fetch water from Talin Well?
"I did get wet," Hou Xiong nodded slowly and frowned again. "What’s up with that?"
"That's good, we have a plan." Ming Junwei let out a long breath, his expression turning somewhat strange as he said quietly, "It's lucky you didn't die; that rain was unusual."
"Does that have anything to do with our current situation?" Hou Xiong was already confused. It didn't seem like a good time for casual conversation; why was Ming Junwei fixating on this?
Ming Junwei wasn't in a hurry to explain. He furrowed his brows in thought for a moment, as if he had made some kind of decision. He stood up and glanced at the door, instructing Hou Xiong to keep watch. Then he lifted the bedding and removed the bed board, prying at a protruding wooden plank with all his strength until he managed to pull out the long nails used for fixing it.
Hou Xiong stared blankly at his actions and tentatively asked, "Are you making a weapon out of nails?"
"Smart." Ming Junwei winked at him, pressing the nail head against the concrete floor for a while before saying meaningfully, "I won't hide it from you; what we're about to do requires us to go against our conscience. If you're unwilling, just say so, and I'll handle it myself."
"What do you mean?" Hou Xiong raised an eyebrow, hesitating as he asked, "Are we going to kill someone?"
"Yes." Ming Junwei's expression darkened as he sighed, "And not just one person. This is the only method I can think of right now."
"You tell me how to do it." Hou Xiong was quite surprised. Ming Junwei had always given him an impression of being somewhat off-kilter. They had rarely confronted zombies directly along their journey, so hearing him suddenly talk about going on a killing spree was shocking and left him more puzzled than anything else. Their only weapon was a concrete nail; how could they rely on that to kill more than one person?
Ming Junwei brushed off the dust from the nail head, stood up, and opened the back window. He leaned out to look up; behind the window was a narrow path pressed against the wall, leading to the courtyard on both sides. The concrete wall rose two or three meters above the second floor and was smooth as glass, offering no chance for climbing.
Ming Junwei pulled back inside and said seriously, "The second-floor window has no security bars; we can climb up from here." He paused for a moment before tossing the concrete nail to Hou Xiong and added, "Neither of us can afford a health checkup. I have the Zombie Virus in my body, and you are currently a carrier of the Infected Virus."
Hou Xiong caught the heated concrete nail and froze at his words. "What?"
"I just told you that rain in the city was unusual. Our doctor tested the rainwater and confirmed it was Acid Rain. Additionally, they detected Powdered Zombie Virus particles in it." Ming Junwei spoke rapidly in one breath. Seeing Hou Xiong's bewildered expression, he slowed down and explained further: "This means that everyone affected by that rain has already been infected by a new type of Infected Virus. If you die now, it won't be long before you wake up again."
""
"Do you understand now?"
"You mean that even if I wasn't hurt by zombies, I would still turn into one if I died?" Hou Xiong was stunned.
"Exactly." Ming Junwei nodded.
"Then what about you? Didn't the rain get to you as well?"
Ming Junwei smiled bitterly and shook his head. "I was in the same situation at first, but then something went wrong. Right now, I don't even know what happens after I die."
Hou Xiong opened his mouth, suddenly realizing something. His eyes widened in shock as he stammered, "Y-you want me to bite those people and turn them into Zombies?"
"You might hesitate to bite them. The Infected Virus spreads through bodily fluids. Just to be safe, you can use a nail dipped in blood, and then..." Ming Junwei raised his hand and gestured at his neck, leaving the last few words unspoken.
Hou Xiong was dumbfounded, cold sweat breaking out on his back as he looked at Ming Junwei with a changed expression.
"I've already said it's not a good thing. If you can't bring yourself to do it, then I'll take care of it." Ming Junwei was too tired to explain further. The situation was clear: either act first or suffer the consequences later. This was never going to be a pleasant journey, and there was no time to consider a foolproof plan.
Hou Xiong lowered his head and thought for a moment before sighing, "So we just need to make sure they come into contact with my bodily fluids?"
"And we need to ensure they die. The time from death to reanimation is hard to gauge. It's around nine o'clock now; we must leave here before dawn."
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