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墨書 Inktalez
In the hall, the argument grew more intense, with questions and accusations flying back and forth. The sound of fists slamming on tables echoed loudly, penetrating the well-crafted doors and reaching the ears of Ming Junwei and two Foreign Operatives.
At this moment, Ming Junwei felt helpless. His plan to find Yinuo had hit a dead end. Su Lan was too preoccupied with her argument with Old Yang and Kenny to pay him any mind. Kenny, who had just arrived, did not directly order Ming Junwei's execution; perhaps he had intended to, but Old Yang's outburst prompted Kenny to skip that step. He called over two Field Duty officers and instructed them to detain Ming Junwei in Su Lan's office while the "family" moved to the spacious hall to continue their verbal battle.
Outside, a gentle breeze blew on what seemed to be another beautiful day. If it weren't for his earlier slip of the tongue, he might have already found Yinuo and been on his way home. Unfortunately, words had led to actions, and plans had once again succumbed to unforeseen changes.
After a long night of discussions, Ming Junwei now felt a wave of fatigue wash over him. The two officers watching over him seemed oblivious to his presence as they huddled together, whispering about something. He sat alone behind a large desk, bored out of his mind, and turned his chair to watch the surveillance feeds to pass the time.
Although trapped in a den of danger, this trip had yielded some results. He had inadvertently learned about Yang Chun Yue's identity. More surprisingly, he had encountered An Zheng's orphan here.
Years ago, when they escaped from the Gobi Desert, An Zheng and his child were taken hostage as part of a deal. After that, they had lost all contact. Recently, Huihui's appearance brought news of An Zheng's death. Although the details remained unclear, he could guess that An Zheng had acted against Kenny’s interests and paid the price for it. The little boy had undergone changes due to drug injections before everyone left; he hadn't been seen since then. To his astonishment, the boy was still alive and seemed to have a close relationship with Old Yang.
Kenny's arrival disrupted all previous expectations. Ming Junwei was now under soft detention while the boy was taken away from here. The argument in the hall continued; from what he could hear, Su Lan had exited, leaving Professor Yang's furious accusations echoing through the space without Kenny saying much at all.
Ming Junwei lit a cigarette as Cyclops stealthily turned around, glancing at the handgun strapped to one of the Field Duty officers' waists. He recalled the route he took last night with some annoyance. It had been late when he arrived; Su Lan’s men were unfriendly and practically shoved him into the car without allowing him to take in his surroundings. By the time he got out, they had already reached Shanzhai Palace, surrounded by armed Field Duty officers. The courtyard was brightly lit even in the dead of night, let alone during broad daylight.
After some aimless thoughts, Ming Junwei reluctantly abandoned his idea of seizing a weapon and escaping. Since he had nothing else to do, he decided to take a short rest.
The two Field Duty officers hardly regarded Cyclops as a threat; they laughed and chatted among themselves until suddenly they heard snoring from behind them. Turning around, they saw Ming Junwei sprawled across the desk sound asleep, completely unconcerned about being monitored.
Time passed without him realizing it until a violent jolt at the table woke him up with a start. He blinked awake to find Su Lan standing across from him with an angry expression.
“You leave me with this mess while you sleep soundly,” Su Lan glared at him fiercely and waved her hand, signaling him to come out.
Ming Junwei wiped drool from his mouth and felt dazed as he asked, “Are you done arguing? Are you going to execute me now?”
“Can you be serious for once?” Su Lan was exasperated as she stood firm and looked at him seriously. “I need to ask you: Did Chun Yue really die because of e?”
"Ming Junwei shrugged and said, 'If you don't believe me, you can send these foreigners to the ancient city to check. The train station and the roundabout are still in ruins. If you're lucky, you might find that girl's remains. You know, zombies don't gnaw on bones. You have a lab; you should be able to identify her.'
'Enough with the useless talk,' Su Lan thought to herself. She knew Ming Junwei wasn't lying; after all, he had mentioned Yang Chun Yue by name, which meant they had met. As for the question of life and death, there was no point in discussing it now. A few days ago, they had indeed requisitioned a massive amount of explosives, which coincided with what Ming Junwei had said about the explosion. Regardless of the details, it all added up.
'So what does this mean now?' Ming Junwei asked nonchalantly, glancing outside to see that the argument had died down. He wondered where that master and apprentice had gone.
'Consider yourself lucky. I've found the person you were looking for, and I'll take you to see her,' Su Lan instructed the two field duty officers briefly. The foreigners nodded and got up to leave the room.
Ming Junwei was taken aback, unable to believe it. 'Is your man really not planning to kill me?'
'Are you that eager to die?' Su Lan took a deep breath, suppressing her urge to hit him. She replied patiently, 'They have other matters to deal with. Kenny didn't recognize you. In any case, I will ensure you get out safely. As for what happens next, let's just hope everyone stays well.'
Ming Junwei felt that Su Lan wasn't being entirely truthful, but he didn't press further. He didn't belong in this lonely city; he could find Yinuo and leave safely—what was there not to be happy about?
'Aso,' Ming Junwei said as he patted Su Lan's slender shoulder, his gaze sincere. 'Thank you.'
'I can only help you this much,' Su Lan replied as she grasped Ming Junwei's rough hand. She seemed like she wanted to say more but thought better of it. With a wry smile, she added, 'Perhaps this is our last meeting. Take care.'
'You too, take care,' Ming Junwei nodded.
Twenty minutes later, their vehicle slowly came to a stop beside an old railway track. The doors opened, and Su Lan and Ming Junwei got out one after the other.
They were at the center of the launch site, once a radar testing area that had since been renovated and transformed into a production zone in the Gobi Desert. On their way, Su Lan explained some details to Ming Junwei, which differed slightly from his expectations. He had thought that all resources in Lonely City came from scattered zombie camps; however, that wasn't the case at all. The Gobi Desert had developed an initial production system capable of self-sufficiency in food, clothing, shelter, and transportation—no longer just an empty promise.
Ming Junwei recognized this place; directly across was the old testing facility with a tall steel wall separating two areas. The field duty barracks were built against this wall, heavily guarded and impenetrable.
The old walls had been refurbished and expanded significantly in size. A hundred meters away stood a cluster of gray factory buildings where busy figures could be seen moving about through the barbed wire fence."
"Your companions are here." Su Lan did not rush inside; she leaned against the car with her arms crossed and said, "The factory currently has over fourteen hundred people, covering nearly all aspects of daily needs. What you refer to as the Zombie Camp is actually just a way to establish a circulation system. Resources can only create greater value when they flow; piling them up in warehouses serves no purpose."
"The workers are all Survivors captured from various places," Ming Junwei's expression changed slightly, and he asked softly, "Are they all Ordinary Survivors?"
"Yes," Su Lan did not deny it and nodded. "The city needs to operate. Those who cannot integrate into the new order can only contribute in other ways."
"Enslavement," Ming Junwei chuckled dryly.
"Call it what you will," Su Lan frowned slightly, helplessly saying, "Letting them leave poses a potential risk here. This is a win-win solution. They only need to work, and in return, they can have a safe living environment without worrying about food and clean water. If they fall ill or get injured, they can receive treatment. Compared to fighting for scarce resources outside against Zombies, which do you think is better?"
Ming Junwei did not answer; he lowered his head in thought and then spoke up, "Aso, may I ask you a question?"
"Sure."
"What is the ultimate goal?" Ming Junwei's eyes revealed a rare seriousness as he questioned, "Is it to eradicate humanity and let Zombies become the new rulers?"
Su Lan fell silent for a moment upon hearing this; her eyelashes fluttered as if she wanted to say something but held back.
"Forget it, let's go." Ming Junwei sighed. From her expression, he sensed confusion; clearly, Su Lan also did not know what that bespectacled man truly wanted to achieve. Asking was pointless.
Yinuo was assigned to the Industrial Zone located on the outskirts. According to Su Lan's description, she was assigned to the power distribution room, responsible for supplying electricity to low-voltage users within the city. Ming Junwei was quite curious; electricity and water were fundamental necessities. Since the Survivors here were not trusted, how could they be allowed to control the lifeblood of the city?
Upon entering the distribution area, Ming Junwei's questions were answered.
Indeed, there was nothing that could not be resolved with a gun; if there was, then two guns would do.
There were many Survivors responsible for various tasks, but even more Field Duty personnel were tasked with watching over these Survivors. The construction layout here differed from previous models; it achieved transparency while meeting operational conditions. The workers operating the machines were completely exposed to the guns of Field Duty personnel and had their movements restricted by specially designed shackles. They had no chance of resistance—there wasn't even an opportunity for a desperate fight. Each job position had a strict time allocation system; different tasks were performed at different times. Once a task was completed, Field Duty would escort them back to the worker gathering area, which was essentially their dormitory.
Ming Junwei had not gone anywhere, but from the work environment, it seemed that the staff dormitory was no different from a prison. It provided shelter from the wind and rain, a place to eat, drink, and relieve oneself; beyond that, it served little purpose. Just like the speculation he had with Song Jiu back at the bar, the Zombie Lords were living lavishly in the city, enjoying a normal life. Behind several high walls, those Survivors who once struggled for survival had transformed and donned shackles, beginning to dedicate their remaining lives to serving the people of the city without compensation.
Ming Junwei called this slavery, while Su Lan referred to it as a process of reconstruction.
Neither of them argued much about it; neither could convince the other, nor could either change anything. It was already difficult enough to find Yinuo, and Ming Junwei had no extra time to play the savior of enslaved farmers. However, he did come to understand one thing: Kenny had allocated considerable armed forces to maintain the core areas of the city's operation, while there was little defensive power in the city filled with lights and revelry. At first glance, it seemed puzzling, but upon further reflection, he truly admired this guy's cleverness.
In Zombie City, where self-governance thrived, just as that calm young man who killed members of the Rebel Army repeatedly said that night: every Zombie has its limits. To enjoy this leisure and peace, everyone needed to follow the rules. Anyone who crossed the line would not require Kenny or Field Duty to take action; the Zombies themselves would handle any potential threats.
It appeared that the lifeline of the city was in the hands of factory Survivors; however, from the scattered Zombie Camps to this Lonely City, the thread connecting them all was firmly held between Kenny's fingers.
As they walked and talked, a few minutes later, they arrived at their destination and stopped in front of an electrical room door.
Su Lan approached and whispered a few words to the Field Duty guard. The Foreigner raised an eyebrow and turned to enter through the main door. Before long, he emerged with a girl whose expression was blank.
Ming Junwei's body jolted; the joy of reunion he had been waiting for suddenly vanished, replaced by instant fury as he shouted: "Yinuo!"
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