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墨書 Inktalez
Hou Xiong supported Yuan An as they navigated through the alleyways, with Yellow Dog leading the way, sniffing around and pacing back and forth at the fork in the road, seemingly unsure of which direction to take.
"I've seen you before," Yuan An said, her face pale, cold sweat drying and soaking her skin, her body trembling uncontrollably.
"Shh," Hou Xiong whispered, raising a finger to silence her. He pulled her into the shadows of a corner and waited for a moment. Footsteps approached, and several Field Duty officers hurried past, quickly disappearing around the corner.
Hou Xiong peeked in the direction they had come from, a flicker of joy crossing his eyes. After a brief hesitation, he bent down and lifted Yuan An onto his back. "We'll talk later," he said as he began to run.
"Where are you going?" Yuan An asked weakly, her strength waning and making it difficult for her to keep up.
"Shh," Hou Xiong waved his hand dismissively. He drew a machete from his waist and signaled for Yellow Dog to sprint along the sidewalk. As they neared the intersection, he slowed his pace.
The intersection was already blocked off. It seemed that the city's emergency supplies were insufficient; there weren't enough large barriers. Field Duty had moved many containers from nearby shops to create makeshift defenses. A Heavy Off-Road Vehicle was parked across the back, firmly blocking the throng of Zombies behind the barricade.
Hou Xiong had been wandering around the city for quite some time. Although he hadn't followed Ming Junwei's footsteps last night, their escape methods were similar; they had both donned uniforms to blend in and avoid detection. Just like Yuan An's situation, Hou Xiong, disguised as Field Duty, couldn't slip away amidst the chaos. Instead, he was caught up in various tasks by busy Field Duty officers—sometimes filling gaps in defenses and other times rushing to carry out targeted cleanups—effectively becoming a laborer. Eventually, Hou Xiong found an opportunity to slip away, decisively discarding his uniform and reclaiming his rugged persona as a bounty hunter.
"There aren't enough Field Duty officers available; there are many fragmented barricades. The rotation for defense should take about three minutes," Hou Xiong said as he sniffed and estimated how long it had been since that team of Field Duty left. He turned back to Yuan An. "Your wounds need attention."
Yuan An paused for a moment before replying, "What do you plan to do? I'm fine; I've already bandaged them."
"Clearly not professionally done," Hou Xiong smirked, his scarred face twisting slightly as he looked around at the nearby shops and chose a flower shop.
The store was unlocked; most Zombies acting as emergency Militia had rushed toward the main avenue, leaving the outskirts largely deserted without fear of being discovered. Hou Xiong pushed open the glass door and checked the small room in the back to ensure it was safe before setting Yuan An down. "Wait here."
"Where are you going?" Yuan An asked.
"Just buying some time," Hou Xiong replied without elaborating. He picked up Yuan An's confiscated Rifle and weighed it in his hands. "Let me borrow this." With that, he quickly ran out again.
Yellow Dog lay obediently beside Yuan An, its scarlet tongue lolling out, looking quite exhausted.
Yuan An propped herself up on the wire bed, stepping onto a stool to glance outside the ventilation window. Suddenly alarmed, she realized that the landing spot chosen by Hou Xiong was far from ideal. The street outside the store was temporarily blocked off, but the alley behind had already been breached by Zombies. Outside the window, a mass of rotting Horde was pushing forward, and even through the glass, she could smell their foul stench. Fortunately, the commotion from the Field Duty and Zombies on the other side provided some cover; for now, Yuan An was safe and didn’t have to worry about being discovered by the Horde.
Just as she was thinking this, a sudden gunshot rang out from outside. She vaguely heard Hou Xiong cursing before a heavy crash followed, accompanied by the chaotic roars of Zombies. Struggling to her feet, Yuan An moved into the fragrant flower room. Before she could react, the glass door burst open, and a man rushed in as if his pants were on fire, shouting as he closed the door behind him, “Quick! Help me block the door!”
Yuan An was taken aback but quickly pushed a display stand over. Hou Xiong found a bicycle lock near the door and hurriedly secured it while helping Yuan An push all the display cabinets in the shop against the entrance.
Crash!
A loud noise came from outside the glass door, startling Yuan An. She turned to see that hordes of Zombies had somehow broken through the earlier barricade and were flooding into the street. Many of them had caught wind of the food inside the flower room and staggered toward the shop door, only to be swept away by more Zombies pushing in from behind.
“What… what did you do?” Yuan An was stunned.
“Buying us some time.” Hou Xiong strained as he pushed over the cash register. The once cozy flower room was now in disarray; pots were overturned, and various flowers and plants lay scattered across the floor in a tragic mess.
Hou Xiong let out a sigh of relief upon noticing that there weren’t many Zombies here; most of the Horde's attention remained focused on the bustling center of town. For now, they were safe.
“Those Armed Thugs won’t search areas occupied by Zombies; their blockade is gradually tightening. With Zombies blocking our way outside, no one will disturb us for a while,” Hou Xiong said as he brushed off his hands and walked into a small back room. He rummaged through drawers for quite some time but only managed to find a roll of toilet paper, two packs of sanitary pads—one for day use and one for night—and half a box of opened wet wipes.
Hou Xiong frowned; it seemed this small room was merely a temporary resting place for the flower shop owner and lacked many daily necessities. There was a kettle on the table with water still inside.
“Come in,” Hou Xiong called out as he peeked at Yuan An, who looked dazed. “Get over here; they’ll smell you over there.”
“What?” Yuan An snapped back to reality, wiping her forehead of virtual sweat before hesitantly returning to the resting area.
Hou Xiong helped her sit on the bed, clearing the messy table and placing the tissues he had just found on it.
"So, you just dismantled the roadblock," Yuan An said slowly, realizing, "just to keep this place from being searched by Field Duty."
"Unless you have a better idea," Hou Xiong shrugged, using a knife to cut open the duvet cover. He pulled out the inner fabric and tore it into strips, then lifted his eyelids and said, "Take off your clothes."
"Huh?" Yuan An was momentarily stunned, looking confused. "What?"
"I want to see your injury," Hou Xiong cleared his throat twice and asked, "Is it a scratch from a Zombie?"
"No." Yuan An suddenly realized and shook her head. "It's fine; I've already taken care of it."
"Not very well," Hou Xiong didn't insist. He set down what he was holding, poured her a glass of water, moved a small stool to sit across from her, and asked, "You said you've seen me before."
"Yeah, the night Roundabout was attacked," Yuan An nodded and then recalled something important, asking curiously, "Who are you, and what's up with that dog?"
"That's a long story," Hou Xiong said thoughtfully, as if remembering the scene Yuan An described. After pondering for a moment, he replied, "I came here with Cyclops."
"One-Eyed Ming?" Yuan An exclaimed in surprise. "Ming Ge is alive!"
Hou Xiong was startled by her exclamation and quickly gestured for her to lower her voice. He whispered, "He wasn't dead then; it's hard to say now."
"What happened? How did you end up here?" Yuan An asked softly, covering her mouth with her hand.
"Wasn't Roundabout missing a girl back then? He came to find that girl," Hou Xiong explained.
“Yinuo,” Yuan An remembered the girl of similar age who had taken care of her when she was lost in the Roundabout. She nodded quietly and murmured, “Have you found them?”
“I don’t know. We got separated,” Hou Xiong sighed, feeling helpless. “Who would have thought this place would also be hit by Zombies? Weren’t you supposed to have left? How come you’re here?”
“Well, it’s a long story,” Yuan An said, her tense demeanor relaxing as fatigue washed over her. She leaned softly against the edge of the bed and whispered, “I also got separated from the main group. I don’t know how they are…” Her voice trailed off, growing faint as she drifted into a deep sleep.
Hou Xiong sat there for a while, then stood up to lift her onto the bed. As he turned her over, his expression changed; looking at his hand, he saw it covered in blood.
“Ugh…”
After hesitating for a moment, he decided to remove her clothing. Her delicate figure was revealed before him, and a strong smell of blood filled the air. He carefully turned her over again. The bandages she had wrapped around herself were soaked through with blood. Hou Xiong frowned as he gently peeled away the blood-stained bandages, staring in shock at her back, which was a gruesome sight.
“Goodness, this is what you call treated?” Hou Xiong exclaimed in disbelief. The gaping wounds crisscrossed across her skin, and the flesh was beginning to turn pale. If this continued, she would surely bleed to death.
In the cramped flower room with limited supplies, Hou Xiong had initially thought her injuries were minor, but this was far worse than he expected. Paper towels and bed sheets were clearly useless; he needed to get her to a hospital. He hesitated—he didn’t know Yuan An well enough to feel any obligation to help her. Rescuing her had been merely a matter of convenience; Ming Junwei’s fate was unknown, and his own future was uncertain. Was it worth risking everything to save her?
With a sigh, Hou Xiong wiped the bloodstains with a damp sheet. The pain from her wounds caused Yuan An’s body to twitch involuntarily, letting out soft moans of discomfort. Her pale profile held a sickly beauty that made him watch silently, his heart in turmoil yet strangely calm as he recalled Xiaofei’s face and wondered what she looked like on the brink of death.
Outside the door, the sounds of Zombies could be heard clearly; in the distance, Field Duty and Zombies were still being cleared out. The sky was overcast, and a strong wind howled as if rain were imminent.
“I’m sorry,” Hou Xiong said after cleaning up the blood. He used strips of bed sheet to bandage her wounds; without proper medicine, the cloth only soaked up more blood slowly spreading outwards—useless.
“I can’t save you,” he tried to pretend he didn’t see it all as he continued working on her wounds, muttering to himself, “I’m really sorry; I’m powerless.”
“It’s okay.”
Yuan An, lost in a deep slumber, suddenly murmured softly.
Hou Xiong was taken aback, turning towards the pale profile, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
The sky darkened abruptly, thick clouds blocking the sunlight. The wind whistled through the gaps, resembling the mournful wails of spirits.
Thunder rumbled ominously in the distance, growing louder and closer, a deep sound rolling in.
Hou Xiong squinted out the window as rain began to pour, splattering against the glass and leaving winding wet trails. With each rumble of thunder, the downpour intensified, and the raindrops grew larger. The sound of rain hitting the banana leaves nearly drowned out the growls of the Zombie, each drop falling with an increasingly crisp sound.
Suddenly, with a crash, the window shattered, and the storm surged inside, drenching Hou Xiong in an instant.
He stood there for a long moment, dazed, before snapping back to reality. He picked up a small object that had fallen onto the table; it was cold to the touch and quickly melted into a murky puddle from his warmth.
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