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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 027: The Leader and Yellow Dog
Jiang He lay back in his seat, panting heavily as he glanced nervously at the dense horde of Zombies trailing behind the vehicle. His scalp tingled with fear. Ming Junwei drove swiftly, soon catching up with the vehicle ahead. The two, covered in dirt and ash, exchanged no words as they returned to their cars. The three vehicles sped away, while the Zombie horde grew larger behind them. At the same time, the forest fire raged on, thick smoke rising from the trees and casting a gray haze over the sky above. No more Zombies emerged from the woods; occasionally, a few unfortunate ones, engulfed in flames, staggered out but collapsed after barely a hundred meters, gradually consumed by the fire until they turned to char.
Jiang He had left his walkie-talkie in the ambulance, along with two shiny black 81 Rifles and a Fire Axe that had been tossed aside during their escape. In that moment of crisis, he hadn’t thought twice about it. Now that he was temporarily out of danger, he realized that he had carelessly abandoned his vital weapons... Reflecting on how quickly he had fired off a magazine at so many Zombies, Jiang He felt regret wash over him.
Ming Junwei drove steadily, noticing Jiang He's dejected expression beside him. He chuckled and said, “You should be happy you got your life back!”
“Happy? I lost three lives instead,” Jiang He replied with a shrug, pointing at Ming Junwei's 81 Rifle and lamenting, “I should have thrown the gun in first!”
“Hey, it’s not a big deal. As long as you’re alive, you can always get another gun. Don’t be so down; once we reach a safe place, I’ll get you a couple more... Besides, you didn’t lose your pistol,” Ming Junwei said casually. To him, having or not having a gun didn’t matter much. He paused before adding, “But you should be smarter next time. Even though you came back to save me, think first about how to save yourself. We were lucky to stop near fuel; if we had been farther away, we both could have been done for.”
Jiang He scratched his head sheepishly and said, “I just acted on impulse back there…”
“Impulsive indeed.” Ming Junwei triumphantly pulled out half a pack of Red Tower cigarettes and waved one at Jiang He.
Jiang He leaned over to light it from him before snatching the cigarette from Ming Junwei’s mouth and putting it between his own lips.
Ming Junwei rolled his eyes and tossed him two paper balls before lighting another cigarette for himself. “Don’t think I’m nagging you; being impulsive isn’t good. In that situation, you should have retreated first. If more Zombies had appeared on our path ahead, the whole team would have been doomed.”
“What would you have done?” Jiang He raised an eyebrow and asked.
“Leave it to fate; if it’s not your time to die, you won’t.” Ming Junwei spoke calmly, showing no sign of joking around. “We’ve known each other for less than 48 hours. You risked your life to come back for me; honestly, I’m quite touched. But if I were you, I wouldn’t have gone back. Since you’re the leader, your priority should be considering the lives of most people.”
“What leader? Sister An just said that; I’m not a leader,” Jiang He exhaled a puff of smoke and waved his hand to disperse it.
“You are the leader,” Ming Junwei insisted.
“Damn it! Is there some kind of compulsion here? Are you going to pay me for being a leader? Why do I have to be some damn leader when there’s barely enough food to eat? Who has time for class struggle?” Jiang He scoffed as he rummaged through a pile of DVDs aimlessly.
“Comrade Xiao Jiang, I’m serious about this. Since I’ve joined your group and you’ve accepted me, I have an obligation to contribute to our little team,” Ming Junwei said as he grabbed a pair of sunglasses from the dashboard and put them on coolly.
“Huh?” Jiang He leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs. “I’m all ears.”
“First question: what did you do for work before?”
“I sold insurance.”
"Oh? Life Insurance?"
"We have all kinds of insurance. What about you? Do you want to get insured?"
"No need, I already have Health Insurance and Accidental Insurance... By the way, does this virus resurrection thing fall under insurance liability? If I get bitten by a Zombie and die, will the insurance company pay out?"
"Theoretically, they should pay; getting bitten to death counts as an accident..." Jiang He recalled the Insurance Law, where there seemed to be similar compensation cases.
"Oh?" Ming Junwei turned his head with interest and asked, "What if it's a dog bite?"
"If bitten by one dog, no compensation; if bitten by a pack of dogs, then yes." Jiang He replied.
"Hahaha." Ming Junwei laughed so hard he nearly choked, saying, "I guess the insurance company would be bankrupt from this."
"Well, they need a living person to file a claim first. Are you here to consult me about insurance?"
"No, no, no," Ming Junwei stopped laughing and said seriously, "A sales team like yours usually has a Little Leader, right?"
"Yes."
Ming Junwei was silent for a moment before helplessly saying, "Alright, it seems I'm really not suited for preaching... Let's be straightforward: a team must have a Leader, whether you're in sales or we're doing research. So you understand what I mean, right?"
"I don't understand." Jiang He pouted and said, "You think you can make me enlightened with just a few words?"
"How can you be so stubborn? Tell me, why don't you want to be the leader?"
"It's not about wanting or not wanting; I just don't know how... If we really need a leader, I think you're quite suitable." Jiang He said helplessly.
"Pfft, how long have we known each other? Besides, being a leader doesn't mean you have to be good at everything." Ming Junwei slowed down; the road ahead was rough with too many abandoned vehicles making progress difficult.
"We're not chasing performance; sticking together and surviving is what matters."
"You're right. So let me ask you, among these people here, who are you closest to?"
"Chao Yifan; we were college roommates."
"Oh? What about those two girls?"
"Less than a week."
"What about Dr. Anjeong?"
"A few days, I guess."
"Damn, I thought you guys had known each other for a long time," Ming Junwei exclaimed.
"So, do you have anything else to say?" Jiang He shrugged.
"Overall, I think everyone is getting along well. They don't mind you being the leader, but what if more people join later? If our team doesn't have someone in charge, would you be willing to merge with another group?" Ming Junwei asked.
"I haven't thought about it."
"Now you need to think about it. Being a leader isn't just about making contributions; it's about bringing these people together." Ming Junwei flicked the cigarette butt out of the window and added, "Don't take this lightly; it can be a big deal."
"Let's talk about it later. Where are we headed next?" Jiang He sprawled across his seat, his mind a jumbled mess.
"Dr. An wants to head north, but I think we should look for that red marker. Consider it."
The cabin fell silent as both of them stopped talking. After passing through the previously congested road, the three vehicles picked up speed significantly. The scenery outside the windows rushed by, and occasionally they could see a few Zombies wandering in the distant wasteland. Jiang He held a cigarette between his lips as he leaned back in the rear of the vehicle.
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