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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 29: The Mud Man and the Girl
As Song Yao stealthily approached the tent, a situation was unfolding with Ming Junwei.
Ming Junwei moved much faster than Jiang He's duo. He swiftly traversed a patch of wetland deep in the forest and entered a barren area at the foot of the wild mountains. It was evident that this region had never been systematically developed; although distant hills were faintly visible with towering power poles and signal towers, there were no signs of habitation nearby. The barren land only had a small connection to the forest, and it was difficult to navigate. It seemed that recent rainfall had caused many areas of the ground to collapse, revealing deep pits. The wasteland was overgrown with weeds, with half-human-high mugwort everywhere. Just a hundred meters ahead, there was a significant drop-off, estimated to be several dozen meters deep. Below the drop lay a sea of lush green treetops and vegetation, resembling a tropical rainforest in a basin, albeit on a smaller scale.
Due to the rain washing away the soil, the ground near the cliff edge had become soft, as if one step could cause it to give way. Ming Junwei dared not approach recklessly; instead, he inspected the area from a safe distance. The air here was refreshing; despite being in the wild, it was more beautiful than many scenic forest spots. Looking out, the wild mountains across the valley stretched endlessly, with wind turbines standing tall like a metallic skyline.
This area should be free from zombie invasions; after all, most of China's population is concentrated in cities, and since the virus originated in urban centers, it would spread gradually along heavily trafficked areas. These outskirts seemed much safer. In that moment, Ming Junwei suddenly had a thought: why push into the capital? A pastoral life could be quite pleasant.
Of course, this beautiful daydream lasted only a few seconds before being shattered by familiar roars.
Ming Junwei jolted upright, shouldering his rifle and crouching down to discern the source of the sound. The barren land had few trees; although the wild grass grew thickly, it was not enough to conceal zombies. Ming Junwei scanned his surroundings but found no traces of anything unusual; however, the hoarse growls of zombies continued to echo, accompanied by faint sounds of chopping. Cautiously approaching a cliff edge, Ming Junwei squinted downwards and saw a muddy path winding downwards, quickly obscured by vegetation within ten meters. From such a distance, he couldn't determine whether anyone had recently traversed this steep path; while it was hard to imagine someone descending here, the zombie sounds indeed seemed to come from below among the trees.
For safety's sake, Ming Junwei first called two teammates via radio; however, as expected from Jiang He's earlier remarks, the radio proved useless. After some contemplation, Ming Junwei decided to take the risk and investigate further. The terrain and environment here were still suitable for hiding; if zombies appeared below, it would at least indicate that someone had been here—perhaps that so-called garrison point was nearby? Ming Junwei chuckled at himself for even considering this idea. After all, they had spent two hours traveling from the service area to this spot; if there were indeed a garrison here, it would likely take wings to reach the service area in under ten minutes. He shielded his eyes from the sun and surveyed the distant mountains across from him; comparing them with those drawn on an A4 sheet revealed significant differences.
The zombie roars continued unabated; judging by their volume, they seemed to be moving from deeper within the forest towards its edge.
"Are they chasing someone?" Ming Junwei muttered to himself.
Having left his binoculars with Chao Yifan, Ming Junwei carefully slid down that steep and muddy path using his hand axe as support, stumbling slightly before stopping midway down the slope. At this point, he was only about ten meters from the valley floor and could see some activity around the forest's edge. As an all-rounder hero who excelled in many skills but knew little about plants, Ming Junwei couldn't identify what those thick trees were called; however, through gaps in their branches, he caught glimpses of shadows darting quickly between them. Cautiously moving to a low spot, he raised his rifle and aimed at an open area along the forest's edge. From what he could see of the shadow weaving through the trees, it appeared to be a person—but what unsettled Ming Junwei was that this person being pursued by zombies made no sound whatsoever throughout their escape. Yet given this environment, he understood that anyone brave enough to venture into such remote wilderness was certainly not an ordinary individual.
Ming Junwei's judgment proved accurate; within moments—a figure burst forth from the trees.
The forest at the valley's bottom was a short distance from the steep slope, but years of rain had carved a deep trench at the edge. Vines and dead wood lined both sides of the trench. A figure darted through the trees with incredible speed, barely pausing before sprinting towards the trench. With a powerful leap, the person launched themselves forward, but the slippery mud beneath their feet caused them to stumble, and they fell headfirst into the muddy trench.
At that very moment of falling into the pit, Ming Junwei finally heard the person's startled cry.
Before Ming Junwei could revel in their misfortune, the source of the growls burst forth from the forest... not so much bursting as stumbling. The Zombies continued to advance in their drunken gait, but due to their sheer numbers and the slick ground, as they exited the trees, it resulted in a chaotic tumble—a domino effect of bodies crashing down that created a visual spectacle of 'sprinting.'
"Damn!" Ming Junwei exclaimed in shock, quickly flattening himself against the muddy ground, exposing only his eyes as he watched below. The Zombies rolling around on the ground did not slow their pursuit; those that fell resolutely crawled forward to continue chasing. Meanwhile, a figure emerged from the trench. The person had run out so quickly that Ming Junwei hadn’t gotten a good look at them; now they were completely covered in yellow mud, with a tangle of decaying plant roots atop their head, looking even worse than a Zombie.
The trench wasn't deep, but it was slippery, and with panic setting in, the muddy figure struggled to climb out unsuccessfully several times. As the Zombies drew closer to the trench, desperation surged within them—they abandoned their attempts to climb and turned to run along the channel instead.
Ming Junwei had an excellent vantage point; from his elevated position, he could clearly see the muddy figure's escape route and the direction of the pursuing Zombies. Given how unevenly the muddy figure was running—one foot sinking deeper than the other—it wouldn't be long before they became a 'meal' for a Zombie.
Ming Junwei counted the number of Zombies and compared it to his dwindling supply of bullets in his magazine. He decided to take a risk and save the person. He crawled out of his hiding spot and ran quickly along the trench’s path, firing a shot just before a Zombie could leap into it.
"Bang!"
The gunshot echoed sharply through the tranquil mountainside, startlingly loud. The speeding bullet shattered one Zombie's skull into pieces and sent the muddy figure impersonating Wang Jinxie staggering back into the muck once more.
"Useless," Ming Junwei cursed under his breath as he rushed down, grabbing an axe from his waist and tossing it into the trench. "Get your ass up here!"
The muddy figure shook off some of the muck from their head...
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