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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 31: Hidden Malice
"They're back." Chao Yifan stood atop the coach, holding a telescope, and spotted three figures approaching from a distance.
Jinhua jogged to the roadside, shielding her eyes from the sun as she looked over. "How did you come from that direction?"
"They must have run into a Zombie in the woods; that gunshot we heard earlier was probably them," Chao Yifan replied, lowering the telescope and jumping down from the window ledge. "What’s Sister An doing?"
"I don’t know; she seemed to be looking at something on that computer just now," Jinhua said, fanning herself with her hand. The midday sun was scorching, causing beads of sweat to cling to the young girl's hair and stick to her face.
Chao Yifan tiptoed to peek inside. An Zheng was seated in a corner, focused on something in front of him.
"Save some power, sis!" Chao Yifan suddenly shouted.
An Zheng jolted, looking up with a glare. "Keep it down; the child is sleeping... You scared me."
Chao Yifan sheepishly withdrew his gaze and hurried to the roadside as he heard Jiang He and Ming Junwei talking. Little Gold wiped the sweat off his face and tucked his handgun back into his pocket before following.
"Is something wrong? We heard gunshots—wait? Who's this? Where's Song Yao?" Chao Yifan asked mid-sentence, suddenly realizing that the two were not accompanied by Song Yao.
Jiang He climbed over the railing, momentarily taken aback. "She hasn't returned yet?"
Ming Junwei frowned, leaning against the railing with a worried sigh. The last figure, a mud person, stayed behind and squatted outside the railing.
Seeing their grim expressions, Chao Yifan felt a tightening in his chest. "No? Didn’t you three go together?"
Little Gold brought over three bottles of water and handed them to Jiang He and Ming Junwei before walking to the railing to pass one to the Mud Man. The Mud Man had his back turned to the railing, and when Little Gold called out to him, he didn’t turn around but simply reached out to take the bottle, quietly murmuring a thank you.
“Speak up! Where’s Song Yao? Who is this person?” Chao Yifan asked, a hint of urgency in his voice.
Although Little Gold didn’t voice his concerns, his expression was filled with worry. Three people had gone in, and three had come back, but one was missing—Song Yao. The sound of that gunshot echoed in his mind, and he covered his mouth in disbelief.
Jiang He gulped down half a bottle of water and explained, “We got separated. The walkie-talkies don’t work in the woods.”
“Then who is this person?” Chao Yifan exclaimed, eyes wide as he pointed at the Mud Man.
“Ming the Great Hero saved him in the woods. No time for chit-chat; we need to go find her. There are Zombies in there!” Jiang He gritted his teeth and patted Little Gold on the shoulder. “Don’t worry; she’s probably just lost. We’ll find her.”
Chao Yifan turned and ran back to the car, only to come rushing back moments later. “I’m going with you. The woods are too big for just the two of you to search.”
“No way. If you leave, it’ll just be two women and two kids left here. That’s not safe,” Jiang He refused.
“Then you stay behind; I’ll take your place. You look exhausted,” Chao Yifan suggested.
“We can’t stay here! Don’t forget there are Zombies in the woods; they could come out at any moment,” Ming Junwei said as he grabbed Chao Tianwang’s binoculars to check their exit point. For now, no Zombies were visible there; perhaps losing three targets had changed their direction.
“What do we do? The toll booth is blocked by big trucks,” Jinhua pointed towards the toll booth, panic creeping into his voice.
The congestion on the other side of the toll booth exceeded their expectations; not only large coaches but even small cars couldn’t get through. The entire highway was jam-packed with abandoned vehicles, stretching nearly a hundred meters in sight. While it might be possible to squeeze a small car into the woods due to wider gaps between trees, it certainly wouldn’t be as clear as the road. A leisurely trip might work, but escaping was another story entirely.
Ming Junwei gave Jiang He a glance and said, "It's only two-thirty now; we still have half an hour until the agreed time. Let's wait a bit. Maybe that girl is on her way back. Besides, this guy should be familiar with the forest; we should ask him about the situation first."
Chao Yifan and Little Gold were anxious but understood that this was a more practical approach. The forest was vast, and with insufficient manpower, it was better to inquire from someone who might know more.
Jiang He placed the walkie-talkie on the lid of the small panda vehicle and pulled out a flattened cigarette pack from his pocket to distribute to a few people. He turned to the mud figure squatting by the roadside, resembling a sculpture, and said, "Hey, buddy, can we chat? How big is the forest? What's the situation with the zombies inside?"
The mud figure, facing away from them, replied, "I'm not sure. There weren't any zombies in the forest; I found them in the back mountain."
"Isn't it hot squatting there? Come inside; we won't do anything to you," Jiang He said, puzzled. The mud figure had been quite talkative on their way back but had fallen silent since they arrived.
Ming Junwei crossed his arms and walked to the railing. Seeing the mud figure holding his stomach with both hands, he thought he might be in pain and asked, "Not feeling well?"
"No, I'm fine," the mud figure answered.
Chao Yifan and Little Golden Noodles exchanged glances, both confused about what was going on with this mud figure.
Jiang He recalled Ming Junwei's earlier words in the forest and became more alert. He asked, "What do you go by?"
"Zhang. Just call me Old Zhang," the mud figure replied.
"Your legs don't look like Old Zhang's," Ming Junwei chuckled lightly and asked, "What were you doing behind the forest? Were you alone?"
"Looking for food. There was one other person; he died."
Jiang He jumped over the railing and crouched down in front of Mud Man Zhang, staring intently at his face covered in dry, yellow mud. Mud Man Zhang felt a bit uncomfortable under Jiang He's gaze and turned his head slightly, saying, "What are you looking at?"
Jiang He wanted to retort with a sarcastic "What’s it to you?" but realized it wasn't the right moment for jokes. Instead, he said, "If you won't turn around, then I have no choice but to come over. How long have you and your companion been hiding in the woods? Can you take us in to find them?"
"Not long. The woods are quite large and connect to the back mountain. Your companions might have gone in there like him," Mud Man Zhang said, pointing at Ming Junwei. He continued, "The path ahead is blocked; what do you plan to do?"
"I don't know. Do you have any suggestions?" Jiang He asked, eyeing him suspiciously, feeling that the mud man's gaze was somewhat evasive.
Mud Man Zhang shook his head and remained silent.
Ming Junwei leaned forward and asked, "Have you two been hiding in the woods this whole time? We saw a dog here this morning; is there anyone else in the woods besides you?"
Mud Man Zhang sighed and replied, "I haven't seen anyone else, but I advise you not to go into the woods."
"Why not?" Chao Yifan couldn't stand their back-and-forth any longer and interjected. "We still have companions inside; why can't we go in?"
Mud Man Zhang didn't argue; he just continued to squat on the ground, holding his stomach. He didn't look up or speak.
Jiang He glanced at Ming Junwei, who shook his head helplessly. "If you don't want to take us in, that's fine. You should wipe your face; it's covered in yellow mud—doesn't that bother you?"
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