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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Fifty: The County Town
Jiang He had lost count of how many chilly nights had passed. Not far ahead lay their destination—the county town.
Their corn harvester was parked outside the town, and they walked for over ten minutes. On one hand, they worried that the noise of the harvester would disturb the Zombies; on the other hand, Jiang He felt that if they didn’t get out soon, they might meet an untimely end before their mission even began. Despite Cao Liang’s imposing physique, he was also feeling the effects of the harvester. As soon as they jumped off the Metal Arm, all three of them appeared to be in a drunken state, their faces pale and their stomachs churning.
The two girls squeezed into the cabin, and aside from the beads of sweat forming on their flushed cheeks due to the heat, they seemed much more comfortable than the three men.
After resting for a while, the five of them finally regained their composure and figured out their direction. Cao Liang took the lead as they stepped onto the long-forgotten asphalt road, hastening for ten minutes until they entered the desolate county town.
The dim moonlight cast a silver frost over the small town, and the familiar yet strange human world enveloped them in an air of antiquity.
Jiang He had a poor sense of direction; after wandering around a bit, he found it hard to distinguish east from west. Initially, there were only scattered car washes and small factories with half-closed doors lining the roads. Decaying corpses were visible everywhere, with flies and maggots swarming around, creating an unbearable stench.
From the width of the road and the abandoned vehicles left behind, it was clear that this small county town did not have a large population. In fact, before the Cataclysm, this place was most famous for its apples rather than anything else. A small town primarily focused on agriculture crumbled rapidly when disaster struck, just like most other fallen cities. There were no skyscrapers or strong Security forces here; looking around, the tallest building was a white structure with a faint red flag fluttering atop it—most likely the County Government office.
Cao Liang and his group had visited once before but had to retreat due to weak Armed Forces when faced with a large number of Zombies. Therefore, their knowledge of internal traffic routes in the county town mainly came from maps. Luci might be more familiar with this area; she had marked out both the county hospital and pharmacies for them.
The five of them walked in silence, cautiously observing their surroundings to avoid another incident like what happened at the Power Station. They hurriedly crossed through the desolate main road, stealthily heading toward the County Government.
“Keep an eye out for any vehicles; I don’t want to ride in that harvester again,” Ming Junwei whispered to Jiang He beside him.
Jiang He suppressed a laugh and nodded. Although he was somewhat satisfied with the harvester's imposing appearance, the passenger experience was indeed terrible.
Cao Liang, who was at the front, suddenly raised his hand and made a downward motion. The four of them stopped and crouched down, leaning against a nearby Brick Wall while turning to look around the corner.
This should be the main road of the county town. They were at a T-junction, with a two-story shopping mall directly in front of them. The sign and the Brick Wall showed signs of having been burned, and one of the glass doors was shattered, revealing the dark interior of the mall. There were exits on both sides, with several vehicles parked haphazardly on the road, mostly small family cars. On the right side of the road, a number of Zombies were wandering about, dragging their feet and making a rustling sound.
Song Yao nudged Jiang He with her elbow and pointed toward the mall with a playful smile.
Jiang He understood and chuckled in response. The night they left the city, they had also gone to the Pedestrian Street mall to scavenge for supplies.
"Which way?" Ming Junwei hissed as he contemplated that these Zombies probably wouldn’t pose much trouble.
"Let’s go left, try to avoid the Zombies," Cao Liang paused for a moment and pointed to the left junction. "Can you see that hair salon?"
The four squinted for a while before vaguely spotting what seemed to be a spiral advertising lightbox typical of hair salons about two hundred meters ahead on their left.
Cao Liang assessed the map in his mind and said, "There should be an alley behind that salon. We can slip in there; it might take a bit longer, but it’s safer."
"Not necessarily; who knows what's over there," Jiang He said as she pulled out her kitchen knife and looked around hesitantly. "What if we get blocked in from both sides?"
Ming Junwei shook his 81-style rifle confidently. "We brought firearms today; don’t worry, let’s go!"
The five of them were all practical types. Once they made up their minds, they stopped hesitating and quietly moved across the street, quickly slipping along a row of shops. Ming Junwei ran at the back, occasionally glancing at the confused wandering Zombies while urging everyone to move faster.
The distance of over two hundred meters wasn’t far. They hurried to the already dilapidated hair salon door without stopping. Sure enough, behind it was a narrow alley typical of county towns, about a hundred meters long, ending at a small digital equipment store. The storefront was not large, and two stacks of plastic baskets were piled up at the entrance, making it hard to see what was inside from afar.
The alley was paved with red bricks, and in the middle lay a half-decayed corpse. The five of them had long grown accustomed to the sight of bodies everywhere. They stepped over the corpse and rushed to the mouth of the alley. Sneaky poked his head out to glance both ways, and then his expression fell.
Jiang He had indeed been right; there were Zombies on both sides of the alley. The streets were lined with restaurants and shops, and the ground was littered with corpses, fallen leaves, and trash. As the evening breeze swept through, yellowed papers and leaves danced in the air, creating a poetic scene that contrasted sharply with the Zombies.
"I knew it wouldn't be this easy," Jiang He said, clicking his tongue. He turned to Brother Cao and asked quietly, "How far is it to the hospital from here?"
Cao Liang pulled out a map and spread it on the ground, explaining to the four heads that had gathered around: "Walk along the right side to the intersection, head west straight ahead, and you should reach County Government in a few hundred meters. The county hospital is right across from that road."
Jiang He felt dizzy from all the information and asked, "So we have to go in a circle?"
"Yes, it looks like we'll have to force our way through," Cao Liang said, weighing the iron crowbar in his hand. "I'll draw them away; you guys slip past while you can."
"Don't be reckless; we don't know what it's like over by County Government yet. Whatever you do, don't scatter," Ming Junwei cautioned as he grabbed Cao Liang's arm. After scanning their surroundings, he added, "Try not to fire your guns." With that, he was the first to dart out of the alley.
Jiang He and the others followed closely behind in silence, each steeling themselves as they headed toward the side with fewer Zombies. The Zombies' senses were far more acute than theirs; before they could get close, the creatures had already detected the presence of living humans. The once-quiet street began to stir as Zombies turned one by one, their murky eyes locking onto the five brave souls approaching.
"Keep up!" Ming Junwei shouted as he led the charge. He swung his rifle butt down onto the nearest Zombie, clearing a path along a narrow lane flanked by clothing stores.
Song Yao and Pan Luo did not carry any melee weapons, trying not to burden their three companions further.
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