Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Sixty-Six: Nightfall
The county town remained silent, with a cold moon hanging high in the sky.
As night fell, the wind ceased its fierce howling and instead whistled through the streets, producing a mournful wail.
A van, exhausted from carrying a load of weary people, drove in, slowly coming to a stop in front of the County Government's main entrance after passing through the street lined with agricultural and grocery markets.
Just a few days apart, Jiang He and the others felt as if they had been away for ages. The last time they were here, they had just found a place to stay, but now they were fleeing like lost dogs.
Cao Liang and the graduate students were nowhere to be found; the three pillars had also vanished without a trace. Bai Yudong and his group, who had stayed behind at the Power Station, were completely unaccounted for.
The zombies in the city seemed to have gathered elsewhere. The ones that had surrounded the government building last time had dispersed as if they had never been there.
The electric sliding gate at the main entrance was closed, preventing the van from entering. They had no choice but to leave it by the roadside. In a fit of anger, Chao Yifan ultimately heeded the advice of several others and agreed to stay overnight in the county town. After all, their side was currently short on clothing and food, and their weapons and ammunition were nearly depleted. Pursuing Zhou Huai while so poorly equipped was reckless; even if they managed to catch up with him, what then? This terrifying music teacher had toyed with their group without firing a single shot, and his true identity remained a mystery—who knew if he was connected to those from the Power Station?
Though Chao Yifan was eager for revenge, he was not blinded by rage. Especially after An Zheng confidently claimed he knew where Zhou Huai would go next, Chao Yifan completely abandoned any thoughts of going off alone on a long journey.
An Zheng and Pan Luo both had external injuries that were not serious, while Song Yao and Luci were soaked through in their clothes and had caught the brunt of an unusually strong Yellow Wind. This combination hinted at an impending cold.
In these times, everyone could endure hunger, but falling ill was the greatest fear. Wheat had nearly lost his life due to gastroenteritis before; if the two girls truly fell ill with fever, it would pose a significant problem.
The group walked in silence as they passed through the electric gate and approached the glass doors of the government building.
Not far inside the entrance lay a charred mass. The wind blew away some of the black ash covering it, revealing a human silhouette. Jiang He sighed inwardly as memories of two charred corpses seen in the kitchen resurfaced. He instinctively tightened his grip around Song Yao.
In fact, the group at Jiang He was uncertain whether Su Lan and her companions would welcome their arrival. After all, everyone was struggling for survival, and resources were extremely limited. It was already commendable to look after oneself; no one would take on the burden of helping others.
However, An Zheng was quite confident, and his remark about being "one of their own" raised doubts among those who were unaware of the situation.
Using the faint light from a lighter, Jiang He led everyone back to the solid red wooden door. After hesitating for a long time, she gently knocked on the door with her fingers.
"Knock, knock, knock."
The sound echoed in the dark corridor, but there was no response from behind the door.
Jiang He glanced suspiciously at Ming Junwei, who nodded in acknowledgment and twisted the doorknob— it wasn't locked.
"Is anyone there?" Jiang He stepped inside. The room was unlit, and the curtains were drawn tight; she couldn't see her hand in front of her face.
"Hey? No one's here?" Song Yao chimed in as he moved closer and lit the still-hot lighter again.
The orange glow swept around the room, revealing nothing but emptiness.
Pan Luo found a candle standing nearby and lit it, holding it up to Ming Junwei.
One by one, the others stepped inside from outside. Jiang He also discovered candles on the coffee table and windowsill, lighting them one after another. The flickering candlelight illuminated the lavish office once more.
"Wow." Pan Luo and Wheat couldn't help but exclaim, clearly taken aback by the opulence of the office.
Ming Junwei lit candles in the adjoining bedrooms and remarked, "It seems they have left; there are bloodstains on the bed inside."
"Well, there’s nothing left except for the candles." Jiang He also checked the bathroom, finding no signs of a struggle or disturbance in the room.
An Zheng sighed, knowing they had arrived a step too late. However, it was fortunate that everyone had a place to stay tonight; it was some form of compensation.
"Yao Yao, come here! There are clothes!" Luci's excited voice came from the bedroom. Song Yao had been shivering the whole way and hurried into the bedroom upon hearing this. A moment later, she popped her head out, brimming with excitement. "Sister An, are you changing?"
"No need. You two should hurry and take off your wet clothes," An Zheng replied with a smile, slumping onto the sofa. Her own clothes, along with those of Pan Luo and Wheat, were still decent aside from some bloodstains, so there was no rush to change.
"How long do we have to stay here?" Chao Yifan leaned against the sofa, fiddling with his handgun, his expression grim.
"We need to wait for Zhuzi and Cao Liang to arrive," An Zheng said as she examined the books and porcelain on the shelf nearby. "Finding him isn't difficult; the challenge is how to deal with him."
"What do you mean?" Chao Yifan raised an eyebrow, sensing that An Zheng had more to say.
Everyone found a place to rest and gathered in a circle to listen as An Zheng continued, "When you first met him, he said he was a music teacher?"
"Yes," Chao Yifan nodded, unsure of what An Zheng was getting at.
"Well, he’s not one anymore," An Zheng loosened the collar of her shirt. "In previous encounters, his goal was to seize supplies, but this time it’s different. He has the same objective as those who attacked the Power Station; he’s after the information I have."
"Information?" The group looked puzzled, not fully understanding the situation.
An Zheng sighed and glanced at Ming Junwei, who gave a slight nod in response.
An Zheng straightened up and said, "I'll tell you everything that happened; once you hear it all, you'll understand."
Just as Song Yao and Luci finished changing, they stepped out in oversized shirts and pants, noticing everyone sitting upright and hurried over.
Jiang He unconsciously glanced at Song Yao's collar, the white expanse dazzling his eyes.
The flickering candlelight brought a long-lost warmth to the room, casting the shadows of everyone on the walls as they listened intently to An Zheng recounting those secrets.
An Zheng spoke slowly this time, covering much of the same content he had shared with Ming Junwei before, including his identity, the reasons behind the Cataclysm, and questions he himself couldn't understand. He threw it all out there, leaving the ordinary listeners stunned.
No one interrupted or asked questions; for them, everything An Zheng said was too dramatic. It wasn't that it felt unreal, but rather too complex.
Even Chao Yifan, who was eager to hunt down Zhou Huai, fell silent after hearing An Zheng's account. The group exchanged wide-eyed glances, clearly not expecting to be so close to the core of the events.
"So... Sister An, you are a scientist then?" Luci couldn't help but use 'you,' her tone tinged with a hint of reverence.
"Just a researcher," An Zheng replied with a slight smile, exuding a mature charm in his gestures. "My two teachers were top-tier researchers; unfortunately, their fates are unknown now."
"What does this have to do with Zhou Huai?" Chao Yifan asked, showing little interest in anything else and focusing solely on Zhou Huai.
An Zheng placed the drowsy little boy on his lap and explained, "I didn't initially think he would be connected either; he let it slip himself."
"What did he say?"
Comment 0 Comment Count