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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 109: Hello, Principal
Jiang He heard a commotion in his ears and turned to look out the car window, suddenly realizing that the street was bustling with people and vehicles under the bright daylight.
The car was empty, and Jiang He leaned back in the rear seat, squinting as the sunlight streamed through the window, making it hard for him to open his eyes.
This was an unfamiliar street. Judging by the scale of the shops lining both sides, it seemed to be a small county town. The road was narrow, and the white divider in the middle had weathered over time, with much of its paint peeling off to reveal rusted iron railings underneath. About twenty meters ahead, there was a traffic control booth at a three-way intersection where a traffic officer was busy managing the chaos. The traffic lights appeared to be malfunctioning, causing vehicles from all three directions to become entangled in confusion, creating a complete mess at the intersection. Cars were unable to pass normally, which instead benefited pedestrians. Many took this opportunity to weave through the congested traffic, and the air was filled with honking cars and chattering people.
Jiang He stared in disbelief at all this, unable to speak for a long time. Where were Zombie, Shaoshan, and Song Yao? Where was this place? He sat up straight, trying to find an answer for himself.
Buzzing~~
His pocket vibrated at just the right moment. Jiang He was startled and quickly reached in to pull out a vibrating phone. The screen lit up with "Mom" as the contact name.
His mouth felt dry as he awkwardly swiped to answer, trembling as he pressed the phone to his ear, his voice slightly distorted: "Hello?"
"Son! Where have you been? Why aren't you home?" His mother's familiar voice came through the line.
"Uh? Mom...?" Jiang He felt as if his heart had been tightly gripped by a large hand. He strained to make out her words, afraid of missing anything.
"What’s wrong? Where have you been? Your dad and I are back. Are you coming home tonight? Mom is cooking."
"I... I'm outside... I'll go back, I will." A surge of joy collided violently with an inexplicable unease in his mind. Jiang He suddenly felt overwhelmed and choked up as he spoke: "Mom? Is that really you? Are you and Dad okay?"
Beep beep beep~~~~!!
Suddenly, cars on the road honked loudly one after another, their blaring horns piercing through the air like a cacophony.
Jiang He covered his ears and shrank into the corner of his seat, listening to the faint voices coming from the phone, anxious: "Hello? Mom, can you hear me? Hello? Where are you? Hello?"
"Beep beep beep..."
Jiang He picked up his phone; the call had ended. He tried to redial but found that there was no mobile signal available on the screen.
"What’s going on?" Jiang He felt a bit dazed, suddenly realizing something was off. The piercing sound of the horn had stopped. He hurriedly leaned against the car window to look outside, and his mind went blank again.
It was still the same road, the same weathered barrier, and the command post in the center of the intersection stood silently. The cars on the street were still lined up in a long queue. However, the flow of people was gone, the traffic police were nowhere to be seen, and every car had its doors wide open, with no drivers inside.
Jiang He quickly glanced toward the bus stop; the couple that had been so affectionate earlier was missing, and only a bloodstained school uniform lay on the ground.
While he was in a daze, someone suddenly knocked on the window behind him.
" Jiang He!!!"
A frantic shout accompanied by vigorous knocking jolted Jiang He awake, his eyes snapping open.
Before him was a starry night, with headlights shining brightly from afar.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Jiang He stared for a moment before turning his head sharply to see Old Ma pressing against the glass, pounding on it desperately.
Was he dreaming???
Coming back to his senses, Jiang He hurried to pull the car door open, only to find it locked. His mind was a chaotic mess as he fumbled to unlock it. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and felt them damp.
"What—"
"Get moving!"
Old Ma interrupted Jiang He's question roughly, reaching in to pull him out without caring that he was still a wounded mess covered in blood.
Jiang He was yanked out of the car in confusion; the cold wind at night and the sharp pain from his body snapped him back to reality.
Gunshots echoed in his ears, along with the familiar growls of zombies. Flames erupted all around him, punctuated by occasional explosions.
Old Ma dragged Jiang He as they ran, weaving past military vehicles under the cover of several soldiers before bursting into a dark building.
Jiang He glanced back, his eyes sweeping over the street filled with a swarm of Zombies. The headlights and gunfire illuminated the scene like stage lights, occasionally revealing a decayed, withered face.
Before him stood an office building, flanked by a medium-sized yard where several flat-tired cars were parked. Many soldiers were taking cover behind the vehicles and the fence, shouting as they fired their weapons.
Shaoshan rushed out of the building and frowned when he saw Jiang He still looking dazed. "What's going on? You have no sense of alertness at all?"
Jiang He stared blankly at him, unable to respond.
"You take him inside; it's been checked, and it's safe," Shaoshan said dismissively, calling out to a nearby soldier before raising his gun and joining the fray.
Old Ma looked at Jiang He with a strange expression before leading him into the office building, where they found two chairs to sit down.
"What's wrong with you?" Old Ma asked.
"What happened?" Jiang He rubbed his face, trying to shake off everything from the dream he had just experienced.
"Ah." Old Ma sighed, reaching out to touch Jiang He's forehead. "You haven't been sleeping well for a while, have you?"
"Yeah, I've been pretty... busy lately," Jiang He nodded, sorting through his memories. His last recollection was at an intersection where he saw several Soldiers using a rocket launcher to blow up a group of Zombies. After that, he was too exhausted and fell asleep, only to wake up to this chaotic scene of war.
"I can tell. Just hang in there; once we finish our business, you can get some good sleep," Old Ma said, rubbing his hands together as he offered Jiang He a cigarette. "Wake yourself up."
Jiang He took the cigarette, tilted his head in thought for a moment, then asked again, "What happened?"
"Nothing much; we've arrived at our destination," Old Ma pointed toward the night outside. "We sent people out to find something, but it seems someone got there first. We ran into each other. So here we are—negotiations broke down, and it turned into a fight."
"What about the Zombies?"
"They were drawn in by the gunfire. Were you asleep or something?"
Old Ma lit one for himself as well, squinting at Jiang He through the flickering flame of the lighter. "Hey? Did you cry?"
Jiang He rubbed his eyes and forced a bitter smile. "I think so; I had a dream."
"Hey, you kid," Old Ma exhaled a puff of smoke and said, "We're out here risking our lives, and you're off dreaming? What were you dreaming about?"
Jiang He stared into the dark void, his mind replaying the scenes from his dream like a movie. He murmured, "I dreamed about traffic police, a lot of people on the road, a huge traffic jam, duck necks, and a couple kissing. I even got a call from my mom; she said she and my dad were home and asked where I was." As he recounted his dream, the playful expression on Old Ma's face gradually faded, eventually turning into a light sigh.
"What did you say?" Old Ma asked.
"I didn't get to say anything," Jiang He shrugged, inadvertently pulling at his wound and grimacing in pain.
"Did I interrupt you?" Old Ma glanced at him sideways, cigarette in mouth, with a strange expression.
"No, the map just suddenly changed," Jiang He replied with an awkward smile as he stubbed out his cigarette.
"Do you often dream?"
"This is the first time."
Old Ma patted his shoulder, fell silent for a moment, then quietly said, "I had a dream the other day too. I dreamed about my wife and daughter; it wasn't as vivid as yours. Duck necks? You must be hungry."
Jiang He grinned and asked, "So you're not dreaming anymore?"
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