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墨書 Inktalez
The first representative meeting of the leadership team concluded in silence.
Chef Jia lightly touched the situation, helping a group of passionate young people clarify the context, yet it stirred everyone's thoughts. They had inadvertently lifted the hem of fate's gown, only to find that what lay beneath was not a boundless spring.
If their suspicions were true, the urgent task at hand should be to lead everyone away quickly before Zombie noticed, completely severing ties with this still-forming circle. Building walls and digging trenches could only address immediate concerns; it wouldn't eliminate future threats. As long as they remained on this line, a peaceful life in a paradise was out of reach.
After this discussion, Song Jiu's suspicions about Chef Jia were largely dispelled. She fully understood the difficulties of being an intermediary. Although Chef Jia still withheld some information, Song Jiu didn’t mind; those unspoken words had their reasons, which were unrelated to her or the camp.
Song Jiu recalled the woman’s desperate screams before her death that night. No wonder it was said that no one could escape; it turned out to be like this.
The meeting did not yield a final result; the amount of information was overwhelming. Song Jiu had to think carefully. After all, they were no longer a team of twenty or thirty people; every decision could affect the fate of over a hundred individuals, and carelessness was not an option. Chef Jia and the others had tossed this hot potato into Song Jiu's hands, but life had to go on until she made a decision.
However, even though they did not reach a conclusion, Song Jiu proposed an idea. Riverside Camp was just one part of the equation; why couldn't they take the initiative? If Zombie could gather Survivors into a single rope to fish, why couldn’t Survivors use that same rope to strangle Zombie?
As everyone prepared to leave, Song Jiu voiced her thoughts after deep contemplation.
“Sister Jia, I believe you must have had this idea for some time now. But why haven’t you tried to unite other slave factories for resistance?” Song Jiu asked.
“I lack the strength,” Chef Jia replied.
After the meeting, the others returned to their posts, leaving Liu Yan, Pan Sheng'an, and Xin Mengfan behind.
Xin Mengfan did not participate in their discussion; she yawned and swayed her slender waist back to her room for a beauty sleep, leaving the three men in the living room staring at each other in silence.
“Da Pan, there’s something that needs doing,” Song Jiu said as she pulled out a cigarette case gifted by Liu Yan and offered one to both men.
“You say it; I’ll handle it,” Pan Sheng'an replied. He had been quiet until now and felt somewhat reserved around these people, instinctively placing himself in the second tier.
“Don’t rush to agree just yet. Think it over; this matter might be dangerous. If you’re unwilling to go, I’ll understand—no pressure,” Song Jiu said seriously as she flicked off some ash. “I wasn’t just speaking casually earlier; we must prepare for the worst outcome. We need to take action first.”
“Hmm... what do you plan?” Liu Yan asked after pausing for a moment.
“To strike before Zombie completes its chain,” Song Jiu said through gritted teeth, cursing under her breath. “After all this effort to find a prime location and losing several lives in the process—just like that we’re supposed to pack up and leave? I can’t swallow that.”
"So,"
"I need Da Pan to leave the camp and find the upstream and downstream stations," Song Jiu said, his gaze fixed intensely on the two of them as he expressed his thoughts.
"Ah," Pan Sheng'an was a bit dazed, not expecting Song Jiu to assign him such a task. He stammered, "What... what should I do once I find them?"
"Do nothing, just find them," Song Jiu licked his lips and continued, "It's unrealistic to have you persuade other camps alone, but we need to figure out how many camps are around here, where they are located, and what their armed forces are like."
"You mean I just need to find the camps and mark them?" Pan Sheng'an pondered for a moment. Since he didn't have to act as a diplomat, perhaps he could manage.
"Yes, but it's not that simple." Song Jiu hesitated for a moment before telling him the truth. "First of all, these camps won't be easy to find, and there will definitely be scouts keeping watch to ensure safety. You might be discovered as soon as you step into their territory."
"What should I do then?" Fat Brother asked, a bit panicked.
"If you're discovered, prioritize your safety. Don't resist; surrender," Song Jiu lit a cigarette for him. After he took a moment to digest this information, he continued, "I need you to mark your route. Once we finish dealing with the zombies here and you return, I'll send someone to find you. So make sure not to forget to leave marks."
"And if I'm caught?" Pan Sheng'an's hands trembled slightly as he took a deep breath of smoke to steady himself.
"That's why I said you should think it over. If you don't want to do it, I won't force you. It could be dangerous—not just from other camps but also from the zombies outside."
"Why me?"
"Because among this group, you're the only one without aggression. Your chances of surviving if captured by people from other camps are higher." Song Jiu wasn't lying; Jiao Ziqian and Luo Yu needed to help him at the camp, Liu Yan couldn't be sent out for now, A Hai was still bedridden, and as for Xin Mengfan, Song Jiu had some selfish motives—whenever she acted in the past, he and others could provide support from behind. This time she needed to act alone.
Seeing Fat Brother's sweaty face, Song Jiu couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy. This person didn't have much skill but had been diligent in following orders for several days and had done reasonably well. Song Jiu was inherently protective; even though Fat Brother had only joined recently.
Song Jiu sighed and patted his broad shoulder, forcing a smile. "Forget it; I'll think about this some more. Maybe I'm being too hasty. You should take a break; just focus on getting the trenches and pits ready over the next few days."
Pan Sheng'an frowned and didn't seem pleased by Song Jiu's change of heart. Silently finishing a cigarette as if making a significant decision, he said, "I'll go."
Fat Brother accepted the task, but Song Jiu hesitated again. After a moment of silence between them, Song Jiu said, "You go ahead with your work; I'll think it over."
"Alright, if you need me, just call," Pan Sheng'an said, shaking the fat on his cheeks. A smile that looked worse than crying spread across his face. "Although I'm not much of a fighter, I consider myself to have a decent brain. Compared to fighting Zombies, espionage work suits me better."
"Hmm, I'll think about it."
After sending Pan Sheng'an away, only Liu Yan remained in the room. The two of them lit up and began to smoke in silence, exchanging glances.
After a while, Liu Yan couldn't hold back any longer and asked, "Actually, after dealing with the Zombies, we could go out and look for help. Why send him?"
"I haven't figured it out yet," Song Jiu rubbed his forehead and replied. "The Zombies will arrive in a week. What if we aren't a match for them? Have you thought about that?"
"..."
"Even if we can hold them off for a while, as Sister Jia said, the Zombies can always come back. We have quite a few people on our side, but our armed forces are too weak; there's a huge gap in strength." Song Jiu pulled out the cork from a bottle and filled two glasses. "So I'm also looking for a backup plan. It would be best if we could unite; if not..."
Song Jiu gritted his teeth and said fiercely, "Then we'll raid the Zombie strongholds one by one and clear out of here."
Hearing his determination, Liu Yan suddenly chuckled softly and said, "To be honest, I quite agree with your final idea."
"Ah?" Song Jiu was taken aback but then smiled. "I didn't realize you were such a warlike person."
"It's not about being warlike; I want to live peacefully too." Liu Yan adjusted his glasses and said seriously, "For instance, if we could clean up the surrounding area all at once, break it down into pieces, then take plenty of supplies out to sea to find a real government or seek another place—be it the grasslands or mountains—the farther away from this place, the better."
"Hey, I used to think like you," Song Jiu said with nostalgia as he listened to Liu Yan's yearning words. "Back then, I even wanted to organize a cavalry unit and searched everywhere for horses. In the end, I found a donkey."
Liu Yan burst into laughter and replied, "There's quite a gap between ideals and reality."
"Not just that; I got kicked by that donkey and since then gave up on the idea of forming a cavalry unit."
"And what happened to the donkey?"
"It got burned in a fire."
Two young people of similar age chatted for a while, laughing foolishly for half the day. Suddenly, Song Jiu stopped laughing and asked curiously, "What exactly are you?"
Liu Yan paused for a moment and replied honestly, "I used to be a member of an organization, involved in many events before and after the disaster, so I know more about what happened back then than you do."
"The organization..."
"That's right. Later, the organization disbanded, and my team went independent with a new boss. During our last mission, something unexpected happened, and we couldn't return," Liu Yan said calmly, a hint of loneliness in his eyes. He sighed, "At that time, I didn't know I would end up like this. I fell on the way back; heavy snow blocked the mountains, and my teammates were scattered. I thought everything had come to an end, but when I opened my eyes again, I saw trees full of new green leaves."
That look in his eyes felt familiar to Song Jiu. He realized that perhaps his sense of closeness to Liu Yan stemmed from that very gaze. Although he didn't understand many of Liu Yan's words, he could empathize with the sudden bewilderment and drifting loneliness that came with such drastic changes in life. Once upon a time, he too had stumbled around alone, sometimes not even knowing what he was searching for.
Song Jiu had thought about finding his parents or his sister, but the mountains were high and the roads treacherous; he couldn't do it alone.
Later on, he found Xin Mengfan, Jiao Ziqian, and Luo Yu; he found a team but lost the desire to continue searching.
"Then why didn’t you go back in these three years?" Song Jiu shook his head, casting aside the inappropriate sentimentality and asking an unrelated question.
"It changed; everything is different now," Liu Yan said with a bitter smile and sighed again. "Looking back now, I was too young then; I didn't understand what I was doing at all. In just half a year, the entire world changed beyond recognition—really, without exaggeration. At that time, I was still feeling proud of myself for being part of changing history. Later I realized how foolish that was; small people can never change their fate or history."
"As long as you survive until the end, then you are a part of history," Song Jiu took a deep breath and ended the somewhat heavy topic.
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