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墨書 Inktalez
Though Zombie was set to return soon, there was nothing pressing at the moment. The camp had established clear divisions of labor; the Militia, Zombie, women, and children were all fulfilling their roles, and everything seemed to be back on track.
Song Jiu discovered an amusing fact: everyone had returned to their posts except for him and Dream Fan. Since Dream Fan wasn't involved in the fighting, she had plenty of time to spare, so it didn't matter if she wanted to dawdle. However, as the leader of the first battalion, he felt it was inappropriate to sit idly while everyone else was busy working.
He opened the memo drafted by Pan Sheng'an and Chef Jia, reviewing past matters to ensure no important tasks were overlooked. With that done, Song Jiu felt a bit more at ease. As a leader, he could afford to oversee things from the central command and take advantage of this quiet time to relax.
Xin Mengfan was sleeping in the inner room, and Song Jiu chose not to disturb her. He turned to glance at himself in the vanity mirror; his hair had grown long, stubble was starting to show, and with a face weathered by wind and sun, he looked much older than his actual age. He rubbed his chin and got up to rummage through the items on the vanity. The table was cluttered with various colorful bottles and jars that made his head spin. He thought about how much time Xin Mengfan spent here each day; indeed, beauty was not an easy endeavor.
After searching through everything, Song Jiu couldn't help but chuckle at his own foolishness—of course, Dream Fan, being a girl, wouldn't need a razor. So he abandoned the idea of grooming and closed the drawer.
Outside, the sun shone brightly as groups of Militia returned from digging trenches, lining up to wash their faces and hands at the newly built water basin. A few children played in front of the house across the street, oblivious to the chaos outside; with breakfast and hot soup available, along with cats and dogs around them, they were happy.
Standing by the window lost in thought, Song Jiu noticed that Dream Fan had woken up. She peeked out into the living room and seeing that everyone had left, she threw off her blanket and walked out in her bare skin.
"What are you thinking about?" The pretty girl wasn't fully awake yet; she rubbed her sleepy eyes and wrapped her arms around Song Jiu from behind, resting her face against his back.
"Nothing," he replied, pulling his scattered thoughts together and turning around with a smile. "Did I wake you?"
"I'm hungry." Dream Fan stuck out her tongue and glanced at the digital clock on the wall. "Isn't it time for a meal? Brother Jiu, can you bring me some takeout? I don't feel like moving."
"Lazy again," Song Jiu teased as he ruffled her messy hair. He picked up a thin blanket from the sofa and draped it over her shoulders. "Just stay put; I'll bring it over in a bit."
"Okay, thanks, Jiu Jiu." She tiptoed over to plant a sweet kiss on him before bouncing back into her room, calling out as she went: "I'll take another nap; don't lock the door! I'll show you something new when you get back."
"What new thing?"
"I won't tell you now; I'll share later."
""
Song Jiu closed the door behind him, stretching lazily in the bright sunlight, loosening his muscles before heading towards the cafeteria with the Militia team.
Behind a low bush outside the house, a pair of sneaky little eyes watched as Song Jiu walked away. The figure stealthily approached the stairs, gently pushing the door open just enough to slip inside.
It was mealtime, and after several days of intense labor, the usually empty cafeteria was packed today, with not a single seat available. The Militia members were engrossed in their meals, oblivious to the arrival of the new "camp leader." Song Jiu felt awkward asking anyone to move, so he glanced around and spotted Xiaofei sitting in a corner.
Xiaofei noticed Song Jiu looking around and hesitated for a moment before waving at him.
"Where's Sister Jia?" Song Jiu asked without hesitation as he sat down next to her. He peered into the kitchen for a while but only saw Pockmarked Girl bustling about.
"Sister Jia went to deliver food to A Hai. I'm here helping with Guli," Xiaofei replied, still feeling a bit shy as she leaned against the wall, trying to create some distance between them.
Song Jiu didn't notice her subtle movements and asked curiously, "Why did Sister Jia go herself?"
"I don't know; she didn't say anything, and I didn't ask," Xiaofei said, stealing a glance at him. She pushed her bowl of food towards him and stammered, "You can eat first; I haven't started yet."
"No, no need. You eat your food."
"Uh, there's no more food left; the new batch is still in the pot. I'm not very hungry," Xiaofei said, not wanting to be polite anymore. It was just that having Song Jiu sitting so close made her feel uncomfortable. She couldn't tell if it was just her imagination, but being near him always made her catch a whiff of blood, which unsettled her.
Unexpectedly, Song Jiu turned his head at her words and asked, "You're not hungry?"
"No, not really hungry."
"Perfect timing, you can come with me," he said, not waiting for Xiaofei's agreement. He handed his plate to a Militia member in line and squeezed through the crowd to call over the Pockmarked Girl.
"Hey, Master Jiu is here!" The Pockmarked Girl returned to her usual carefree self, completely forgetting the earlier incident. After spending a few days with Xin Mengfan, she seemed a bit more talkative.
"Keep yourself busy for now, and later bring a meal to Dream Fan," Song Jiu said, noticing how swamped she was. He glanced at the dishes available today, picked out a couple that Dream Fan liked, and hurriedly made his way out.
Xiaofei stood frozen at the table. Since Song Jiu had called her out, she couldn't refuse and had no choice but to accompany him.
The two left the cafeteria and walked down a narrow path leading to the back of the camp. Along the way, they encountered a patrol of guards. The leader was unfamiliar to Song Jiu, but these guards were quite friendly and greeted him warmly.
"Hey, Brother Jiu, where are you taking me?" Xiaofei asked nervously, twisting her fingers.
"We're heading to the warehouse; I need you to show me the dungeon," Song Jiu replied casually. Noticing her cheeks reddening slightly, he couldn't help but tease her, "What's with that shy look? You were so bold when you came charging at me the other day."
Just as she feared, Song Jiu brought up that incident, and he certainly didn't disappoint her in that regard.
"Alright, alright, I was just joking," he said, feeling a bit regretful. He thought he might have touched on a sore spot for Xiaofei and felt awkward. Lowering his voice, he added, "I also share some responsibility for what happened with your boyfriend. I'm really sorry about that."
Xiaofei blinked her big watery eyes up at him before looking down again and gently shaking her head. "Guli told me later that it wasn't entirely your fault given the circumstances. It was an accident; once someone is gone, they can't come back. So you don't need to apologize to me."
Song Jiu found himself at a loss for words. He wasn't good at comforting women; both girls who usually accompanied him were sharp-witted and never required his coaxing. His earlier apology had been spontaneous due to the atmosphere, and he hadn't expected this seemingly delicate girl to be so understanding—she had effectively silenced him.
"By the way, what do you need to go to the dungeon for?" After breaking the ice, Xiaofei relaxed a bit and changed the subject with curiosity. "There's nothing there now anyway."
"I heard from Guli that there's a secret passage in the dungeon leading outside the camp. I want to check it out," Song Jiu replied thoughtfully before asking, "How long were you locked up? Did you see any Zombies go in there?"
"No, but I have seen the passage you mentioned."
Outside the warehouse, a construction site was bustling with activity. Pan Sheng'an had somehow acquired a hard hat, which sat humorously atop his large head as he held a stack of blueprints and explained something to the temporary architecture apprentices. The others listened intently, and a few young men straightened up awkwardly upon seeing Song Jiu approach, as if they were in the presence of a parent.
"Hey, Brother Jiu is here for an inspection," Pan Sheng'an turned his head to glance over and grinned widely.
"Come on, you're at least ten years older than me; calling you 'brother' feels strange. I'm just going to check the warehouse; you all keep busy," Song Jiu said, patting him on the shoulder and signaling for everyone to continue.
The tall weeds in the field had been cleared away, and the uneven mounds of earth had been leveled. Various building materials were piled around, creating the atmosphere of a large construction site. Seeing all this made Song Jiu feel a bit hopeful; he had only intended to build a simple shelter, but Pan Sheng'an turned out to be quite the expert. Upon hearing that Song Jiu wanted to construct a command center, he immediately took charge and promised to build him a multifunctional residence. Pan Sheng'an was overflowing with enthusiasm, and since it wouldn't cost him anything, Song Jiu decided to let him have his way.
Steel frames were scattered haphazardly around, along with plenty of red bricks and cement, making walking somewhat cumbersome. While Song Jiu managed fine navigating the uneven terrain, Xiaofei struggled a bit more. She and Pockmarked Girl had been busy with Chef Jia handling internal affairs and usually wore comfortable clothes. After walking only a short distance, her long skirt was ruined, and she now clutched its hem carefully as she tried to keep pace with Song Jiu.
With no other choice, Song Jiu stepped back to support her arm, causing her heart to skip a beat.
The guards at the warehouse had been replaced by Song Jiu's trusted men. Three Young Men lounged by the warehouse door soaking up the sun. When they spotted Song Jiu half-supporting half-carrying the girl, they exchanged mischievous glances and whispered among themselves. Song Jiu was used to their gossiping nature, but Xiaofei's face turned crimson; she dared not lift her head and dashed into the warehouse as if fleeing for her life.
Having come along with their leader, the Young Men naturally didn’t think to stop them. They greeted Song Jiu and briefly reported on recent developments. The camp's limited Eighteen Guns had allocated three here and even built them a small shelter in the warehouse for twenty-four-hour shifts.
With so much going on recently, Song Jiu hadn’t visited the dungeon yet. Xiaofei was a regular visitor; she expertly led him through towering stacks of goods until they reached a dark corner at the back.
"Did you bring a flashlight?" Xiaofei paused and said, "It seems like the torches down there have gone out."
"I forgot; are there no other lighting devices down there?" Song Jiu asked.
"No, when we were imprisoned we basically had to feel our way around in the dark; they only lit torches during meal times," Xiaofei recalled their past days behind iron bars with some sentimentality as she navigated around two piles of discarded tables and beds, pointing toward a spot against the wall.
Song Jiu leaned closer, squatting down to examine the wooden door that had been repaired and laid on the ground. He couldn't help but click his tongue and say, "The Zombie really has a lot of free time."
"The real trouble is below. It's just like the dungeons in the movies, all steel gates."
"How's the ventilation? Isn't it stuffy down there?"
"There are vents, and it's quite cold down below."
Song Jiu pried the wooden door open at the seam, revealing a long, dark opening beneath. A wave of damp, cold air rushed out to greet him.
"Goodness, you guys have it tough." Song Jiu rubbed his hands together, pushed the wooden door aside, and dragged over a shelf to prop it up. He peered inside and asked, "Is it deep?"
"It's alright, not much different from an ordinary basement. I'll go get a torch; otherwise, it'll be pitch black down there." Xiaofei saw that he was determined to go down and reluctantly agreed to play the errand runner, quickly running off.
As Song Jiu sat at the edge of the opening, he watched Xiaofei's graceful figure disappear into the distance and couldn't help but feel a bit emotional. People are often shaped by their circumstances. From her words and actions, it was clear that Xiaofei was a well-educated young woman; she was likely not just a refined lady but also someone of modest means. Despite her delicate appearance, she had managed to survive in this chaotic world. It was undeniable that human potential is immense. The fact that someone like her could endure being locked in such a grim dungeon for so long without breaking down spoke volumes about her strong spirit.
Lost in thought, he momentarily let his guard down, which meant his senses were briefly dulled.
In that fleeting moment of distraction, two arms suddenly shot out from the dark dungeon entrance and pulled Song Jiu into the abyss.
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