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墨書 Inktalez
From a high vantage point, to the northeast of the Roundabout, a dark torrent surged swiftly through the city walls, spilling out like a floodgate being opened, visibly dispersing into the streets and alleys. The horde outside the city gates seemed endless; the gaping entrance could not accommodate the massive influx of Zombies. Those gathered outside began to scatter along the base of the walls, creating a momentary siege-like atmosphere.
As the camera panned slightly downward, several black dots could be seen moving rapidly in a straight line both inside and outside the gray city walls. Judging by their direction, it appeared they were all converging on a single point.
Inside the City Wall, Cold Man gazed down at the surging Zombie Tide below, his expression a mix of joy and concern.
The joy stemmed from their timely ascent to the City Wall before the Zombies attacked. However, the concern was harder to articulate. For now, they were safe atop the City Wall; the supplies brought back from the supermarket would last for a while. Yet, an unsettling anxiety lingered heavily in his heart.
Cold Man had once been a member of Gaoyang Team and knew this gaunt man well enough to understand he wouldn’t act recklessly. Thus, Cold Man couldn’t fathom why he would abandon the safety of the wall. Perhaps he had found a better refuge, but why then open the city gates? As soon as the gates swung wide, the Zombies rushed in—was that merely coincidence?
Unfortunately, those who could answer these questions were not present.
“Brother X, we should be pretty safe here, right?” Militia A said from eight feet away from the Battlements, afraid that if he leaned out too far, he would be spotted by a Zombie. The tall figure of six feet tall displayed a cowardly demeanor.
“It should be safe for now,” Cold Man replied with a nod. He glanced at the Ticket Booth engulfed by Zombies and felt somewhat reassured. Turning back, he instructed, “Hurry up and clean up the City Wall. We need to settle in for now; someone must keep watch on all sides of the wall. We don’t know if any of the other three gates are open. Let’s eat something first and then split into two groups for inspection this afternoon.”
Militia B frowned and hesitated, “Isn’t it unnecessary? The other walls are so far away; how long will it take us to walk there?”
“If Zombies come through any of those three gates, do you think you’ll still have somewhere to hide?” Cold Man shot him a glare. His scarred face bore an intimidating leadership quality as he dismissed Militia members who had been watching the Zombie tide.
With Militia dispersing, only Cold Man remained on the wall. He stood before the Parapet, gazing at the inner city that was about to fall again. A deep sadness filled his eyes as he murmured a name over and over again.
Outside the wall, Song Jiu and Lin Daozhang finally arrived after much delay.
The two had found an out-of-gas Pika along their way and continued down the long road until they spotted Luo Yu's vehicle not far from the city wall. The keys were still in it, and the engine was cold—indicating that Luo Yu had left some time ago but hadn’t returned.
“You’ve seen the wall; we’ve found the car—let’s head back,” Lin Daozhang said without hesitation as he jumped into the passenger seat with an attitude that suggested he wouldn’t budge unless Song Jiu drove.
“How do we get onto the wall?” Song Jiu ignored him and pointed toward the prominent city gate tower in the distance. “The figures up there should be Hou Xiong and his group; there’s quite a commotion with those Zombies below. We can sneak up quietly.”
“What’s the point of going up?” Lin Daozhang exclaimed in frustration, counting on his fingers as he addressed Song Jiu. “There are one two three four five six seven people up there! It’s just us two—what are we supposed to do?”
"Can't just go back empty-handed," Song Jiu said with a hint of amusement, asking, "Tell me honestly, have you ever killed anyone?"
"No," Lin Daozhang immediately shook his head vigorously, raising a finger to signal Song Jiu to be quiet, adding, "And I don't want to try."
"That's fine, just help me take down three," Song Jiu said to himself as he twisted the key and started the car, slowly driving out of the low area towards the city gate.
"Hey, hey, hey! Stop the car!" Lin Daozhang suddenly panicked, pointing at the main gate where a stream of Zombies was pouring in. "We're going to die! The Zombies haven't dispersed yet; aren't you looking for death?"
"So quickly tell me, besides climbing from the outside, what other ways are there to get onto the city wall?" Song Jiu smiled at him and said, "The grass over there is easy to climb, but unfortunately it's occupied by Zombies."
"I'll tell you!" Lin Daozhang looked distressed and said angrily, "There's a small Ticket Booth at the entrance; the stairs to the city wall are right there. Look, all the Zombies must be crowding at the entrance now. How about this? I'll take you to another gate; there are stairs too."
"That won't work; it'll take too long to go around. We'll go from here." Song Jiu glanced at his watch and said, "It's almost four o'clock. Get ready; we need to act quickly."
"What do you mean by 'act quickly'?"
"I'll drive in fast; when I stop the car, you go up the stairs first without waiting for me." Song Jiu turned the steering wheel, keeping a safe distance from the slowly advancing horde of Zombies. He maneuvered the car towards the Arch Bridge leading to the city gate.
"Get lost! I'm not going!" Lin Daozhang said without hesitation as he opened the car door and prepared to get out.
Song Jiu's lips curled into a smile as he suddenly pressed down on the accelerator. The tires screeched against the grass, and in an instant, the car shot forward like an arrow aimed at the Arch Bridge.
Lin Daozhang, who had just opened the door, let out a scream as it swung wide open and slammed into a Zombie with a loud thud. Blood Plasma splattered everywhere as the door flew off its hinges and rolled away.
"First blood," Song Jiu exclaimed as he yanked Lin Daozhang back into his seat and buckled him in with one hand. As they approached the Arch Bridge, he shouted, "Hold on tight!"
Pika rammed into two hunched Zombies with its head while blood rained down. The front wheels climbed up onto the arching bridge surface and lifted several inches off the ground. The spinning wheels shredded through clouds of blood mist as the car landed heavily, crushing everything beneath it into a gruesome mixture of red and white. The nearby horde was startled by the noise of the vehicle and roared as they turned towards them clumsily.
Song Jiu remained unfazed; he calmly shifted gears and pressed down on the accelerator. The rear wheels spun in place at the end of the Arch Bridge, scraping against writhing Zombie bodies that burst apart like confetti. With a sudden jolt, he surged forward again with tremendous force, crashing into the horde and creating a horrifying corridor of flesh and blood with his vehicle's weight and metal frame.
Gritting his teeth tightly, Song Jiu floored the accelerator while firmly holding onto the steering wheel. In the passenger seat, Lin Daozhang shouted loudly amidst terrified screams while cursing Song Jiu's entire family. Despite his angry words, he didn't stop swinging his Steel Saw Blade out of the window, managing to sever several decayed arms in his frenzy.
The cabin was filled with constant collisions as Pika's initial momentum waned slightly. The windshield was smeared with Blood Plasma, leaving only a narrow gap at the top through which they could see the doorway they were about to pass through.
"Left!" Lin Daozhang shouted, his voice hoarse as he reached back to open the car door. With the force of the door swinging open, he spat out a spray of fresh blood.
Song Jiu received the command and, just before losing power, slammed on the brakes. The tires, covered in blood and flesh, skidded violently as they swung around in the horde, the vehicle slicing through like a cleaver. Instantly, chaos erupted as bodies were sent flying. Pika quickly turned the cabin and shifted gears, darting into the open space created by their advance, pressing Lin Daozhang against the edge of the doorway before crashing into a pile of zombies.
The zombies swarmed forward, tumbling into the vehicle's cargo area. They howled as they lunged at the front compartment, attempting to engage in a struggle with claws and metal. The weight of corpses beneath the vehicle caused it to tilt momentarily, creating a gap between Lin Daozhang and the wall. One zombie took advantage of this and thrust its head into the cabin.
Lin Daozhang jumped in fright; his saw blade swung wildly but failed to sever the zombie's head. He screamed for help, sending out an urgent signal. Song Jiu had no choice but to jerk the steering wheel again, crushing through layers of blood and grime under the vehicle. The car jolted violently as it scraped against the Bluestone Wall.
The zombie became wedged between the car frame and the wall. As the vehicle rapidly reversed, a grinding noise filled the air as its body was crushed in two. A decayed head rolled into the cabin, landing between Lin Daozhang's legs.
Since getting into the car, Lin Daozhang had not stopped screaming. Blood splattered across his face from where he thought he had crushed a zombie. To his horror, a severed head suddenly appeared at his waist, sending him into a panic. He dropped his Steel Saw Blade and pressed that bloody head against the rapidly retreating wall.
Song Jiu was too focused on their escape to pay attention to Lin Daozhang's predicament. Pika revved up its engine and pushed through a path of blood until they finally burst out of the doorway. In the rearview mirror, Song Jiu spotted what Lin Daozhang had mentioned: a Ticket Booth. He slammed on the brakes hard to shake off any remaining zombies behind them and quickly unbuckled his seatbelt.
"Get out!"
Lin Daozhang howled as he held onto half of a skull that had been ground against the wall. He looked up to see stairs just within reach and finally managed to stop panicking. He tossed aside the bloody head and grabbed onto an iron railing. With a powerful pull, he executed a perfect flip and landed gracefully on his feet. Behind him, Song Jiu nearly had his eyes pop out as he turned back to slash off several reaching arms before landing awkwardly on the ground.
Lin Daozhang was quick to help him sever a few withered hands that had reached through the railing before pulling Song Jiu up and racing up the stairs.
"You've got some skills!" Song Jiu said while wiping blood from his face, laughing as they ran.
"I swear I want to strangle you!" Lin Daozhang replied, transforming into a fierce figure reminiscent of Yan Chixia—his robe stained with blood, hair wild—a living embodiment of violent vengeance.
Song Jiu kept moving but was about to ask another question when he caught sight of a shadow flitting across a high wall. He hurriedly quickened his pace: "We've been spotted! You take four; I'll take three!"
Lin Daozhang shouted from behind, "Damn it! Aren't I supposed to take three?"
To the northwest of Roundabout lay Cien Cemetery.
A speeding SUV burst through an open iron gate, kicking up countless mud splatters as it raced forward with an energy akin to overtaking in a rally race. It navigated over bumpy cobblestone roads before veering directly into an area filled with towering gravestones.
With a loud clang, the cyclist casually tossed aside his bicycle and hurried a few steps toward the innermost corner, where he indeed found Ming Junwei sitting on the ground.
“Ming Ge, the West Gate is broken.”
Ming Junwei slowly turned his head, his face slightly flushed. He frowned and asked, “Vermilion Bird Gate?”
“Yes, where's Yao Yao?” The graduate student wiped the sweat from his brow and glanced at the gray stone tablet opposite Ming Junwei.
“Yao Yao is outside the city.” Ming Junwei quickly stood up and asked, “What about Xiao Wei?”
“Xiao Wei is still upstairs. I came back to report first.” The graduate student took a breath and said, “I went back to Roundabout and have already briefed Luci and Yinuo. They should be ready.”
Ming Junwei nodded in acknowledgment, bent down to pick up the remaining half bottle of liquor, and slowly poured it over the stone tablet before lighting a cigarette and placing it in the incense burner.
“Let’s go.”
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