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墨書 Inktalez
In the outskirts, at a picking garden.
Inside the dimly lit bungalow, where the windows were covered, the shortwave radio signal light flickered incessantly. Field Communications furrowed his brow, surrounded by an ashtray piled high with cigarette butts, carefully adjusting the signal strength in an attempt to receive messages from the other side.
E sat on a wooden bed nearby, half out of his combat uniform, his left shoulder and back exposed. Behind him, a disheveled young man was focused on his task, swiftly and accurately using a needle in his right hand to create tiny punctures on E's fair skin, while gripping a bloody piece of cotton with his left. Gaoyang and Old Five sat upright at the table across from them, holding unlit cigarettes between their fingers, their expressions grave.
"Raise it a bit higher," Field Communications said tightly, removing his headphones to speak to Gaoyang behind him.
"Oh, okay." Gaoyang hurried out the door, tilting his head to speak lightly with the room. When he saw that Gaoyang wanted to continue talking, he interrupted, "There are more important matters to handle. For now, set this aside. If you don't take the initiative, they probably won't come looking for trouble. I'll leave you some weapons; as we discussed before, focus on building this garden first. When I return next time, I hope it won't look like this anymore."
"What if they come looking for trouble?"
"There is no 'what if.' Even if they do come, so what? The guns I leave you aren't just for show," E frowned and said unhappily. "I expect you to demonstrate the execution required. If you can't manage that, I'll consider replacing you."
"Okay, okay, I can do it." Gaoyang cursed inwardly but dared not show it on his face. He could only compromise and ask, "Can you leave a few people behind? No matter how good your weapons are, we won't know how to use them."
"I'll leave you an instructor; don't bargain with me anymore." E tilted his head thoughtfully and assessed the overall capabilities of Gaoyang's division before adding, "From now on, your operational range will expand outside the city. I'll leave you a map that marks nearby camp locations. If necessary, you can lead your people there."
Gaoyang was delighted and asked, "When does it count as necessary?"
"The instructor will remind you," E replied curtly as he picked up a mirror to check his left shoulder. A vividly depicted fierce snake head stood proudly with bared fangs and flicking tongue as if alive, exuding a deadly aura. The snake's body coiled over his shoulder and extended down to his lower back, entwined with a splendid indigo peacock whose head hung low in submission under the fierce gaze of the snake.
Half an hour later, Field Duty and Foreigners finished packing up. They moved all radio equipment back into the off-road vehicle and sorted out some firearms and ammunition to leave for Gaoyang. Additionally, they assigned a burly man with a strong presence as an instructor to oversee and assist Gaoyang in managing the new Survivor camp.
Gaoyang and his companions watched as the convoy drove away, waving half-heartedly before locking up the bungalow and returning inside. The mustached man was skillfully disassembling firearms when he saw Gaoyang approach and spoke in broken Chinese: "Go set up some targets; tomorrow I'll teach you how to shoot."
"Sure! May I ask your name?" Gaoyang stood at about one meter eighty but still had to look up at the burly man.
"You can call me Diamond," the burly man said with a grin, his thick beard quivering slightly.
Gaoyang noticed that this fellow seemed quite easy to talk to, so he leaned in closer and asked, "Is this your Chinese name or a translation?"
The burly man looked at him with a puzzled expression and replied in a deep voice, "It's my Field Duty code name."
"Then what is your real name?"
"Konstantin Georgievich Paustovsky."
"Diamond Instructor, I look forward to working with you."
Three Heavy Off-Road Vehicles left the outskirts of the city, transitioning from rural roads to the highway, speeding away from the city. E sat in the passenger seat of the lead vehicle, reaching over to turn off the blaring metal music. She rubbed her temples and let out a soft sigh.
The driver, a White Person, glanced at her and asked, "Trouble?"
"Yes," the Blonde Woman replied.
"Where to?" The driver gradually slowed down as they approached a fork in the road. E did not disclose their destination.
The Blonde Woman held up her communication Field Duty device to show him a piece of paper. She pulled out a map from her waist pouch and compared it, frowning as she said, "Longhai Line."
"Got it."
"Exit the highway, start from the train station, and follow the Railway." The Blonde Woman put away the map and took out a box of elegant ladies' cigarettes.
"The mission is," the White Person said without hesitation, signaling for the rear vehicle to turn back, transforming the last car into the lead and heading back.
"The Signal Base Station has been destroyed," the Blonde Woman seemed unclear about the specifics, hesitating for a moment before asking, "And there was a train that passed through?"
The White Person paused, surprised. "Are you sure?"
E shrugged helplessly. "So we need to go confirm."
"What other losses are there besides the base station?"
"The storage has been completely looted."
"Understood." The White Person's expression grew serious as they took out a walkie-talkie and communicated with the front vehicle for a few moments before fastening their seatbelt and accelerating.
A hundred kilometers away from the ancient city, at the Zhengxi Passenger Transport Line.
In the slanting evening sun, the grass swayed gently. Beside the dirt road, gravel was piled up like a low stove. A pair of fair, rosy hands struck a match, igniting dry branches surrounded by stones. With the wind at her back, she waited for the flames to leap up, taking some small charcoal pieces from her backpack to cover the fire.
The girl tending the fire was patient, squatting quietly beside it as she watched the charcoal smoke rise. A glimmer of joy flashed in her bright eyes as she picked up a plastic bucket filled with murky water and poured some onto the ground. She stirred the mud with her hands and then took out several sprouting potatoes from her bag, coating them evenly in dirt before carefully placing them into the increasingly fierce makeshift stove.
Wiping the soot from her face, she turned to glance at the figure by the Railway Track and smiled before walking over.
The girl sitting cross-legged by the Railway held a drawing board in her hands. Beside her lay an opened Zombie, its chest cavity sliced open with entrails spilling out, a strong smell of blood lingering in the air. The Young Lady had long flowing hair and fair, delicate skin; she appeared somewhat frail. Her watery eyes were focused intently on the trees on the other side of the Railway and the setting sun sinking behind the western mountains. Holding a Brush in her right hand, she bit down on its shaft in thought. After diluting some thick Blood Plasma from the Zombie's abdomen on her palette, she began to paint vigorously on her paper.
The girl covered in soot approached from behind to take a look and smiled softly. Dipping her finger into some Blood Plasma, she reached out to dot it in the center of the canvas. The painting girl was taken aback for a moment but then beamed with joy, quickly outlining around the dot with her brush. In no time at all, a scene of a blood-soaked sunset over the Railway sprang to life on paper; its singular tone was anything but dull, instead revealing a rich sense of mottled depth through varying shades of color.
"Mission accomplished." The artist grinned widely, biting off the cap of her marker and elegantly writing "Huihui" in the bottom right corner.
The girl behind her patted her on the shoulder and said, "Why are you writing about me? I only pointed once."
"Without that point, it wouldn't be complete," the artist replied playfully. After a moment's thought, she added "Yuan An" behind it.
"Now that's more like it." Huihui wiped the blood from her hands, helped her take down the canvas, and set it aside, placing two stones on top to weigh it down and let it dry.
"What are we having for dinner?" the girl named Yuan An handed the drawing board to Huihui, tipped over a bucket to wash her hands, and sniffled as she approached the makeshift stove.
"Roasted potatoes." Huihui stretched lazily, poking at the charred potatoes at the bottom of the pit with a stick. She asked, "Are we traveling tonight or camping out?"
"Camping out sounds good; the protective net here is intact, so there shouldn't be any Zombies." Yuan An stared intently at the food in the fire, her earlier artistic focus vanishing in an instant, replaced by a ravenous hunger.
Huihui frowned as she glanced at the dimming Railway surroundings, hesitating before nodding. "Are you sure? Where did your paint come from then?"
"That doesn't count," Yuan An rubbed her fair palms together eagerly. "I can already smell it."
"What's the rush? No one is going to steal it from you." Huihui couldn't help but chuckle at her anxious demeanor. She tidied her hair and said, "Then it's still the old rule; I'll keep watch for the first half of the night."
"Okay." Yuan An's growling stomach was teased by the enticing aroma from the fire. She stood up to stretch her back and gazed at the towering buildings faintly visible beyond the protective netting. "How about we head into town tomorrow?"
"No way." Huihui shook her head decisively, pouting. "You have long legs and can run fast; I can't keep up."
"I'll pull you along with me," Yuan An laughed as she bent down to hug Huihui, revealing a glimpse of white skin at her waist. Her long legs were clad in dark jeans, and she was indeed quite tall.
"I'm not going. It's too dangerous in the city," Huihui pleaded with a grimace. "Our supplies should last for a while longer."
"But I don't want to eat potatoes anymore," Yuan An pouted, putting on a pitiful expression. "We've been on the road for months; can't we take a break?"
Huihui couldn't argue with her. She furrowed her brow and thought for a moment before finally agreeing, "Do you have any ideas about where to go?"
"Somewhere we can stay long-term. I can't stand sleeping in a tent every day," Yuan An said, satisfied that Huihui had agreed. She sat down, grabbed a stick, and poked at two charred potatoes, lightly knocking off the outer layer of dirt. With a gentle twist, she revealed the fragrant golden potatoes inside.
"Then we..." Huihui started to say but paused, seeming hesitant as she turned to look at the nearby Railway Track.
"What's wrong?" Yuan An noticed her unusual expression and quickly turned to scan their surroundings. She drew the Yingjisha Dagger from her waist, becoming alert. Furrowing her brows, she observed for a moment before her expression shifted to one of confusion. "Did you hear that?"
"Yeah, look." Huihui nodded in a daze, standing beside her and pointing at the painting drying on the Railway Track. The stone resting on the Paper was faintly vibrating, as if a distant mountain flood was approaching. The stone buzzed and jumped for a moment before clattering down onto the ties.
Woo~~ clatter clatter clatter~~~
The two girls stepped back in surprise, listening to the unfamiliar yet familiar rumble growing closer. They looked up toward the distance where the last rays of the setting sun disappeared. At the end of the winding Railway Track, an Iron Dragon burst through the darkness, roaring forward with a chilling wind.
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