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墨書 Inktalez
Old Tian swallowed hard, wanting to ask a question but fearing it might disturb her. He could only glance around nervously, his hand gripping the knife trembling slightly.
"It's fine, let's go," Yinuo said, her expression somewhat suspicious. She glanced back over her shoulder and pulled Old Tian around a street corner, whispering, "Stay alert."
"What's wrong?"
"Just be cautious, it's nothing." Yinuo replied dismissively, though there was still a hint of confusion in her eyes. She had felt as if someone was watching her from behind, and after a sleepless night, her reflexes were dulled. She couldn't be sure if it was just her imagination.
They walked in silence, their pace quickening.
After more than half an hour, they arrived at the train station without incident. As Yinuo had mentioned, they encountered only two scattered Zombies—three or five of them at most—posing little threat. Given that her partner was too timid, Yinuo chose not to engage directly but waited for the Zombies to wander past before continuing on.
Before reaching the train station, Yinuo had contacted Xiao Wei. He informed her that he was on his way back to Roundabout and that everything around him seemed normal. Upon hearing that Yinuo and Old Tian were heading to the train station, he intended to come support and protect them. However, since their paths diverged, by the time he arrived, they would likely have already turned back. Therefore, Yinuo declined his offer and told him to return home and rest instead. Old Tian had been quietly following her side; though timid, he didn't cause any delays and spoke little—he was quite the obedient companion.
Old Tian observed Yinuo as well. The two groups had mingled for only a short time; for a long-term partnership to work, trust needed to be established. With Ming Junwei's leaders absent, Old Tian could only watch these girls in charge. Overall, he was quite satisfied; he felt that while Roundabout's armed forces were somewhat uneven, everything else seemed decent enough. He was particularly pleased with the Greenhouse cultivation because he had always wanted Wu Wentao to learn self-sufficiency but found him too stubborn to listen. Although the Vegetable Greenhouse had been destroyed by Acid Rain, it was only temporary; both sides had sufficient military strength to restore order in life soon enough.
The Train Station Square was desolate; many low-lying areas still held puddles of water. Stepping on a loose tile could splash dirty water everywhere—a real nuisance. The train schedule board above the entrance remained blacked out for a long time, reflecting the thin morning sunlight. Yinuo looked up at the black screen; the glare made it difficult to see what was happening behind her.
"In a moment, you go inside to find something while I wait outside," Yinuo said. Though fatigue still lingered on her face, her eyes were alert and scanning their surroundings. The prickly feeling of being watched hadn't faded away; however, she didn't see anyone or any Zombies behind them. To be safe, Yinuo led Old Tian around the waiting hall and into a dark restroom where they waited for a moment.
Old Tian felt flustered by her actions and became increasingly paranoid; however, his observational skills were lacking, and frequently looking back made him stand out even more. They descended along the stopped escalator and passed through a tunnel into the Platform area. Everything remained unchanged here—the ground was still muddy and backlit with debris and weeds scattered about in desolation.
"Go ahead; if there's any movement, call for me," Yinuo said after checking around a broken wall and confirming that the small building inside was empty before waving Old Tian on to act quickly.
Gathering his courage, Old Tian took out an old key and unlocked the Cabin door. He peered inside cautiously before mustering enough bravery to step in. He actually wanted Yinuo to accompany him because it was dim inside the carriage and quite unsettling; however, he understood the situation—there were only two of them outside without anyone keeping watch wasn't ideal. He glanced at himself in the small mirror inside the driver's area and chuckled self-deprecatingly before regaining his composure as he moved through the carriage. He stole a glance at Yinuo waiting outside through the window before quickly making his way into the medical carriage.
Yinuo stifled a yawn as the morning sun gradually rose higher in the sky, its warm rays spreading across the dark train body and casting warmth upon her while also pulling at her drowsiness. Feeling overly fatigued from maintaining vigilance for so long made her weary; she figured she must have been overly sensitive lately since Squad had been active throughout the city just days ago—if anything happened now, they would surely notice it. So she relaxed a bit and sat down on one side of the embankment waiting for Old Tian's return.
They say waiting is what drains patience most; even those with slow tempers dislike prolonged waits.
At first, Yinuo didn't think much of it because she had been in the carriage before and knew that this group had divided the train into various compartments for specific uses—hiding important items wouldn't be easy to find. However, Old Tian seemed to be taking too long; glancing at her watch revealed that ten minutes had passed—enough time for him to run from Cabin to the end of the train.
"Something's wrong," Yinuo frowned slightly but then dismissed it as unlikely; Old Tian wasn't mute—if he encountered Zombies even if he couldn't fight them off at least he could shout out loud enough for her to hear. As for Living Persons? She had checked thoroughly—the train's windows were intact; Old Tian held onto the only key while all supplies inside had been moved to Roundabout. Even if some wandering Survivors used this place as temporary shelter, they wouldn't leave no traces behind at all.
As she pondered, Yinuo raised her gun and approached the Cabin, tentatively calling out, "Old Tian."
Her gentle voice echoed through the carriage but received no response.
A sense of unease crept over her, prompting Yinuo to step back a few paces. She refrained from boarding the train and picked up the walkie-talkie to call out a few times. Unfortunately, the train station was beyond the patrol range, and all she could hear was static crackling on the channel. According to protocol, when faced with such an ambiguous situation, it was imperative for those safe to retreat immediately; one should never investigate alone, fearing that without backup, they might fall into danger without anyone to sound the alarm.
Yinuo hesitated. If it were merely a search for supplies, it would be one thing, but Dr. Zhong had emphasized that this matter was crucial. If something went wrong, the consequences could be severe. After weighing her options, reason prevailed, and Yinuo decisively retreated, opting to return to the Roundabout.
At that moment, footsteps echoed from within the carriage, and a figure appeared by the door—Old Tian.
Yinuo's brow furrowed in annoyance as she exclaimed, "What are you doing? I told you to keep quiet."
Old Tian slowly turned his body, revealing a strange expression on his wrinkled face like that of a daisy. Suddenly, his legs buckled beneath him, and he collapsed to the ground. Yinuo gasped in shock and instinctively took two steps forward, only to see a gleaming dagger embedded deep in Old Tian's back, almost buried entirely with only a plastic handle protruding.
Yinuo's face paled as she realized something was terribly wrong. Old Tian lay face down in the gravel-strewn mud, beside him was a small medical kit that had fallen open, its contents spilling out—various test tubes scattered about. Yinuo clicked off the safety on her handgun and gritted her teeth as she rushed over to grab the medical kit before turning to flee.
A soft sound echoed behind her.
With a sudden thud, Yinuo fell to the ground.
At the door of the carriage stood a striking Blonde Woman who raised her silenced pistol to her lips and blew away nonexistent smoke.
As the dust settled, chaos reigned around them.
A cloud of fine powder danced in the air amidst flickering flames, creating an ethereal scene.
Song Jiu leaned against a rocky wall while Luo Yu and Song Yao tended to his wounds, bloodied gauze strewn about them.
Song Jiu remained expressionless as the two women wrapped bandages around him repeatedly. His gaze was hollow and vacant as he stared at a white cloth before him that bloomed with a glaring bloodstain.
Luo Yu exchanged glances with Song Yao; both were filled with sorrow. Luo Yu's eyes were slightly swollen as she shook her head with a soft sigh and turned to check on Jiao Ziqian nearby. Jiao Ziqian had also been injured but was not in mortal danger. This unfortunate soul forced into the Zombie ranks had inherited their renowned resilience; despite Big Peony's gunfire raining down upon him, fortunately none of it had struck his head directly—only a few bullets had passed through his body and injured Song Jiu instead.
Yes, Jiao Ziqian stepped up at a critical moment and took a bullet for Song Jiu. He wouldn't die, but the kind of severe lacerations from the bullet would be enough to keep him occupied for a while.
Ying Dou Dou and another Foreigner were helping him extract the bullet. Luo Yu glanced over, relieved to see he was okay. Liu Yan waved her hand, casting a glance at Song Jiu, signaling to step outside to talk.
The so-called Special Door was actually two heavy metal doors that needed to be pulled along tracks. Outside the door was a narrow path hidden among the wild grass and trees. There were quite a few people outside, most of them dead, while several Foreigners were diligently digging graves. It was their habit; when a teammate died, they had to bury them in the ground if conditions allowed, sending them into the embrace of God.
"The road behind is no longer passable for Brother Jiu," Liu Yan adjusted her glasses, her expression grim.
"I know," Luo Yu wiped away a tear from the corner of her eye, her voice choked.
"Send him back to Roundabout," Liu Yan said.
"Okay."
"Dream Fan."
"Also send back."
The chain reaction eventually occurred, but the intense gunfire did not last long. The open flames caused a dust explosion, interrupting the frenzied gunfire, saving some while condemning others. Those who survived were still baffled as to why a woman suddenly attacked Red Mother. In such circumstances, anyone with common sense should have known that pulling one thread could unravel the whole tapestry; yet she still acted.
Song Jiu knew, but he had no time to think about those things now; his mind was blank, filled only with the blood-red image before his eyes.
Little Woman's knife came as a shock to everyone. Red Mother was caught off guard by the attack, and the assailant was not Yang Chun Yue. In her surprise and fury, that deadly spike sliced through her daughter's fragile throat. Then Jiao Ziqian lunged toward Song Jiu, followed by Big Peony and Yang Chun Yue firing their weapons simultaneously with the Militia and Bald Gang pulling their triggers.
All Song Jiu saw was a flash of crimson, followed by an explosion of fire and deafening noise, and then everything went dark.
When he woke up, it seemed that everything had settled down. The survivors looked disheveled and covered in dirt; smoke swirled in the cave, and bodies lay scattered everywhere. Song Jiu heard a buzzing in his ears; he ignored Jiao Ziqian who had shielded him from bullets and paid no attention to Luo Yu and Song Yao's anxious concern as he dragged himself through the pile of corpses to find that girl.
When the little girl by the riverbank died, Song Jiu was consumed by rage and extreme violence; when Xiaofei unexpectedly died, he felt a profound loss and sank into despair. But today, Song Jiu's face was expressionless, his gaze hollow.
Luo Yu had never seen Song Jiu like this before; it was an incomprehensible state—she felt empathy but struggled to understand it.
Everything happened so suddenly that it caught everyone off guard. Even he couldn't accept the reality, let alone comfort others.
Ming Junwei stood at the cave entrance, sighed deeply, shook his head, and turned to discuss the remaining supplies and the handling of the women left in the cave with Wu Wentao. There was no choice; someone had to take care of these matters. If everyone succumbed to grief, they might as well all die together.
Wu Wentao had lost a few Foreigners, but in his own words, it was nothing serious.
Casualties were inevitable; they were all ruthless bandits who lived on the edge. There was no time to shed tears. In comparison, the supplies in the warehouse were a significant gain. If it weren't for considering others' feelings, Wu Wentao would have laughed out loud. Thinking about it made him regret letting Dan Fengyan go; after all, a woman like her was hard to come by and suited his tastes perfectly.
As an ally, Wu Wentao was indeed reliable. Without any concealment, he informed Ming Junwei about the issues concerning Ying Dou Dou and called Yang Chun Yue and Dapeng over, intending for the three parties to negotiate a mutually agreeable solution.
Yang Chun Yue was at the center of attention. If it weren't for the sudden explosion, she would have been caught in a hail of bullets from both sides. Fortunately, she only lost some hair to the flames and ended up with a face full of soot but survived unscathed. After resting for a while, she had regained her composure.
Unlike Ying Dou Dou's stubbornness, Yang Chun Yue understood the situation clearly. If their opponents decided to strike hard, they would only be able to endure it together. Since they proposed negotiations, there was still hope.
"The explosion was quite intense; our people should have heard it. I had Dapeng fire a signal flare earlier; they should be on their way," Yang Chun Yue said as she wiped her face with a towel that Luci handed her, offering a grateful smile. "We're just search team members and can't make decisions; you should talk to our leader."
"By the way, I heard Dapeng mention something that needs clarification," Yang Chun Yue turned to Wu Wentao and said calmly, "We are not The Establishment or RCA; we are free people. However, our leader has some connections with The Establishment."
"Then Sea Chart was given to you by The Establishment," Wu Wentao pressed on with his inquiry, seemingly unwilling to let it go without an answer.
Yang Chun Yue shrugged and adopted an air of indifference. "Ask our leader."
Inside the cave, most of the bodies had been moved out. A group of women sat in a row under the intimidation of armed bandits, reduced from mistresses to prisoners, their faces filled with despair and fear. The body of Red Mother had also been buried without special reason—just convenient; Big Peony was alive mainly because Jiao Ziqian had no weapon on him; otherwise, he might not have escaped death. He now sat among the women, glaring fiercely at Song Jiu.
Jiao Ziqian and Old Lin tried to comfort Song Jiu for a moment, but she remained unresponsive. Jiao Ziqian felt miserable himself; he had spent considerable time with Dream Fan, and their past quarrels flashed vividly in his mind. Now they were separated forever; his nose tinged with sorrow as Ying Dou Dou helped him leave the cave.
Old Lin sat beside Song Jiu for a while in silence as they both tasted their bitter fate.
After some time, Luo Yu returned to the cave, squatting beside Song Jiu in silence for a moment before softly saying, "Can you take Dream Fan back?"
Song Jiu nodded.
Luo Yu looked at the white cloth, her eyes suddenly misting over. A thought struck her, and she hurried over to lift the cloth. Glancing at the familiar pale face beneath, a sharp pain pierced her heart. She reached into the girl's collar to touch her gently, then covered her back up and returned to Song Jiu's side.
Song Jiu showed no reaction, remaining silent and unresponsive.
" Jiu Jiu," Luo Yu said, adjusting her emotions in an attempt to make her voice sound less sorrowful.
Song Jiu slowly turned her head to look at her.
Luo Yu opened her hand, revealing a small, sparkling trinket resting in her soft palm.
Song Jiu stared blankly at it, tears streaming down her face.
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