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墨書 Inktalez
The glass door opened and closed, reflecting the sunlight and street scene, casting fleeting shadows at the intersection.
Luci paused as she reached for the door, her expression shifting to one of disbelief. Just as she was about to call out to Luo Yu, who was running across the street, she caught a glimpse in her peripheral vision—the figure in the glass reflection had vanished.
“Dr. Zhong.” Luci stepped aside behind a plastic mannequin by the door, lowering her voice as she called out to Dr. Zhong. She made a shushing gesture and pointed towards the wall facing the intersection.
Dr. Zhong froze for a moment, noticing Luci's unusual expression. Assuming there was another zombie attack outside, he felt a surge of panic. Cautiously, he approached the wall, stepping onto a welcoming wicker chair to peer out through the circular window. The T-Junction remained desolate, showing no signs of anything unusual.
Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed down the spiral staircase as Pockmarked Girl and Yang Xiaomeng rushed down with bags in hand. Their excitement was palpable, distinctly different from their earlier shopping spree for wedding dresses and everyday clothes. They had already decided that once they reached the island, they would wear these outfits—goodbye to tattered rags.
“Sister Qian!” Pockmarked Girl dashed over, eager to show off their haul. However, upon seeing Luci's serious demeanor, she turned to look and found Dr. Zhong peering out the window, glancing around anxiously.
“Shh.” Luci frowned slightly; Dr. Zhong hadn’t seen anything outside. Was it possible that she had imagined it? The wedding dress shop was right at the corner, and with the bright and smooth glass door, the empty street should have made everything clear—there was no reason for her to be mistaken.
The girls fell silent, their smiles fading as they gently set down their belongings and pulled out their weapons to conceal them in the spacious photography studio.
Yang Xiaomeng lifted a sleek black crossbow and approached Dr. Zhong, whispering, “Get down.”
Dr. Zhong nodded vigorously and quickly jumped off the wicker chair to help Yang Xiaomeng up. With her height accentuated by her feminine attire, Yang Xiaomeng’s long legs stood out even more; only Yuan An’s long legs could compare. Dr. Zhong had to stand on his toes just to catch a glimpse of the street scene while Yang Xiaomeng had a much clearer view as she straightened up.
“Someone just ran past,” Luci said softly, pressing her lips together. She was certain she hadn’t imagined it; since the figure had suddenly disappeared, it couldn’t have been a zombie. It seemed this coastal city was not as calm as it appeared on the surface—besides the zombies lurking in the shadows, there were survivors watching them from the darkness.
If the enemy didn’t move, neither would they. This was enemy territory; without knowing their numbers or intentions, exposing themselves recklessly would be unwise. Luci stopped Pockmarked Girl from heading outside to investigate while her gaze swept back and forth between the intersection and the jewelry store. After a moment of silence, a sudden crash of breaking glass echoed from above, followed by a series of heavy thuds as if something had fallen. A male voice shouted excitedly, “I got her!”
“Oh no! Yuan An is upstairs!” Pockmarked Girl’s face changed instantly; she and Yang Xiaomeng had come down to show off while Yuan An was still packing upstairs.
“Xiao Meng, keep an eye on the street; Luo Yu went into the jewelry store across.” Luci quickly called out as she drew her Glock pistol and chambered a round before shouting Yuan An’s name and rushing up the spiral staircase. Just as she reached the top of the stairs, a shadow suddenly flashed past her head and crashed heavily against the white wall behind her.
Luci glanced back and saw a Clothes Rack tumbling down from the second floor. The beautifully decorated dress rack suddenly toppled over, pulling down the curtain of the Dressing Room as well. A disheveled man with yellowed teeth emerged, lunging toward the curtain in an attempt to grab the girl whose head was covered by it.
“Yuan An, get down!” Luci shouted urgently. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the shattered window and raised her gun, firing two shots that echoed loudly as the bullets drilled into the Dressing Room, embedding themselves in the wooden partition.
The man pinned beneath the curtain was startled and quickly turned to flee. He stumbled, and Yuan An kicked his leg out from under him, sending him crashing to the ground. Fuming, she lifted the broken European Coat Rack and swung it down heavily onto the man's face. He cried out in pain but did not retaliate; instead, he scrambled toward the window on all fours. Luci had already beaten him there, peering out to see a dirty rope hanging down and several scruffy heads poking over the edge of the rooftop, locking eyes with Luci.
The people on the rooftop were startled by Luci's sudden appearance. Hearing a woman's voice shout something, the man being chased by Yuan An in the hall responded with a frantic yell as he lunged toward the window, trying to force his way past Luci.
With her gun fully loaded, Luci fired again without hesitation. The muzzle flashed as the man screamed, clutching his thigh and collapsing to the ground, crying and cursing while begging for mercy. Yuan An's carefully packed bag was torn open by him, revealing a white wedding dress stained with blood and smeared with grimy fingerprints.
Yuan An was furious; all her hard work had been ruined by this zombie-like madman. Anger surged within her as she drew her gold-inlaid Yingjisha Dagger and moved closer. Suddenly, she heard a rush of wind and looked up to see another ragged figure dropping down from the rooftop. The man recklessly tackled Luci, gripping her gun tightly despite her punches and kicks.
What kind of people are these?
Luci was exasperated and decided to let go of her gun. She rolled on the ground and pulled out a Steel Saw Blade from her waist. In an instant, she slashed it across the back of the man trying to take her weapon. The second madman howled in pain but didn’t retaliate; instead, he staggered toward the window and tossed away Luci's gun.
Madman One seized the opportunity to leap forward and wrap his arms around Luci from behind. With her arms restrained, she couldn't swing her blade immediately. Yuan An rushed over without hesitation, raising her dagger and stabbing it into Madman One's back. She grabbed his greasy hair and yanked him aside while Luci kicked Madman Two squarely in the face. Looking out the window, she spotted a figure sprinting away with a gun they had dropped on the ground.
“Xiao Meng, stop that person!”
Yuan An shouted urgently as she ran to the staircase. Downstairs, Yang Xiaomeng stood ready with a crossbow, narrowing her eyes as she aimed for the fleeing figure's legs. With a swift motion, she released a Carbon Arrow that flew straight to its target.
“Ow!” The person who had picked up the gun cried out as they fell to the ground, a Carbon Arrow piercing through their leg.
“What’s happening? Who attacked us?” Dr. Zhong paced anxiously in the lobby below, wanting to help but fearing he would only make things worse.
“Don’t panic,” Luci reassured him before instructing Xiao Meng and Pockmarked Girl to guard inside the studio while she and Yuan An dashed into the street to catch up with the injured man crawling away. They easily reclaimed their gun from him.
"I'm sorry, don't kill me! I was wrong, I won't dare again!"
Before Luci could ask anything, the person on the ground shouted first, leaving both women stunned.
Luci and Yuan An exchanged glances. It was a woman, and her voice was annoyingly sweet, but what was this? She had attacked them without a word and now, seeing her plan fail, she was begging for mercy quite smoothly.
"Let's go back first." Luci felt puzzled. Although things had been tense upstairs for a moment, thinking back, the attacker had shown no fighting ability at all. What kind of trick was this—was it a trap?
The two women dragged the disheveled woman back to the studio. Just as they stepped inside, Luo Yu followed closely behind, and coincidentally, he was also holding a disheveled guy who was wailing while covering his bloody right hand. This guy probably thought Luo Yu was alone and easy to bully, but he had kicked a steel plate instead.
Dr. Zhong didn’t know what to say anymore. Yang Xiaomeng had just dragged down two injured guys from the second floor and bound them with tape; they were now kneeling against the wall. The two new captures were also tossed over, their mouths taped shut and hands bound, while Yang Xiaomeng continued to keep an eye on the outside. The others hurriedly packed everything into a single suitcase.
"Forget about the ones upstairs; they’re dirty now." Yuan An shot an annoyed glare at the injured man. The dresses were all carefully selected by her; she had planned to show off at the wedding, but now those beautiful luxurious gowns had been turned into rags.
Pockmarked Girl sighed in sympathy and comforted her, "It's okay; Xiao Meng and I packed a lot. You have a great figure; you look good in anything."
"Let’s put this in too." Luo Yu picked up a tablecloth to wipe the blood off the saw blade and pulled out a small velvet bag from his pocket, tossing it to Yang Xiaomeng.
Yang Xiaomeng's eyes widened in surprise as she opened the drawstring and took a look. A smile instantly spread across her face as she tied it back up and tucked it into her pocket.
Dr. Zhong observed silently throughout the chaos. He had no part in packing cosmetics or clothes, nor could he stop the little thieves; he stood awkwardly to the side.
"We need to leave," Luci said, feeling a surge of doubts. For safety's sake, she decided it was best to end today’s search.
Luo Yu nodded in agreement and walked over to the four kneeling individuals, coldly asking, "Who are you and why did you attack us?"
The three men and one woman stared at each other, their dirty faces making it impossible to discern their features. If not for their voices, it would have been difficult to determine their genders. Luo Yu was equally astonished; he had encountered many living people over the years, but this was the first time he had seen anyone in such a filthy and disheveled state. It was utterly baffling. While it was understandable if they couldn't find food or drink, how hard could it be to find a clean piece of clothing on the street?
The Pockmarked Girl glanced around at the doors and windows, while Luci stood silently in the back, frowning as she pondered something, leaving the interrogation to the more experienced Luo Yu.
Yuan An was caught off guard by the sudden attack and initially didn’t react. However, Luo Yu had already sensed danger; the jewelry store's display case had reflected the shadow of the assailant early on. The attacker hadn’t even managed to reach Luo Yu before he overreacted, stabbing through the assailant's palm without asking any questions, and then there was nothing more to follow.
The dirty-faced individuals exchanged glances, and the woman who had been shot by Yang Xiaomeng spoke up. Gripping her injured leg where a crossbow bolt protruded, she whimpered pathetically, “Beautiful sister, we know we were wrong. Please give us another chance.”
Luo Yu was taken aback, opening his mouth but unable to utter a word.
Seeing that Luo Yu did not respond, the Dirty-Faced Woman turned her gaze toward Dr. Zhong, who was drinking water to calm his nerves. In a sweet voice, she said, “Handsome guy, please let us go. I’ll do anything for you.”
“Pfft.”
Dr. Zhong sprayed a mouthful of water all over Yuan An’s face.
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