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墨書 Inktalez
By the fifth hour, the main force had completed their repairs and continued onward. Earlier, the sounds of conversation filled the air, with excitement and anticipation about reaching the capital city evident in everyone's voices. However, now, apart from the roar of engines, there was only silence among the ranks.
It was a silent march.
The atmosphere felt incredibly somber and desolate. Li Dewei had hidden inside the tank since morning, unscathed but shaken. Now, he emerged from the tank holding a loudspeaker, trying to project a resolute expression as if he were the mayor sharing in their fate. A lengthy speech meant to inspire came from his lips, yet it failed to uplift anyone's spirits.
Wang Chao instinctively glanced at Li Dewei but suddenly noticed Chen Feifei beside the tank, seemingly protected by a soldier. Wang Chao felt relieved that Chen Feifei was unharmed amidst the chaos, yet he wondered why she warranted such protection. Since he was at the front of the line, the tank was not far behind him, and naturally, Chen Feifei noticed Wang Chao as well.
Wang Chao intended to smile at Chen Feifei but saw her smile first. However, there was something strange about her expression that he couldn't quite place. Then, she moved to the other side of the tank, avoiding his gaze. Wang Chao felt awkward; since leaving two weeks ago, he hadn't visited her because he didn't know how to start a conversation. In hindsight, perhaps not seeing each other was for the best.
As they continued forward, they encountered several zombies along the way, but they posed no threat to the large group—especially with sharpshooters like Captain Lei and Shen Zhiying around. Those zombies couldn't even approach within a hundred meters; as long as no Mourning Lions or similar creatures appeared, ordinary zombies were no match for them.
Wang Chao suddenly felt a pang of loneliness—yes, loneliness.
“How long do you think it will be before we can completely eliminate these zombies?” Wang Chao asked suddenly.
“Until those scientists develop an antivirus cure. As long as there are no more people turning into zombies in this world, there will come a day when they are eradicated,” Shen Zhitao replied calmly from beside him.
“I believe that day will come eventually,” Ouyang En said.
“I don’t know about that. All I know is that as long as zombies exist, I will fight against them every single day,” Da Qiang said with a goofy smile, as if his gunshot wound on his back was merely a scratch that didn’t affect him at all.
Shen Zhiying remained silent, quietly moving forward.
Tang Feng said nothing, merely shifting the Tang Dao at his back.
Wang Chao thought to himself that if Tang Feng weren't already in his forties, he would be a perfect match for Shen Zhiying. One was aloof and proud, hardly speaking a few words in a day, while the other was as cold as ice, perpetually wearing a stern expression. Ouyang En glanced at the two and muttered something under his breath, likely echoing Wang Chao's thoughts. However, both Shen Zhiying and Tang Feng heard him clearly. They simultaneously shot daggers at Ouyang En, as if trying to kill him with their glares. Startled, Ouyang En shivered and quickly hid behind Da Qiang's broad back.
Seeing this, Da Qiang chuckled heartily.
Wang Chao mused that the people in the Bioterrorism Security Department were indeed quite amusing.
"What are you thinking about?" Shen Zhitao whispered in Wang Chao's ear as they walked side by side. "Should we call out to Queen and let her hear?"
Wang Chao was left speechless.
………………
After two more days on the road, the rear of the group had fully entered the mountain highway. As the saying goes, "A horse dies running towards the mountain." Although just beyond these peaks lay another small city—Yucheng—getting around it on foot would take more than a week. It dawned on everyone how technology had changed life; if they had cars, they could reach their destination in half a day.
Huangfu Ling had already ordered that planes fly directly to Yucheng to check for any large Safe Zones. If one existed, they would call for rescue; at the very least, they could clear out the surrounding Zombies. If not, they would wait on the rooftop of the cultural center department store in Yucheng for reinforcements before making further plans. After all, one couldn't walk indefinitely without rest, and without any communication with the capital so far, recklessly entering it would be tantamount to courting death.
In a makeshift command center—a red flag vehicle—Huangfu Ling remarked, "I wonder if there’s a Safe Zone in Yucheng."
"I estimate it's highly unlikely," Old Lei replied. "Yucheng isn't far from the capital in a straight line. If traveling on foot, it would only take about a month. Moreover, when the crisis broke out, most people would have headed toward the capital since it’s considered the safest place. Besides, Yucheng's standing army is smaller than ours but has a larger population."
Huangfu Ling nodded. With the establishment of Satellite City, the capital region was expanding rapidly. Many people could not afford housing in the imperial city, and those who couldn't buy in Satellite City turned their attention to the newly emerging city—Yucheng. Consequently, the population of Yucheng had been growing exponentially in recent times. No matter how quickly public facilities were constructed, they could not keep pace with the influx of people.
The small town where Wang Chao lived was indeed not comparable to Yucheng.
"Let's wait for the helicopter to report back. If there’s no news, we must establish a Safe Zone!" Huangfu Ling said after careful consideration. "With mountains blocking the way, Yucheng is outside the range of Nuclear Radiation. If we can clear out a Safe Zone in the northern part of the city, once things settle down in the imperial city, we can support each other. Issues like safety and food will then be resolved."
"Exactly," Old Lei replied. "At this rate, it should take just over a week to reach it."
On the fifth day, the helicopter sent back a response: there was no Safe Zone in Yucheng; it seemed everyone had fled to other places. The entire city was in complete chaos. Even with some mental preparation, when they heard this news, both Huangfu Ling and Old Lei couldn't help but feel disappointed. This meant that after a long journey, people would have to engage in the high-intensity task of establishing a Safe Zone, while the military would need to clear out an area sufficient for a thousand residents during this time.
It felt as if everything had returned to square one.
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