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墨書 Inktalez
I ran like a wild dog chased by death, sprinting down the decaying streets. My mind buzzed with the screams of the mutated zombies behind me. My lungs felt like they were about to burst; every breath I took was filled with dust from the ruins and the stench of decay. The rush of adrenaline was exhilarating, but my stamina clearly hadn't evolved to keep up.
I felt as if my legs were no longer my own, moving forward mechanically, driven only by a primal instinct to survive. Suddenly, I stumbled and fell forward. The anticipated pain never came. It felt as if I had crashed into a wall of flesh, rebounding off with a tremendous force and landing hard on the ground.
"Wow!" A hearty voice rang out above me, its cheerful tone starkly contrasting with the despair surrounding us. I looked up to see a face wider than a door, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, grinning down at me.
The man was built like a small mountain, wearing an obviously too-small, worn-out T-shirt that strained against his muscles. Wasn't that Zhong Dali? I hadn’t seen him downstairs in the last chapter; I didn’t expect to run into him here.
He looked completely unharmed, clearly luckier than me, who had been rolling around in a horde of zombies.
"Old Wei! Are you alright?" Zhong Dali squatted down, his large hand waving like a fan in front of my face.
I collected myself and got up, brushing off the dust from my backside. "I’m fine."
I forced a smile while calculating in my mind. This guy was incredibly strong and had been a former wrestler. Although he might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, having a reliable meat shield in this apocalypse was worth more than anything.
"Old Wei, why are you running so fast? Is something good chasing you?" Zhong Dali scratched his head in confusion, revealing a shallow scratch on his neck. He had clearly encountered zombies too but probably managed to tough it out thanks to his physique.
I shrugged and didn’t mention the earlier “zombie buffet” incident; instead, I pointed back in the direction I had come from. "Nothing much, just ran into some 'friendly' neighbors who wanted to invite me for dinner."
I looked around; we were at the outskirts of the city ruins, where I could occasionally see some looted shops and wrecked vehicles.
To find supplies that can sustain us for a long time, we need to venture deep into the heart of the city.
“Dali, we need to find something to eat and drink,” I stated plainly, adhering to my pragmatic style.
Zhong Dali's eyes lit up as if he had just heard an invitation to a feast. “Great! I’m starving! Where should we go?” He patted his round belly, producing a muffled sound.
“There seems to be a large mall up ahead; let’s check it out.” I pointed toward a distant building that still vaguely resembled its former shape.
“A mall! There must be plenty of food there!” Zhong Dali exclaimed excitedly, rubbing his hands together, practically itching to rush over.
I couldn’t help but smile wryly; there was hardly going to be “plenty of food.” If we could find a few cans that weren’t completely rotten, it would be a stroke of luck.
“Hold on, places like malls are definitely dangerous. Let’s first search along the streets for any scattered supplies,” I decided to stick to the plan while also keeping an eye on our surroundings and potential threats.
We began to navigate through the ruined streets, cautiously rummaging through the shops and vehicles lining the roadside. Most places had been stripped bare, leaving behind only useless trash and broken items.
We managed to find some hard biscuits that tasted like chewing wax, along with a few bottles of mineral water that had long since expired, which had a strange aftertaste. These items were better than nothing, but clearly insufficient for a long journey ahead.
The harsh reality of scarcity doused Zhong Dali’s initial excitement like cold water. He began to look somewhat dejected, his large frame exuding a childlike sense of grievance.
Just then, a cacophony of noise came from around the street corner. It wasn’t the moaning of zombies; it was human voices, tinged with a sickly excitement.
Zhong Dali and I exchanged glances and immediately grew alert. In this apocalypse, sometimes living humans can be more terrifying than the dead.
We quietly approached the corner and peered around it. The sight before me sent chills down my spine.
A group of ragged survivors had gathered together, their eyes vacant and faces twisted, their bodies covered in filth. They wielded various makeshift weapons: rusted knives, sharp sticks, and even broken glass bottles.
In the center of the crowd, a frail man was bound and kneeling on the ground, his face filled with despair and fear. Beside him stood a gaunt figure wielding something resembling a whip, shouting hoarsely about something. These were the deranged survivors who called themselves the "Doomsday Survival Alliance."
"He stole our food! He violated the laws of survival! He must be punished!" The thin man swung the whip, his voice sharp like a duck being strangled. He proclaimed himself the "Leader," his expression fervent as if conducting some sacred ritual. I noticed that the "food" he was accusing the man of stealing was nothing more than a few rotten cans leaking their contents onto the ground.
"This kind of person is a parasite on society! An accomplice to the virus! Today, I will cleanse our ranks on behalf of the 'Alliance!'" The "Leader" grew increasingly agitated, his face flushed with a sickly hue. He raised the whip high, preparing to strike down on the kneeling man.
I frowned; this group had gone mad. They had completely abandoned any semblance of humanity, ready to execute one of their own over a few spoiled cans. Their insanity was more repulsive than that of zombies who only knew how to feed.
"Stop!" I could no longer bear to watch and stepped forward. My voice shattered their frenzy, and all eyes turned toward me. Their gazes were not those of fellow humans but rather that of predators spotting prey intruding into their hunting ground—filled with hostility and greed.
"Who?! Dares to interfere with us?!" The "Leader's" gaze sliced through me like a knife as he sized up me and Zhong Dali. When he saw Zhong Dali's imposing figure, a flicker of apprehension crossed his eyes but was quickly replaced by fervor.
"Are you here to steal food too? Or do you want to share in our spoils?" He revealed a set of yellowed teeth, sneering as he spoke. "We, the 'Doomsday Survival Alliance,' have our own rules: the weak are preyed upon, and only the strong survive!"
"Hand over everything you have, and perhaps I will consider letting you join us; otherwise..." He left his threat hanging in the air, its meaning all too clear. I felt as if I had just heard an outrageous joke.
These fools, who can't even tell whether food is rotten or not, dare to preach about "survival rules for the apocalypse"? Their so-called "rules" are nothing but excuses for their violence and plunder.
I stepped forward, trying to soften my tone. "We’re just passing through, we mean no harm. Let him go; there’s no need to make a scene over a little food."
My attempt at persuasion was met with more laughter and hostility.
"No harm?" The "leader" seemed to find something amusing, clutching his stomach as he laughed uproariously. "Here, having no harm is the greatest harm! You fools!"
He pointed at the man kneeling on the ground, his tone venomous. "Do you think he’s innocent? He’s a thief! In this world, thieves deserve to die!"
Beside him stood a burly man with a round face and a menacing scowl, gripping a rusty machete and glaring at me and Zhong Dali with murderous intent.
"Stop wasting breath! Hand over your food! Otherwise, I’ll chop you up!" He swung the machete, producing a harsh scraping sound.
Seeing their demeanor, I realized that communication was futile. They weren't infected by a virus; they were completely twisted by despair and hunger. They were like walking corpses, only able to walk on two legs and make human sounds.
My patience had worn thin.
"I gave you a chance." I cooled my expression, my voice steady but laced with an icy threat. "Don’t force me to take action."
"Take action? Hahaha!" The leader laughed even harder. "Just the two of you? A skinny monkey and a big fool?!"
The burly man seemed to be invigorated by the leader's words. With a roar, he charged at me like a crazed wild boar, swinging his rusty machete! His speed was nowhere near that of a zombie, but the impact from his weight and momentum was not to be underestimated.
I did not dodge.
The power within me surged once again, a gift left behind after devouring the zombies.
"Superb Resilience" made me fearless against such attacks. I even felt that his machete might not even break my skin.
I sidestepped his heavy strike, my left hand shooting out like lightning to grasp his wrist as he swung the machete!
"Crack!"
The sharp sound of breaking bones echoed through the silent ruins. The arrogant expression on the fat man's face froze instantly, replaced by extreme pain and disbelief. His machete clattered to the ground with a thud.
I didn’t pause; my right fist, fueled by terrifying strength, slammed directly into his stomach!
"Bang!"
With a loud crash, the fat man flew backward like a struck bowling ball, crashing into the wall behind him and collapsing to the ground without even a groan, unconscious.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye.
The frenzied survivors around us fell silent in an instant, their wild expressions frozen on their faces, replaced by sheer terror.
"This... how is this possible?!"
The "Leader" screamed, never having imagined that one person could unleash such terrifying power.
I looked at him coldly, saying nothing. My strength was the most direct mockery of their so-called "survival rules."
Behind him, Zhong Dali's mouth hung open in awe, clearly taken aback by the extent of my power.
"Get lost."
I uttered a single word. My voice was not loud, but it carried a chilling pressure.
The "Leader" scrambled to his feet, disregarding the fat man as he fled with the remaining lackeys, scurrying away like a pack of frightened rats disappearing around the corner.
I approached the man who was kneeling on the ground and untied the ropes binding him. He slumped to the ground, gasping for breath, his eyes filled with gratitude as he looked at me.
"Thank... thank you! Thank you for saving me!"
He tugged at my pant leg, tears and snot streaming down his face.
"My name is Li Ming. They, they are devils!"
He babbled incoherently about the atrocities committed by the "Survivors' Alliance," then pulled out a dirty little cloth pouch from his pocket.
"This is all I have—some medicine, for you! Consider it a token of gratitude!"
I took the pouch from him; inside were a few small bottles of anti-inflammatory and pain relief medication, truly precious items in this apocalyptic world.
"Be careful from now on."
I patted his shoulder, not saying much more.
Li Ming stood up, bowed to us once more in thanks, and hurriedly left in the opposite direction.
Just before he departed, as if remembering something, he suddenly stopped and turned to me:
"By the way! If you're heading deeper into the city, be extra cautious!"
"Those... those things that look human are scarier than zombies!"
He lowered his voice, deep fear in his eyes.
"Especially the people from the 'Dark Council'... they, they are the real devils in this apocalypse!"
"The Dark Council?"
A new name for a faction suddenly surfaced, like a stone thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples.
I furrowed my brow; this name certainly didn't sound like anything good.
"What kind of people are they?"
I asked, already knowing that this new lead would pull us into a deeper quagmire.
Fear flashed across Li Ming's face as he glanced around, as if the members of the "Dark Council" were nearby.
"I... I don't know... They are very mysterious and powerful... Just be extremely careful!"
He hurriedly dropped this warning and ran off without looking back.
Only Zhong Dali and I remained standing there, Li Ming's words echoing in the air.
"The Dark Council..."
I whispered the name to myself, feeling an inexplicable chill.
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