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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Thirty-Five: Reunion
The sun hid behind the clouds, casting a cool shadow over the Power Station. Pan Luo carefully jumped down from the raised edge of the ladder's base. After landing, she didn't immediately get up; instead, she perked up her ears to listen for any signs of Zombies nearby. Once she confirmed there was no movement, she waved for the little boy to jump down.
The boy was short and couldn't reach the edge of the base from the bottom of the ladder. After several unsuccessful attempts, he puffed out his cheeks in frustration, closed his eyes, and leaped down.
Pan Luo gasped and quickly stretched out her arms to catch him. Fortunately, the boy didn't jump outward with much force and landed straight into her embrace. The impact from the height of over two meters was considerable, and they both tumbled to the ground with a soft thud.
"You little rascal, how dangerous that was!" Pan Luo playfully poked the boy's forehead. He made a silly face and pulled her up.
Pan Luo drew out the sharp knife Song Yao had given her and glanced around. A few Zombies were wandering near the intersection ahead, some of which had been crushed by Ming Junwei's car when they entered. Others were still alive but severely injured, dragging their mangled lower halves along and leaving a long trail of blood behind them.
Pan Luo took the boy's hand and quickly ran along the wall, silently dispatching two Paralyzed Corpses before slipping out through the main gate of the Plant Area.
To enter the Living Area from the intersection, they had to pass by a large road in front of the Boiler Room, but some Zombies were lingering on that path. Pan Luo tightened her grip on the knife and signaled for the boy to remain silent. The two crouched low, trying not to make any noise as they hurriedly dashed toward the left side of the Green Belt.
In her excitement, Pan Luo forgot that Zombies relied not only on sound but also on smell. As soon as they entered the wandering Zombies' territory, they were spotted. Two male Security Zombies in gray uniforms turned their heads in confusion, catching a whiff of food in the air. They slowly turned around and staggered toward the Green Belt.
"You run ahead without stopping! Call for your mom once you reach that road!" Pan Luo realized they couldn't escape now but feared for the boy's safety, so she urged him to go first.
The boy gulped nervously and took off running.
"Little rascal!" Pan Luo watched him run away with fondness before turning to face the two Zombies. Time was running out; there were more Zombies ahead, and she needed to reach them before they caught up with the boy.
The two Security Zombies were tall; despite their decaying flesh, their skeletal frames towered over Pan Luo by at least two heads. She gripped her knife tightly and waited until one Zombie lunged at her before swiftly dodging to one side and stepping on its knee joint. The Zombie lost its balance and fell awkwardly.
Pan Luo seized the opportunity to leap forward and plunged her knife into the back of its skull. Before she could pull it out, she heard a rush of air behind her and quickly rolled away to avoid another Zombie's grasp.
The boy had run a good distance away; aside from a few disabled Zombies crawling toward him, most others were drawn to Pan Luo's struggle with their fellow undead. He glanced back at Pan Luo dodging and weaving through attacks, clenched his small fists tightly, and sprinted toward the intersection before turning into the Living Area.
Seeing him run far away eased Pan Luo's worries slightly. An Zheng and his group hadn't been inside long; if there were any Zombies along their path, they should have cleared them out by now. For now, she didn't need to worry about his safety. Although her knife was stuck in one Zombie's skull, she didn't have time to retrieve it. In addition to another Security Zombie nearby, three or four more of varying heights were staggering toward her from a distance.
"If only I had a gun..." she muttered under her breath while retreating and scanning her surroundings for something useful.
Having spent some time bouncing around with Jiang He's group, she had grown much stronger than before. Though unarmed, she managed to stay calm in front of three or five Zombies. One Security Zombie had seemingly suffered a broken leg from being hit by a truck; it was bent at an odd angle as it pursued Pan Luo unevenly, its gnarled arms flailing wildly in an attempt to grab this fresh prey before it.
Pan Luo estimated the distance to the other Zombies, her dark eyes darting around. Gritting her teeth, she charged at the Security Zombie. The Zombie let out a low growl and reached out with its claws. The little girl suddenly crouched down, rolling under the Zombie's feet, causing it to stumble and fall. She quickly scrambled to her feet, ran to the corpse, and forcefully pulled out a sharp knife. With a swift motion, she plunged it into the Zombie's temple, dark red blood splattering onto the ground, creating a foul stench.
Panting lightly, Pan Luo noticed the other three half-Zombies closing in. The Paralyzed Corpse was at the front, followed closely by three Variably Sized Zombies.
"Here goes!" Pan Luo encouraged herself as she gripped the knife and sprinted toward the Paralyzed Corpse. After gaining some momentum, she leaped over the disabled Zombie. Before she could steady herself, she swung her knife, slicing through the left side of the Zombie's face and peeling away a layer of skin.
Using the force of her attack, she knocked down the Zombie and stabbed its cheek. Rolling forward for two meters, she abandoned the knife and got back on her feet to run. The other two Zombies lunged but missed, hissing as they chased after her retreating figure.
Pan Luo wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, feeling grateful for her survival. She couldn't help but feel a sense of pride for taking down three Zombies by herself. With her spirits lifted, her steps became lighter as she quickly made her way to an intersection.
The silhouette of the little boy was nowhere to be seen; she wondered if he had caught up with An Zheng's group. Steeling herself, she glanced around and spotted several dark figures at the main entrance.
Pan Luo thought she was seeing things and rubbed her eyes again... No, it wasn't just a few; it was dozens. Her scalp tingled in alarm as she hurried into the Shaded Path of the Living Area, holding her breath and running at full speed.
"That's a little girl," Caroline said as she lowered her binoculars, looking puzzled. Beads of sweat dotted her cheeks, and her breathing was uneven, clearly having just experienced intense exertion.
Wu Wentao pulled an instrument from his pocket and checked it against his notes with a grin. "This is it; let's go."
"Wait." Caroline waved him to hold on and called back, "Zhou, could you come over here?"
A tall, lean man stepped out from the group. His complexion was dark, his eyes narrow, and his lips slightly pale.
"How are you holding up? Is it tough?" Caroline asked.
The man smiled modestly and rubbed his abdomen. "It's alright; my injury hasn't fully healed yet."
"You'll stick with me," Caroline said as she pulled him closer. "Do you remember what she looks like?"
"I do."
"Good. When you see her, point her out to us but don't act on your own."
"I understand."
A flicker of anger flashed in the man's eyes, but he quickly concealed it.
The group drew their weapons, the metallic firearms reflecting blinding light under the sun.
Wu Wentao called five people to step forward, positioning them on either side of the entrance to the Living Area, then led the way, stepping cautiously into the passageway of the Living Area.
If the little girl Caroline brought back was telling the truth, then the target should be within the Garrison. Although his team was well-equipped, they were up against professional soldiers, so Wu Wentao refrained from launching a reckless attack. Caroline scoffed at his caution but ultimately accepted his approach since his authority slightly surpassed hers.
The Shaded Path felt unusually quiet, as if no one had ever entered this place. Despite four groups having passed through in the last two hours, these visitors seemed intent on maintaining this tranquility; no one dared to break the silence.
He Yong, An Zheng, and others stopped at a fork after crossing a flowerbed. From this distance, they could see a swarm of Zombies at the far left end, surrounding a building and nearly filling the alleyway. They were about three to four hundred meters away from the Zombies, and the road wide enough for two vehicles to pass had a slight bend. Trees transplanted from the mountains lined both sides; some leaves had fallen and turned yellow while others were lush and green.
He Yong deduced that Bai Yudong and his group must be hiding inside that building. Although their ammunition supply was relatively sufficient, the number of Zombies clearly exceeded their reserves.
"Can we go around that way?" Er Jin pointed to the right passage and asked, "Is there an exit at the end?"
"Of course not! If there was, would Vice Commander and the others have hidden in that building?" He Yong shot him a glare, feeling trapped.
There was no exit at the end.
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