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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Forty-One: Retreat
Bai Yudong was taken aback and quickly signaled everyone to lie down on the ground. After a moment of silence, seeing that there was no second gunshot, he hurriedly said, "A group of unidentified armed attackers is coming. We can't stay here! Jiang He, where's the secret passage you mentioned? Lead everyone out quickly!"
"Armed? The zombies outside can't even hold them back?" Jiang He was astonished. Although he continued to ask questions, he didn't hesitate and immediately led the group into the compartment of the box.
"Their firepower is intense; the zombies outside are simply not enough to handle them," Big Mousy replied, his eyes bloodshot as he answered Jiang He's question.
The returning An Zheng and others were startled to see three women in a state of undress.
"Just right, Sister An, take a look at them. They haven't reacted at all while we've been talking. What should we do?" Song Yao asked.
An Zheng shooed the men outside and went over to check on the women.
Zhuzi poked his head in and asked, "Vice Commander, what should we do about that person outside?"
"Don't leave me behind! Please take me with you!" The graduate student had been silent until now but had heard every word. Seeing this ragtag group about to flee, he hurriedly twisted his body and approached them.
Bai Yudong felt genuinely troubled. Seeing the young man crying like a rain-soaked pear blossom, he thought for a moment and instructed Zhuzi to untie him. The kid looked frail; even Pan Luo could probably beat him up, so he figured he wouldn't pose much of a threat.
"Don't follow us," Bai Yudong tossed him a steel pipe. "Whether you live or die is up to you. We have neither the energy nor the obligation to protect you."
The graduate student stood there pitifully, too scared to pick up the Galvanized Steel Pipe. He stammered, "Please, I haven't done anything wrong... I don't want to die."
He Yong and the others were unsure of the situation. Seeing this weak-looking scholar crying and pleading, they didn't know how to respond and all turned their attention to Bai Yudong.
Bai Yudong's eyes behind the lenses were filled with a coldness, like a kitchen knife soaked in icy water during the depths of winter. He said nothing and turned away, ignoring them.
"Dr. An, how is it?" Song Yao noticed her pale complexion and had an inkling of the answer.
An Zheng shook his head, tugging at the iron chain fastened around the woman's ankle. "If we could stay here, we might have a way to provide her with rehabilitation treatment, but..."
There was no need for An Zheng to elaborate; Song Yao sighed and nodded helplessly.
Big Mao took a risk and climbed up to the pipe, peering out through the vent. The group outside maintained a safe distance from the zombies, seemingly not planning to storm in with their firepower just yet. That shot earlier was likely just a test or a show of force.
Everyone was at a loss for what to do, their eyes fixed on Bai Yudong, placing their hopes on this highest-ranking officer.
Although the people outside had stopped shooting, everyone was genuinely frightened by the sniper's range and lethality. A group of them gathered food and water buckets, led by Jiang He as they squeezed into the Box Stack. He had initially intended to take everyone directly into the equipment area, but considering how exhausted everyone was, he thought better of it. Even though there were many of them, there were still two potential hazards over there, making it impossible to rest.
They sat down on the spot, wolfing down food to replenish their strength. Ming Junwei returned carrying Chao Yifan on his back and was startled by the scene.
"What happened to Yi Fan?" Jiang He helped set Chao Yifan down; he seemed to be asleep.
Ming Junwei wiped his sweat and was relieved to see An Zheng and Song Yao approaching. He quickly called out, "Dr. An, this kid is injured."
They handed Chao Yifan over to An Zheng and gathered together, staring at each other in silence.
It was an incredibly awkward situation; two groups had separated from the camp and reunited after more than half a month. No one expected that so many incidents would occur in just over ten days. Initially, both sides had hoped for each other's support, only to discover upon meeting that they had both suffered heavy losses. Although it wasn't an ideal time for chatting or reminiscing, people still needed food and water; otherwise, even a strong body would struggle to hold up. He Yong and his group had clearly gone several days without eating, huddled in a corner and devouring their food in silence.
"What kind of people are outside?" After hearing about He Yong's group's ordeal, Jiang He and others were filled with indignation. What kind of situation was this? They had traveled long distances without incident only to be ambushed right at their doorstep.
"I don't know, but it's obvious they're coming for us. Since they started shooting, they haven't said a word, clearly wanting to wipe us out," He Yong said, chewing on a vacuum-packed chicken leg and spitting out the bones.
Bai Yudong sighed, rubbing his temples in exhaustion. "Everyone, hurry up and eat. We can't stay here."
Ming Junwei nodded solemnly. Deep down, he actually agreed with Bai Yudong's earlier suggestion to stay behind, but now that idea was clearly unfeasible.
Big Mao rubbed his eyes, his voice hoarse. "What about Little Mao? Is he dead for nothing?"
Pan Luo fluttered her long eyelashes and turned her head away.
Bai Yudong's face turned pale as he gritted his teeth. "We have to survive to take revenge."
Jiang He and Song Yao had been listening quietly, but at this point, Jiang He couldn't help but ask, "Are you saying these people came fully armed just to kill us on the mountain?"
He Yong nodded seriously. "When we returned to the camp, we found your markings. We hardly delayed at all, and just as we arrived, they came charging in. Luckily, Little Pan was sharp and managed to bring Sister An's son to join us before they got here."
The little girl burst into tears, sobbing, "I'm sorry, I should have run faster..."
Song Yao hugged her tightly, gently patting the girl's frail back in an attempt to comfort her, unsure of what to say.
Though He Yong was a rough man, he understood the feelings of his little brothers well. Seeing the girl so upset made his nose tingle. "Girl, it’s not your fault. If it weren't for you, we probably wouldn't have reacted in time and would have been caught off guard."
Jiang He glanced around at everyone and suddenly noticed that Chao Yifan was awake on one side, seemingly lost in thought as he watched Pan Luo's trembling figure with a familiar look in his eyes.
"Do you have any insights about these people?" Ming Junwei asked as he passed around cigarettes, fixing his intense gaze on Bai Yudong.
Bai Yudong seemed a bit dazed, and it was only after Ming Junwei repeated his question that he responded, "What do you mean?"
"I mean, what do you know about these people? According to He Yong and the others, most of them are foreigners, which is quite unusual since this is China," Ming Junwei said, clicking his tongue meaningfully. He continued, "From your descriptions, their firepower and equipment are at least on par with yours. You are regular troops; what about the other side?"
Everyone fell silent, clearly sharing the same question in their minds.
"He Yong and the others arrived first, and then those people followed closely behind. What does that indicate?" Ming Junwei flicked the ash from his cigarette and fixed his gaze on several of them.
"Go on," Bai Yudong said, removing his glasses, leaving deep impressions on the bridge of his nose.
"There could be many paths from the foot of the mountain to the top. Given the time difference, He Yong and the others shouldn't have been tracked. If that's the case, how did the other side head straight for the Power Station?"
"There's nowhere else to go at the top of the mountain besides here," Jiang He interjected, vaguely guessing what Ming Junwei was hinting at.
Ming Junwei raised an eyebrow, neither confirming nor denying Jiang He's statement.
He Yong and the others nodded in agreement, their heads bobbing like garlic being pounded: "Exactly! Damn it, there was barely any time between us; they were clearly chasing us!"
"So what’s their purpose? Besides being soldiers, you have another identity, right? I think you should consider that angle," Ming Junwei said with a deeper meaning as he looked at Bai Yudong.
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