Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
In Antarctica, at this moment, it was her summer, and many areas near the ocean revealed brown rocks. Not far away, the layers of snow were melting at the fastest speed, turning into trickling streams flowing toward the sea.
At this time, a girl bundled in thick winter clothing made from various pieces ran toward the area with the most snowmelt, carrying a dented iron bucket. Her shoes were merely two wooden planks tied together with some dirty ropes. Even in summer, it was still quite cold here, causing most of her exposed toes to be covered in frostbite.
These frostbites had scabbed over, but as the girl moved, yellowish-brown pus oozed from them. The pus froze immediately upon contact with the cold air of Antarctica.
If she delayed any longer, she would miss out on this readily available snowmelt.
A summer breeze brushed past her, and she shivered instinctively. It was so cold, she thought to herself.
She was getting closer to the snowmelt and quickened her pace with some excitement, hurriedly placing her bucket in the flowing water.
Suddenly, a look of surprise crossed her face; her previously dull eyes brightened slightly.
She spotted food—specifically, several Antarctic ice worms. These worms only appeared during summer. They were about as long as an adult's middle finger and as thick as a thumb, which is why people here had given them a fitting name: Thumb Worms.
The girl licked her chapped lips; even though she had only eaten half of what little food she had managed to gather, her stomach felt like it was about to give up. Although these Thumb Worms looked somewhat terrifying as they wriggled, they were rich in protein—the very thing she needed most.
However, the Thumb Worms were a bit far away, situated in the middle of the stream. The girl hesitated for a moment but then gritted her teeth and took off her shoes.
"Hiss—" She inhaled sharply as the ropes from her shoes dug into her frostbitten feet. As soon as she removed her shoes, the ropes pulled at her wounds, tearing off some of the scabbed skin. The pain made her grimace.
But when she saw that the Thumb Worms were about to be swept away by the current, she quickly ran over. The icy water engulfed her ankles, but she didn’t slow down at all.
“One, two… seven…” She extended her dark fingers, resembling dry wood, to count the number of Thumb Worms. However, confusion crossed her face.
"Wait a minute; I saw eight just now; how come there are only seven now?" She wondered aloud as she tried to locate the missing Thumb Worm.
Disappointedly realizing she couldn’t find it, she bent down and picked up the wriggling white Thumb Worms.
However, she forgot about the iron bucket and decided to place the Thumb Worms directly into the pocket of her tattered clothing that still bore traces of blood.
The girl’s movements were somewhat clumsy as she had caught six Thumb Worms, but she couldn’t find the seventh one no matter how hard she looked. A hint of panic crossed her face as she glanced around, yet still found nothing.
A misty haze clouded her eyes, but she quickly wiped away her tears with her sleeve; there was no need for tears here.
“Gurgle, gurgle…”
Suddenly, her stomach let out a loud growl, and hesitation flickered across her face. Finally, as if making a significant decision, she pulled a snow-white Thumb Worm from her tattered pocket.
The white Thumb Worm contrasted sharply with the girl’s dark fingers, but she didn’t care about that; she needed food more than anything.
Looking at the wriggling Thumb Worm in her hand, a trace of reluctance appeared in her eyes. However, when her stomach growled again, she unhesitatingly tossed the Thumb Worm into her mouth. She knew that even the most unappetizing food here was precious; not eating meant death.
“Mmm, it’s actually quite tasty,” the girl nodded, giving a review of the dish.
She chewed slowly on the soft Thumb Worm, feeling a cool sensation flow from her mouth down to her throat and finally into her belly. The once grumbling stomach was now silent, seemingly satisfied.
At that moment, the girl took out another Thumb Worm to eat. However, after sniffing its scent and seemingly recalling something, she put it back into her pocket.
Next, she searched again but found no new Thumb Worms. Disappointment washed over her as she aimlessly walked toward the dry rocks.
“Ah—” The girl lost focus and stumbled, tipping over to one side.
She flailed her frail arms desperately but couldn’t stop herself from falling.
“Thud—”
Finally, she landed in a shallow stream. However, the rocks beneath the water had become exceptionally smooth due to the flowing current. Barefoot and panicked, the girl struggled to regain her footing.
“Help—” Even more terrifying was that her body began sliding downwards towards a cliff not far away, and below that cliff lay the sea!
However, the girl who had not received enough food felt her cries for help growing weaker, and her struggles only accelerated her slide downward.
"Help—"
Before the girl could finish her second cry for help, she suddenly felt her body go weightless, and she plummeted downward.
At that moment, terror filled her face as she waved her hands frantically, as if trying to grasp something, but nothing was within reach.
She closed her eyes, a calm expression appearing on her face that was uncharacteristic for someone her age. Yes, she finally understood that she was going to die; yet, death was also a form of relief, wasn't it?
Suddenly, the girl felt as if she had collided with something soft, abruptly halting her descent.
"Yea, are you okay?"
A warm voice reached the girl's ears, sounding as comforting as a spring day.
The girl named Yea lifted her head and saw a woman with a ponytail. The woman's face bore a hint of worry, concern, helplessness, and fatigue, but none of that could overshadow her striking beauty.
"You are... Sister Ying!"
Yea touched her head and after a few seconds of confusion, she remembered the woman. When the Noah's Ark transport ship had set sail, she had just arrived at the dock with her brother. At that time, the Zombie Army was already close to the dock; if they couldn't board this last Noah's Ark, they would be captured by the zombies.
However, the entire ship was already at full capacity and had set sail; it couldn't stop. Although some people felt reluctant, every moment of delay could mean being caught by zombies. No one wanted to waste time rescuing two children.
Just then, Ying Sa, dressed in tight black clothing, leaped forward and scooped up both children. Many were dissatisfied with Ying Sa's actions, but who could blame her? After all, she was the owner of the ship, and no one dared to challenge her strength.
"How did you end up here? Where's your brother?" Ying Sa asked as she flew Yea to the ground but noticed her bare feet and chose not to let her down just yet.
"My brother has a fever; we ran out of food. I went out to find water and see if I could find any food." Initially sad when mentioning her brother, Yea's face lit up with excitement as she spoke about what she might find, reaching into her pocket for the food she had gathered.
"Disappeared... all gone..."
Yea searched through her belongings, but found nothing. The girl who had not cried even in the face of death was now sobbing desperately.
Ying Sa gently stroked Yea's head, a warm aura enveloping her. Yea, who had been drenched and cold, felt as if she had returned to her once warm home. Soon, she fell asleep with a blissful smile, though her brow furrowed slightly in her dreams, as if she were experiencing some discomfort.
A sigh escaped from behind Ying Sa. Without turning around, she asked directly, "How long will this food last?"
"Even at the bare minimum, it won't last a month. Zombies have already taken over most areas, and they don't produce anything; the sources of food are dwindling."
A flicker of barely perceptible pain crossed Ying Sa's eyes before she continued, "So... is there any trace of him?"
"He has been missing for over two months. Give up; he can't be alive. He has surely turned into a real Zombie by now. You saw it yourself; he was already Corpseified!"
"Will, no matter what, I won't give up. If you won't help me, then at least don't stop me!"
As soon as the words left her mouth, Ying Sa blurred and flew off in another direction. Will shook his head; his once beautiful golden hair now appeared somewhat dry and lifeless, hanging limply over his forehead.
"I won't give up either, never. It's just that this is the age of Zombies; the world has entered a new era. Why do you insist on bearing this alone?" Will murmured softly before flying off in the direction Ying Sa had taken.
Comment 0 Comment Count