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墨書 Inktalez
“Gu Lao, why are you getting involved with the children? This is impossible!”
Fierce Uncle still didn't believe it, but he couldn't disregard my grandfather's authority. He shot me a glare as he stroked his beard.
Grandfather looked at me meaningfully and said softly, “I remember that Little Scar had dark eyes and long fingertips back then. His strength was completely different from before. If he hadn't taken some kind of medicine, he would have truly become a Zombie. And didn’t you notice the foul smell emanating from him?”
“Oh no, it's all my fault.” Aunt Li suddenly knelt on the ground, and Uncle Li rushed to support her. “What’s wrong, dear? Just tell us.”
“Actually, I noticed that Little Scar's fingernails were growing long before. They were still transparent at that time, and Little Scar was very worried. He said he was caught by Big Pie that night. Although Big Pie and Fool appeared in front of everyone the next day, Little Scar felt it was fake. I told him not to worry and cut his nails for him, but I didn’t expect that today they had grown back again and turned blue.”
“Aunt Li, Uncle Li, Grandfather, and everyone else, I know some things are hard to accept right now, but they are real. The Big Pie and Fool you saw before were just illusions; they had already turned into Zombies and even injured Little Scar. The Corpse Poison in Little Scar’s body hasn’t been cleared out, and now he is becoming like them. The only way to stop this is to burn him.”
“No! I can’t let my son die!” Aunt Li went mad and grabbed my hand tightly. “Anxin, I see your friend has some skills. Please help me ask him—I'm begging you as an aunt—make sure Little Scar lives!”
“But Aunt—”
“You just said that what we saw with Big Pie and Fool was an illusion. Who cast that illusion? Don’t tell me it was Widow Wang; she doesn’t know how to do such things. And you said they’ve become Zombies; if Big Pie and Fool are burned and there’s no evidence left, you can say whatever you want. I believe Little Scar has become like this because of your friend’s secret actions. Tell me, is he doing something against our village?”
Hearing this, I frowned slightly. This uncle's words were pointedly accusatory; such remarks should not come from an elder. I had thought he was just skeptical.
But everyone had seen Little Scar's transformation; yet he shifted the blame onto Molin. The people behind him nodded in agreement with his reasoning.
Fierce Uncle smirked with satisfaction. “Folks, I think we should capture that kid and interrogate him; then everything will be clear.”
“No!” I stepped in angrily. “Uncle, is it appropriate for an elder to target a younger person like this?”
“Anxin, watch your words,” Grandfather reminded me.
I pouted in grievance and said, "Grandpa, Molin is my friend. I know his abilities better than anyone; he is definitely not someone who would harm others. If we can't control Little Scar today, the village will face a great crisis. Even if no one believes this, can't we at least prepare for the worst? Shouldn't we all work together for the future of the village?"
"This—"
Some people began to hesitate, but Fierce Uncle remained obstinate, stepping closer to me. "The future of the village relies on scientific progress, not on superstitions. Step aside."
I felt a chilling aura emanating from him, and instinctively stepped aside. Unexpectedly, he shoved me hard, and I lost my balance and fell to the ground.
The rural path was uneven, with some areas just gravel and dirt. Falling hurt; today I was wearing short sleeves, and my elbow scraped against the stones, breaking the skin. It turned red, and blood began to seep out.
I sensed that the night wind around me suddenly intensified, as if something was stirring restlessly. I quickly took out a tissue to stop the bleeding. Ever since I learned that my blood attracted those creatures, I had been extremely cautious.
"Blood is food for Zombies; we mustn't let them smell it!"
I muttered softly as Grandpa came over to help me up. "Does it hurt?"
"Anxin, come here so Uncle can take care of your wound."
"Okay."
At that moment, before the villagers led by Fierce Uncle could enter Little Scar's house, the door was suddenly slammed open from within. I saw Molin getting up while rubbing his backside; clearly, he had taken quite a fall.
Since Uncle Li was about to apply medicine to my wound, I worried that the blood exposed would attract Little Scar. I urged Uncle Li to hurry, "Uncle, can you be faster?"
Uncle Li didn't respond; he simply took the medicine bottle and uncorked it. As he applied the ointment to my wound, I felt a sharp pain in my stomach. A force suddenly pushed Uncle Li away, causing the medicine to drop onto the ground. I was startled; that sensation had come from my stomach—what was happening?
"Old Li, are you okay?" Grandpa rushed over to help him.
Uncle Li looked dazedly at himself and then at Grandpa. "What just happened? Why did I fall down like that?" He then noticed Aunt Li hurriedly getting up and walking over to him. "Honey."
I looked at Uncle Li with suspicion; he seemed to have forgotten about applying the medicine to me. Suddenly, a flash of red appeared in the darkness. I looked up but saw nothing.
"Could it be an illusion?"
But that wasn't the main concern right now. Over there, Molin was about to charge forward when he was struck from behind by Fierce Uncle's stick. He stumbled, holding his head and glaring at Fierce Uncle, shouting, "What are you doing?"
"Villagers, grab him!"
The few men behind him seemed to trust him completely. They were rough and tough, and when they started fighting, it was clear that Molin was at a disadvantage; in no time, they had him restrained.
"Bastard, let me go! Watch out for Little Scar!"
At that moment, Little Scar emerged from inside. The night wind brushed against him, causing his tattered clothes to flutter as he stood still, observing the people in the yard. Then he leaped onto the roof.
"Little Scar, where are you going?" Aunt Li exclaimed as she broke free from Uncle Li and tried to chase after him. Little Scar stared at Aunt Li for a moment before jumping out of the courtyard and disappearing into the night.
Molin panicked and shouted at me, "Anxin, hurry and call Shishu! He has bite marks on his neck from a Zombie, and his eyes have turned grayish-white. He has gained self-awareness; this is too strange! Go find Shishu!"
As he spoke, Molin tossed me the Ink Binding Line, and I instinctively caught it.
I had indeed noticed something different about him earlier, but I thought it was just the reflection of the courtyard lights; I didn't realize he had actually changed color.
"I'm going right now." I turned and ran without caring about my grandfather shouting behind me. I only said, "Grandpa, please take care of Molin; he's innocent."
I ran back without knowing where Chitaki might be.
Molin had mentioned that among Zombies, only those with black eyes—meaning the lowest class of Zombies—lacked self-awareness and acted solely under control.
Once their eye color shifted from grayish-white, they would gain self-awareness.
Molin mentioned that there were bite marks on his neck, but by the time we left that room, Little Scar's neck showed no signs of injury. This sudden change could only mean that during our time outside, the Zombie had infiltrated here and bitten Little Scar, turning him completely into a Zombie.
Yet, we had no idea.
As night fell, the breeze picked up, carrying a hint of chill. The streets were deserted, not a soul in sight. I noticed the restaurant door was closed, indicating that Chitaki wasn’t around, so I hurried home.
“Chitaki! Chitaki! Come out! Something’s happened! Chitaki!”
I ran while shouting, hoping she would hear me and come out. After all, she always seemed to vanish without a trace. Molin had mentioned before that unless she chose to appear, it was nearly impossible to find her unless she was asleep.
I was panting heavily when I paused to catch my breath and suddenly spotted someone ahead. It looked like a woman sitting on the ground. As I got closer, the air was filled with the scent of alcohol. I thought it might be Chitaki and quickened my pace.
“Chitaki! Come with me to find the—”
Before I could finish my sentence, I realized the person sitting on the ground was a woman. Her face was pale, her body emaciated, skin tightly wrinkled; she dressed like a young person but had the face of an elderly woman.
I shivered slightly as I approached her and nudged her neck with my foot. Unsurprisingly, I saw two round bite marks.
I turned and ran, spotting several more along the way.
Little Scar had already begun killing in the village; who knew what he would become? Our only hope now rested with Chitaki.
“Where do you think you’re running to?”
A sinister voice echoed nearby. My body stiffened as I recognized what was behind me but dared not look back. Taking a deep breath, I bolted.
“Your blood smells so good; let me have a taste.”
Little Scar licked his lips, moving with incredible speed. I thought I was running fast enough, but when I glanced back, he was right beside me. In the past, I would have used the Qilin Hairpin for protection, but now it was unresponsive.
Although the baby would occasionally protect me, I was still afraid that the baby would get hurt in the face of the Zombie. So for now, all I could do was run.
"Want to run so badly? I'll help you, heh heh, let's go."
I felt my feet being trapped by a pair of hands, and my body tilted backward, crashing to the ground. The pain left me speechless. Before I could recover, I was dragged forward at an incredible speed, as if I were in a car.
My clothes were thin to begin with, and the rapid friction quickly tore them apart. I felt a burning pain on my back, with stones and other debris digging into my flesh, making me nearly faint from the agony.
I clawed at the ground with my hands, trying to slow down, but even when my nails broke, there was no sign of stopping.
This time, I was truly scared. It was the first time I felt so powerless, and it was deeply unsettling.
"This blood smells so good."
"Can you still smell it now?"
I suddenly felt myself come to a halt, a warm dampness pooling around my feet.
Looking up, I saw Jun Chong gripping Little Scar's head with one hand, separating it from the body. Then he tightened his grip, and with a loud "bang," Little Scar's head shattered completely in his grasp, the body collapsing beside it, motionless.
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