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墨書 Inktalez
Jiang He was the last one to be rescued, positioned farthest from the window. As Brothers in Arms pulled the Reinforced Rainbow Bridge back, Jiang He had to move down little by little, both actions needing to be synchronized because those inside the window were still in danger, with someone getting injured or dying almost every minute. Fortunately, Jiang He did not falter midway; through their cooperation, he successfully returned to the ground, only to find himself once again surrounded by a despairing circle of Zombies. However, compared to being trapped in the high altitude with no way out, Jiang He preferred to be confined within the building.
There were eight people involved in the rescue, including the first Field Personnel who had been saved. To Jiang He's surprise, the American Guy jnes was among them. This white man looked extremely disheveled, his meticulously styled hair now a tangled mess, and his face was smeared with a mixture of dirt and blood. After saving Jiang He, he approached him and embraced him, his gaze carrying an implication that Jiang He dreaded to see.
While suspended high above, Jiang He had been preoccupied with worrying about Song Yao's safety. At this moment, however, he found himself unable to move forward or even dare to ask about her. Deep inside, he felt a mix of cowardice and unease; he couldn't muster the courage to meet jnes's eyes.
"Jiang He, follow me," said a nameless Soldier as he patted Jiang He on the shoulder and turned into the corridor on the right.
Jiang He hesitated for a moment and instinctively glanced at jnes, who nodded at him and pointed toward the safety door behind them. "You go ahead; we'll keep watch here."
"Oh," Jiang He replied softly and turned to follow the Soldier. The Soldier moved quickly, clearly aware that conditions outside the safety door were more urgent; he didn't want to waste any time there. Jiang He trailed behind him, trying to distract himself by observing the corridor on either side, but unfortunately, it wasn't long enough for him to adjust his emotions.
"Inside," the Soldier stopped in front of a door marked as a multifunctional conference room. The door was half-open and quiet within.
Jiang He mechanically nodded and extended his trembling hands to slowly push open the large door.
His worries became reality; despite having mentally prepared himself countless times before stepping through the window, when he saw Song Yao at that moment, all his previous efforts crumbled into nothingness. A wave of immense sorrow engulfed him like a torrent, mercilessly swallowing him whole.
The Soldier beside him seemed affected by his emotions as well. Seeing him pause at the doorway, he wrapped an arm around Jiang He's shoulder and led him inside.
"What happened to her?" Jiang He asked, his eyes reddening as he fought back tears. Leaning down to gaze at Song Yao's face stirred an unusual feeling within him.
Song Yao lay on a long table with her eyes gently closed as if she were merely asleep. Someone had wiped her face clean; her pale cheeks looked fragile yet lacked any vibrant expression. Jiang He felt dazed as he touched Song Yao's face—it was cold. Rubbing his hands together for warmth, he reached out again; it remained icy.
"What happened to her?" Jiang He asked again because there were no visible fatal injuries on Song Yao's body. Although she was covered in wounds, he knew that mere flesh wounds couldn't account for her current state. Despite being injured himself from an earlier explosion—half of his body still numb—he was alive and could still look at Song Yao.
"I—I don't know," the Soldier replied bitterly with sorrow in his voice. "We were too far from your position before. Brother Feng said we had to go down to rescue you all, so we rushed down... We ran out of bullets and lost many people in a suicide explosion; our advance was very slow..." The Soldier sniffled and continued, "There were too many Zombies downstairs; we couldn't push through. That American Guy found this place where we could get close for rescue, so we tried to retreat inside... then something went wrong."
"What went wrong?" Jiang He hadn't absorbed anything from what the Soldier had said earlier; looking around anxiously, he asked, "Where's Brother Feng? Where did he go?"
The Soldier felt a lump in his throat as tears streamed down his face. Choking back sobs, he said, "Brother Feng and she were always at the front. When we retreated, she suddenly... just collapsed. I don’t know what happened. There were so many Zombies; we didn’t have time to save her. It was Brother Feng who charged into the horde and brought her out."
Jiang He opened his mouth but didn’t press further. The outcome for Brother Feng was easy to imagine; without the virus serum on hand, he had reclaimed Song Yao from the jaws of the undead at the cost of his own life. Jiang He wanted to say "thank you," but the words wouldn’t come out. Instead, he placed a comforting hand on Brother Soldier's shoulder, even as he struggled to suppress his own pain.
The Soldier exhaled heavily and sighed, "I’ll go outside first. You... take care." With that, he turned and left the conference hall.
Jiang He’s mind was a chaotic mess, filled with disordered thoughts that left him feeling helpless and unsure of what to do next. The Soldier had been clear: Song Yao had undergone a sudden transformation, with no prior warning signs. Since it wasn’t a fatal injury, the only explanation could be the virus serum hidden within her body. However, Jiang He remembered that he had also been injected with the serum; Luci had personally administered it to him, or else he wouldn’t have survived to this day. Why had Song Yao reacted while he felt nothing unusual?
"Yao Yao?" Jiang He softly called her name. With no one around, he no longer needed to suppress his emotions; hot tears surged forth, soaking Song Yao's cheek. He felt himself breaking down—Chao Yifan's death had already pierced deep into his heart, and now Song Yao was leaving him too? Suddenly, vague memories flooded his mind—he could faintly recall Song Yao’s voice whispering something in his ear, some parting words.
His mind went blank as he followed those blurry threads of memory back in time, finally fixating on a crescent moon outside the window. Yes, it was last night when Jiang He woke up in the middle of the night to find Song Yao sitting alone by the window, bathed in cold moonlight, her expression sorrowful and tinged with an unshakeable loneliness.
"Did you realize it then?" Jiang He held her cold body tightly, trying to warm her with his own heat, but it was all in vain; his tears were meaningless—Song Yao could not provide him with answers.
Pressing against Song Yao's cheek, he could still faintly smell her scent and hear her soft whispers in his ear. Jiang He closed his eyes and listened quietly, lost in a rhythmic illusion. He recalled their first meeting as if it were yesterday; everything felt so similar. He remembered that night when he nervously entered the convenience store and heard similar voices. If he had been a bit more timid and stepped back through that door, he would never have met Song Yao and might have walked a different long road.
...
Huh?
Jiang He suddenly opened his eyes wide in shock.
With an expression of disbelief, he turned his stiff neck closer to Song Yao's slightly parted lips and leaned in to listen.
"Ahhhhh!!!" Jiang He's eyes moistened once more as he sprang up, grabbing at his hair and screaming madly. The overwhelming sorrow that had filled the conference hall moments ago vanished, replaced by an ecstatic frenzy!
The doors of the conference hall burst open as Brother Soldier and jnes rushed in with expressions of alarm on their faces. They were taken aback by the sight of Jiang He spinning in circles. The two exchanged glances; Machete was raised high above them, unsure of what to do next. When Jiang He turned to see them, a strange expression crossed his face—one that seemed both joyful and sorrowful at once. His tear-streaked face radiated joy that felt completely disconnected from sadness.
jnes looked at him with pity in his eyes and spoke with regretful seriousness: "Excessive grief can truly drive someone mad."
"Jiang He? Are you okay?" Brother Soldier dropped his Machete and lunged towards Jiang He. At that moment, Jiang He was in a somewhat unstable state, and Brother Soldier worried that if he went crazy, things could go wrong.
The frantic Jiang He was pinned to the ground by Brother Soldier, realizing that his appearance had been misunderstood by the two. He struggled and explained urgently, "Let go! I'm not crazy! I'm fine!"
American Guy also came over to help Brother Soldier hold down Jiang He's flailing arms, mumbling "Amen Maria." When he noticed that Jiang He had a gun hanging from his lower back, he quickly reached over to disarm him.
"Damn it! I'm really fine! Yao Yao isn't dead!! Let me go!" Jiang He panicked and quickly gave up resisting, lying flat on the ground while trying to explain to the two in a calm tone, "If you don't believe me, go check! Yao Yao isn't dead! She's alive!"
"I understand how you feel. For me, Yan is not dead; he will always live in my memories," American Guy said seriously, holding Jiang He's face. "In this state, she won't be able to leave in peace. You need to pull yourself together."
"Get lost!" Jiang He spat at him, half-laughing and half-crying as he shouted, "You don't know anything! I'm not crazy! Go listen—Yao Yao is still breathing; she really isn't dead!" He turned to Brother Soldier, who was still holding him down, pleading, "If you don't let go soon, I'm going to die!"
American Guy and Soldier exchanged doubtful glances but didn’t loosen their grip. Soldier gestured for American Guy to take a look. American Guy released Jiang He cautiously and leaned in closer to Song Yao's nose.
Jiang He felt a mix of joy and anger as he scolded, "You shameless jerk! Are you trying to take advantage of this situation?!"
American Guy's expression froze; he hadn’t heard Jiang He's insults. Staring blankly, he stammered, "R-really... she’s still breathing."
Soldier was also stunned. As he relaxed his grip, Jiang He scrambled up and pulled Soldier closer to Song Yao's face, filled with hope. "Can you hear it? Is she still breathing? Right?"
Both Soldier and American Guy wore the same shocked expression. They had fought fiercely during their retreat; Brother Feng had sacrificed himself to rescue Song Yao. No one had bothered to check her condition closely after that chaotic scene. Moreover, everyone had witnessed how badly injured she was when she suddenly collapsed on the front lines of battle; when they brought her back covered in blood, no one held out any hope for her survival. How could they have noticed her faint breath?
"Wait." Soldier remained more rational and quickly pulled Jiang He away, warning him, "Don't be foolish; she was hurt by a Zombie—she might turn into one!"
American Guy frowned as he recalled this detail too. Their front line had been advancing steadily; they rarely witnessed living people killed by Zombies coming back to life. Jiang He's earlier behavior had confused him momentarily, almost making him forget about the nature of Zombies.
Jiang He grasped Soldier's hand that was reaching for his knife. "It's not the same thing." Luci and the others had told Jiang He about the Launch Base incident; it was said that Song Yao had been severely injured with no good flesh left on her body—even her organs were damaged—but hadn’t she still appeared before Jiang He alive and well?
"Jiang He—"
"I'm not being impulsive, just listen to me," Jiang He interrupted the Soldier's advice, his expression serious. "Don't forget why we are here; we are live carriers of the virus reagent." His gaze drifted to the American Guy nearby, and he teased, "This is all your doing, remember?"
"..." The American Guy opened his mouth but said nothing.
"Rest assured, I won't risk everyone's safety, but Yao Yao is really not dead. Trust me." Jiang He was too lazy to recount what had happened in the Gobi Desert; this was not the right time for that. He quickly changed the subject and asked, "What's the situation outside?"
"We've set up makeshift fortifications; they can hold off for a while," the Soldier replied, his expression complex as he stared into Jiang He's eyes. "I believe you, but if something goes wrong, even if you can't act, I won't hesitate to take action."
"I understand." Jiang He knew what he meant and gave him an affirmative response.
The Soldier nodded and turned to walk toward the door. As he reached it, he turned back with a bitter smile. "Actually, I hope she's still alive. If that's the case, at least Brother Feng didn't die in vain."
...
The bloody battle continued until dusk. The makeshift fortifications set up by the Soldier and his team proved effective. After sacrificing more than ten lives, they finally managed to halt the Zombie onslaught. During this time, Jiang He also participated in the tug-of-war. The news that Song Yao was still alive acted like a shot of adrenaline; with Jiang He as a meat shield, the remaining team managed to regain some ground and catch their breath after sunset.
Two Field Personnel remained on alert in the corridor while everyone else retreated to the Conference Hall. It was certainly unwise for a group of fresh meat to dance before Zombies. Jiang He counted the remaining members; excluding Song Yao, there were eighteen left—three Soldiers and fifteen Field Operatives. Two Field Personnel had been bitten by Zombies and were already showing symptoms after a fierce fight; they could barely speak moments ago but had now fallen into unconsciousness. Unlike Song Yao, their skin was burning hot, as if soaked in water. The American Guy quietly mourned for these two tough men beside their bodies while the others sat in exhausted silence.
From the 107th floor to the 67th floor, forty flights of stairs had claimed over a hundred lives, and those who remained faced an uncertain future. This life-and-death breakout lasted an entire day and ended in tragic failure.
The bullets were all spent, and the Machetes were nearly dull; food and clean water had all been left behind in that bloody corridor. The remaining ten or so could only gather around the campfire in a daze. Jiang He went to the window; outside, the wind and snow continued as before, similar to earlier in the day. Below, a dark tide of corpses still surged but seemed somewhat smaller—perhaps it was just a psychological effect.
The Brother Soldier who led the rescue of Jiang He was named Sun; his comrades called him Sun Wukong. He and Brother Feng were from the same village, much like Big Mao and Little Mao under Bai Yudong's command back then. One served under Shaoshan while the other followed Wang Zhongyu; both leaders had a rough edge that influenced their subordinates.
Sun Wukong's temperament was similar to Shaoshan's; he did not grieve excessively for Brother Feng's death. They were accustomed to accepting everything with composure rather than Jiang He's self-assumed calmness. Sun Wukong dismantled tables and chairs to start a fire with two comrades. Most Field Personnel preferred not to chat; the bloody battle during the day had drained them of all energy, and they needed to force themselves to sleep to conserve strength for the next day.
Jnes came over to sit with Jiang He and Sun Wukong, pulling out a pack of blood-stained cigarettes from his pocket and offering them to both men. The three silently lit their cigarettes, not saying a word as they quietly exhaled smoke.
The American Guy lifted his eyelids to glance at them and pointed at Song Yao in Jiang He's arms, asking, "What do you plan to do?"
"Hmm?" Jiang He exhaled two puffs of smoke from his nose and retorted, "What do you mean?"
"Her, your lover," Jnes shrugged, indicating he meant no harm. "Is she still alive?"
"Yes."
"Do you think she'll wake up?"
"Of course."
"Before she wakes up—"
"I will stay with her."
"I admire you. People need to have faith; otherwise, it's hard to survive in the present," Jnes said vaguely, pausing before adding, "Yan lost his faith."
Jiang He realized that the American Guy was reminiscing about someone. In truth, he wasn't in the mood for small talk, but thanks to these few people, he could sit here holding Song Yao. With that thought, Jiang He found the American Guy less annoying and began to engage in conversation.
"What about you? Do you still have faith?" Jiang He asked casually.
"Of course. That's also why I'm eager to break through," the American Guy replied with a smile, a hint of apology in his tone. "Maybe you're right; we should wait a bit longer."
"There’s no right or wrong; discussing this now is meaningless," Jiang He waved his hand dismissively, taking a deep drag of his cigarette before changing the subject. "If we manage to get out, where do you plan to go?"
"I want to find the main force." Sun Wukong, who had been silent until now, chimed in. He glanced at the two and smiled wryly. "We're soldiers; since we haven't died on the battlefield, we must return to our unit."
"You can live for yourselves too," the American Guy seemed puzzled by Sun Wukong's perspective. "Besides, your unit may no longer exist."
"Even if I'm the last one left, as long as I'm still wearing this uniform, the unit is still here," Sun Wukong rolled his eyes. "Do American soldiers just scatter and run when they’re separated?"
The American Guy didn't mind Sun Wukong's teasing and laughed, "Sorry, I didn't mean to belittle Chinese soldiers."
Sun Wukong acknowledged this, indicating that he was just speaking casually without any malice. He seemed a bit anxious himself, so he took the initiative to ask, "What about you? What are you planning to do?"
"I'm going back home." Jnes looked at the strange expressions on their faces and chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Sounds like I'm daydreaming, right?"
"Returning to one's roots, I understand." Sun Wukong extinguished his cigarette and said, "It's just that the journey is a bit long; driving will be tough. Can you fly a plane?"
"I don't know; I'll give it a try." The American Guy's smile carried a hint of anticipation as he whispered, "The overseas r hasn't collapsed. I want to go back, back to be with my daughter."
Sun Wukong's expression changed slightly as he spoke with a hint of melancholy, "Your company is quite considerate, helping to protect your family?"
The American Guy nodded at first but then shook his head helplessly. "Maybe. All my relatives are gone; I only have one daughter left, who was sent back later. She should still be at headquarters."
"Daughter?" Jiang He raised an eyebrow curiously and asked, "I don't mean anything by it, but aren't you...?"
"That's right; I'm Y. My daughter is adopted." The American Guy showed no hesitation about his situation and even smiled as he added, "The child is Chinese; I adopted her a few months ago. She's very cute."
Jiang He and Sun Wukong exchanged glances and felt a bit more fondness for this American Guy.
When it came to children, Jnes's gaze softened considerably as he spoke to himself, "In your words, it's also a wonderful fate. She was saved by our team member during a mission. The moment I saw her, I felt an indescribable connection. She's only five years old; her parents are gone, but she's very strong and hasn't lost her smile. I gave her a Teddy Bear, and she was happy for several days; she even had to hug it while sleeping at night."
"The little girl is very lucky." Listening to Jnes's warm narration brought some warmth to Jiang He's heart as well. Adjusting his emotions, he teased, "It really is quite miraculous. I've seen your Field Personnel; they chase us all over the world and shoot without hesitation—no different from bandits. Honestly, it's hard to believe they would actively save a child."
The American Guy shrugged and didn't defend his Field Personnel but simply said lightly, "The Field Personnel leading that day happened to be a woman; perhaps it stirred her maternal instincts."
"That makes sense." Jiang He felt somewhat sentimental as he thought of An Zheng far away in the Gobi Desert and that quiet little boy who was timid. He wondered if they were doing well now. Speaking of which, after traveling together for so long, Jiang He still didn't know the boy's full name; he had only gotten used to calling him by his nickname while following An Zheng. So he casually asked, "What's the child's name?"
"Nan Nan." The American Guy's Chinese was quite decent, but when pronouncing this kind of reduplicated word, his accent still sounded a bit strange.
"Oh? You haven't chosen an English name?" Jiang He smiled, feeling that the name sounded somewhat familiar, but he quickly dismissed it; such nicknames were common in the country.
"No, my Chinese isn't bad either. I'll let her keep this name; it's a gift from her parents." The American Guy stretched lazily, becoming more engrossed in his thoughts, his eyes filled with affection.
Jiang He couldn't bear to interrupt his happy memories, so he turned to Sun Wukong and asked, "Where are you going to find the main force? You know, after the airstrike on BD, there hasn't been any movement over there. Logically, the people from the Establishment should have sent someone to assist. I think you should reconsider; times have changed, and traveling a thousand miles can cost you half your life."
"I know." Sun Wukong asked the American Guy for a cigarette, frowning as he said, "Like the foreigners say, you have to try. I suspect something went wrong with the main force, but with thousands of people, they can't just disappear without a trace. I'm planning to head towards Bohai Bay first to find a boat and search at sea."
"Speaking of the sea, do you know where your leader mentioned the relocation site?" Jiang He was also intrigued. Perhaps Jin Bo and Shaoshan had run into trouble, but Zeng Yadong and Wheat had gone ahead with New Pu Ocean; they might have already settled in.
Sun Wukong looked regretful and sighed, "I don't know. I didn't follow the main force to scout. However, I heard it's on a garrisoned island. As long as there's a boat, there should be clues to follow." He then looked at Jiang He with curiosity and asked, "After all this talk, what are your plans? Why not come with us? Didn't your companions go out to sea with the main force?"
"Yeah, I believe they have landed safely." Jiang He tightened his grip on Song Yao's cold hand and said, "I want to return to my hometown; I have companions waiting there too. Once we regroup and once Yao Yao recovers, we might come looking for you at sea."
"Honestly, in her current state, it would be tough for you to travel alone," Sun Wukong said seriously. "Wang Lian's orders were to protect you all. Although it's just the three of us left now, it's still better than going alone."
"Don't worry; I have my plans. I can't break my promise," Jiang He said gratefully with a smile and reminded him, "Before we came from Bohai, it was still sunny over there. I wonder if the zombies there have been affected by the cold; you all need to be careful too." Seeing him like this, Sun Wukong didn't press further and nodded silently as they wished each other well in advance.
As the long night dragged on, snow fell heavily from the sky. The firelight gradually dimmed while tired snores filled the air as a group of people with uncertain futures slowly drifted off to sleep.
...
In the cold winter season, daylight broke later than usual. While night still lingered outside, a group of weary soldiers had already awakened. Last night had passed peacefully; their defenses had held back the zombies. Unfortunately, downstairs the zombies still stood tall; however, compared to yesterday, many more had fallen outside. Jiang He wondered what was happening with the zombies in Jiuquan; judging by the snowfall amount, both places seemed similar. He could only attribute the differences to temperature variations and zombie numbers.
Today everyone had calmed down after yesterday's Mountain Battle. Even the most unruly field personnel realized that breaking through was no trivial matter; relying solely on their remaining forces would not suffice against the zombie encirclement. By now, these individuals could only choose to trust Jiang He—there was no other option.
Sun Wukong took more people to reinforce their defenses and followed Jiang He's instructions to open all reachable windows—even smashing through floor-to-ceiling windows. Jiang He himself felt uncertain; however, doing something was better than wasting time. Although there was no air conditioning inside the building, there was still a temperature difference compared to outside. If low temperatures truly were kryptonite for zombies, then they should let them enjoy it fully. The field personnel understood this but found themselves in a dead-end position on this floor and couldn't open more ventilation points; thus they redirected their frustration towards other floors.
The field personnel scoured for throwable hard objects and took turns crouching at windows to smash downwards. Unfortunately, their strength was limited; beyond a certain range, their projectiles couldn't break through tempered glass. So these bored field personnel began plotting against the Reinforced Rainbow Bridge instead. After being rescued, Jiang He and his group had ignored it again; today when they looked down, they saw half a wall still precariously hanging from Rainbow Bridge. One daring field personnel tied himself with a fire hose and jumped straight out of the window, using his weight from falling to deliver a fatal blow to Rainbow Bridge.
This time, the effect was much better. With the support of the walls, the collapsing Rainbow Bridge descended without pause, tearing a long scar through the building as it fell, accompanied by the sound of shattering glass. The Reinforced Rainbow Bridge crashed to the ground, leaving a dazzling crimson mark on the snow.
Whether ventilating the broken glass would affect the Zombies remained unknown. However, the actions of the Field Personnel sparked new ideas among Jiang He and the others. When Jiang He arrived, he saw the Field Personnel leap down before he even got close to the window. At first, he thought that the Field Personnel was attempting suicide by jumping off, but it wasn't until they were pulled back up that Jiang He noticed their impressive work.
"Why didn't we think of this earlier? The fire hose must be at least twenty or thirty meters long; isn't this a natural descent line?" Jiang He was furious. With so many people around, it was ridiculous that they only now thought of using this powerful tool! If they had considered the fire hose from the start, perhaps they wouldn't have lost so many lives!
Sun Wukong and American Guy looked equally enlightened. They personally measured the length of the hose and returned with expressions full of regret. That thing was definitely sturdier than regular ropes; although it could only carry a few people at a time, it ensured their safety. Establishment Soldiers and R Field Mercenaries—none of them were easy opponents. Facing off against Zombies might not be Jiang He's strong suit, but climbing and descending were their specialties!
Looking back now, thoughts of rapid descents in elevators or charging down stairwells seemed utterly foolish! By using the fire hose, they would only need to invest time—something they had plenty of right now. Although there were still many Zombies outside the building, at least they could spread out. With their formations and concentrated firepower, combined with their rich combat experience, even if there were casualties, it wouldn’t be as dire as their current situation.
American Guy was filled with regret; they had lost over a hundred people! Inside the stairwell, limited by terrain, many could only anxiously wait for their comrades in front to suffer heavy losses before they could step in with their own lives to fill the gaps. When the Cbd Defense Line collapsed, it was primarily due to a massive tide of corpses overwhelming them. If they had been on solid ground that day, things would not have been so chaotic!
Now, discussing it further seemed pointless; only about ten people remained upstairs. Even if they raised a platform for them below, it would be futile. However, this did provide another option: if the Zombies outside collapsed first, they wouldn’t have to continue waiting in agony—they could escape ahead of time.
A group gathered to discuss this plan and agreed it was feasible. Currently trapped on the sixtieth floor, their defensive structures couldn't protect them for long; it would be better to take this opportunity to break through layer by layer and move downward slowly. Based on their previous experience descending, this route mostly consisted of dead corners where they could avoid the previously swarming Zombies in the stairwell. The number of Zombies scattered throughout the floors wasn’t too high; as long as they were careful and avoided direct confrontation with them, there was still a chance to slip through unnoticed.
With a basic plan established, everyone was eager to act. They left some behind to guard their defensive positions while gathering at windows to descend in batches and assess the situation. If there were no Zombies in those dead corners, they would immediately pull out the fire hoses. With an average length of twenty or thirty meters per hose, they would only need five or six hoses to cover a hundred-meter drop. If multiple people planned to descend together, they could prepare additional hoses to create a basket while controlling weight—essentially eliminating any risk. As long as the ground was safe, those descending just needed to secure the hoses while those above could slide down using harnesses.
Jiang He’s mind was still sharp; however, his practical skills were lacking. Therefore, he wouldn’t participate in high-altitude operations but would instead focus on collecting snow for everyone’s hydration needs. The others took their positions with confidence and began their actions once more; inside and outside the building became lively again as living people brimmed with enthusiasm while Zombies stirred restlessly—it was just a matter of time to see who would die first.
It sounded easy but proved difficult in practice; progress on constructing the basket didn’t go smoothly. There were more Zombies on nearby floors than expected. For safety reasons, Field Personnel didn’t dare venture too deep and continued downward instead. After working all day, they managed to retrieve only one hose—but it was better than nothing. Two hoses connected via buckles increased their length significantly, lifting everyone’s spirits back up again. Jiang He had no time to celebrate; breaking glass resulted in cold winds rushing in—along with snow swirling about—making his task of collecting snow more challenging. The group had no supplies and could only rely on melted snow for sustenance. Fortunately, these soldiers and mercenaries weren’t pampered; after working hard all day, a sip of snowmelt was enough to keep them going.
This seemingly unreliable operation continued throughout the day until nightfall when Field Personnel finally returned safely from high-altitude work with a large bundle of hoses. Jiang He also came back triumphantly with a trash can full of snowmelt for everyone in the conference room. They temporarily forgot about hunger and didn’t want to stop for even a moment as they gathered together again to discuss plans and sketch ideas until near midnight when they completed a prototype for their basket: three hoses secured around a polypropylene round table while connecting remaining hoses one by one for reinforcement at the Fire Hydrant location. The polypropylene table was light enough but struggled under weight; when two of the strongest Field Personnel stepped onto it, they left an indentation on its surface.
Overall, after an entire day’s effort, things were finally taking shape—all that remained was facing the fierce winter winds.
...
Four days later, Goddess of Fate finally revealed her smile while at that moment over ten people were so hungry that their stomachs pressed against their backs—they looked almost unrecognizable.
Sun Wukong took over from Jiang He to fetch water in the morning. With bleary eyes, he initially thought he was hallucinating. After leaning against the window for a while, he finally saw the vast expanse of white snow.
A few minutes later, Sun Wukong rushed back into the Conference Hall, his face streaked with tears and snot, waking up the drowsy crowd one by one. With a choked voice, he shouted, "We are saved! Ahhh, we are saved!!"
The Famine Spirits opened their murky eyes, their muddled brains taking a long time to process what was happening. They scrambled towards the window, and upon seeing the endless white landscape outside, these rough men burst into tears and wailed loudly.
Jiang He held the sleeping Song Yao in his arms, softly sharing the joy of surviving with her. Song Yao slept soundly, a faint smile playing on her lips.
Jiang He believed that Song Yao could hear him and that she felt the same joy.
Returning home after a long journey, everything had changed; yet after ten years, he was grateful to still be alive.
"Yao Yao, I will take you home."
(THE END OF BOOK)
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