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墨書 Inktalez
“Don’t shoot, I’m coming out.” Su Ruolan raised her hands and slowly stepped out from behind the shelves. This man had such keen senses; despite her holding her breath and concentrating, she was still discovered. In that split second, she couldn’t think of a good strategy and could only take it one step at a time.
As a slender figure about 160 centimeters tall emerged from the shadows, her features gradually became visible. She had a heart-shaped face the size of a palm, elongated phoenix eyes, a high nose bridge, and cherry lips. Her youthful appearance was marked by a hint of innocence, with a few smudges of dust on her face. The dark complexion somewhat overshadowed her striking features, making her overall demeanor appear rather ordinary. Sensing that Su Ruolan posed no threat, Qin Zhi Han turned his Platinum Golden Eagle away, not knowing where it had gone. Among the row of soldiers behind him, only two continued to aim their guns at Su Ruolan while the others slowly lowered their weapons.
“Who are you, and how did you end up here?” asked a thin, bespectacled man beside Qin Zhi Han.
“I’m Su Ruolan. I came out looking for supplies and ended up here,” she replied, feeling a sense of familiarity seeing them all in military uniforms.
“Where did you come from? Do you have any companions?” the bespectacled man pressed on.
“I came from J City. I encountered a wave of zombies along the way and got separated from my family. Now I’m all alone,” Su Ruolan answered half-truthfully. In this post-apocalyptic world, people were hard to read, especially those burdened with deep-seated grudges and possessing extraordinary abilities. Su Ruolan had gradually changed from her former stubborn self; to see him again, to find her eldest daughter Rose, and to secure a future for her baby, she had to adapt and survive at all costs.
Upon hearing that Su Ruolan was from J City, Qin Zhi Han felt a stir in his heart. The bespectacled man’s eyes flickered as he glanced at Qin Zhi Han. After catching an almost imperceptible nod from him, his expression shifted to one of warmth and friendliness as he approached Su Ruolan. “I’m Bai Zhen. We are part of the H Province Government Army. That’s our Company Commander Qin Zhi Han,” Bai Zhen introduced while pointing at Qin Zhi Han. “Since you’re alone, why don’t you come back with us to H Base?”
“Hello, Captain Qin,” Su Ruolan greeted Qin Zhi Han with neither subservience nor arrogance.
“By the way, what ability have you awakened?” Bai Zhen casually inquired.
“I have Ice Ability.” A girl walking alone without any abilities would have long been dead. Thus, Su Ruolan was mentally prepared for Bai Zhen’s probing questions and answered calmly.
“That’s a mutated ability! What level are you?” Bai Zhen asked with keen interest.
Upon hearing that Su Ruolan possessed Ice Ability, the soldiers standing nearby exchanged complex glances towards her—some were skeptical, some contemplative, some admiring, while others stared with an expressionless gaze that burned with intensity. Although they quickly returned to their standard blank expressions, Qin Zhi Han took note of every change.
“Level two beginner,” Su Ruolan replied. She had heard of H Base in her past life; it was known to be a large base in the central region. When she was separated in her previous life, she happened to be transferring to a base near H Base but didn’t know if she had arrived there yet. Communication facilities had ceased functioning in this apocalypse; information was scarce and finding people was much harder than before. Moreover, given the unclear situation where friend and foe were indistinguishable, she couldn’t easily reveal her identity. For now, following Qin Zhi Han and his group to H Base seemed like the best option to gather information gradually.
Having studied in B City before the apocalypse—where it served as the capital of China—Su Ruolan knew that B City was more developed than H Province in terms of politics, economy, and military strength. If H Province could establish H Base, B City would surely be no less impressive. Additionally, since B City lay north of H Base, their travel routes aligned conveniently. As thoughts raced through her mind, Su Ruolan made up her mind.
The potential danger had been eliminated, and Qin Zhi Han and the soldiers divided their tasks, efficiently packing supplies. Su Ruolan walked back to a corner, picked up her bag, and approached Qin Zhi Han. She took out six packs of compressed biscuits and four bottles of water from her bag and handed them to him, saying, "I’m coming with you."
In front of a shelf filled with candies, chocolates, and bread, Qin Zhi Han turned his head to look at the stubborn girl holding enough supplies for a normal person to survive a month. He quickly gathered the remaining items like chocolate and stuffed them into a military pack. As he brushed past Su Ruolan, he calmly remarked, "We are soldiers." The implication was clear: they were not a ragtag group and did not need to exploit the survivors' resources.
Realizing the underlying message from Qin Zhi Han, Su Ruolan felt a bit embarrassed. After all, it had been two years since she was familiar with this apocalyptic world, and she thought the limited supplies she had now held multiplied value.
Noticing the commotion, Bai Zhen's sharp eyes lit up with a knowing smile. Meanwhile, a burly man who had inadvertently witnessed the rejection of supplies looked pained. He frequently glanced at Qin Zhi Han and Bai Zhen, wanting to say something but hesitating. Finally, seeing that neither Qin Zhi Han nor Bai Zhen made any move, he stomped his foot in frustration and walked over to another shelf.
"Jackson Wang is probably complaining about the boss wasting food again," Bai Zhen thought to himself.
"Everyone, move quickly; this place is not safe for long," Qin Zhi Han called out loudly. With his pack full on his back, he prepared to head toward the exit. Su Ruolan glanced at her nearly full backpack from earlier and decided not to compete with the soldiers for more supplies; instead, she gradually walked toward Qin Zhi Han.
Suddenly, the roar of an engine echoed outside the supermarket, followed by the screeching sound of brakes. Countless footsteps rapidly approached the supermarket.
More people were coming. Qin Zhi Han lowered his left hand slightly, and the soldiers understood immediately; they hid away, leaping and climbing onto beams with ghost-like speed. Su Ruolan avoided the basement exit and crouched down not far behind Qin Zhi Han.
Then came a loud bang as the door exploded inward in a cloud of dust.
A group of armed individuals wielding automatic rifles and riot shields slowly entered. The last one to appear was a tall man dressed in a black trench coat, holding an AK-47 as he strode in confidently while shouting, "Qin Zhi Han, do you like the gift I brought you?"
Qin Zhi Han stood up from his hiding spot and slowly walked out. Bai Zhen and Jackson Wang also took their positions behind him with their weapons drawn. The other soldiers leaned against walls and beams for cover, their weapons ready to fire at any moment aimed at the trench-coated man and his team.
"I knew your vehicle would be here; it must be cleared out by now," the trench-coated man said cheerfully.
"What do you want, Zhang Yu?" Qin Zhi Han replied.
"This is quite hurtful; after all, we are old friends. You know our base has been short on supplies for a long time. Shouldn't there be a share for us here?" The man in the trench coat, Zhang Yu, said casually while gripping his AK-47.
"That's fine. We just arrived, and there are plenty of supplies here. Whoever collects them gets to keep them." Qin Zhi Han had already assessed the supermarket's stock earlier and realized that his team could only take half. It wasn't wise to clash with Zhang Yu now; it was better to do him a favor.
"Glad to hear it." Upon hearing this, Zhang Yu waved his hand to his subordinates. The people behind him packed up their weapons and filed inside. A pale-faced man approached him from behind and whispered, "Young Commander, we should take all these supplies; the situation at the base..."
Zhang Yu raised a hand to interrupt him. "Qiu Bai, we’ve already played a trick on him; it’s not the time to burn bridges."
The two teams silently gathered supplies. Zhang Yu's troops were clearly better equipped, and there was an air of pride among his members. In contrast, Qin Zhi Han's team appeared somewhat frustrated, hastening their packing.
Su Ruolan watched the interaction between the two groups with cold eyes, a strong sense of unease bubbling up within her, as if a venomous snake lurked in the shadows, poised to strike.
"Have you encountered any Zombies here?" Qin Zhi Han suddenly turned to Su Ruolan and asked in a low voice.
His voice was so soft that Su Ruolan strained to hear him clearly.
"No." She buried the strange scene from the basement deep in her heart. From leaving the basement to meeting Qin Zhi Han's team, it had only been half an hour, and indeed she hadn't seen a single Zombie.
"Not good." Qin Zhi Han immediately raised his voice. "Team Three, pack it up; we need to retreat immediately."
Zhang Yu sensed something was off and approached them with a puzzled expression. "What advanced weaponry have you invented? How come not a single Zombie corpse is in sight?"
"Hurry up; there might be high-level Zombies here." Qin Zhi Han's expression grew serious.
Suddenly, an ancient sound wave resonated in everyone's minds. Some soldiers spat out blood, others knelt with their hands on their heads, blood oozing from their eyes, noses, mouths, and ears. Some fell from beams or stairs, lifeless. Without even encountering a Zombie yet, both teams had already suffered casualties.
The sea of consciousness began to sway, but fortunately, Reset helped stabilize it, preventing any internal injuries. Reset exclaimed in astonishment, "What a powerful sound attack! This enemy is formidable; none of us here can match him." Reset and Su Ruolan had already signed a soul contract. Although they could not leave the sea of consciousness, they could still perceive what was happening outside when Su Ruolan did not deliberately block it.
"Get in the car quickly!" Qin Zhi Han shouted as he and his teammates rushed toward the vehicle outside.
After running a few steps, Qin Zhi Han noticed that Su Ruolan was still frozen in place. He paused and turned back, saying, "Stay close to me."
As soon as they stepped outside, a horde of Zombies staggered toward them—nearly a hundred of them. Half of their bodies were skeletal, with greenish faces and sharp fangs, missing limbs and fingers, dragging their intestines along the ground yet still alive. They surged toward the supermarket, emitting raspy sounds. Occasionally, a few relatively agile ones jumped among the Zombies, directing the chaos. Second-Level Zombies also appeared.
One thin Zombie clutching a rag doll charged near the door and unleashed a massive fireball at the humans rushing out. Bai Zhen raised his hands, conjuring a dirt shield to meet the fireball. The two collided mid-air, releasing a tremendous burst of energy that sent sparks flying and dust swirling.
"Ability users, deal with the Second-Level Zombies with me! Everyone else, don’t linger; retreat quickly!" Qin Zhi Han calmly issued orders.
Su Ruolan understood that they could not be surrounded by Zombies; otherwise, they would meet their end there. She conjured Ice Spikes that flew toward the heads of the Zombies, piercing through and exploding, taking down several at once.
Qin Zhi Han and Zhang Yu were both excellent marksmen, hitting their targets with precision. The others also spared no bullets as they fired wildly. Although some fell, more Zombies continued to flood in; as long as their heads remained intact, they pressed forward relentlessly, slowly encircling the humans. The advancing Zombies lunged at the humans with ferocious bites; their sharp claws tore into flesh and pulled out fresh entrails to chew on. Some soldiers who had run out of bullets were bitten by Zombies in despair and shoved their gun barrels into the creatures' mouths before pulling the trigger while their hearts were pierced by Zombie elbows.
Among the Second-Level Zombies was one with Power Type abilities that charged into the crowd without fear of bullets, biting and injuring several people. The entrance seemed to be blocked off; the situation was dire. Seeing this, Qin Zhi Han and Zhang Yu instinctively launched their attacks—one conjured a rocket while the other summoned a fireball. The rocket struck first, exploding upon impact with the Power Type Zombie and instantly killing it. Zhang Yu's expression darkened slightly.
The blockade at the entrance was broken through as everyone fought while retreating to board the jeep.
After unleashing dozens of Ice Spikes, Su Ruolan felt utterly exhausted; she knew she had overexerted herself. Seeing that most people had already gotten into vehicles, she retreated toward the nearest one.
Suddenly, a remarkably fast Zombie leaped down from the roof of a car, its long claws aiming straight for Su Ruolan's head. She tilted her head back and barely managed to release one last water arrow; unfortunately, it only struck the Zombie's upper arm. The Zombie was momentarily hindered but continued its relentless advance toward Su Ruolan. With wide eyes filled with unwillingness as she watched the approaching Zombie draw closer, she struggled to move her fatigued body. Just then, a bolt of lightning struck the Zombie, sending it flying away. A strong arm wrapped around Su Ruolan's softening body as she began to slump downwards.
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