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墨書 Inktalez
The clothes they carried were in the backpack, which had been discarded at the bottom of the lake while trying to escape the entanglement of the Living Dead. Xiao Qiang and the others hurriedly made their way to the base, only to find the door tightly shut.
Xiao Qiang pushed against the door, and to his surprise, it actually budged. However, as he pushed it open, he felt something obstructing the door's hinges from behind.
With a strong shove, the door scraped against the ground, stirring up a cloud of dust as it swung inward. The interior was in disarray, as if someone had left in a hurry without tidying up.
As Lin Yu and the others entered, their footsteps disturbed the dust, leaving a trail of footprints on the ground.
Xiao Qiang did not follow them inside but stayed behind to take a closer look. He discovered that what had been blocking the door was a small office robot. He picked up the robot, his fingers coated in dust.
Lin Yu also made a new discovery; first, he caught a whiff of an unusual stench. Following the smell into another room, he noticed a high-end leather chair positioned near a window, with a head visible from behind it.
The laid-back Wen Kai entered cautiously, hesitant to make any sudden moves and waiting for instructions from their leader.
Lin Yu stared suspiciously at the head with black hair protruding from behind the chair. He turned to exchange opinions with Wen Kai and the others. After a brief discussion, they agreed to approach the figure together.
Wen Kai, emboldened by curiosity, never expected to see someone’s skull up close—an ugly and terrifying sight devoid of skin. When he finally saw it, he screamed in panic and bolted out of the room before Lin Yu and the others could comprehend what was happening.
Xiao Qiang was busy tending to the Micro Robot when Wen Kai rushed past him like a gust of wind.
“...What?” Before he could ask, he saw Lin Yu and the others frantically running out. “What happened?”
Lin Yu's face had turned pale with fear; a flicker of terror crossed his eyes as he pointed weakly back inside. “You should go take a look…”
Xiao Qiang was filled with suspicion as his gaze shifted from Wu Yi's face to Li Hang's and finally settled on Gelin Yu's pale visage. He set down the robot's head and pressed for answers. “What’s inside?”
Wu Yi and Li Hang didn’t linger at the door; they dashed out after Wen Kai.
“Take me with you.”
“...” Lin Yu hesitated, looking apprehensive. “Maybe you should go alone; I... I’ll wait here for you.”
The light in the back room was dimmer than outside, and the space was small, resembling a study. As soon as they entered, a foul odor assaulted their senses. Xiao Qiang immediately noticed a figure by the window. From his standing position, it seemed that this person was intently focused on something, and it was clear that the stench emanated from them.
Something that could produce such a smell was definitely not alive. If it wasn't alive, then it must be dead... He maneuvered around obstacles and stepped closer to the figure peeking out, finally getting a full view.
Upon seeing the person's face, Xiao Qiang understood why Wen Kai would be terrified. Lin Yu had been unwilling to accompany him back inside; it was puzzling why Wu Yi and Li Hang preferred to search for Wen Kai rather than inform him about the situation in the back room.
The skeleton sat upright, its facial features devoid of flesh, which was genuinely unsettling. Without any muscle on the bones, the clothes hung loosely... Suddenly, something beneath the clothing began to move.
Looking at this nearly intact skeleton, regardless of how brave one might be, it would still give anyone a little scare. Although Xiao Qiang tried hard to steady his fluctuating emotions, he was startled by the movement of the clothing.
What could it be? Several possibilities flashed through his mind: rats, cockroaches, snakes—these crawling creatures had been used countless times by Wen Kai to frighten him. After being scared multiple times, he had grown accustomed to it and no longer felt fear.
Otherwise, when Xiao Qiang saw the skeleton, he wouldn't have stayed calm and continued to investigate. He picked up some scraps of paper from the ground, stacked them together, and held them tightly in his hand as he approached the skeleton step by step. Gradually moving his hand that held the paper scraps, he suddenly lifted the hem of the moving clothing...
"Ugh..." Xiao Qiang stepped back; what wriggled beneath the clothing turned out to be a massive maggot, plump and likely as thick as an adult's thumb. The maggot's body was translucent, with its front end constantly writhing and revealing circles of fleshy wrinkles—it looked utterly disgusting.
He hurriedly retreated but accidentally stepped on Lin Yu's foot, who had followed closely behind without stepping back in time.
Lin Yu let out a scream and instinctively grabbed her leg that Xiao Qiang had just stepped on, hopping around on one foot in panic.
Without saying a word, Xiao Qiang grabbed her and ran. Upon seeing the gigantic maggot, the truth about the skeleton's death seemed to suddenly click into place; if he wasn't mistaken, that maggot had been feasting on the flesh of the skeleton all along, causing it to grow larger.
"What did you say?" Lin Yu couldn't believe Xiao Qiang's claim that the maggot had consumed the person sitting in the chair. "How is that possible?"
"Then explain how the maggot got there and why it has grown so large."
Lin Yu paced back and forth anxiously; her right toe still throbbed with pain. "I don't know." She felt irritated; her clothes were half-dry but still uncomfortable.
Wen Kai, Wu Yi, and Li Hang hesitated outside, peering in at Xiao Qiang and Lin Yu lingering at the door.
Xiao Qiang said, "We need to figure out where this person went and also determine how that deceased individual died." He tried not to mention the maggot; just thinking about it made him feel nauseous, and discussing it openly was far from pleasant.
"How about we deal with the skeleton later and focus on ensuring the living have enough to eat and stay warm first?"
"You don't need to consult me; you're the leader, and everything is up to you." Xiao Qiang said this seriously while deliberately keeping his distance from Lin Yu as he noticed Wen Kai and the others approaching.
"Don't be sarcastic; just say what you need to say." Lin Yu's eyes showed a hint of worry as they quickly scanned Wen Kai and the others before finally glancing inside the room. Then, under Xiao Qiang's watchful gaze, she spoke in an unyielding tone, "Don't push me; I'm a girl, and you guys should take on the responsibility of finding the missing people."
Xiao Qiang pondered for a moment, squatting down and casually drawing patterns in the ground with his fingers. He then looked directly at Lin Yu and said, "I need someone to help."
Lin Yu replied, "No problem, just let me know who you need." As she spoke, Wen Kai and the others were almost upon them. She needed to finish her conversation with Xiao Qiang before they arrived.
"You."
"Me?" Lin Yu widened her eyes in surprise, pointing at herself.
Xiao Qiang nodded affirmatively and continued, "The two of us will handle that skeleton. The rest can tidy up the place and check for any abnormalities in the other rooms." As he spoke, his gaze shifted to the robot lying on the ground with its connection lines twisted apart. "I want to fix it."
Lin Yu followed his gaze toward the robot, disbelief evident in her voice as she asked, "Can it be fixed?"
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