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墨書 Inktalez
To avoid being discovered by humans, Miao Chengmin and Tu Jiaomin, the only two souls who had once been in China, led a group of zombies through the forest in search of graves. However, both of them had lived in cities during their lifetimes and were unfamiliar with such deep mountains and forests, so they merely wandered around like headless flies.
Miao Chengmin had once seen his own reflection in the river; it was their first appearance during the day and possibly their last. His pale eyes were infested with maggots, and one eye socket was empty, yet a faint phosphorescent glow flickered within it, seemingly allowing him to see the world with both eyes. He wore a tattered, earth-gray garment, and his emaciated body revealed the clear outline of his ribs. Miao Chengmin's entire body was a dull yellow, devoid of any sign of life: in short, he was a walking corpse, a true zombie.
With such a terrifying appearance, how could he dare to enter human society? If spotted, he would undoubtedly be treated as a monster and completely eradicated. Before coming here, Miao Chengmin had hoped to use his three-dimensional body to see his relatives on Earth while alive, but now that he was parasitizing such a horrifying corpse, he knew that this could only remain a fantasy.
“To avoid causing panic among humans, we can only operate in the uninhabited mountains at night,” Miao Chengmin told the group of zombies just before sunrise yesterday. “Our mission is to protect the Chaos Crystals from being taken by Ban Sa. Currently, he has not received any updates on changes; there won't be major issues for a while. However, we must remain vigilant. If we do not seize the time to expand our Vanguard's strength, we will all suffer if war breaks out in the future.”
Miao Chengmin looked around at the new team members who had positioned themselves beside the first batch of members, forming an isosceles trapezoid formation—this was the basic arrangement of the Divine Realm's military formations.
“The King has informed us that there is good news for the first batch of Vanguard members: among the newcomers, there are those skilled in abilities! It is even said that some possess elements unique to four-dimensional spacetime… basic elements that make up their bodies? That’s sufficient! Any chemical element from the Divine Realm should not be present here. And some are even armed with Divine Realm technology? Truly stronger than ever; look at our first batch—aside from having a bit more physical strength, we have no advantages at all. I am genuinely pleased to welcome you!”
“However, I must also inform you… the Transmigration Hall needs to recover its energy. A day in heaven equals a year on earth. Therefore, I can confidently tell you bad news: no one will be able to return for a long time.”
All the zombies fell silent for a moment; sighs and stomping sounds began to emerge from the Zombie Horde. Clearly, Miao Chengmin's earlier encouraging words had no effect.
“So why are we here?” one zombie stood up. On his arms were jelly charts shaped like eyes, embedded with a sphere that changed colors constantly; the swirling lines of color seemed to absorb something for this zombie. This zombie pointed at the jelly chart on his left wrist and glared at Miao Chengmin with his empty eye sockets. “We weren't sent here to be prisoners! We shouldn't have to live like this! I want to return to society and enjoy the pride of advanced technology! I want to see my loved ones and experience this world like a human!”
“Right!”
The zombies shouted in unison.
It was Miao Chengmin's first time leading others; such organized protests left him somewhat at a loss. He stood dumbfounded among the zombies, his mind blank as he struggled to find words.
“Have you thought about whether we can go out and meet people?” Tu Jiaomin stood up and walked over to Miao Chengmin.
“We would be like rats crossing the street—everyone would want us dead! I understand you want to see your relatives; who wouldn’t? But please think about your loved ones—what would their reaction be upon seeing a zombie?”
“Secondly, why are we here? This isn’t personal business! Only we know that this universe is on the brink of disaster; only we hold the second key to life and death in this universe—the first has already fallen into the hands of destroyers. Remember our mission!” If you want to go into human society, fine! Go! But don’t think about coming back; humans won’t accept a monster, nor will we welcome traitors of faith.”
Even after becoming a zombie, Tu Jiaomin's tone remained steady yet imposing, causing those before him to involuntarily stand in respect as they formed an orderly square formation.
“I understand everyone’s dissatisfaction with becoming zombies, but this is also our strength—we possess greater power than humans and feel no pain. Perhaps we were born for battle. We are guardians and warriors trusted by the Divine Realm. Please understand that this is not an exile; we are glorious leaders!”
“I’ve explained everything; if anyone wants to leave, I won’t stop you—bear the consequences yourself.”
Tu Jiaomin spoke rapidly; his quick wit made Miao Chengmin silently admire him. The protesting zombie felt Tu Jiaomin’s authority and pressure as he looked at all the zombies behind him who were convinced by Tu Jiaomin’s words and reluctantly stepped back.
Another night fell; it started drizzling under the sky. The distant city had already fallen into deep slumber. A group of sentient zombies followed Miao Chengmin closely as they stepped on wet leaves and grass with soft thuds.
“How much further?” Tu Jiaomin asked as he ran up beside Miao Chengmin.
Miao Chengmin tapped his Sun point, projecting a map from his phosphorescent eye socket. This was equipment they had prepared before descending dimensions; it displayed the locations of all zombies along with a large red dot indicating their target location provided by Time-Space King's guards.
“We're almost there; just over this hill,” Miao Chengmin sighed deeply. They hadn’t rested for a long time; although zombies didn’t require much physical recovery now, psychologically they still felt they should stop and rest after walking for some distance.
“Aren't you from here? Why do you still need to look at a map?” The closest zombie mocked him—it wasn’t Tu Jiaomin. If it weren’t for Time-Space King designating Miao Chengmin as leader, no one would actually follow his command. Miao Chengmin recognized this voice as belonging to George, who had been British during his lifetime. They all spoke in Divine Realm language, so there was no possibility of misunderstanding each other.
Miao Chengmin smiled wryly, "Who has climbed so many mountains in their lifetime? Don't set your expectations so high for me."
"Yeah, we need to be patient," Tu Jiaomin interjected, patting Miao Chengmin while shooting an unceremonious glare at George.
"Fake smoking, fake drinking! Fake friends, fake love! Fake ideas, you fake gentle..."
After the brief exchange, George's casual singing of an English mountain song echoed throughout the entire journey. Miao Chengmin remembered that this seemed to be one of the most classic mountain songs from England. As they moved forward, he occasionally glanced at the two people beside him.
Tu Jiaomin might have once been a high-ranking official, while George... felt more like someone from a farming family. Out of curiosity, Miao Chengmin speculated.
Around three in the morning, the group of zombies finally arrived at their destination. It was an unguarded wild cemetery, far from the city.
"This is perfect," Miao Chengmin exclaimed.
"Yeah, we haven't welcomed new members so casually before," Tu Jiaomin replied.
Having met new members several times, the first batch of Vanguard zombies knew that every trip to the cemetery was nerve-wracking. They weren't afraid of a thousand things; they feared that one human might appear. They could only gamble on the fact that there shouldn't be anyone in such a desolate area at night.
Miao Chengmin led everyone into the cemetery and looked around. It had been neglected for years; all the tombstones were covered in moss-like plants, and the entire cemetery was overgrown with weeds. Insects buzzed in the grass that reached their ankles and quickly scattered as the zombies moved through.
Lost in thought, Tu Jiaomin reached out and pressed down on Miao Chengmin.
"At the center of the cemetery, we can start now," Tu Jiaomin pointed to the grass beneath their feet.
Miao Chengmin patted himself down, took out Chaos Crystals, held them up in his hand, and as light patterns danced across his hand like countless data lines, a gradually visible small energy field gathered around the Chaos Crystals. Miao Chengmin aimed to charge Time and forcefully plunged it into the ground.
In an instant, black waves of energy surged outward from the cemetery, causing the ground to crack open with blue light flashing from within; looking down, it seemed to form some kind of pattern.
Each crack had its own direction, leading to almost every grave in this cemetery.
After a loud noise erupted, silence fell again around them.
This left the zombies feeling somewhat uneasy; when they had revived these corpses before, they could quickly hear their growls.
"What’s going on?"
"Just wait a bit longer."
As soon as Miao Chengmin and Tu Jiaomin finished speaking, a hissing sound caught all the zombies' attention. From afar by a tombstone, something seemed to be growing out of the ground—dark and indistinct; no one could see clearly but noticed a blurry object resembling a large fruit sprouting from the wild grass below.
"I'll go take a look," Tu Jiaomin said as he stepped forward. He looked scared at first but quickly regained his composure upon closer inspection.
"There’s movement over here too; they’ve arrived!" George shouted to Miao Chengmin from another side.
It was a hand made of both bone and flesh.
Zombies trapped by coffins were brought up by a teleportation spell and emerged onto the surface like newborns observing this world; those without coffins broke through the soil directly, shaking off dirt and roaring as they stood up.
"We have new members again," Miao Chengmin said with satisfaction in his voice.
"Yes, but..." George pointed towards Tu Jiaomin, "Is he in trouble?"
Looking over, Tu Jiaomin seemed to be explaining something to the newly arrived Female Zombie, who had already stepped out. Tu Jiaomin was desperately trying to stop her, and the argument between the two corpses grew louder, quickly attracting the attention of all the zombies.
"You can't leave! Didn't King say we aren't free to roam before you came?" Tu Jiaomin said, pulling at the Female Zombie.
"I just want to see my brother! Is that okay? Just once, just once!" the Female Zombie replied, her disheveled hair nearly falling out.
"Where were you from when you were alive?"
"Africa, but I can't say which country."
"This is China, sister. You want to go to Africa to see your family now?"
Upon hearing this, the Female Zombie realized her recklessness. She politely lowered her head, clasped her hands together, and bowed to Tu Jiaomin, saying, "I see. I'm really sorry."
"What's going on? Is there a problem?" Miao Chengmin asked as he finished settling the other new zombies and quickly approached.
"This lady might be feeling homesick," Tu Jiaomin responded.
"I understand," Miao Chengmin said, extending his hand in a friendly gesture. "We are all vagabonds who cannot return home. You'll adapt in a few days. My name is Miao Chengmin, the provisional leader appointed by King."
"Hello, Virgil," the Female Zombie named Virgil nodded and shook Miao Chengmin's hand. Hearing this name caused Miao Chengmin to pause for a moment; King had mentioned it before when he expressed support for the dimensional reduction Vanguard operation. It seemed that Virgil was the only one who publicly supported him at that time.
"Let's regroup, ma'am." Tu Jiaomin gently placed a hand on Virgil's back. She looked at him and followed the two back into formation.
Virgil was similar to these souls, but it was worth mentioning that she had lived in the Divine Realm longer than any of the zombies present. This meant that during her time on Earth, it was not in modern times.
Virgil's human life could be traced back to the era of the Slave Trade. She died at the age of thirty-six. Virgil was a child of suffering; in her early years, her father was taken away by white men and vanished without a trace. Her mother and daughter relied on each other, living from one meal to another in hardship and monotony while managing to raise Virgil.
Virgil had witnessed too many scenes of families torn apart by the Slave Trade—the women kneeling on the ground crying and the strong men desperately shouting their family members' names—these images were deeply etched in her heart.
"I will never let anyone from my village be sold again." This was Virgil's only wish expressed to the village chief as an adult.
Virgil achieved this but paid with her life for it. To buy time for her fellow villagers to escape, she led several volunteers to block the colonizers at the village entrance and ultimately fell before their flintlock guns. Meanwhile, the villagers successfully hid in the mountains and established a new settlement where they thrived.
Standing once more on this planet, Virgil reflected on everything she had experienced. The moonlight danced as if recalling that year and night when she watched her father being taken away by a colonial ship across the dark sea. She didn't hear a word of Miao Chengmin's speech; all that remained in her consciousness were memories washed ashore by waves in silence.
"Our mission is to protect the Chaos Crystals. Once our team grows strong enough, we will absorb a small portion of their power under King's guidance and become true warriors."
"Chaos Crystals?"
Virgil lifted her head.
"The Chaos Crystals should be in his hands." As she thought of this, Virgil's body swayed involuntarily.
She recalled her plan during that time when she applied for delayed dimensionality reduction.
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