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墨書 Inktalez
After Jiang He and Song Yao left, the bar became much quieter. Chao Yifan felt uneasy about the car parked at the door and insisted on staying on the first floor to keep watch, while Jinhua was reluctant to go upstairs alone. So, they wrapped themselves in thin blankets and sat on the floor, chatting idly.
Chao Yifan had known Jiang He for many years; they were classmates and roommates in college. He came from a single-parent family; his father had made a fortune in Shenzhen during the early days of reform but later, as he grew older, he didn't want to hustle anymore. Instead, he brought Chao Yifan to this relatively comfortable second-tier city to settle down. Thus, during his childhood, Chao Yifan learned to be independent and fortunately did not pick up the bad habits common among many rich second-generation youths. Although he wasn't particularly remarkable, he was stable and hadn't caused any major troubles. After graduation, instead of finding a job, he asked his father for some money and opened Fan Bar with a few wealthy friends. Young entrepreneurs often rely on passion and novelty, but after half a year of operation without recouping their investment, his partners all dropped out. However, Chao Yifan persevered with sheer determination and his father's funds. Eventually, the bar's business flourished, and Chao Yifan inherited his father's knack for making money, earning quite a fortune. During this time, he had invited Jiang He multiple times to join him in the business, but Jiang He always declined, feeling that partnering with friends wasn't a reliable venture.
Seeing that his son was doing well, Chao Yifan's father started planning for grandchildren. Unfortunately, Chao Yifan lacked emotional intelligence; after failing to pursue several girls, he gave up. He initially planned to travel abroad after the New Year in hopes of meeting a foreign girl, but then Cataclysm struck, shattering both his father's dream of grandchildren and his own quest for romance abroad. In the first month following the disaster, everyone was on edge; since his father's roots were here, he was unwilling to leave and missed the best opportunity to escape. Later on, old health issues resurfaced amidst a city filled with zombies where there were no medical resources available, leading to his unfortunate passing.
Chao Yifan spoke casually about it all, glossing over many details. Meanwhile, Jinhua listened with tears in her eyes, wishing she could hug him tightly. Being younger and still carrying the innocence of childhood, she couldn't help but tear up at the thought of Chao's father passing away while also worrying about her own parents.
"Don't cry... Are you okay?" Chao Tianwang panicked when he saw her crying and didn't know what to do.
Jinhua wiped her tears while laughing through them and said, "I'm fine; I just thought about my mom and dad."
"Don't worry; your home is so close to the capital; they should be fine," Chao Yifan reassured her. As mentioned earlier, Jinhua had come here alone for school; her hometown was in Hebei Handan.
"Yeah," Jinhua nodded and said, "You're pretty strong."
"Hey," Chao Tianwang waved his hand dismissively. "Just think positively; my old man passed away due to illness—it's part of life: birth, aging, sickness, and death. It's better than being hurt by those zombies."
Jinhua rubbed her small face and forced a smile as she said, "I need to pull myself together too; surviving is also a kind of luck."
"That's right! Once they come back, we'll set off. When we find a safe place, I want to reopen the bar," Chao Yifan said cheerfully, filled with hope.
"Sounds good! I'll work for you then. I studied economic management and can bake cakes—will Boss Chao hire me?" Jinhua chimed in with a smile as the somber atmosphere lifted.
Chao Tianwang waved his hand grandly as if giving orders and said, "I'll appoint you as the finance manager! Let Dazai and Song Yao handle business outside while I just count money every day! Hahaha!"
Both of them burst into laughter, doubling over with joy. Chao Yifan even ran over to the counter to grab paper and pen, quickly sketching an organizational chart for the board of directors with his name at the top and pretended to stamp it with his handprint. Little Gold joined in on the fun from behind by adding her elegant name beneath it.
Chao Yifan carefully folded the paper and tucked it into his pocket. He winked at Jinhua and said, "It's settled then. Let's keep our secret from those two errand runners for now!"
Jinhua smiled and agreed, clapping his hands in a pact. In that moment, the dimly lit bar seemed to brighten considerably. Just then, the Errand Duo burst through a path of blood from the Zombie pile.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" A series of loud knocks interrupted the daydream of the two young men, and the joyful atmosphere was instantly replaced by tension.
Chao Yifan pulled Jinhua down and made a shushing gesture. Outside, they could vaguely hear a man's voice.
"It sounds like someone is inside."
"Are you hallucinating? Who would be drinking at this hour?"
"No, really, I heard something just now."
For safety's sake, Chao Yifan lowered the roll-up door and drew the curtains. The sudden sound of unfamiliar voices made both of them tense up.
"Stay quiet; I'll go take a look." Chao Yifan grabbed a kitchen knife and stealthily approached the window, carefully lifting one corner of the curtain.
Outside stood five or six men, all male figures shrouded in darkness, holding clubs in their hands.
"Hey! Is anyone in there? Can you open the door?" shouted a slightly shorter middle-aged man.
"Shut up! You’ll attract monsters!" a nearby chubby man admonished.
Among them, a tall, thin man seemed to be the Leader, holding a Cutter upside down as he inspected the Pickup Truck at the entrance.
"Don't knock anymore; someone is here, but they should be gone," said the man with the knife as he lifted the canvas covering the back of the pickup. "There's food, drinks, and supplies. They probably planned to leave the city."
"What about the person?" the fat man asked.
"I don't know; maybe they went out. Otherwise, why would they move all their stuff outside?" The tall man pulled a bottle of water from the back and took a couple of swigs, glancing around before saying, "Fifth, drive the car away."
The person called Fifth hesitated for a moment and asked, "But this is someone else's stuff..."
The knife-wielding man shot him a look but said nothing. The one who had initially banged on the door, Shorty, jumped into the driver's seat.
"Oh no, the keys are still in!" Chao Yifan's face turned pale as Jinhua noticed it too and moved closer.
"What are they planning to do?" Jinhua asked.
"They said they're going to take the car. Damn it, it's a robbery!" Chao Yifan exclaimed as he prepared to open the door. Jinhua quickly grabbed him.
"There are too many of them..."
"That doesn't mean we can just let them drive away! Our water and food are in that car!"
As they were speaking, the sound of an engine starting echoed from outside.
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