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墨書 Inktalez
Hiding most of his body behind the collapsed wall from the car accident, Yang Xiaoyou took a sharp breath as he observed the chaos unfolding on the street.
The once bustling street had undergone a drastic transformation, now filled with disorder. Vehicles were colliding into each other everywhere, with some even emitting thick black smoke and sparks. In the distance, sporadic gunfire added to the atmosphere of tension and danger.
The greatest destruction on the street was not caused by the few Survivors being hunted down by Corpse, but rather by humanity itself and their vehicles.
After the traffic had completely collapsed, panic-stricken drivers caused even more severe physical damage with their cars. In a large city, traffic operates in a cycle; any mistake in one part can lead to numerous problems. At this moment, these issues were affecting each other like a chain reaction, amplifying the chaos.
Although Yang Xiaoyou could only see the turmoil on this street, it was easy to infer that other areas were likely in similar disarray.
Driving in the city at such a time would be tantamount to seeking death.
With the traffic collapse and various vehicles contributing to this disastrous outcome, the uncontrolled surge in Corpse numbers dealt a fatal blow to this beautiful yet fragile city.
The entire street was now filled with chaos and slaughter. To ensure minimal nutrient consumption, Corpse typically moved at a slow pace. However, once they detected food that could replenish their nutrients, their speed could rival that of an adult running.
Most crucially, they did not understand what endurance meant; they simply followed their instincts. As long as food remained in sight, they would relentlessly pursue it until their energy was depleted.
Generally, those who were terrified and fled with all their might rarely escaped the fate of being torn apart by Corpse.
Watching as a man who had just stirred up chaos was ultimately cornered after escaping from a trapped vehicle, only to be gruesomely devoured by a group of Corpse, Yang Xiaoyou felt his grip on the Handcrafted Crossbow tighten until his hand turned pale.
"How did I manage to escape back then? Is hunger really this terrifying?" Yang Xiaoyou racked his brain trying to recall that moment, but aside from the haunting sensation of hunger, there was little useful information in his fragmented memory.
"Am I just a Foodie? Hmph, I managed to escape without any preparation back then; there's no reason I should be stuck here now." Taking a deep breath, Yang Xiaoyou calmed himself and quietly waited for an opportunity to act.
"They're coming." Just as the street settled for a few minutes and the corpse was nearly consumed, Yang Xiaoyou suddenly sprang out from behind the collapsed wall. Using nearby vehicles for cover, he swiftly and silently moved toward the direction of the Gun Supermarket he had identified.
At that moment, perhaps unable to endure the fear any longer, another stalled car started up, and this time three people burst out from it.
It seemed they had coordinated their actions; as soon as they emerged, they split up and ran in three different directions. It was as if they understood that if they all stayed together, they would inevitably be caught. Only by dispersing could they hope to divert the attention of those crazed pursuers and find a chance to escape.
However, Yang Xiaoyou, who was quietly moving toward the target area while using vehicles, roadblocks, and benches for cover, realized that these three individuals making such a commotion were doomed. Even if one of them managed to escape the immediate encirclement, it would not last long.
The chaos would only snowball, but it did provide an opportunity for his own actions.
"Help me! Please save me! Ah! No! I don’t want to die! Oh, damn it, God!" One of the three, after zigzagging left and right, was ultimately cornered by the slow-moving but numerous Corpses. As he looked around desperately, he caught sight of Yang Xiaoyou’s ghostly figure and cried out for help.
Yang Xiaoyou paid no attention to the desperate pleas ringing in his ears. To him, this fellow was already as good as dead. Helping someone capable of saving themselves was an act of justice; helping someone who would drag you down with them was just reckless enthusiasm. Besides, Yang Xiaoyou didn’t consider his sense of justice to be particularly strong.
In his mind flashed memories of similar outbreaks where humanity’s ugliness had been laid bare in the struggle for survival. Time and again, rescuers had been betrayed by those they tried to save, becoming Bait themselves.
Hearing the piercing screams and curses nearby, along with the faint sounds of gnawing flesh, Yang Xiaoyou felt drenched in sweat as he moved.
“Fortunately, I’m upwind; it seems luck is on my side.” After avoiding a Corpse wandering near a vehicle, Yang Xiaoyou quickly slipped into a corner to catch his breath. He sighed with slight relief, though the strong smell of blood made him feel nauseous.
For Corpses, their ability to capture sounds and scents was far more significant than their vision. Their eyesight hadn’t deteriorated completely, but their reaction to visual stimuli was somewhat frog-like; they only felt the urge to hunt moving Objects, while also using their sense of smell to determine if something was ‘fresh.’
“There’s still about a hundred meters to go. Ugh, what a hassle.” Leaning against the corner between a toppled phone booth and a wall, Yang Xiaoyou looked at his destination ahead with growing tension.
The glass wall outside the Gun Supermarket was riddled with bullet holes, indicating that many others had shared the same objective as him. Although America is known for its civilian gun ownership, not many people carried firearms at all times. From the grim appearance of this place, it was clear that there had been intense conflict when chaos erupted.
However, it was precisely because of such violent confrontations that Yang Xiaoyou found himself in a troublesome situation now.
At the entrance, amidst a pile of bodies that could either be human or Corpse, several more Corpse were wandering around, seemingly drawn here by the initial chaos rather than being attracted by the commotion elsewhere. The fact that so many remained after such a long time hinted at just how many there had been at the start.
Calculating the distance between the two locations and his approximate movement speed, he realized that while he could maneuver around some obstacles, there were two Corpse blocking the entrance that he could not avoid at all.
One was an African American Man dressed in a blood-stained police uniform, and the other was a Blonde White Woman with exposed clothing and visible claw marks on her shoulders.
At this moment, they were no longer law enforcement officers or vulnerable women; they were dangerous creatures capable of launching a lethal attack at any moment.
Since being scratched would mean becoming one of them, and given their superior strength and endurance, even though Corpse generally had much slower reaction times compared to normal humans, an ordinary adult man without firearms could only manage to fend off one Corpse using tools like sticks or stones. After all, these creatures felt neither fear nor pain; the only way to deal with them was to strike hard at their heads or the spinal cord at the back of their necks.
With just these two Corpse present, Yang Xiaoyou felt fairly confident that after shooting one with his crossbow, he could use the remaining steel arrow to skillfully stab the other to death.
Unfortunately, besides these two, there were other Corpse nearby. Although he could try to navigate around them, any significant noise here would still attract their attention.
Creating distractions elsewhere to draw them away might also disrupt the balance among the Corpse in this area, potentially making things worse.
“If only this crossbow could fire multiple shots,” Yang Xiaoyou complained quietly. However, having even one Handcrafted Crossbow was already a significant achievement; as for rapid-fire capabilities, that was merely a wishful thought.
If he could retreat unnoticed by the Corpse, there would be a chance of reaching his next destination, but the risks would undoubtedly increase significantly.
In Kapa City now, threats to his life came from more than just the Corpse. There were also mobs driven to extremes by fear, forcing other civilians to act as Meat Shields and Bait. Additionally, those initially responsible for ‘cleansing’ now began to Clean Up evidence—the Janitors. If they spotted him, they wouldn’t hesitate to shoot him down.
So while firearms were indeed useful—after all, having a real opportunity to shoot was valuable—Bulletproof Vests and combat gear that could effectively reduce bullet damage and injuries from being scratched by Corpse were items he desperately needed to acquire.
At this moment, aside from the highly threatening Corpse nearby, there appeared to be three factions with considerable combat capabilities operating in the vicinity: the Janitors engaged in evidence Destruction; the Hawaiian U.S. Military Garrison coming over for rescue and large-scale Clean Up of Corpse; and finally, a special group belonging to the U.S. Government Special Department that countered the Janitors by collecting evidence and Virus Samples. The latter's public identity seemed to be employees of Blackwater Security Company.
In terms of overall combat strength and numbers, the Hawaiian U.S. Military Garrison, consisting of a light infantry division and two Marine battalions, is undoubtedly the strongest, supported by more than twenty attack helicopters and dozens of regular helicopters, with the largest number of personnel.
However, in Yang Xiaoyou's memory, this U.S. Military rescue team suffered heavy losses due to underestimating and misunderstanding the situation. Lacking heavy armored ground equipment, they relied on over three thousand foot soldiers and a few ground units equipped with Type 4 5 multi-purpose vehicles, ultimately facing near-total annihilation.
Once the light multi-purpose vehicles were surrounded by the Horde, they would likely be forced to shut down due to power issues.
Yet Yang Xiaoyou knew that if it weren't for this garrison entering the city and drawing the attention of the majority of the Corpses with gunfire, there would certainly be far more than just this 'few' Corpses left on the streets. Kapa City is a large metropolis with a very high population density, totaling over a million residents.
"Since it's all an adventure, we might as well start now. It took a lot of time to find food before; heading straight to the target location now might mean I won't encounter that fellow." Considering the dire situation ahead, having as many chances to survive as possible was crucial.
"Ha! It's just facing a single Corpse head-on. I will become the King of Single Combat!" After giving himself a pep talk, Yang Xiaoyou gradually calmed his emotions and began to navigate around other Corpses using various obstacles, making his way toward the last two.
To take down the Corpses before they had any reaction, he needed to act immediately while shooting. This was also the greatest uncertainty in this operation.
After all, he had not practiced shooting professionally yet. Hitting a Corpse's head accurately from about ten meters away while moving explosively was quite challenging for him.
If the crossbow bolt failed to hit its target accurately—even if it only missed slightly and struck somewhere other than the head—he would then face two Corpses in melee combat. Given his current physical condition and combat skills, even if they did not notice him and he managed to launch a surprise attack first, he had no chance of winning.
With a soft 'whoosh,' the bolt from his Handcrafted Crossbow was released. At that moment when he pulled the trigger, it felt as if all his blood surged into his brain, and everything around him seemed to slow down in an instant.
Seeing that there were too many people in this urban setting and competition was fierce, he decisively categorized his work into science fiction. The main theme wouldn't change; moreover, according to the editor's suggestion, his name had become Tragedy again—he probably needed to change it soon...
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