Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 39: The Docks

As the sun set and the streetlights started to illuminate, a pink Beetle navigated the not-so-smooth roads, swerving and dodging, moving forward in twists and turns.

Soon, they arrived at a roundabout. According to the map, taking the north exit would lead them directly to the dock, while the east exit would take them to the bridge.

Without any hesitation, Wu Sheng drove out from the north exit.

As if the zombies had disappeared with the sunset, the wide expressway was empty except for the occasional abandoned car with its hazard lights flashing.

Qian Ai’s tense nerves slightly relaxed, and he noticed the gun in Xu Wang’s hand, blurting out unexpectedly, “Captain, you’re using stationery now?”

Xu Wang, holding the Lightning Gun, turned around. “It’s bound to be used, so might as well have it out for defense.”

Qian Ai looked at the shiny weapon, feeling a bit odd. “The look of this gun… are you sure it’s real? It looks like a crystal model to me.”

Since they ran out, Qian Ai hadn’t heard a single gunshot, indicating the captain hadn’t actually pulled the trigger yet, just holding it for a morale boost.

Xu Wang didn’t like his long-awaited weapon being questioned. “If it weren’t for the limited bullets, I’d show you a shot right now and let you know what it means to shoot a hundred and never miss. I’ll become like the modern-day Li Guang*.”

*A Chinese military general of the Western Han dynasty. Nicknamed “Flying General” by the Xiongnu. He’s known for his archery and is often associated with archery excellence and martial prowess. In one song, he’s known to have pierced a stone with an arrow. 

Qian Ai still felt it was a bit wasteful to use such a fancy ‘stationery’ so early. “Actually, you should’ve tried the shaver first. Maybe like Wu Sheng’s scythe, it has added lethality!”

Xu Wang: “You can have it.”

Qian Ai: “Goodbye.”

“No, seriously, where are you taking my car…?” The Beetle’s driver, completely baffled by the “villains'” conversation, finally voiced his complaints and fears.

“To the docks,” Kuang Jinxin kindly answered.

The driver’s face changed. “Why the docks? Let me tell you, the north side of the city is even more chaotic than the south now. It’s literally hell on earth!”

Xu Wang immediately turned around. “Explain.”

“The virus broke out from the north side. I was there too, barely managed to cross the river back to the south on a boat.” The driver’s face turned pale. “Now everyone’s taking refuge in the south. The north is practically a dead city. Going there is like diving into a monster pit!”

Xu Wang said, “You’ve seen our fighting capability.”

The driver shook his head vigorously. “It’s no use. These zombies here are the lowest level. The ones in the north—the early-stage or near early-stage—are the real monsters. You won’t stand a chance!”

“Zombies have levels?”

“Yes, the closer to the source of the virus they are infected, the more thorough the mutation, and the more ferocious their capabilities!”

“Where’s the source of the infection?”

“The Central Hospital.”

The air suddenly became quiet, and the atmosphere became increasingly oppressive.

Even the Beetle’s driver felt it. “What’s wrong?”

Seeing his three teammates immersed in the sorrow of ‘life’s hardships’, Wu Sheng took on the role of ‘external communicator’. “We are actually heading to the Central Hospital.”

He had anticipated this.

From easy to difficult, that’s the rule of many things, especially in the “Owl,” where after all the hardships, the last thing is usually a big challenge. This is quite in line with the usual logic of the “Owl.”

“What, did, you, say?!” The Beetle’s driver panicked, unable to sit still any longer. “The docks, right? Just drop me off at the docks. You can have the car. I’ll go home myself!”

“How will you go back by yourself!” Qian Ai quickly restrained him.

The driver insisted, “It’s still better than going to the hospital to die!”

These words made Qian Ai’s heart tremble. He uncertainly looked at the captain and the advisor. “If the hospital is the source of the infection, then everyone inside must already be infected. Even if we bring the vaccines over, who are we giving them to?”

Kuang Jinxin pondered. “To the Zombie King?”

Qian Ai was speechless. “Brother, this is a vaccine, for preventing infection, not for curing!”

Wu Sheng said, “If the hospital is infected, yet we’re still tasked with delivering vaccines, then there must be an extremely hidden place inside that hasn’t fallen, with people still holding out, waiting to contribute to saving the world with their last breath.”

Xu Wang watched his confident expression. “You’re so sure?”

Wu Sheng quickly glanced back at him with a smile curling at his lips. “If I’m wrong, I’ll let you have the next chance to show off.”

“I don’t have such a need, okay…”

Xu Wang retorted somewhat grumpily, yet he couldn’t help but feel a swell of excitement in his heart.

It’s like a person who loves sweets telling someone who loves spicy food that he’s giving them his best candy.

The spicy lover has no interest in sweets.

But that’s the sweet lover’s best offering.

From this, it was evident that in these short seven days, he and Wu Sheng had bridged a gap of ten years of estrangement, returning to their high school camaraderie.

Xu Wang, in his self-absorbed deductions, couldn’t help but feel a surge of joy, quickly lowering his head to hide his emotions.

Wu Sheng didn’t notice the passenger’s whirlwind of thoughts, as he was focused on the road and contemplating the profound question of “what exactly is the captain’s need”.

The last sliver of the sunset completely vanished into the night. At the end of the road, the river was shivering under the light of the streetlights. A boat was gently rocking at the dockside.

They had arrived at the docks.

Wu Sheng lightly pressed the brake, slowing down to observe the surroundings from the last fifty meters.

However, just as the car slowed, a voice simultaneously echoed in the ears of all four companions—

[Owl: Someone has used [(Offense) Drifting Hearse] on you~~]

In the next moment, the Beetle lost all response to Wu Sheng’s controls. It suddenly levitated and continued to “drive” forward in the air!

The four turned around in shock, or more precisely, looked back and down. Just a few meters behind and below their vehicle, the truck they had seen earlier outside the mall was silently moving forward as if muted!

No, not just muted—if the truck had been following them all along and Wu Sheng hadn’t noticed in the rearview mirror, it meant they had also used some item to “cloak” the truck!

But, if the truck was in front of them earlier, how did it get behind them?

“Damn, are they trying to throw us into the river?!” Qian Ai watched as the Beetle approached the water’s surface, his breath hitching. “I can’t swim—”

“Swimming won’t help.” the Beetle’s driver’s voice dropped, as if resigned to his fate. “The river is full of infected mutant fish. Fall in, and you’ll be gnawed to bones.”

Qian Ai: “…Do we have to go to such extremes?!”

“Sorry about this—” A voice of apology floated up from below, as if responding to Qian Ai’s lament.

With no zombies in the air, the four decided to roll down the windows and look down.

They saw no more zombies hanging from the truck; they must have been dealt with. In the two-seater cab of the truck, four young men around their twenties were crammed in. The one speaking to them from the passenger side window had a unique hairstyle. His sides were shaved extremely short, with the longer middle part tied back into a captivating braid.

What was more amazing was that this hairstyle, on him, didn’t look odd at all but instead seemed somewhat artistic and handsome.

That goes to show, the face is really important.

At that moment, the young man with the braids was sticking his head out, looking up at them with a look of apology on his face. “We didn’t intend to compete with you for this spot, but since there’s only one boat… let’s be considerate of each other—”

“Understood, understood. The situation is tough.” Xu Wang reached back for an explosive ball and tossed it out the window onto the top of the truck’s cab. “Here, have a ball—”

No matter how good-looking the competitors are, it doesn’t matter.

Besides, they’ve seen better in the Endless Sea.

The ball bounced twice on the roof and then exploded, filling the windshield with vibrant colors.

“Fuck—” the driver cursed, slamming on the brakes.

The river was ahead, and with the obstructed view, it was better to stop early than risk falling in.

“Talk too much and you’ll slip up…” A refined-looking student in the truck, who hadn’t spoken until then, sighed faintly in disapproval of his noisy teammate.

At that moment, Xu Wang and his companions’ car had floated to the riverside!

Xu Wang grabbed Kuang Jinxin’s plastic bag, hung it out of the window for those below to see, and loudly threatened, “This bag is full of explosives. If you dare throw us into the river, we’ll blow up your transportation!”

The driver popped his head out and flipped him off. “We’re at the river’s edge. Who needs a truck now!”

Xu Wang was taken aback, his threat feeling feeble and ineffective.

The handsome braid, the one who had just apologized, if not for the distance, might have reached out to push the driver’s head. “They’re talking about blowing up the boat! The boat! Ah, how many old ladies’ seats did I steal in my past life to end up with a captain like you—”

“Wait, let’s not fight,” said the only one wearing a fisherman’s hat in the truck. His earnest face was full of a sincere desire for “a team should all get along”. “Should I throw them or not?”

As this was being discussed, Xu Wang and their car suddenly stopped, perfectly positioned over the riverbank. A tad more forward, and it would fall into the water!

“The [Drifting Hearse] is his doing,” Wu Sheng whispered.

Xu Wang nodded barely perceptibly, murmuring, “Leave it to me.”

Eliminating the user of the stationery would automatically cancel the stationery effect.

And their car absolutely couldn’t drift even a centimeter forward. This was their only chance.

Wu Sheng knew Xu Wang was preparing to fire the first shot but was uncertain about the gun’s power. “Xiao Kuang’s explosive ball didn’t even crack their windshield. They must have used some protection.”

Xu Wang chuckled. “If it can’t even break a piece of armor, how can it be called ‘Unerring Accuracy’?”

For some reason, ever since he held the gun, he felt unusually confident, as if he could sense the legendary weapon’s power.

Inside the truck, the four were apparently arguing about whether or not to “accept the threat”.

Xu Wang held his breath. He stealthily extended out his hand holding the gun and aimed it at the chest of the guy wearing the fisherman hat. Then he pulled the trigger!

Under the night sky, a straight, piercing stream of water shot towards the truck’s windshield—so straight it was like a thin steel rod!

“Fwish—”

The swift stream of water indeed hit the windshield.

Then, the water splattered into a curtain, running down the glass…

Sometimes, your feelings for stationery might just be unrequited. — [Captain Xu’s Combat Diary]

The four inside the truck stopped arguing, perplexedly looking at their windshields, which had been washed clean.

The handsome braid bewilderedly looked at his teammates. “Why are they washing our truck…”

“Begging for mercy,” the driver, also the team captain with a buzz cut, confidently said. “That bag isn’t really explosives. They know they can’t fool us, so they’re blatantly begging for mercy.”

The fisherman-hat guy felt conflicted. “How can I act on this…”

The student with delicate features, who had been calm since the beginning, sighed. “To give roses, one’s hands will linger with its fragrance*. We might meet again in the future; if we can make a connection, let’s not make enemies.”

*Proverb referring to giving will also make you happy.

Midair, inside the Beetle.

Qian Ai: “Captain, this is kind of awkward now.”

Xu Wang remained silent, still holding down the trigger, clinging to his last bit of persistence.

Kuang Jinxin looked at the transparent water gun, then at the stream of water, and finally at the fisherman-hat guy, confidently saying, “Captain, it really is ‘Unerring Accuracy’. I saw the trajectory; if there wasn’t a windshield, the stream would have hit that person’s chest!”

“……” Captain Xu didn’t feel comforted.

There are no ‘ifs’ in the world. If there were, he wouldn’t have fired in the first place!

“A high-pressure water gun,” Wu Sheng suddenly said calmly.

Xu Wang finally reacted, continuing to shoot but turning his head towards Wu Sheng with a hint of hope. “Hmm?”

“I mean, this is a high-pressure water gun,” Wu Sheng said coolly. “If it directly hits a person or zombie, it might pierce through.”

The hope in Xu Wang’s heart, which had died, flickered alive again. “Really?”

Wu Sheng slowly nodded, as if to empower him.

Xu Wang took a deep breath, feeling his fighting spirit returning.

Qian Ai, utterly baffled, decided to ask anyway. “Captain, I’m still confused about something.”

Xu Wang didn’t look at him. His gaze was fixed on the windshield below, determined to fight to the end. “Speak.”

Qian Ai: “You said that every word in stationery matters. I understand ‘Unerring Accuracy’, but what about ‘Lightning’?”

Xu Wang: “……”

Qian Ai: “……”

Wu Sheng: “……”

Kuang Jinxin: “……”

It was a very pointed question.

So pointed that it gave all the companions an ominous premonition.

As if not wanting to let them down, right after Qian Ai’s last “what about”, Xu Wang’s gun suddenly lit up with a myriad of colors—purple, green, yellow, blue, red, orange, and a mix of rainbow colors, like a disco ball’s colorful spinning lights.

At the same time, rhythmic music burst out along with the stream from the gun’s nozzle, notes seemingly dancing within each water droplet.

Such a dynamic beat nostalgically reminded them of the 80s’ breakdance music.

“No colorful lights~~ No intoxicating drinks~~ Under the moonlight~~ Let’s dance, let’s dance, disco~~ disco~~ disco~~*”

*These are lyrics from the song “Moonlight Disco” by Zhang Qiang, who is hailed as the Chinese Disco Queen due to her covers of western disco songs in her early career. 

Inside the truck.

Handsome Braid: “They’ve started playing music, but the song is so weird…”

Fisherman Hat: “This way of showing goodwill is too sincere… Captain, it’s too hard to hurt people. Can I just use defense stationeries in the future?”

Buzzcut (driver and captain): “Fuck, why the hell do I want to move to this beat…”

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>