After leaving the City of Hearts, Chuanliu drove to the City of Plum Blossoms.
Along the way, she passed through the villages she had once walked through on her way to Spade City. The once bustling scene was now desolate.
The village was exposed to the sun, but it offered no warmth whatsoever.
The village's small casinos and red-light districts have all been shut down, leaving only ruins and bloodstains, silently telling the story of the village's tragic past.
In the village, a few dilapidated houses barely retain traces of human habitation, but even in broad daylight, these doors are tightly closed, and iron fences enclose the entire house, giving one a feeling of suffocation.
The occasional faint sounds were nothing more than the wind passing through the hollow window frames or the thatched hut being blown apart, which made one's heart tremble.
Crossing this desolate land, the river crossed the border and entered the territory of the Plum Blossom City.
Before me still lies that vast desert, which, with an almost indifferent demeanor, has witnessed the passing and rebirth of countless lives.
The car sped across the desert, the roar of the engine particularly jarring in the silence, and also attracting the attention of the corpses passing by.
These undead beings did not appear to be the new mutants that had recently ravaged the land; they still retained their fear of sunlight. Under the glaring sunlight, they could only groan weakly, emitting hoarse roars, but they would not easily approach.
The car did not linger in the desert, but continued driving until it reached the edge of a cliff above the residential area of Plum Blossom City.
Looking down, the residential areas of Plum Blossom City are devastated.
The city, which once offered a place where people could at least live in peace, has long since lost its tranquility and harmony. Buildings are either charred black from fire or collapsed into piles, silently telling the story of how the residents once fought desperately to resist.
The sea breeze carried the salty, fishy smell of the ocean, but also a foul, indescribable stench—the mingled smell of blood and decaying matter, enough to make one want to vomit. This stench seemed tangible, assaulting the senses and corroding every inch of air, as well as the very soul.
In the narrow gaps and shadows between the houses, the corpses wandered aimlessly, staggering forward or emitting low groans, moving through the ruins like walking corpses.
Even worse, some have climbed to the top of unprotected houses, standing high up with their arms outstretched, letting out mournful howls that echoed through the empty city, attracting many "responses" from their kind.
Amidst this desolation, the "golden diamond" building at the far end of the residential area stands out starkly.
It remains exactly as it was when Chuanliu first saw it, resplendent in gold, gleaming brightly in the sunlight, like a grand feast amidst a pile of rotting flesh, or a presidential suite in a prison, enjoying this incongruous luxury all to itself.
This scene evokes a sense of "the rich feasting on meat and wine while the poor freeze to death on the streets."
The lockdown of Plum Blossom City not only signifies a more intense attack on other cities, but also means that Plum Blossom City has abandoned its other residents, retaining only those "of status" within the main city.
Just like Noah's Ark, only those who are eligible to buy a ticket can be saved.
On the horizon, dark clouds, like heavy lead blocks, slowly pressed in from afar, gradually obscuring the once bright sky. At the cliff's summit, a fierce wind arose, howling and whistling through the precipices, bringing a chill. The air grew humid, becoming sticky and damp.
Chuanliu stood on the edge of the cliff, letting the fierce wind blow his clothes wildly, his gaze piercing through the dense clouds in the distance.
The sun overhead was still bringing warmth and light to Paradise Island, but it seemed powerless, and the distant light struggled and dissipated in the thick clouds.
As Chuanliu watched this scene, he couldn't help but lower his eyes.
It looks like...it's going to rain.
At this moment, on the top floor of the "golden diamond" in the main city of Plum Blossom, the four rulers of Plum Blossom City were sitting together in a solemn and subtle atmosphere.
Wu Lide, the "Ace of Clubs," sat upright in the main seat, his brows furrowed, his face somber, and he remained silent.
The younger man next to him, Sun Fan, nicknamed "Plum Blossom J," twirled a test tube between his fingers, making a soft clinking sound that broke the silence of the room.
"Brother Lide, I really don't understand you. What's there to be so conflicted about? Didn't we do the same thing four years ago?"
His tone carried a hint of boredom, as if creating corpses and abandoning cities were commonplace matters to him.
Yan Zhengkang, nicknamed "Plum Blossom Q," smoothed his graying hair, the embroidery on his clothes appearing even more exquisite under the light.
He spoke slowly, in a lecturing tone, "Don't you understand? Lide is afraid that things will get too big and he won't be able to explain himself in the end."
Sun Fan didn't take it seriously. He casually put his feet on the edge of the table, leaned back, and looked relaxed and at ease.
"Explain? What's so hard about explaining? Hmph, as long as we're still here, what can't we start over? If they dare to investigate, wouldn't they be cutting off their own source of income? When it comes to profit, who really cares about the process?"
Wang Qiao, the "King of Clubs," nodded in agreement. "Yes, Lide, four years ago you went to such great lengths, only to break the unity and end up with a 'four-way division' of the world. Don't you want to take this opportunity to eliminate all those who oppose you? Then, Paradise Island will be yours to rule, and you can do whatever you want, right?"
Wu Lide listened quietly to the three men's conversation, and after a long while, he said in a deep voice, "I still feel... this isn't our core objective..."
Sun Fan rolled his eyes and said speechlessly, "Brother Lide, you didn't suddenly feel sorry for those people, did you? Don't tell me you feel sorry for them?"
Wu Lide looked at Sun Fan with his lifeless eyes and said without hesitation, "Of course not. But... we're just doing this to make money. If all these people die, what will happen to our experiments?"
Sun Fan continued to fiddle with the test tube in his hand, a smile playing on his lips. "Don't we still have so many people in our main city? Those people down there are wasting our resources; they have to pay a price, don't they?"
Wu Lide frowned and said lightly, "No way! Do you want Paradise Island to become a deserted island? They won't agree to that!"
Sun Fan tapped the test tube with some dissatisfaction and said, "They'll send more people up later, won't they? At worst, we'll just have them bring up another batch of guys. Then we'll be the zombie killers, the saviors of all living beings, gods!"
Wang Qiao also said at the same time, "Now that things have come to this point, Li De, you have no chance to back out..."
Wu Lide pondered for a moment and said, "Let's vote. Raise your hand if you want to continue with that plan."
Sun Fan raised his hand, "I have no objection, the bigger the commotion, the better."
Wang Qiao raised her hand, "What's done is done, there's no stopping it."
Yan Zhengkang raised his hand, "I'm an old man, let you young people do whatever you want with me."
Wu Lide: "Alright, then let the last group of people out!"
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