Chapter 259: Scene 9 (Inverted V) This world is terrible, even...
"This choice is crucial for humanity."
“…”
“…”
"So, I'm asking you again, and this is the last time. Have you all made up your mind?"
"Once you begin, there's no turning back. No matter how hard or tiring it is, you can't give up. You might lose your body, your name, everything you have. Even so, aren't you afraid?"
“…”
“…”
There was silence on the empty wasteland, so quiet that only the rustling of the weeds in the breeze could be heard.
But this rustling sound was like a group of small insects, drilling into the girl's ears, gnawing at her internal organs, and making her tremble all over.
She didn't know whether it was a tremor of fear and a desire to retreat, or a tremor of boiling blood.
"...It's okay. If you're scared, just go ahead. I won't force you. After all, this isn't something you can force."
The girl arrived late and was not very familiar with these people, so she could only squeeze into the back seat. Amid the crowd, she saw the girl standing in the front and talking and she sighed softly.
"I, I... I'm sorry," someone said. "I, I have my own family to take care of, and I want to find a respectable job. I just want to be an ordinary person!"
Then many people also said.
"Yeah, I, I just want to be an ordinary person. I finally got out of that damn place, I want to enjoy life!"
"Exactly, I don't understand these people. Why do they have to save the world? We don't even know what the top is. Isn't that just throwing our lives away?!"
"You make sense. Let's go, let's go."
“…”
“…”
The sky was gray and covered with dark clouds, which weighed on the hearts of everyone present like a mountain.
Many people left, dejected.
The girl was pushed aside by the departing crowd. She lowered her head and wondered whether she should join the leading girl's organization.
At this moment, a scream pierced the quiet air: "Ah ...
"Oh my god, what is that?!" The crowd walking out suddenly became agitated, "How scary!!!"
The girl looked up and saw a twisted "person" screaming, covering his head, and rushing into the crowd.
"Oh no! Everyone, get out of the way! It's—"
"Buzz—"
His body rushed forward uncontrollably, a buzzing sound rang in his ears, and when he came to his senses again, blood was already dripping.
"He Fangying!! Your hand!!!"
“I, I…”
He Fangying lowered her head and saw that her hand had already pierced the chest of that "person".
Beneath his hand was a piece of sticky, wriggling flesh.
The crowd behind him were all stunned, staring blankly at the girl who flashed in front of the monster and pierced its chest with one hand.
"Well, uh," after confirming that this "person" was dead, He Fangying withdrew her hand, took out the paper she had brought with her in anticipation, wiped the blood off her hand, and said to the crowd, "Are you all okay?"
"It's okay, it's okay, we're okay..." But people's faces were filled with fear, both towards this "person" and towards her.
He Fangying hid her hands behind her back awkwardly, and then the girl who had spoken earlier, also her old classmate, patted her on the shoulder and said, "He Fangying, go over there and wash your hands first. The blood of those who were... is contagious."
"I'm sorry, squad leader, I..." He Fangying looked at the girl and apologized embarrassedly.
"You even apologized." The girl smiled and said, "He Fangying, you've done me a big favor. Go wait for me over there first. Please take care of those who stayed behind. I have something to do and will be back soon."
"Oh, oh, okay, squad leader."
"By the way, don't touch that thing's body. Wait until I come back. Don't move it. Remember!"
"Know!"
"Thanks a lot!"
“It’s not hard, it’s not hard!”
“…”
“…”
"Hey, do you know the boss?"
"Boss?" He Fangying was washing her hands and turned her head towards the voice. She saw a short-haired girl standing next to her.
"Yes," the girl nodded, "that's the one who was speaking."
"Oh, I know her. She was my class monitor when I was in high school."
"Oh, since we're all part of the same organization from now on, how about we be friends?" The girl held out her calloused, dark-skinned hands. "My name is Sun Zhang."
"Okay," He Fangying wiped the water off her hands and held out her hand. "My name is He Fangying."
"He Fangying, hey, tell me, can we really save the world? It's difficult for just a group of us to save the world, right?"
"But you stayed."
"Haha, staying is one thing, but being able to draw your sword and kill the enemy on the battlefield is another. I guess many people haven't really figured out how difficult this is."
"Actually, I haven't figured it out either." He Fangying looked at the corpse.
"Oh?" Sun Zhang followed her gaze.
He Fangying said: "I know that person. She is my classmate."
"What, wait, what are you...?"
"But she has become what she is now."
“…”
“…”
There was no need to say anything more. Both of them understood that the girl was none other than their predecessor, someone who had also embarked on the same path. However, she had become a monster. She...
"How are you?"
“…I’m fine.”
After all, there will be more and more such things in the future.
Things like locusts passing through will devour everyone's brain bit by bit, and eventually they will become numb. He Fangying doesn't want to become numb, so she always allows herself to be sad for a short time when facing such things.
"Hey, why are you two standing here?" The girl who left in a hurry came back with a strange smell.
"Oh, we are chatting." said Sun Zhang.
"Then let's go over there and join everyone. I'll tell you what the organization is going to do."
"good."
The three of them entered the largest of the tents set up in the wasteland.
Inside the tent, there were only a few small stools and a table.
Seeing the three people come in, the people who were waiting inside immediately stood up.
"Hey, boss!" A girl with curly hair and freckles waved her hand.
"Hello." The girl smiled at her.
"Boss."
"Boss."
In the tent, apart from the girl with curly hair and freckles, there were only two older women. Seeing the girl greet them, they followed suit.
"Well, you all sit down." The girl nodded.
He Fangying and Sun Zhang sat down, and the five of them formed a small circle, with the girl sitting in the center, facing them.
"First of all, welcome everyone who is willing to join our organization. Let me introduce myself. My name is Huang Hong, and I am currently the head of the organization."
Huang Hong, her red hair neatly tied into a ponytail, introduced herself to everyone, "You all heard my speech just now. That is our organization's primary goal: to defeat them, save humanity, and save the world."
"Thank you very much for coming to listen to the speech and finally choosing to join the organization. However, based on your different strengths, we still need to divide the main responsibilities among you."
"Everyone, could you please introduce yourselves first?"
“…”
“…”
"Then I'll go first," said the curly-haired, freckled, and exquisitely dressed girl. "My name is Song Qing. I know a little bit about everything, and I'm good at, uh, acting? I used to study acting, but I was just a layman. I've acted for a few years, so I do have some experience."
"Okay, Song Qing, next." Huang Hong nodded.
"My name is Chang Hong. I'm not particularly good at anything," the older woman said. "If I had to say, it's probably cooking or something..."
"Okay, I understand. Chang Hong, next one." Huang Hong nodded again.
"My name is Zhao Jia," the woman said. "I used to deliver food. I can speak well, just for communication. I'm also familiar with the terrain here."
"Okay, Zhao Jia, next one." Huang Hong nodded again.
"My name is Sun Zhang, Zhang means camphor tree. I have been farming since I was a child. I know a lot about plants and I am quite strong. You can leave the physical work to me," said Sun Zhang.
"Okay, Sun Zhang, next one." Huang Hong nodded.
"I," He Fangying swallowed, "My name is He Fangying. Uh, I'm good at, good at, running, and, uh, I, I..."
"I'm good at killing monsters!"
"Oh, that's a very good skill," Huang Hong smiled and nodded, "He Fangying, yes."
"A very good skill." Oh, yes, things are no longer the same as they used to be. In today's cities, people can do anything to survive...
He Fangying smiled bitterly.
Huang Hong continued, "So, you're the members this time. I need to explain first. Our members are divided into four departments. One, Cleaners, are responsible for clearing out the infected people in the city. Two, Logistics, are responsible for all logistical work like preparing food. Three, Stalkers, are responsible for being stewards, infiltrating the city, and gathering information. Four, Infected, are responsible for conducting experiments and recording the feelings of being infected."
"After listening to your self-introductions, I will temporarily divide you into: Song Qing, infected person; Chang Hong, logistics; Zhao Jia, stalker; Sun Zhang, stalker; He Fangying, cleaner."
"I wonder if you have any objections?"
"An infected person..." Song Qing hugged himself tightly in fear. "Is it, is it the same type as the one today?"
"Yes."
"No, no, um, can I change? I don't want to become like that." Song Qing asked nervously.
"...Okay, then what do you want to change it to?" Huang Hong asked after a moment of silence.
"I think……"
"Well!!!"
"Boss?!!!"
"Run, quickly, run, uh, run out, go, find, rescue uh uh uh ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!"
"Run!" He Fangying quickly pulled up the stunned people and dragged them out of the tent. "She's not feeling well. Let's go get help!"
"Okay!" Song Qing lifted her skirt, her high heels clattering on the ground. "But, will she die?!"
“…No, that won’t happen!” It was Chang Hong. She ran in a strange way.
"That's good!" Zhao Jia also said.
"Okay, don't talk about this for now. Let's split up. You go over there, and He Fangying and I will go over there. Find the person as soon as possible. Come here. Safety first, got it?!" At the critical moment, Sun Zhang made arrangements in an orderly manner.
"Okay!" Several people nodded in unison.
He Fangying can no longer remember what happened afterwards.
She only remembered that when she and Sun Zhang returned to the big tent again, what caught her eyes was Huang Hong's corpse and Song Qing, who was holding a knife and covered in blood. Looking inside, she saw Chang Hong and Zhao Jia, who were also covered in blood, holding Huang Hong's body tightly.
Chang Hong's eyes were red as she told the two that there was no one in the camp and they also wanted to save Huang Hong, but they didn't know how to do it.
Song Qing was not in a good state. He didn't say anything and seemed a little crazy.
The same thing happened to Zhao Jia. She closed her eyes and looked like a sculpture that couldn't be moved no matter what.
Later, rescue finally arrived. They didn't know how these people received the news. Anyway, they came, dealt with the bodies, and took the five people to another camp.
Song Qing, Chang Hong and Zhao Jia had too much blood on their bodies and it was impossible to clean it up completely, so all three of them became infected and were locked in separate rooms.
A few days later, He Fangying received the task of cleaning them out.
When seeing these faces again, He Fangying was stunned for a moment.
A few days ago, they were still chatting and laughing together.
But now, they have become like this.
The face of Song Qing, the most delicate and beautiful little girl, was distorted and hideous. She was still wearing the skirt she wore when they first met, but the skirt was torn because of her bloated body, making her look ugly.
In her diary, He Fangying saw her transformation from despair to acceptance to willingness, and also learned that the movie she starred in will be released tomorrow.
She loves beauty, but she loves the world even more.
He Fangying cleaned her up easily.
Then came Chang Hong, the somewhat shy middle-aged woman. From her diary, He Fangying learned that she was a strong woman who was about to escape from a hellish marriage.
He Fangying was young. She didn't understand the value of daily necessities, nor did she understand the pain of a woman who was bound by family and marriage.
But she understood what freedom was.
Chang Hong, she has just taken the first step to meet the world.
When He Fangying was cleaning her up, she could feel her unwillingness and anger.
Covered in blood, he walked towards Zhao Jia, the woman who always smiled.
Her diary was very sparse and ordinary, just like a real diary, but at the end, she wrote, "Tomorrow, there will be enough money for my daughter to treat her illness."
It turned out that she had a daughter who had a congenital disease and it cost a lot of money to buy medicine.
But Zhao Jia did not abandon her. Instead, she worked tirelessly. She saved money and had a cute doll in her bag that she had not given away.
Maybe this money can help her daughter cure her illness and have a future, but her daughter's future will no longer include her mother.
He Fangying cleaned them up with tears in her eyes.
Afterwards, she went to see the movie starring Song Qing. In the movie, the girl was the undisputed protagonist. She wore funny clothes, said funny lines, and occasionally made faces. It was a funny movie, a poorly made movie that was so poorly made that He Fangying was the only one in the theater, but He Fangying was still crying her heart out.
He Fangying also went to see Chang Hong's husband. He had a new wife and did not seem to be sad about Chang Hong's disappearance. So, He Fangying made him disappear as well. Similarly, no one would be sad about his disappearance, but only applaud. The house returned to Chang Hong's name, and He Fangying cleaned it up. Everything was warm and cozy.
As for Zhao Jia's daughter, she has been hospitalized under the arrangement of Zhao Jia's sister and is taking medicine. She is getting better little by little. He Fangying gave her the rag doll that Zhao Jia did not give away. She held it and pressed the doll's belly familiarly. The rag doll made Zhao Jia's voice. The girl held the rag doll and listened to it over and over again until tears fell from the corners of her eyes.
This world is very bad and terrible, and even kindness is despised.
But there are still many people who have not given up. They are struggling to survive and seek happiness in this world.
Only then did He Fangying finally understand what Sun Zhang meant by that sentence.
Unable to lift the knife, unable to kill the enemy.
——That’s because they don’t understand how bad this world is.
The sky is always gloomy, with no sunrise, no sunset, and no moon.
"Are you back?"
And what happens when they finally see the world clearly?
"Um."
"Let's eat noodles."
"good."
After eating a bowl of hot noodles, the trembling all over my body finally stopped.
At this time, He Fangying was no longer confused, because she already understood that this trembling was a mixture of fear, boiling blood, unwillingness and anger.
"Hey, Sun Zhang, I suddenly feel that what you said before is not quite right."
"How do you say that?"
"Tell me, when we truly see the ugliness of this world, will we still use knives to face such evil?"
"Well, no, no, we will use our teeth, our hands, our feet, and anything else we can to bite them, tear them apart, and crush them."
“…”
“…”
"Sun Zhang."
"Um?"
"We're all going to be busier and busier from now on."
"Yeah, it's better to be busy so you don't have to let your mind wander."
"...We will succeed, right?"
"There will always be a day of success."
"What if that day comes when we are all old and can no longer enjoy life?"
"Enjoy life? Why can't I enjoy life? In my opinion, having my own small vegetable garden, growing some vegetables, and being able to spend time with friends is already enjoying life."
"Really? Then I'll go work in your vegetable garden for you from now on."
"Is this true?"
"That's fake, I was actually there to steal some vegetables!"
"He Fangying!"
"hey-hey."
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