Chapter 3, The Enclosed Passage

How to go down

The pipeline was extremely narrow, with no way in or out. Zheng Jieming heard Lei Yang shouting and kicking behind him, but he couldn't even turn his head, let alone offer help. Anxiously, he grasped the iron sheet and crawled a few more steps forward to leave enough space in the pipeline for Lei Yang, feeling somewhat reassured only when Lei Yang's head bumped against his feet. It was only after Lei Yang's breathing had stabilized that he dared to speak.

"Lei Yang!" Zheng Jieming shouted loudly, but there was no response

As he was climbing, he felt a sudden chill of wind above his head. Pausing to experience it carefully, he realized there was no wind at all; it was merely an illusion of his own.

I can't believe it! I can't believe it! I can't believe it!" Lei Yang shouted anxiously. After struggling for a long time, he had climbed up to the ventilation duct; don't just leave me like this!

It is hard to tell how far it is, but it is indeed light

This thought constricted Zheng Jieming's chest, prompting him to quicken his crawl towards the next vent. He maneuvered his body over the exit, extending his legs backward to kick forcefully, attempting to break through the net, but it was entirely ineffective. The barbed wire merely emitted a dull thud.

Then one can only continue to crawl forward? Perhaps with good luck, one might encounter an opening

The second zombie crossed the junction of 4 and 5, running very fast. Zheng Jieming shifted to the left, almost standing at the edge of the carriage. The zombie extended its claws and charged directly at him. Just a meter or two away, Zheng Jieming lowered his center of gravity and swiftly dodged to the right, hooking his left leg to trip the zombie, which then fell directly off the carriage, crashing onto the heads of the corpses below.

He reached out his right hand towards the light ahead and grasped the edge of the downward pipe

He tried to crawl forward, nearly out of strength. He struggled to lift his head and gaze into the dark void ahead.

Zheng Jieming was engaged in a fierce struggle in his mind, his face pale. In this confined space, he was on the verge of losing the courage to continue climbing

You handle the air outlet! A determined light flashed in Zheng Jieming's eyes as he walked towards the junction of cars 1 and 2, where the nearest zombie was charging at him from that direction

The zombie leaped out of the water and firmly grasped Lei Yang's right foot

Don't just stand there! Keep thinking of ways to open the ventilation duct! Zheng Jieming did not look back, commanding Lei Yang.

After an unknown duration of crawling, Zheng Jieming finally stopped, exhausted. After regulating his breathing for a while, he realized that there was an eerie silence surrounding him. Even the sound of the crawling pipes rubbing against the metal had vanished.

A strange knocking sound from the pipe reached his ears, penetrating the chaos that enveloped his mind and bringing a moment of clarity

Don't ... ... this. ... ... ... like this, I am ...! ... help me here!

Lei Yang stared blankly as Zheng Jieming took down two zombies, and in that moment, hope ignited within him. He felt that the man before him was the embodiment of a savior, reliable and full of combat skills

Zheng Jieming exerted all his strength to emit his last sound, then lowered his head and lost consciousness once again

"Come quickly!" The voice of Zheng Jieming echoed from the pipe, resonating with the surrounding metal, producing a buzzing sound as he pulled his foot back into the pipe

Were you bitten

In Lei Yang's view, Zheng Jieming stood frozen on the roof of the car for only a few seconds. In Zheng Jieming's perception, he felt as if he had been frozen for an hour, a day, a month, until a familiar, shining golden key suddenly flashed before his eyes, bringing his soul back to him

Zheng Jieming slowly moved forward, the ventilation duct extending endlessly without a visible end, just as the subway tunnel stretched on. As he crawled, he questioned whether his choice to break through was correct. After several hours without water or food, he felt his throat was painfully dry. He dared not look up ahead; whenever he did, he felt that the square black hole was spreading out, ready to swallow him whole.

Sister stood up, turned around, and walked into the distance

"... ... Save ... ... Life ... ..."

Zheng Jieming suddenly remembered that when the two of them came up, the air outlet was sealed with screws, and it was impossible to open the wire mesh with sheer brute force

Sister

Save ... ... me ... ...

Should we crawl back and take a look? Wouldn't that be courting death? But if he gets eaten, I would also bear some responsibility

A thought struck his Baihui point.

Is there someone ahead?

It is light

"Hoo... Hoo... There is none, none." Lei Yang paused and said, "Continue, there is a scent in this pipeline."

Zheng Jieming saw a faint beam of light slowly seeping out from the lower edge of the black hole. He could hardly believe his eyes, closing them, then opening them again, still uncertain, closing them for a while longer, and then opening them once more

I do not want to die

He initially thought the sound was coming from behind his feet, but upon closer listening to the source of the sound, it was coming from above his head

Sister

The leading zombie leaped forward, lunging at Zheng Jieming. Zheng Jieming swiftly dodged backward, causing the zombie to miss and crash to the ground. Zheng Jieming then stepped on the zombie's head, seized its two "claws," and with a forceful motion to the left, he threw it off the vehicle

Crawl over! Crawl!

Zheng Jieming wanted to call out to his sister, but he could not make a sound. He struggled hard to voice his thoughts, yet his sister vanished before his eyes

Lei Yang! Where is Lei Yang? Is he not behind us?

He felt a difficulty in breathing, as if his chest were being heavily compressed. He wanted to squirm down further, but his strength had finally been exhausted

The fear of enemies approaching from behind and the endless darkness ahead simultaneously assailed Zheng Jieming. Instinctively, he closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, exerting all his strength to crawl forward, like a lizard that has lost its tail yet is still desperately trying to escape.

After a considerable pause, he finally realized that he was still lying in the cold, damp pipe. He felt a chill throughout his body, his lips trembling slightly. He raised his head to look ahead, and there it was, the same dark, square void. At this moment, he found himself too exhausted to harbor any fear of that void.

Lei Yang responded repeatedly, beginning to carefully observe the ventilation duct. A surge of strength welled up within him; although his legs continued to tremble uncontrollably, his mind had become much calmer. He meticulously examined the structure of the duct installation, seeking to find a way to open the ventilation duct.

Zheng Jieming commanded his hands to continue crawling forward, but all he could do now was to wriggle forward like a worm

Where has he gone? So focused on climbing forward, has he forgotten to check on Lei Yang? Has he already been dragged away by a zombie?

The light is getting closer! This is seeping up from below the pipe, where there should be an open vent!

The zombie's hand finally loosened, and Lei Yang, like a fish, slipped his entire body into the pipe, sliding forward for quite a distance in one breath, only stopping when he collided with Zheng Jieming's foot, collapsing and gasping for air. He felt his heart racing for a long time before it finally returned to a steady rhythm

"Let's keep moving forward?" Zheng Jieming began to speak to himself, trying to create more sound to fill the void. "If Lei Yang were still alive, there would definitely be a way for him to come out. If he... if he was bitten, then my staying here would be of no use."

light

"Damn it! There's a hidden latch!" Lei Yang suddenly discovered a very inconspicuous latch at a higher point than the solder joint. He looked around and found another one in the opposite direction. Without hesitation, he attempted to press, snap, and toggle those two hidden latches. Finally, with a "click," the black protective net came off along with the ventilation duct.

The air vent was opened, and light once again filled Zheng Jieming's vision. Amidst the light, he faintly saw a human figure

Zheng Jieming's lips moved, yet he could not shout out; his throat was so dry that it was nearly sticking together

As they were speaking, the two heard a scream from a zombie behind them

Lei Yang! ! ! Are you there! ! !

He is unwilling to give up, rhythmically tapping the wall of the duct with his fingers, the echo amplifying within the pipe

He struggled to stay awake, but his eyelids gradually closed once again

The two began to crawl deeper. Lei Yang was at the back, his feet exposed, and he always felt unstable behind him, his lower body trembling. Zheng Jieming, in front, was not faring any better; he could see the situation ahead in the pipe. The square pipe was dark and straight, leading forward with no indication of where it led. The sounds of zombies echoed through the pipe, reaching his ears with an even more eerie resonance. He felt as if he were in a passageway to hell, afraid to move forward yet compelled to press on.

When ... ... when. ... ... ... when ...

Zheng Jieming wanted to see his sister's face clearly, but all he could make out was a blurry smile. His sister was wearing a white dress, just like the day she left Zhongzhou for the Eagle Country.

Several zombies crawled up again, and Zheng Jieming finally saw clearly that the group of zombies was coming through the broken glass of vehicle No. 2. The zombies inside the compartment crawled out through the window and fell to the ground, while new zombies emerged, piling on top of the former, forming a mound of corpses. The zombies outside then stepped on the mound of corpses to climb onto the roof of the vehicle

Lei Yang's half body was suspended in the main air duct, completely unable to see the situation beneath him. The zombie tightly grasped his right foot, and he could only kick frantically. His left foot desperately kicked towards his right foot, as if he wanted to kick off his entire right foot. He felt as if his kidneys had shrunk into a ball. With another forceful kick, he unexpectedly struck the zombie's head heavily. He felt that head jerk back, but it still did not let go. Lei Yang was completely devoid of thoughts, using both feet to continuously kick that head. He felt as if his kidneys had shrunk into a ball. With another forceful kick, he unexpectedly struck the zombie's head heavily. He felt that head jerk back, but it still did not let go. Lei Yang was completely devoid of thoughts, using both feet to continuously kick that head.

Zheng Jieming abandoned this tightly sealed exit. He felt a heaviness in his chest and difficulty breathing, yet he continued to push forward. After climbing for a long stretch, he could no longer hold on and fainted as his head grew heavy

He was eaten by zombies? Should I wait for him? If he was eaten by zombies and I stay here while he crawls forward, I will definitely be bitten too

Can we go up?" Lei Yang shouted

However, he had no time to feel happy, and in the next moment, the protective net's opening was heavily shut, with a loud bang, the light once again vanished from sight

Lei Yang was bewildered, still immersed in the fear and despair of death

There is hope! He pulled hard with his right hand, his body continued to move forward, and he leaned his head forward to look down. It is light! Truly light! He had already adapted to the darkness, and that dazzling and sacred radiance rendered his vision a pale blur

Zheng Jieming began to shout loudly, but he could not even hear the sound of the zombies. All he could hear was his own voice echoing back and forth in the pipe, extending into the square void ahead

"Get out of the way! You climb first!" Lei Yang turned around and saw three zombies charging towards Zheng Jieming from both sides. He extended his arms, positioning the barrel-like protective net in front of his chest, and charged at the zombies, surprisingly pushing all three back to the junction. The last one lost its footing and fell through the gap at the junction, while the first two, clawing and snapping, collapsed beside Vehicle 5 and the library. Lei Yang swung the protective net vigorously, noticing that more zombies had already climbed onto the roof of Vehicle 2. He flipped the protective net over onto one zombie's head and turned to run towards the air duct. Zheng Jieming had already half of his body inside the duct, with both feet dangling in the air, struggling to pull himself up.

Zheng Jieming could not face the long darkness ahead; he rested his head on his hand and closed his eyes. This tunnel was a straight passage from beginning to end, with no branches. Lei Yang must still be behind him. If he were still crawling, he would surely be able to hear the sounds of the tunnel. The absence of sound now indicated that he had fallen far behind.

There are increasingly more methods to find! Zheng Jieming shouted, as he relied on his explosive power to deal with four or five zombies one by one. However, he was well aware that facing two zombies at the same time with his bare hands was quite difficult! More zombies crowded to climb onto the roof of the vehicle, and three zombies were running towards him. He had already prepared himself for death, but he intended to take a few down with him before he went!

"I can't believe it! It crawled in!" Lei Yang shouted in a high-pitched voice, unable to see the situation beneath him, as he dove headfirst between Zheng Jieming's legs.

Uncertain how much time had passed, Zheng Jieming opened his eyes, having completely lost his sense of time. In a daze, he found himself lying on his bed at home, like a child, while his sister sat by the bedside watching him

In other words, without a response from the outside world, one cannot escape by oneself

He struggled to crawl forward, his chin scraping against the cold metal, removing a layer of skin; this pain made him feel a bit more awake

It was almost there! Zheng Jieming's arms were already bruised all over, and the light was right in front of him. He vaguely felt that there were people outside the pipe, and once again wanted to shout for help, but could only emit muffled sounds.

Zheng Jieming actually wanted to call out Lei Yang, but at this moment, he could no longer distinguish between "Lei" and "Meng" in his mind, only weakly squeezing out these two words from his lips. He wished so much that Lei Yang could respond from behind him or at least touch his foot.

Lei Yang turned back to look, and a zombie had already stepped towards vehicle number 6. He quickly bent down, extended his head into the downward-opening pipe, stood up, and saw the soles of Zheng Jieming's shoes moving swiftly forward. With a forceful push, he crawled into the main pipe