Chapter 54: Diary
If, in the past, someone had told that they were going to dig an underground tunnel from City to the , he would have been certain that person was insane.
This kind of long-distance underground boring depended extremely heavily on geological conditions, and the rock structure over at was complex, riddled with faults and fissures. Undertaking such a project was nothing less than throwing money down the drain.
But at this moment, stroked the cold, heavy shell of the " " Mark II survey vehicle, and only one thought remained in his mind.
This thing was damned useful!
The high-frequency oscillating drill and laser cutter at the front of the boring machine sliced through hard rock as smoothly as cutting tofu.
The rapid-drying, high-strength composite material sprayed from the rear of the vehicle completed the initial support the instant the tunnel took shape.
In fact, if it hadn't been for clearing out the insect nests along the way and waiting for the engineering crews to lay ventilation, power, and communication lines behind them, this underground passage could have broken through even sooner.
Just a few minutes before, at the edge of the enormous open pit of the iron mine, the flat ground had suddenly bulged upward, soil and gravel sliding away with a rustle.
A moment later, a six-wheeled behemoth bored out from underground, its body still smeared with black soil and crushed stone.
"Whew—finally out."
pushed open the cab door, poked half his body out from the roof, and took a deep breath.
The air no longer carried that damp, moldy underground smell. What replaced it was a dry breath tinged with mineral dust.
Then he scanned his surroundings and immediately sensed the wrongness.
The mining area was eerily quiet—and that, precisely, was the most abnormal thing.
By all logic, a large mine like this should have had no shortage of workers when the disaster broke out, and there would have been no small number of zombies after the corpses turned.
But right now, there wasn't a single human figure within 's field of view.
" , we've arrived at the designated coordinates. The surface is secure—no signs of activity," he reported in a low voice into the communicator on his .
[Received.]
's voice was as calm as always,
[Maintain alert. Begin preliminary exploration of the mining area. The Sentinels will coordinate with you.]
As soon as the words fell, a " " robot stepped out of a pit to the side with steady strides, its red compound optical lens sweeping across the entire mining area. Its muzzle pressed down slightly as it entered patrol mode.
Seeing this familiar, reliable steel partner, and the team members climbing out of the vehicle one after another finally relaxed.
"Team One, guard the pit's edge. Team Two, inspect the equipment area. Team Three, follow me to the living quarters," issued his orders methodically.
"Remember, strictly follow the emergency response regulations. Report any discovery immediately through your identity cards!"
"Yes!"
The team members fanned out quickly and began their exploration of the silent mining area.
Through the 's camera, 's consciousness also took in the general layout of the mine.
It was an open-pit mine. The entire mountain had been shaved into several terraced platform levels, each one with haul roads and stockpile yards.
Now all those facilities stood idle. A giant excavator sat crookedly at the bottom of the pit, half a bucket of ore still in its shovel.
Haul trucks lay scattered in every direction—some overturned at the roadside, others plunged nose-first into the pit.
That was proof that people had certainly been here when the disaster struck, and that chaos had erupted.
But when walked up to an overturned truck and leaned in to look into the cab—
He found nothing at all.
Empty.
No corpses. No bloodstains either.
"This isn't right!" team member said in a hushed voice. " , by all logic, even if the zombies moved on, there should be some bloodstains left, right?"
Another team member nearby also found it strange and nodded. "I used to work over here. This mine had at least two or three hundred people on the roster."
"How could there not be a single trace?"
Hearing this, 's brow knitted even tighter. He knew the situation before his eyes was wrong nine parts out of ten.
A large mine capable of supporting several thousand workers—how could it not have a single person after the disaster broke out?
Even if the zombies had all wandered away, they should have left some trace behind, shouldn't they?
"Mr. , have you found anything?" asked, looking down at the on his chest.
[No. The 's thermal imaging shows no active targets on the mining area's surface, but concealed areas can't be ruled out.]
At this moment, felt much the same way as if he'd seen a ghost. How could it possibly be this clean?
Could someone have cleaned it up on purpose? Like what they had done at their ?
Did a large survivor stronghold with the awareness to clear away zombies exist over at ? Or could there be genuine official authority here?
But even that didn't explain why they would scrub the mine this clean.
It couldn't be that the stronghold was at the mine itself, could it? What unique advantage would that have?
At that moment, felt a swarm of question marks pop up in his mind.
Just then, 's rang again—it was another team member.
"Reporting to , I found a diary in an office over here. It seems to contain records of some things."
replied immediately: "Got it. We're on our way."
***
pushed open the door of the temporary office in the mining area, and a scene of utter chaos came into view.
It was as if some kind of struggle had taken place in here. Everything was in disorder, and the desk had even been kicked over onto the floor.
took a hardcover notebook with a brown cover from the team member. The cover was already somewhat worn, the corners curled up, showing yellowed pages within.
Taking the notebook, quickly flipped to the diary entries around the time of the disaster outbreak, further in.
The handwriting was very neat—you could tell its writer was a patient and meticulous person.
[August 30, sunny.]
[Damn it. The braised pork with vermicelli in the cafeteria was salty enough to choke a horse again.
Did Old Zhang dump the whole box of salt in? I'll have to raise it with logistics tomorrow.
There was a small problem at the mining face in the afternoon. Worked overtime until seven before getting back. Exhausted.
Oh, right. That bunch was complaining again today, saying they kept hearing bursts of a "rustling" sound over in the C-3 area.
I had the safety officer take a crew down to inspect the whole area—nothing was found. Could a ventilation duct have come loose somewhere?
I'll have someone check again tomorrow.]
[September 3, overcast.]
[Something happened! Liu San from the C-3 morning shift has gone missing!
The mine organized everyone available for a whole day of searching, and they didn't find even a ghost of a trace.
The surveillance was checked too—nothing was captured.
This is seriously cursed. Where could a living, breathing adult go?
Earlier, the mine director asked whether we should halt operations for an inspection, but with this month's production target still unfinished, I talked him into holding off.
If only I'd listened to him then.]
Seeing this, 's brow furrowed. What came next would be the days of the disaster's outbreak.
[9.4, weather? Who the hell still cares about the weather!]
[He's lost it! Engineer Wang has lost it! Everyone has lost it! The whole world has lost it!
People are biting people everywhere, blood all over the place!
I've locked myself in the office, bracing the door shut with a cabinet.
Why is this happening? What the hell is going on?
How did it suddenly become a crisis? Someone save me!]
The next several pages were broken, fragmentary entries, their contents nothing but hunger, fear, and despair.
Until one page, where the diary took another turn.
[9.6, night.]
[The water and instant noodles are gone. I'm starving to death.
It's much quieter outside now, but occasionally there's still the sound of something moving in the corridor.
I don't dare go out, but I have to try to find food. I'll go out first thing tomorrow morning!
PS: I just heard that "rustling sound" too, coming from over at the pit. It was loud—really loud!
Like millions of locusts gnawing on crops. It made my scalp go numb.
What the hell is that?]
[9.7, dawn.]
[I'm still alive! I know I have to go find food!
So I pushed the door open—and outside, there was nothing at all!
The corridor was spotless. The dormitory building was spotless. The entire mining area was spotless.
No maniacs, no corpses, not even a single drop of blood. Quiet as an uninhabited zone.
For an instant, I even wondered whether everything that had happened before had been my delusion.
But the claw marks on the walls and the cracked door panels told me it had all been real.
But they... where did they go?]
exchanged looks with the team members who had gathered around, and deep gravity could be seen in one another's eyes.
If this record was true, it meant that all the zombies and all the bloodstains had been "cleaned up" completely in a single night!
What the hell had happened?
The diary continued.
[I tried to leave the mining area, but those monsters were everywhere outside.
I'd barely reached the mine gate when I saw dozens of monsters wandering on the road.
I could only retreat. This place was eerie, but at least there were no monsters.
I gathered up the food left in the dormitory building. Not much, but if I rationed it, it should last a while.
I hope I can hold out until rescue.]
[September 8, the fog came.
While I was looking for tools in the mining area, the fog suddenly rolled in—such thick fog!
A vast expanse of white. You couldn't make anything out a few meters away.
And then... that "rustling sound" came again!
Louder than last time, clearer, as if it were ringing right beside my ear!
I knew something was wrong. I turned and sprinted for the dormitory building.
In the second before I shut the door, I glanced outside.
I saw—]
From here on, the handwriting in the diary became like ghost scribbles, frantic strokes dragging across the paper, tearing it, leaving behind marks deep enough to show bone.
[That is—an inconceivable thing...
It's so big!
No... there are so many of them!
No! No! None of it is right!!!]
The frenzied writing filled an entire page. And finally, at the very bottom of the paper, there was a line of neat handwriting, as if the man had regained his calm.
[I was wrong. You mustn't look at it.]
The office fell into deathly silence.
closed the notebook, his fingers trembling slightly without his control.
swallowed hard: " , this... what does this mean?"
shook his head. "You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask! This is seriously cursed!"
Fine beads of cold sweat seeped out on every forehead in the room. A chill that cut to the bone welled up from the bottoms of their hearts, raising goosebumps all over their bodies.
" ! Fog!" Just then, a team member suddenly shouted, pointing outside the door.
snapped his head up.
At some point, a thin fog had already risen within the mining area.
With a quick eye and swift hand, he shut the door, shouting into his at the same time.
"Everyone listen up!" raised his voice, forcing himself to stay calm. "Find the nearest room and hide immediately. Shut the doors and windows!"
"Don't look at anything in the fog!"
"Pay no attention to any sound!"
"I repeat—don't look! Don't listen! Hide, now!"
And not long after the order was given, a "rustling sound" rang out clearly at the ears of everyone in the room.
The few people in the room immediately didn't dare breathe. They only crouched in the corner, clutching their sidearms, staring fixedly at the tightly shut door.
Some fog was already seeping in through the gap beneath the door.