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墨書 Inktalez
The noon sun blazed with a heat that could scorch skin, yet Xin Yi felt a chilling sensation wash over him under the unrelenting exposure. The figure before him, skillfully tossing a sharp dagger in his hand, possessed an inscrutable depth that surpassed even Song Bunan's most intense moments. His calm demeanor made it impossible to discern his thoughts, and each of his actions was entirely unexpected.
With extensive experience in close combat, Xin Yi usually noticed even the slightest movement from someone passing by within half a meter. However, today, when the dagger was taken from him, he felt nothing at all—not even a hint of when the other had made his move.
From his appearance, this person showed no signs of having undergone any relevant training. The tailored suit accentuated his tall and well-proportioned figure, and aside from his face, he exuded no sense of aggression whatsoever.
Had he grown complacent recently? This thought occupied Xin Yi's mind as he instinctively clenched his fist, tightening his muscles without any other sensation.
The man across from him noticed his movement and changed his grip on the dagger, offering the hilt to Xin Yi. When he saw that Xin Yi made no move to take it, he suddenly flicked his wrist and sent the dagger flying into the gap of a wooden chair.
"I graduated from the same school as Song Bunan ten years earlier; if you check the school records, you'll find that my achievements still stand unbroken. Compared to his skills, I'm not lacking," Song Buxian said without pausing, turning to walk out of the community. His voice faded as he added, "I've delivered the items; I'll contact you for further matters."
Xin Yi watched Song Buxian's figure disappear before reaching down to pick up the dagger, noticing it bore no fingerprints. As he stowed it away and headed upstairs, he collided with a hurried Song Bunan just as he was rushing out. Their eyes met, each reading confusion in the other's gaze, but it was Song Bunan who spoke first.
"I searched your room for ages and thought something had happened to you." Faced with Song Bunan's inquiry, Xin Yi instinctively reached for the weapon at his waist but decided to conceal that Song Buxian had visited. He claimed it was a teammate from Mighty Falcon who had come by to drop something off.
Song Bunan poked him in the arm in annoyance, complaining that he should have at least given a heads-up before leaving, which caused him to search all over.
Seeing Song Bunan sulking, Xin Yi countered by asking what exactly he had searched through. In response, Song Bunan adopted a thoughtful expression, stroking his chin as he began listing places: from the sofa seams to the bottom drawer of the fridge and every nook and cranny in between, prompting Xin Yi to laugh out loud.
"I'm not a rat; why would I only look in crevices?" Song Bunan replied with an exasperated expression, shrugging as if to say there was nothing else he could do—he couldn't very well knock on neighbors' doors for help.
Feeling amused by Song Bunan's antics, Xin Yi's mood lightened. Once inside, he asked when they could eat. The man leaned back against the sofa and rubbed his nose before extending a hand toward him with a flat tone: "Hand it over."
"What?" Xin Yi feigned ignorance.
Song Bunan didn't beat around the bush. "I'm quite curious about what Song Buxian gave you."
"You know?" Xin Yi recalled how calm Song Bunan had been when he caught him lying at the door—his expression utterly unperturbed.
Clearly, his surprised reaction pleased Song Bunan. The previously confident man softened as he approached and pulled Xin Yi back down onto the sofa. Holding both of Xin Yi's hands gently, he explained in a low voice.
"I heard someone knock and knew you were inside without looking back. When I found the door closed and realized you were gone, I saw my brother's silhouette through the peephole. I didn't have to think twice; I knew he was going to drag you into another conversation. I could see everything from the balcony—even how many cigarettes he smoked."
"I'm just curious about the contents of the envelope," Song Bunan interrupted him, "I have no interest in the confidential discussions between you two, so don't feel burdened."
How could one not feel burdened? Xin Yi felt a headache coming on. He sighed and pulled out the envelope to hand it over. Song Bunan happily shook his head and almost snatched it away to open it.
As he read the contents, the man's expression gradually twisted. He clicked his tongue several times, finally frowning at Xin Yi and exclaiming how infuriating it was that such worthless people could exist in Mighty Falcon.
The thin paper quickly became crumpled in Song Bunan's hands. Xin Yi watched as the person in front of him became even angrier, his face turning red as he muttered incessantly about his dissatisfaction with Mighty Falcon, peppering his complaints with a few unpublishable curses. This lightened Xin Yi's mood considerably; he reached out to reclaim the paper and poked at Song Bunan's puffed-up cheeks, asking why he was so angry.
"You’re not angry? This is such a big deal, and you, as the person involved, aren’t upset? That’s quite magnanimous of you," Song Bunan rolled his eyes dramatically at his question. "I thought those jerks in the joint team were annoying enough, but then you guys in Mighty Falcon come up with this nonsense. There’s no one trustworthy among the so-called higher-ups anymore, is there? I’m really glad I didn’t join Mighty Falcon; otherwise, the person who wrote this would definitely be dead."
Xin Yi couldn’t argue against that; he could only sigh and acknowledge that no one could resist those in higher positions. Hearing this, Song Bunan perked up again, smacking his lips as he claimed he had indeed resisted and had been quite successful.
Hmm? How should that be interpreted? Xin Yi was intrigued and wanted an explanation.
"When I told you about it, I mentioned that it was a high-ranking official who shot at me," Song Bunan continued after seeing Xin Yi nod. "I kept track of all the high-ranking officials related to that team. After leaving school, I searched for their information through various channels. Whenever I had the chance, I would take my revenge. After nearly ten years of waiting, I finally saw them all dead."
At the mention of their deaths, Song Bunan visibly relaxed, leaning back on the sofa and taking deep breaths, his expression filled with the satisfaction of revenge fulfilled. "I’ve never been a good person; if I’m bullied, I will definitely retaliate. They owe me many lives, so I want them dead—it's only right."
Recalling Song Buxian's words, Xin Yi couldn't help but admire how these two were indeed brothers. He reached out to embrace him, expressing his agreement with his sentiments.
"You’ve only done what you should do; it has nothing to do with being a good person or not. I envy you for being able to find specific targets for revenge. In Mighty Falcon, even knowing who gave the orders is useless; everyone uses aliases and we’ve never even met those higher-ups—there’s nowhere to investigate."
He comforted Song Bunan while also comforting himself. The events from back then were like a nightmare in his heart that he couldn’t get over. Analyzing all factors combined, it seemed impossible for him to seek revenge like Song Bunan had done. He could feel Song Bunan gently patting his back in consolation as a muffled voice came from beside him saying to leave it to him.
"As long as they are in this world, I can find them," Song Bunan said steadily. "I won’t allow those who once bullied you to live well and harm others."
The paper contained the real orders regarding the mission to eliminate the laboratory where Xin Yi's team had been sent years ago. The black-and-white records treated all their lives as mere fodder without caring for their survival.
[The team is ordered to proceed to the laboratory to execute an extermination mission.
Note: The team is not required to leave any survivors.]
They even detailed their action plan after deciding not to leave any survivors, specifying exactly what time they would begin breaking down doors. That was why they failed; a group of them died in that ambush-laden building. The notion of stealth was laughable; in their opponents' eyes, they were less mysterious than the package they carried.
If it weren't for the fact that he had managed to survive, this matter would likely never have been brought up again.
Xin Yi watched Song Bunan busy cooking in the kitchen, and took out his spare device to send the information to the captain and the boss. To be honest, he had no idea how this information had leaked or what Song Buxian intended by handing it to him.
If the situation was indeed as Song Bunan analyzed, with internal conflicts and struggles arising within the laboratory, it was still uncertain whether this was good or bad for them. After all, any infighting on the other side would be conducted in secrecy, and they had no way of knowing how much relevant information they possessed. Acting rashly would surely lead to more harm than good.
Moreover, none of the forces related to the laboratory had chosen to show themselves, and it was impossible to determine who was involved. How could they be sure that among those who chose to side with the laboratory there weren't any friends or family members?
"It seems we've already been raided," the captain replied first. Just from that sentence, Xin Yi could imagine the expression and tone with which it was said. He didn't respond, waiting for further messages.
"A lot of things have gone missing from Mighty Falcon Building, and all security personnel have vanished. Even places I can't access are wide open. I must say, the laboratory really knows how to operate in this regard. You should just focus on your romance for now and leave Mighty Falcon alone."
It sounded easy enough, but how could he simply ignore a team he had been with for decades? After thinking for a long time, Xin Yi finally settled on a reply, stating that he would investigate from other angles and try to avoid direct conflict.
"Our intelligence network still has our people; go talk to Antlion. If Song Bunan can cooperate, we can exchange some information to facilitate future work."
After sending that message, the captain disappeared again. Xin Yi stared at the suddenly grayed-out icon on his phone, habitually praising the captain's ability to juggle so many tasks. But why hadn't the boss replied? He disliked this feeling, as if something was stuck in his throat.
After the issues at Mighty Falcon arose, he was informed first by the boss that they had moved to a new location with their family. Out of concern for safety, he hadn't asked where their new home was; he just hoped these problems could be resolved quickly. Now it seemed that not asking for an address might not have been a wise choice.
His thoughts were interrupted by a beautifully presented plate of boiled fish. Song Bunan smiled at him while holding chopsticks and said, "If you're worried, after dinner I'll accompany you to Mighty Falcon for a look."
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