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墨書 Inktalez
Three days later, the old man summoned a few people to the basement once again.
As usual, there was a table set with drinks, but this time there were a few more people present. The old man's condition seemed to have worsened; he coughed more frequently, and Three Clear Youth was not by his side this time.
The newcomers included three men and one woman. Two of the men were young, while one appeared to be around fifty years old. The woman was in her prime. They exchanged glances, maintaining silence. The old man held a gray handkerchief to his mouth and slowly stood up, saying, "Let me introduce you all." He introduced the three men in turn: "Lord Cao, Xiao Li, Old Liu," and then pointed to the woman, saying, "This young lady is Xin Shui Su."
Before the old man could finish introducing everyone, First spoke up first: "I am Xiao Jingnan." He then pointed to Second and said, "Cao Shi, Third, Hu Jin." The others slightly raised their eyelids to glance at each other.
The old man smiled and said, "Now that you all know each other, we are all on the same side from now on." Neither side responded, and the old man's expression grew slightly awkward.
Seeing this, Fat Steward stepped forward to pour wine. After filling the glasses, Old Liu, dressed in a black long robe with a jacket over it, his eyes slightly sunken, held a Pipe and said, "Let's cut to the chase; let's talk business."
After a moment of contemplation, the old man replied, "You know about this matter too, Old Liu."
Old Liu sighed and fell silent. After a while, the young man called Lord Cao asked, "Where's the gear?" His features were sharp and defined as if carved by a knife.
The old man gestured to Fat Steward. After a moment, two servants cleared the food from the table and replaced it with a larger wooden box. The old man said, "Everything you need is in here."
Lord Cao called out, "Li Shengma, come check the gear!" The young man previously introduced as Xiao Li obediently walked over without saying a word and opened the wooden box.
When the red wooden box was opened, firearms were immediately visible.
Upon seeing this, Second stepped forward and quickly pulled out a black handgun. After loading it, Second immediately recognized it as a good weapon and said to First, "This is much better than the guns we got before," he spoke without restraint. First coughed a few times before Second stopped talking.
The old man chuckled and said, "No worries; that kid deserves to be dealt with."
First's expression changed; it seemed that the old man was fully aware of their movements. Second also fell silent and began to seriously inspect the equipment.
The group paid no attention to the ongoing conversation. Li Shengma continued inspecting the tools while Old Liu took slow puffs from his cigarette. The woman named Xin Shui Su remained silent, not making a single unnecessary movement throughout.
Third glanced over the group, and when he caught sight of the woman, she slightly lifted her eyelids to look at him. An unusual feeling surged within Third, prompting him to steal another glance at her. After finding nothing of interest, he shifted his gaze away.
Second tested the gun, and with each trial, the contents of his eyes grew more vivid. Unable to contain himself, he exclaimed, "Damn it, the guns in the army aren't even this good."
Seven, upon hearing this, couldn't help but step forward to examine the gun as well.
After a while, another box was brought in. When it was opened, its contents were dazzling: climbing ropes, daggers, shovels, and even flashlights alongside military rations labeled with foreign writing—compressed food and military canned goods—along with flint and military backpacks. All these items bore military labels, leaving the group in awe of the old man's vast resources.
Once Li Shengma finished organizing everything, he nodded at Lord Cao to indicate that all was well.
After both teams gathered their gear, the old man said, "Then I entrust this matter to all of you."
Xiao Boss nodded in agreement while Second remarked, "Old man, I'll agree to help you just because of these guns." Upon hearing this, Lord Cao sneered slightly, a look of disdain flashing in his eyes.
The old man continued, "I appreciate everyone giving Old Man face. If it weren't for my age, I would have led this myself. I hope you all can keep this matter confidential as this old item is very important to me. My friend Old Liu will be in charge of this operation; I hope everyone can cooperate fully."
At that moment, Xiao Boss realized that the four of them were not a cohesive unit.
Old Liu had been drooping his eyelids and smoking until he heard his name mentioned; only then did his expression change slightly.
The old man's steward would also accompany them. After finishing his speech, the old man fell silent.
Lord Cao spoke up, "Old man, I have no problem helping you find your item, but I have one request." The old man glanced at Lord Cao. He continued, "I want to act independently; I wonder if you can agree to this request."
The old man fell silent for a moment before saying, "Alright, but my steward must accompany you. Otherwise, I cannot agree." He coughed a few times, his voice growing somber.
Lord Cao's expression darkened slightly, but after a moment, he forced a smile and said, "Fine, old man. Once we find the item, I will present it to you personally."
The old man did not respond but turned to look at First and his group. First seized the moment to speak up, "I have no objections on my end."
The old man shifted his gaze to the woman named Xin Shui Su. She seemed completely oblivious to his stare and ignored him. The old man did not press further but patiently waited. After a while, she finally said in a cold and deep voice, "I will join the team!" The old man's expression softened, and he felt a weight lift from his heart.
He wiped the corner of his mouth with a gray handkerchief and said, "If you all can bring back that old item for me, I would be extremely grateful. You can go back and prepare; we can set off tomorrow."
After everyone took their leave, Lord Cao muttered a curse under his breath as he stepped outside. Li Shengma followed closely behind him, then came First and his three companions, followed by the woman with long black hair and an attractive face. Finally, Fat Steward also left.
Old Liu was the last to exit. As he passed by the old man, he said in a long tone, "Brother Zhang, at this point, are you still not planning to back down?"
Smoke continued to slowly escape from Old Liu's mouth, swirling in the air. The old man coughed violently a few times, his emotions flaring as he exclaimed, "How can I back down! Look at what state I'm in now!"
Old Liu interrupted him, saying, "But those things are beyond our reach! We have already faced punishment!"
The old man suddenly stood up, speaking even more fervently.
………………………………………………………………………
Darkness enveloped this conversation as one person's footsteps hurriedly departed.
The next day, just before dawn, two shadows left the courtyard and headed towards the east of South Town.
As dawn began to break, First and Old Liu were already gathered, waiting for the woman. About five minutes later, she finally appeared.
Old Liu spoke in a somewhat hoarse and low voice, "Get ready, let's set off!"
The sun slowly peeked over the horizon as they all sat in a horse-drawn carriage.
The Stone Forest was located to the east and west of South Town, a vast area shared by both the eastern and southern regions. It spanned across both areas, with the southern side featuring neatly arranged stone pillars, while the eastern side was chaotic and disorderly. There was an unspoken sense of foreboding in the air.
This Stone Forest was usually deserted because those who entered rarely came back out. The locals referred to it as the Lost Formation.
Although the Stone Forest belonged to South Town, the city itself was quite large. By the time the group arrived at the Stone Forest, it was already deep into the night.
The moon hung high in the sky, casting a gentle light that illuminated the entire Stone Forest.
One by one, they disembarked from the carriage, while Old Liu remained silent, puffing on his pipe. The woman didn’t bother to get off at all.
First and Second gazed at the southern part of the Stone Forest, feeling a sense of awe. Seven exclaimed in surprise, "This truly is nature's masterpiece!"
Seven pulled out a map from his backpack and began examining it under the beam of his flashlight. This was a topographical map of the Stone Forest that he had obtained from an old man. The map had two sides: one for the south and one for the east. The southern geographical markers were clearly defined, while those for the east were less so.
First respectfully asked Old Liu, who was smoking beside him, "Old Liu, are we moving now?"
Old Liu glanced at Xiao Jingnan and nodded slightly.
He lifted his gaze to take in the vast expanse of the Stone Forest, let out a faint sigh, and suddenly raised his voice, "Let's go in!" With that, he took the lead into the depths of the forest.
Seven put away the map, and after glancing at the carriage, Third followed suit.
Second pulled out the handgun hidden in his coat and held it firmly in his hand. After taking down a few people, First noticed that the last woman had also joined them.
Upon entering the Stone Forest, they felt how small they truly were. A dense pressure seemed to emanate from all around, and the ground was nearly barren. The distance between each stone pillar to the south was roughly equal, but the diameters of the pillars varied slightly, with the largest now appearing to be about a meter wide.
Looking up at the sky, it seemed as though the stone pillars had divided it into a grid-like pattern. The footsteps of the group echoed hurriedly in the night.
Old Liu spoke up, "Our destination is not here; we need to head to the center of this Stone Forest. That would be precisely at the Boundary Line." Second asked how long it would take.
Old Liu replied quietly, "Three days." Second nearly cursed but swallowed it back.
After a moment, Seven asked, "Does the structure ahead have anything to do with our mission behind us?" Upon hearing this question, Old Liu slightly trembled and said, "You will naturally know when the time comes."
During this time, Third remained silent, attentively observing their surroundings while First carefully examined the environment.
The woman appeared delicate and frail, yet her walking speed was no slower than that of the larger men.
Old Liu did not pause his steps; he seemed oblivious to his surroundings as he pressed forward.
As dawn broke on the second day, Old Liu halted his pace. Looking at the endless Stone Forest ahead, he said, "Let's rest here and regain our strength. We will set off in two hours. I cannot guarantee your safety on the road ahead; each of you is responsible for your own life and death." With that, he fell silent.
The mood among the group shifted. The previous stretch of road had indeed left them with an unsettling feeling.
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