Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
The fewer the personnel in the Sealed Chamber, the more abundant the oxygen supply becomes. I understood Squad Leader Li's intention. With Squad Leader Liu and Cao Mingzhe taking care of Song Guilong, I felt reassured. I didn't insist on staying; it was not surprising that the command center made such arrangements. What I doubted was whether they had the time to make these arrangements.
Before long, the injured soldier with a broken arm crawled into the Sealed Chamber. Xiao Guolin and I helped him into the first seat and secured him with a safety belt. Throughout the process, he gritted his teeth, his face pale. It seemed that the initial excitement had faded, and the pain from his severed arm began to torment him again. Xiao Guolin sat across from him while I positioned myself on the outside, ready to close the Hatch at any moment.
The two of them sat facing each other, helplessly looking at one another. I couldn't bear to look at the soldier because I couldn't help him; there was nothing I could do to alleviate his suffering. "Hang in there, Sandstorm won't last too long. Your arm can be reattached; a fracture isn't a major surgery. You'll be fine," Xiao Guolin's words brought a glimmer of hope to the soldier's eyes as he nodded heavily.
I calculated the time and felt that Xiao Guolin was reliable. Although his injury hadn't received professional treatment, basic bandaging and stabilization had been done. As long as we didn't delay too long, a full recovery was possible. My mood lightened a bit.
My main focus still had to be on the outside, constantly monitoring changes in the environment. If anything seemed off, I would close the Hatch immediately. My nerves were highly strung; the only reason to close the Hatch was if the Excavation Pit collapsed. If that happened during a Black Sandstorm, we wouldn't receive any rescue and would only die in fear. The thought sent a shiver down my spine.
Suddenly, a shadow flitted past outside the Sealed Chamber. My heart skipped a beat, and I nearly cursed; even the slightest movement could snap my already taut nerves. Peering out, I recognized a familiar figure—Squad Leader Liu. When I saw him, he had already jumped out of the transition cabin and was heading outside.
This guy had stubbornly refused to leave Song Guilong just moments ago but was now leaving the Sealed Chamber alone, even going outside to the Escape Pod. His unusual behavior immediately caught my attention. I turned back to Xiao Guolin and said, "I'll be right back," without waiting for his response before bending down and slipping out of the Sealed Chamber.
The transition cabin was situated in the middle of the Escape Pod, with open hatches on both sides leading upward. Squad Leader Liu had left through the nearest exit of the Escape Pod, seemingly trying not to draw attention from the personnel in the other two Sealed Chambers since all four hatches were open; passing by those two would undoubtedly attract more scrutiny.
I didn't descend but merely poked my head out of the transition cabin to look in Liu Squad Leader's direction as he stood not far from the Escape Pod—not alone; there was another figure beside him. It was too dark to see who it was, but when that person spoke, I immediately recognized their voice—it was Squad Leader Li.
His hoarse voice, even though deliberately lowered, still reached me faintly. However, I couldn't make out what they were discussing; all I could sense was that they were arguing—or rather, it seemed like Squad Leader Li was speaking alone, his tone chaotic and agitated while being stern. It appeared that Liu Squad Leader remained silent throughout; however, I could feel his resistance—silence can also be a form of defiance.
I only caught their last exchange clearly; it was Squad Leader Li's commanding voice: "Execute orders!" It was loud and very severe.
Immediately after that, Liu Squad Leader turned and walked toward the Escape Pod. I quickly retreated into the Sealed Chamber and gestured for Xiao Guolin to be quiet while lowering my head to watch the hatch of the opposite Sealed Chamber. Liu Squad Leader skillfully backed into our chamber; just as he entered, I noticed something hanging from his chest—a compact submachine gun.
I heard my heart thud, followed by a violent pounding.
In this project location, military personnel made up the vast majority. However, only the Guard Company was armed. No other department was allowed to carry weapons. In this situation, when Liu Squad Leader suddenly armed himself, it made me anxious; it felt as if danger had truly arrived.
Li Squad Leader did not return immediately.
My heart was in turmoil as I kept my head slightly lowered, glancing outside without being too obvious, worried that Liu Squad Leader might see me. I quickly reviewed the current situation and various possibilities regarding this matter, but I found something troubling: I didn't know whom to trust or where to seek help. Logically, Song Guilong had brought me here and we were developing a Test Pit together. Furthermore, during my first participation in Archaeology, I had collaborated with him. Recently, since most of the workload was concentrated on this Test Pit, I spent more time with Song Guilong. Just like Captain Zhou, we had grown closer lately. He had always been someone I trusted and respected; I wanted to believe in him. However, his current state made it impossible for me to seek help from him. In fact, he seemed to be the one who needed help the most.
Xiao Guolin? I silently shook my head. He was a steady person who had given me some good advice. However, during the recent Sandstorm incident, his behavior had been erratic—sometimes serious, sometimes humorous—making him hard to read. I glanced at him and knew my expression must have been stiff; I hadn't yet recovered from the shock brought by Li Squad Leader and Liu Squad Leader. Xiao Guolin didn’t ask what was going on; he merely wore a faintly enigmatic smile. I turned my head back toward the hatch.
It seemed that Li Squad Leader and Liu Squad Leader had just had a conflict. Although Liu Squad Leader did not confront Li Squad Leader directly, there was clearly some resistance in his demeanor. Li Squad Leader arming Liu Squad Leader indicated he was preparing to take action against Song Guilong. I didn’t know what secrets lay behind this, but I had to find a way to stop it. Suddenly, a bold idea sprang into my mind: talk to him. Li Squad Leader hadn’t returned; what was he doing out there alone? My curiosity piqued at that thought. At that moment, a devil inside me urged: go out and see what he’s doing; go talk to him. It felt like two split personalities were engaged in a fierce battle in my mind; my timid rational side held the upper hand, controlling me not to act impulsively. But then I suddenly asked myself: what else can you do for Song Guilong? What do you plan to do for him? This question shattered all my retreat options. I needed to step out and let Li Squad Leader know that someone stood with Song Guilong, that someone was aware of his dirty and sinister plans. If he took actions detrimental to Song Guilong, he would face resistance and be reported to higher authorities.
Comment 0 Comment Count