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墨書 Inktalez
The words had the effect I expected, striking a decisive note. I saw him involuntarily shudder; it seemed he realized that dealing with this trouble now was far more advantageous than encountering it later. Of course, my promise not to involve him in the hunting operation was also crucial.
"Liu Squad Leader" nodded with relief and said seriously, "Brother Qiang, I support you. I've thought it through; killing this Water Monster is a prerequisite for the upcoming search operation."
I patted him on the back and exchanged a knowing smile. Then I turned my head towards "Xiao Guolin." Successfully winning over Liu Squad Leader boosted my confidence, and I felt ready to persuade Xiao Guolin to change his mind. I still planned to strike at his weak points to dismantle his defenses.
"Xiao Team, I believe your reluctance to hunt that Aquatic Creature stems from a desire to protect this unknown species." Xiao Guolin's expression was calm, and I didn't wait for his response. Instead, I changed my tone and pointed at the fire, continuing, "But you’ve allowed this ancient ship, thousands of years old, to be burned. Surely that Aquatic Creature holds less value for us than it does? To find Song Guilong, we need a light source. For Song Guilong's sake, we should abandon some outdated values, right?
You can ignite this wooden ship for everyone's lives or even for yourself; so why not kill that Water Monster for Song Guilong?
Bringing Song Guilong back is an even more important responsibility for you, isn't it? Are you really planning to abandon Song Guilong and let him freeze or starve here, dying alone in despair?"
My words carried weight; they were not the tone of an Archaeology team member speaking to his leader. I believed these statements could bring him down or at least weaken his resolve. However, I soon realized I had overestimated their impact.
After a while, Xiao Guolin finally shifted his gaze from the fire to my face. There was no shock or anger as I had imagined; instead, he appeared calm and somewhat contemplative.
"Zhang, you’ve surprised me; your transformation is significant. I know your transfer here was sudden, and I understand you better than you think. Otherwise, I might have had different thoughts about your actions today. You’ve been part of this project for a short time; I've worked with Lao Song since its inception. I know more than you do about many things. Not telling you some things wasn’t out of distrust but rather out of protection." At this point, Xiao Guolin glanced at Liu Squad Leader and the Medic.
"Just like with you—if I can give up this wooden ship, why would I care about that Aquatic Creature? This ship is our only discovery here; it greatly aids in unraveling many mysteries and is our sole clue to understanding this civilization. But honestly, I'm no longer concerned about it at all. Why would I care about the life or death of an Aquatic Creature? Right now, my only concern is whether we can get out of here.
Bringing Song Guilong back—yes, that’s what led us into this predicament in the first place. Initially, I viewed it as a mission to complete; now it seems unimportant. I don’t believe we will find him again. In fact, I think he might be the devil dragging us into the abyss. We followed his footprints step by step to get here; perhaps you’ve sensed it too—his intentions are very strong. Have you never questioned where he intends to lead us?
Zhang, aren’t you amazed by this almost miraculous cave? What kind of power could create such a vast underground cavern? Does this ancient city in the western desert truly require such extensive water storage facilities?"
I replied with a hint of uncertainty, "Maybe this is a natural cave, and they are just taking advantage of the situation."
"You can't even convince yourself, which is self-deception. Leave a group here to wait for Song Guilong. I agree, but I oppose going out to search for Song Guilong or risking our lives to hunt that giant Aquatic Creature," Xiao Guolin said firmly.
I was taken aback by Xiao Guolin's insistence; his words truly shocked me. I was also puzzled by this underground water facility, but like I said, I always believed it had more natural elements. If it was excavated based on a natural cave, then the ancient and primitive construction methods could indeed achieve this almost miraculous feat.
What shocked and angered me even more was that Xiao Guolin and the others were still hiding something from me. It seemed that Xiao Guolin might know the purpose of Song Guilong's descent. Some of his remarks hinted that he was aware of the dangers we would face in continuing the search for Song Guilong, at least knowing there was great peril involved. Otherwise, he wouldn't have suggested giving up only after arriving here. So when he initially agreed to search for Song Guilong, he must have known that this plan wouldn't work without a light source; he was retreating to advance. It wasn't until I proposed a solution for lighting that he decisively rejected it.
The negotiation reached an impasse. Given Xiao Guolin's position in the Archaeology team and this Search Team, if he insisted on his opinion, he could definitely influence Zhao Squad Leader's decision. I didn't know how to persuade him; perhaps I should carefully consider the implications of what he had just said, as silence enveloped the room.
"I agree to search for Song Guilong." Suddenly, Cao Mingzhe broke the silence unexpectedly: "I want to find Song Guilong."
When Cao Mingzhe said this, his eyes were fixed on me, treating me as if I were the leader here, seemingly forgetting that I had injured his hand.
"Old Cao, don't be ridiculous," Xiao Guolin exclaimed anxiously. "We need to find a way to survive and look at your hand; if you don't get treatment soon, it will be completely useless."
Xiao Guolin quickly shifted the topic; it seemed he was very concerned about Cao Mingzhe's attitude.
Cao Mingzhe did not take the hint; instead, he stood up excitedly and shouted, "We can't go without Captain Song! We will be safe with him around. He has the iron. I want to go with Zhang Jianqiang; if you don't save Song Guilong, you're not a good person."
Cao Mingzhe bypassed Xiao Guolin and sat down next to me. Throughout this process, Liu Squad Leader and the Medic merely observed silently without any expression. The faces of both Xiao Guolin and me turned pale.
I felt a buzzing in my head before everything short-circuited. After a long time, my brain finally returned to normal thinking. Various images flashed in my mind; I forced myself to clear away the chaotic scenes and began to sort through all the information related to Song Guilong from the beginning.
The first is the bag from Song Guilong. The moment he accidentally discovered Song Guilong in Escape Pod, he hugged the backpack as tightly as his life. Then during the five minutes when the other cabins were shut down, when Liu Squad Leader was ordered to check his backpack, he protected him with all his strength. Even if Liu Squad Leader used force, he failed to achieve his goal. What's in this bag? Damn it, he's holding an iron?
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