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墨書 Inktalez
"Come on. Why aren't you pretending anymore? I thought you were pretty good at it." I never expected Fatty's hefty body to be so agile; otherwise, he wouldn't have managed to snatch the cigarette from me. I wanted to see how long he could keep up the act, how long he could endure.
Fatty stubbed the cigarette butt on a piece of orange peel, leaned back against the pile of soft blankets, and let out a long sigh. "Brother, if you don't come soon, I'm going to suffocate here."
I scoffed. "Lost in the pleasures of love, huh? You've already forgotten about your brothers. It's really true that you can't know a person's heart just by their face. After all these years, I didn't expect you to be someone who values romance over friendship."
The embarrassment on Fatty's face flashed away in an instant.
"What are you talking about? How am I valuing romance over friendship? And 'goods'? I'm a person, not an object. Do you know how many sacrifices I've made for my brothers? I've even sold my looks!"
I was about to seize on Fatty's slip of the tongue to hit him hard, but then his subsequent comment about selling looks left me stunned.
"How do you sell your looks? Shouldn't it be by weight? Otherwise, it's hard to set a price. It must be more expensive than pork, right?"
"Well, at least that's better than you, right? Even if you offered it for free, no one would want it. You have no right to mock me." Fatty's retort was as sharp as ever.
When it came to banter, I was slightly inferior to Fatty. He excelled at twisting words and changing topics with ease, often using my embarrassing moments from school as evidence for his arguments. Just after a couple of exchanges, he had already diverted the topic elsewhere.
Seeing this, I quickly shut down that line of conversation and coldly said, "Stop with those nonsense. What did Cao Mingzhe offer you that made you sell me out? I'm not interested in helping someone who sells me for money. If there's any benefit, I want my share; that's my selling price."
Fatty felt truly embarrassed this time. The smile on his face was unnatural as he stammered, "It’s really not beneficial."
"That's nonsense!" I immediately interrupted Fatty. "What kind of person do you think I am? You wouldn't be so eager to cooperate with him if there was no benefit!"
Upon hearing my words, Fatty's emotions suddenly flared up. He straightened his back, stared at me for a moment, then weakly slumped back down.
"I had no choice for Xiao Ting."
I stared at him in silence. At this moment, I didn't need to say anything; my determined gaze told him that I wanted to know the truth.
"You too. If you want to go to Lop Nur, you can only cooperate with them. That place is completely sealed off now; the only ones who can enter are those from the government-backed Task Force. Moreover, this Task Force is also waiting for formal approval. Without higher-level authorization, your old rival, One Commander, has no authority to let anyone into Lop Nur. Currently, the security around Lop Nur is under his responsibility."
"Qiangzi, you know Xiao Ting; she won’t shed tears until she sees the coffin. She would definitely go to Lop Nur. I can't let her go alone; I can't sleep at night thinking about it."
"And what about me?" I continued to stare at Fatty and asked.
"That goes without saying. Xiao Ting's father is your old colleague and captain. You both have similar feelings; you must be more eager than anyone else to return there, even if it's just to destroy it."
I waved my hand dismissively. "What matters is my position in this Task Force. Cao Mingzhe is scheming for me to go; why? What good would it do? To lead the way? They don’t need me; Liu Squad Leader has the same experience as I do, and his role is more significant than mine. I've told you before, he has an extraordinary spatial imagination. I can't think of a reason why I must go."
"You are an Awakener."
I glared fiercely at Fatty: "Have you been brainwashed? Do you really believe such nonsense?"
Fatty did not avoid my gaze. "If everyone behaves this way, there must be a reason behind it. Qiangzi, even though this method is hard to believe, it still holds some credibility. Every time you manage to escape from dire situations, it's not just coincidence. Including our ability to come out intact this time."
I fell silent for a moment. "Yes, our survival this time is quite suspicious. Moreover, Cao Mingzhe seems to have anticipated it; he was waiting for us outside. What exactly is going on?"
A flash of lightning suddenly illuminated Fatty's face and the hospital room.
Neither Fatty nor I noticed when it had gotten dark. With the rumble of thunder, Huang Hai appeared at the door of the room, carrying several bags in his hands. He quickly placed supplements, fruits, and a large flower basket in front of Fatty.
"Brother Gang, they didn't tell me about your situation; otherwise, I would have come to see you earlier," Huang Hai said as he squeezed me aside, his sincerity palpable.
I initially thought Huang Hai was being considerate by avoiding interrupting my time with Fatty, but it turned out he was just there to bring gifts and curry favor with Fatty.
In contrast to my indifference towards Huang Hai, Fatty greeted him warmly, patting his shoulder and offering comfort. If one disregarded the hospital attire, one might think it was Huang Hai who was injured and hospitalized.
When Huang Hai pulled out two packs of Zhonghua cigarettes from the bag, Fatty became excited and said to him, "Put those away; smoke them when you get back. You can't smoke here."
Huang Hai straightened his neck and tilted his head back defiantly. "Who dares to stop Brother Gang from smoking? I'll take care of them."
With a sharp sound,
Fatty slapped Huang Hai on the back of his neck.
"You can't hit this guy."
Huang Hai rubbed the back of his head and asked, "Isn't he a nurse?"
Fatty chuckled lightly.
Huang Hai's eyes darted around, and he understood.
"I'll take care of Brother Gang later; we can deal with him when we get back. Even Brother Gang has someone he's afraid of; that's rare."
Fatty gestured toward the door with his chin. "Keep an eye on the entrance. If anything happens, report it immediately."
He tore open a pack of cigarettes, tossed one to me, and lit up his own with a practiced motion.
Huang Hai understood and stood by the door, stealthily scanning the surroundings.
"You need to ask Cao Mingzhe about this; he’s the only one who can confirm what happened." Fatty took quick puffs from his cigarette, speaking in a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz. By this point, his voice had grown even quieter. "You are an Awakener."
I stubbed out my cigarette and turned to leave. "I'm going to ask Cao Mingzhe."
Huang Hai didn’t want to leave so soon, but it was already pouring outside. Regardless of his feelings, I didn’t want to get drenched, so I dragged him out of the hospital.
The hotel where the Task Force was located and the hospital where Fatty was admitted were not in the same direction. It was on the other side of my shop. Although I had no desire to go home, the car was inevitably headed toward my shop.
Huang Hai drove with a reluctant expression, as if I owed him eight hundred bucks. I couldn't care less; my mind was consumed by one question: how did we get out?
This question had troubled me for a long time, but I never had the chance to ask Cao Mingzhe. As it stood, Cao Mingzhe seemed to be the only one who knew the answer to this mystery. I was eager to find him and learn the truth from his lips.
"Brother Qiang! Our shop is on fire!"
Suddenly, Huang Hai's scream pierced through my thoughts.
(To Be Continued.)
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