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墨書 Inktalez
I steadied my emotions, for I had a reason to explode. I felt no sympathy for their reckless behavior; only disdain.
I pulled out a pack of cigarettes and raised it slightly to indicate to Secretary Chen. "Is it okay?"
"Of course, we have plenty of freedom here. You should take some time to think," Secretary Chen probably thought I was a bit flustered facing such a significant change and opportunity, wanting to smoke to calm myself down.
I took out a cigarette but didn’t light it; instead, I stood up and offered it to the person across from me. I first extended it to Secretary Chen.
I had a personal mission: to find all the Left-Handed individuals in this Task Force. Naturally, I needed to seize every opportunity to search.
The way I offered the cigarette was deliberate, angled toward his right side. If he was right-handed, he would instinctively take it with his right hand. Even if he didn’t smoke, he would push it away with his right hand to indicate refusal.
If he were Left-Handed, even if the position I offered the cigarette was slightly awkward for his dominant hand, he would subconsciously reach for it with his left hand; at least there would be some movement from that side. Even if he took it with his right hand, the motion wouldn’t be as natural or fluid as it would be with his preferred hand.
Secretary Chen didn’t hesitate and took the cigarette with his left hand.
I smiled at him and turned to distribute cigarettes to the other three people. Only one accepted my offer; the other two declined. However, through their actions, I ruled out the possibility that they were Left-Handed.
I returned to my seat and put the cigarettes back in my pocket. I didn’t intend to smoke since I wasn’t planning on staying here long. The Scientist Group showed no interest in the information I could provide, and I had no desire to cooperate with them.
"Secretary Chen, first of all, thank you for your trust in me. However, I believe you have misunderstood something; you’ve been deceived. Perhaps you don’t believe or understand this, but I think the information you’ve obtained is incomplete, perhaps just a part of the whole."
I paused for a moment, scanning the faces of the four individuals before me. I felt a wave of disappointment wash over me; their expressions were blank, completely failing to grasp my meaning.
"Alright, let me ask you this. The last time I participated in the Lop Nur expedition with Cao Mingzhe, it was a large Task Force, consisting of Materials Scientists, Archaeologists, and of course, the majority were military personnel responsible for security, excavation, and logistics. Do you have any idea how many people were on our site? And that incident—do you know how many people died at Lop Nur?"
"Wasn't it just one soldier? The report was quite clear; you were one of the parties involved. You even fired at his corpse. Of course, it was an accident."
I sighed. "It wasn't an accident."
"What?! Comrade Zhang Jianqiang, please watch your words. You must understand that we are representing the organization in this conversation!"
I waved my hand dismissively.
"That time, it wasn't just one person who died; it was many. If we count the missing personnel, the number of casualties at Lop Nur could fill a company. You may not be familiar with the other personnel. You should know the Materials Science expert from that incident; all the Materials Scientists in the Expedition Team died simultaneously. Among you is a fellow Materials Scientist; I can't believe you haven't heard anything about it."
My words caused an immediate change in the expressions of the four people across from me. Three of them showed anger, while one person's face turned pale in an instant. I suspected this individual was the representative of the Materials Scientists and likely had some knowledge of what had transpired.
With a loud bang, Secretary Chen slammed his hand on the table and scolded me angrily, "Zhang Jianqiang, don't speak recklessly! We have disagreements with the military regarding personnel arrangements. This is a normal work-related dispute; you are not allowed to sow discord between us."
I nodded toward the now ashen-faced Materials Scientist. "Ask him; he should know something."
Secretary Chen glanced at the Materials Scientist and exclaimed, "Old Liu, what's wrong with you?"
The stark contrast between Old Liu's paper-white face and the flushed faces of the other three was evident; even a fool could see that his change in color stemmed not from anger but from fear.
"They died in an accident," Old Liu said, completely ignoring the other three as his vacant eyes locked onto mine, murmuring as if praying.
"What kind of accident?" I immediately questioned.
The Materials Scientist shook his head.
I quickly named two Materials Scientists I knew, describing their appearances. My words completely crushed him; the one surnamed Liu suddenly slumped from his chair to the floor.
"I once witnessed a warrior's head roll away, his blood drenching me, soaking me to the bone. That head and that person still lie in eternal rest beneath Lop Nur. I joined this Scientific Expedition Team for a promise made long ago, and for my teammates and captain who still exist underground. What about you? What is your purpose? Are you prepared for death or a fate worse than death?"
"I'm afraid there's even worse news you might not know. Earlier this year, an Expedition Team entered the underground of Lop Nur, and unfortunately, they did not return. Their fate remains unknown. Our mission this time includes searching for them, but more likely, it will be to recover their bodies."
By the time I finished speaking, one scientist was already bent over the table, vomiting uncontrollably. Secretary Chen's face was also unnatural; it was no longer the red of anger but a pale shade of suspicion and shock.
"If you're not prepared for this, I advise you not to make blind decisions, especially not to fight over that little bit of power with Cao Mingzhe. Frankly, I believe he might be able to bring us out alive, while your survival time in that environment can be measured in seconds. You want me to cooperate with you? I'm sorry; I trust my comrades in life and death more."
With those words, I turned and left the room.
It wasn't that I had selfish motives; I simply couldn't bear to watch these people march toward their deaths. Just like my feelings for them, they had almost no chance of coming back alive from the Underground Passage of Lop Nur. It was worth sacrificing something on my part if it meant helping them realize this sooner and dispelling their thoughts of heading to their doom.
Honestly, I was aware of the trouble my words might bring.
I took the elevator directly from the fifteenth floor down to the lobby on the first floor, where I could hear the raucous sounds from the banquet hall below. I had lost all desire to join in the festivities and walked straight out of the hotel.
As I approached the hotel's revolving door, I paused. After a moment's thought, I dialed Cao Mingzhe's number.
"Old Cao, I've spoken with the people from the Scientist Group."
"How did it go?"
"Not well, we parted on bad terms."
"It's not surprising you couldn't reach an agreement with those stubborn fools."
"I said some things I shouldn't have. I crossed the Confidentiality Agreement."
"You brat! You've gotten yourself into trouble!" (To Be Continued...)
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