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墨書 Inktalez
Fatty had moved out, and Jack was ignoring me. My English wasn't great, and I rarely communicated with Europeans. The days that followed were quite gloomy.
However, the gloomy days didn't last long. One bright morning, a call to assemble echoed through the building.
Because of the duel, I hadn't fully explained my plans to Jack and Fatty. I had intended to wait until their emotions calmed down a bit before gathering them together to confirm the specific steps for action. But at this point, there was no time left. It was even difficult to keep these two in the same place.
I rushed into Fatty's room and saw Da Zhang already shouldering a suitcase, while Fatty had a large backpack on his back.
Upon seeing me, Fatty tossed a travel backpack at me. "This is yours."
I caught the backpack but nearly threw my back out; it was heavy.
"What's in the bag?"
"Weapons I prepared for you—one of each type, both short and long guns, along with bullets, grenades, and incendiary devices. There are also some smoke bombs so we don't have to keep using flares; those things can set us on fire if we're not careful."
I quickly slung the backpack over my shoulder and said to Fatty, "Let's stick together. Don't drag things out with the American Guy over that little issue; we still need him to help with the gear once we're down there."
"Without him, it won't be hard to make noise with this stuff."
"I know!" At this point, I didn't have time for his nonsense. "I'm just worried you'll make too much noise."
Before I could calm Fatty down any further, my phone rang. I picked it up and saw it was Cao Mingzhe.
"Old Cao, what's up?"
"Where are you? I've been looking everywhere for you."
"I'm in Fatty's room. All the weapons and equipment I bought are here; I need to take them down."
"Come out quickly, everyone gather in the yard. I need to assign teams here."
"Okay, coming right away."
I had to hurry. I couldn't let him separate us. I dragged Fatty and rushed outside, where the yard was already filled with people.
Everyone was mentally prepared, knowing we could leave at any moment. Those standing in the yard were all dressed appropriately.
Cao Mingzhe stood on a low wall of a flowerbed, waving at me as I came out of the building. He called out to the group in front of him, "Put on the uniform jackets. We might have to go into the water down there; these are custom waterproof and warm jackets that can save us in critical moments."
As I squeezed through, the members of the Expedition Team were already scrambling for the boxes of jackets. The boxes were right at Cao Mingzhe's feet, and I glanced over; there was no need to fight for them—there were plenty of jackets available.
"Old Cao, what's going on? Why the sudden raid?"
"Don't mention it. This morning they detonated a row of explosives at the Construction Site and unexpectedly blew open the Underground Passage. You know this place is too strange; last time Xiao Guolin and his team entered, their entrance mysteriously disappeared. One Commander is worried about this entrance vanishing without a trace, so while reinforcing it with Engineers, he ordered us to send an Advance Team down."
"So what do you mean? Who's going down?"
"Here's what I'm thinking. We won't determine how many people will go down just yet; first, we'll divide everyone into three to five groups. Depending on the situation, if conditions allow, we'll send one or two groups down first. Once the advance team secures a foothold below, we can send more personnel down."
"Sounds good; sending inexperienced people down would only create chaos. How do you plan to divide the groups?"
"I'll lead the first group. You and all the Awakened will come with me. We have similar experiences and won't be lost down there. Liu Squad Leader will lead the second group with Jack and European following him. The third group—"
"Wait." I immediately interrupted Cao Mingzhe upon hearing this. "I don't care how you divide the groups; just don't separate me from Fatty or Jack. I don't feel secure without them around."
"Come on now, it's not time for childish tantrums. I'm considering the safety of all team members and the success of our mission; your little group isn't part of my considerations. I can't let you three act independently or form a separate group; I need to ensure a balanced mix of personnel."
"Fine, but Jack and Fatty have both been through The Eternal Gate of the Hakka People. Although they're not Awakened, they still have relevant experience. Letting them go down would only strengthen the advance team and increase our chances of success without violating your principles."
"Change your clothes first, and I'll think about it," Cao Mingzhe said, frowning as he dialed a number.
I knew the decision rested with Cao Mingzhe; I was just trying to negotiate, but I had my limits. Fatty had to be with me. At the very least, we needed to go down together. I wasn't sure if the others would have another chance to descend.
I put on a custom waterproof coat. It seemed like military gear, a short coat in dark green camouflage that reached my knees. The hat had no frills and was quite thin, yet it felt warm and wind-resistant.
Cao Mingzhe hung up the phone and said to me, "I've contacted the front. Each group can have a maximum of ten people. The advance team consists of you, me, A San, and four Hakka People, leaving three spots open for you to choose anyone."
I immediately replied, "Then let's add Fatty, Da Zhang, and Jack."
"I won't be in the same group as him."
To my surprise, as soon as I finished speaking, both Fatty and Jack voiced their objections in unison.
I looked over; they had already changed into their outerwear and stood beside me. However, they were clearly positioned apart from each other—one on my left and one on my right—acting as if they were strangers.
"I'll be in your group, but not his," Jack added at the right moment.
"Can you two stop messing around? This isn't over yet!" I turned my head back and forth between them but saw no sign of reconciliation.
"I'll go to the second group with Da Zhang. As long as I'm not with the American Guy, it's fine."
Hearing Fatty's words made me realize he was being stubborn; there was no point in trying to persuade him. I could only ask Cao Mingzhe, "Can two groups go down at the same time?"
"Yes, I can arrange that."
"Alright then." I turned to Fatty. "Just keep your cool."
"Don't worry; I'll take care of Gangzi," Xiao Ting said as she cinched a belt around her coat and confidently stood next to Fatty.
I shot her a glare. "This is the Advance Team; it's not your turn. You stay up there while we secure our position down here before bringing you down."
"That's not acceptable. I want to be among the first to go down. I want to be with Gangzi."
"Let her go down," surprisingly, it was Fatty who said this.
"Have you lost your mind because of Old Cao? We have no idea what the situation is down there. We could get wiped out in an instant, and you're dragging Xiao Ting down with you!"
Fatty unusually didn't argue back. "Let her stay with you; it should be fine. You have a strong fate."
"What do you mean? You want to drag her down and then hand her over to me? What are you plotting?"
"Alright, stop arguing," Cao Mingzhe said, raising his hands. "I'll announce the group assignments." (To Be Continued...)
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