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墨書 Inktalez
"I, Zhang Jianqiang, four Hakka People, A San, Xiao Ting, and Jack will form the advance team." It seemed that Cao Mingzhe had a clearer understanding than I did; separating Jack and the European was not a feasible option.
"I want to be in the same group as Brother Qiang." This time, it was Liu Squad Leader who interrupted.
Liu Squad Leader was the liaison between the military and the Task Force. In reality, once we were down there, he would be the actual leader of the soldiers responsible for our safety.
I had observed that the highest-ranking member of the security team assigned to us by the military was a Second Lieutenant, while Liu Squad Leader held the rank of Lieutenant. Out of habit, I called him Liu Squad Leader, though my personal feelings played a role as well. I hoped he would never get promoted.
Liu Squad Leader's delicate position made it difficult for Cao Mingzhe to openly contradict him. However, one person did not give him face and spat directly in his face—that person was me.
"Why don't you take a break? Are you trying to set me up again? Stay away from me; I’m warning you—don’t follow me once we’re down there. You annoy me like an itch I can't scratch."
There were several soldiers around us getting ready, and seeing so many people mock him made Liu Squad Leader's face turn from red to a deep purple.
"Don't be like that with Lieutenant Liu; he’s here to protect you," chimed in Fatty. "How about this: let Lieutenant Liu join your group and A San can come with us."
Logically, Fatty had no say in this matter; he was an outsider who had joined the Expedition Team at the last minute, essentially a temporary worker. However, if Liu Squad Leader switched teams, he would be left as the only one with experience in underground operations, which gave him some leverage.
I shot Fatty a glare. He knew very well what kind of person Liu Squad Leader was; being in the same group would likely lead to me being sold out.
Fatty's injury had mostly healed; his previously closed eye had regained its sight, though dark circles still lingered. One eye appeared larger than the other. When I glared at him, I noticed his eyes were alternating in size. It startled me—had he awakened some ability? But what kind of power could that possibly be?
Upon closer inspection, I realized he was winking at me. Clearly, he was supporting Liu Squad Leader and wanted to be on the same team as me.
But I wasn't pleased. Having such a jinx beside me would surely bring all sorts of trouble.
Seeing that I finally acknowledged him, Fatty stopped his antics. He raised a hand to scratch his ear, while his big eyes remained fixed on me.
I had to admit that Fatty and I shared a certain understanding. His gesture immediately conveyed his intention. By placing A San next to him, Fatty aimed to have someone who could gather information and relay signals.
We all knew that among the four Hakka People, at least one had the awakened ability of hearing, which was the same as A San's ability. If the two listeners were placed in different teams, it would essentially provide both teams with a wireless communication device through the two listeners, allowing them to relay messages and updates to each other.
Of course, it wouldn't be direct; it would require the two listeners to act as microphones, relaying each other's conversations. But this was already a significant improvement, greatly alleviating the issue of poor communication underground.
I hadn't considered this before because I didn't anticipate that we would need to form teams before entering the underground. From what I could see now, Fatty's idea was indeed necessary.
I maintained a stern expression and refrained from continuing to reject Liu Squad Leader's request. However, another person immediately voiced their opposition.
"I disagree! I want to be in the same team as Brother Qiang." A San's stance was much more resolute than Liu Squad Leader's.
At this point, everyone turned their attention to me. There was a subtle nuance in their words. Both of them expressed a desire to be on my team rather than joining Team A. It seemed that I had become the decisive figure in the Expedition Team instead of Cao Mingzhe.
I shot a glance at A San, my face tinged with mild anger.
A San immediately put on a sorrowful expression. "Brother Qiang, I'm one of your people."
Damn it, I'm really afraid of you, you know that?
But I couldn't outright refuse A San in front of so many people. He was one of the few who knew about the Antimatter Bomb, and if I upset him now, he would likely use this to threaten me. I had never truly trusted him; he was a backstabber and could easily switch allegiances at any moment. Just recently, he had been closely following Cao Mingzhe, which was proof enough.
I glanced at Cao Mingzhe, feeling conflicted.
Cao Mingzhe waved his hand dismissively. "Don't ask me. Just get rid of whoever you don't like; just don't drag yourself down with it."
I didn't look at Fatty, even though I could feel his big eyes glaring at me.
"Sister Tang," I called out to Tang Yumo, who was quite a distance away. "Send one of your people to Fatty's group."
As I said this, I was also scratching my ear with one hand. I hoped she would understand my meaning; if she didn't, then Fatty's intentions would be wasted.
Tang Yumo looked at me with a pale face. However, her complexion seemed to always be like that—white and bloodless.
Seeing her unresponsive, I scratched my ear again and shouted, "Sister Tang, we need more people in our group. Send one of your people to Fatty's group."
I felt like my ears were about to burst when Tang Yumo pointed at a Hakka person and said, "You and Mr. Song, be sharp."
The Hakka person walked over to Fatty with a mournful expression. Fatty glanced at him, then at me. I gave him a slight nod.
"Alright then, the first group is set. The second group will be led by Secretary Chen. Besides Song Gang, Mr. Zhang, and the Hakka person, we'll also include a few young physicists and materials scientists. Secretary Chen, you can arrange who goes down."
Currently, the physicists and materials scientists in the Expedition Team were all middle-aged or younger; the older experts had withdrawn. If it weren't for the need to have specialists on-site to identify certain phenomena, the Academy was considering pulling out of this expedition altogether.
Next, Cao Mingzhe busied himself with arranging transportation. Secretary Chen began selecting the first batch of experts to enter underground.
I quietly approached Tang Yumo and touched my ear with one hand. "Do you understand what I mean?"
Tang Yumo replied expressionlessly, "I know what you mean."
I sighed in relief. "You could have hinted at it a bit; you made me anxious for quite a while."
However, I was quite surprised; I never expected to have such an understanding with her. I didn't share this kind of rapport even with Jack. The last time Jack seemed to grasp my intent, he chased after Tang Yumo toward the Eternal Gate of the Hakka People, only to let her slip away completely—he completely misunderstood my intentions.
Tang Yumo remained expressionless and said, "It's just this outfit."
"What? What do you mean by that?" I was completely puzzled by her words.
Tang Yumo pointed at my clothes. "I saw you wearing that outfit many years ago when you destroyed the Eternal Gate. It seems that you destroyed the Eternal Gate of Lop Nur, not that of the Hakka People."
"Are you sure?"
Tang Yumo nodded deeply.
"Yes, that scene is etched in my mind." (To Be Continued...)
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