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墨書 Inktalez
“Old Xiao, you know the situation outside the Metal Passage. The Landing Craft we were in broke apart when we fell. There are swarms of Giant Mosquitoes everywhere. Even if we didn’t die immediately from the fall, those damned bugs would suck us dry. Only a few of us made it into the Metal Passage; anyone who didn’t is definitely dead—there’s no way around it.”
Xiao Guolin turned his face toward me. “I’ll ask you just one thing: have you seen his body or verified whether he’s alive or dead?”
A sense of inexplicable dread washed over me. The expressionless face and eyes of Xiao Guolin gave off a menacing and eerie vibe.
I shook my head. “No, I looked for him, but I didn’t see anything. The situation was too chaotic and tense at the time; I didn’t have the chance to search thoroughly.”
“Then he’s not dead.”
To my surprise, I saw concern in Xiao Guolin's eyes.
His eyelids were severely corroded and couldn’t fully close, making it impossible for him to frown or squint, thus unable to convey messages through his gaze. Yet somehow, I managed to perceive a message from those eyes—truly a miracle.
I understood Xiao Guolin's feelings. After our last exit from Lop Nur, the only person he could communicate with was Cao Mingzhe, and they shared a common dream and desire: to return to Lop Nur.
Of course, their reasons for wanting to go back were not entirely the same. Cao Mingzhe sought Dequantization, while Xiao Guolin’s ultimate goal was to destroy the Eternal Gate here. However, both of them intended to rescue Song Guilong, believing he was still alive.
“Old Xiao,” I sighed. “Don’t be too heartbroken. I hope Cao Mingzhe is still alive too. Alright, I admit I didn’t see his body. For now, let’s consider him missing. Hopefully, he has enough luck to meet us again.”
Xiao Guolin nodded in agreement.
"Missing? I accept this law. We..." Xiao Guolin turned to look at the circle of surgical personnel surrounding them. "And there's Liu Squad Leader, those who have once walked out of Lop Nur Underground Passage. They are not easy to kill."
I didn't fully understand what Xiao Guolin meant. It seemed he was implying that we were all Awakened, each possessing unique mutation abilities. He and Cao Mingzhe indeed had the means to survive. But my ability didn’t qualify for that; I could drop dead in a matter of moments.
He specifically mentioned Liu Squad Leader. What ability did that guy have? I hadn't heard or seen him display any Awakened powers. Could it be that Liu Caozi was hiding something? I would have to keep an eye on him.
"Snitching isn't considered a superpower, right?" I said half-jokingly, half-seriously.
"Heh heh." Xiao Guolin revealed a terrifying smile. I glanced at him and decided never to say anything that might make him laugh again. That smile was no longer just unattractive; it was downright frightening.
"I know about that incident. Don't blame him too much; he was young back then. Some things just slip out under others' guidance without realizing the stakes involved. He feels guilty about it; he told me he regrets it."
I shook my head. "Old Xiao, you’ve seen him. This time, to stay with us, he sold me out again."
Xiao Guolin fell silent for a moment, taking a deep breath. "Did he sell me out too?"
I thought for a moment. "No."
It should be no; if Liu Squad Leader had revealed that Xiao Guolin had been at the China-Vietnam Border, the authorities would definitely organize forces to investigate the truth. The intensity of an official investigation would far exceed my own capabilities and would undoubtedly uncover the Antimatter Bomb incident.
"Cao Mingzhe went missing alone?" Xiao Guolin shifted the topic back to Cao Mingzhe, clearly concerned about him.
I pondered for a moment. "As soon as we descended, we fell into a swarm of mosquitoes—some died, some were injured. One soldier died; I saw his brain matter spilling out—there was no saving him. I didn't find Cao Mingzhe, and there was another person unaccounted for as well... Well, they both went missing at the same time."
"Who was the other person?"
"You don't know about the Hakka People. They came here with the Hakka Girl earlier. They are descendants of Lop Nur, who migrated to the Guizhou Mountains a long time ago. There, they created an underground environment similar to this one, with huge underground lakes, dams, and a replica of the Eternal Gate. However, it’s poorly made and lacks the full effect."
"The full effect?" Xiao Guolin asked in confusion. "What is it? Do you know the function and effect of the Eternal Gate?"
I opened my mouth but couldn't speak. This information was told to me by Cao Mingzhe; he hadn’t returned to the Lop Nur Underground Passage, so he could only receive this information through Song Guilong's dreams.
However, Song Guilong had conveyed this information to two people, yet Xiao Guolin was unaware. This left me perplexed.
I had previously compared the information left for me on the USB drive by Xiao Guolin with what Cao Mingzhe had obtained; both sets of information were basically consistent. So why was Xiao Guolin unaware of this issue? Did Song Guilong intentionally hide some information from him?
Why? Why would Song Guilong conceal this part of the information? My heart suddenly trembled, and I felt a sinking sensation in my body. Had I made an irreparable mistake?
I took a deep breath and shook my head at Xiao Guolin. "This is just a guess from Cao Mingzhe and the Hakka People. They built a version of the Eternal Gate modeled after Lop Nur, so naturally, it wouldn't compare to the original. All I know is that this Eternal Gate has a long-distance teleportation function. I've been there and was teleported outside by the Eternal Gate. That's all."
Xiao Guolin furrowed his brow. The taut skin over his brow bone pulled at his ears and mouth corners, resembling a grotesque smile from a circus performer.
"Call that girl over here; I have something to ask her."
I turned around and waved at Tang Yumo. "Sister Tang, come here for a moment; Old Xiao has something to ask you."
Xiao Guolin remained facing the metal door while I focused on Tang Yumo as she approached. She was looking at me too. In that brief moment, our gazes collided—not with sparks but with countless pieces of information.
It felt eerie, as if we were two people who had known each other for a long time and were unusually familiar with one another, even easier to communicate than I was with Fatty. From her eyes, I saw countless words—negative and dismissive.
"I don't trust him."
"What does he want to know?"
"What do you want from me?"
And the only message I gave her was a single sentence that I kept repeating. "Do not tell the truth."
I didn't know if she understood my gaze; I hoped she did. I didn't think Song Guilong was unconsciously hiding this information from him.
"Uncle Xiao, my name is Tang Yumo. What do you want to ask me?" Tang Yumo was calmer than I had imagined.
"Someone has gone missing?"
Surprisingly, the first question Xiao Guolin asked was not about The Eternal Gate of the Hakka People.
(To Be Continued)
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