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墨書 Inktalez
But another issue that left me conflicted and uncertain plunged me into despair. That was the Antimatter Bomb.
The Antimatter Bomb was scheduled by Xiao Guolin for the Vietnamese Gang. He had me bring it down, clearly intending to blow this place up.
If he wasn't the real Xiao Guolin, but rather a bizarre creature that escaped from this damned Abyss, then he should be protecting this place, not trying to destroy it.
The one who should destroy this place was me; deep down, I wanted everything here to turn to ashes.
There were too many mysteries and unknowns here, but I couldn't ask Xiao Guolin. I couldn't confront him now. I couldn't predict the consequences of exposing his true nature; the most likely outcome would be an immediate fallout. In this cramped room, an enraged Xiao Guolin would be invincible. I couldn't bear that consequence.
I decided to wait until we left this place. Even if it meant feigning flattery and following him to Lop Nur's Eternal Gate, that was fine; it was already part of our plan.
However, there was a premise and a bottom line: I couldn't let him get close to another group of people, nor could I allow him to ruin my plans. The Antimatter Bomb must not fall into his hands.
“Zhang, come here.” My thoughts were interrupted by Jack's voice.
I had my back to the long table. In front of me, besides the injured person lying on the ground, there was Xiao Ting sitting not far away.
Hearing Jack's call, I didn't turn around; instead, I crouched down and shouted back without looking at him. “Don't you care about your patient? Are you sure the injured person is okay?”
I dared not turn back; I could feel my face still looked terrible, even sensing the cold sweat on my forehead and spine. I thought that if I turned around now, someone would surely notice something was off.
In this regard, I was far less composed than Xiao Ting, who could calmly eat her food. Perhaps women are better at acting, or maybe she had enough mental preparation.
Jack appeared beside me, crouching down to check the injured person's condition. He opened their eyes and then turned his face toward me. I saw his brows furrow instantly.
I knew my pallor and the cold sweat on my forehead had startled him.
Jack knew me fairly well; we had gone through life-and-death situations together. He understood that my capacity for bearing stress was quite strong. I wouldn’t lose my composure over one injured person's condition.
I looked at him, my eyes darting back and forth as I silently chanted to myself: Don't ask. Don't ask.
At that moment, the tacit understanding between Jack and me reacted. He sensed something was off but didn’t question me; instead, he continued examining the injured.
After a moment, Jack looked up at me and said, “He’s fine. You don’t need to worry too much.”
I wiped the sweat from my forehead. “That’s good to hear. I really can’t bear to see anyone else die in front of me.”
“There’s a vent above; we can get in through there.” Jack remained crouched on the ground, speaking to me.
I turned slightly to glance back. The dark decorative block on the long table was gone, replaced by a rectangular opening.
“That…” I gestured with both hands to form a square. “How do we open it? Where’s the mechanism?”
Jack smiled wryly. “Xiao Guolin pushed it up, and that thing vanished like a mirage. It’s like a three-dimensional image—so incredible.”
I didn’t feel amazed; instead, a deeper fear settled in me. Xiao Guolin was familiar with this place, and it was hard for me to determine how well he had come to know it recently.
“Zhang. Some of the injured can’t come with us. You need to arrange for those who will stay behind. If we’re lucky, we can take them with us when we return,” Xiao Guolin urged.
I couldn’t refuse or resist Xiao Guolin’s request. Even though this version of him needed quotation marks, he had lived in our world for some time and was recognized by many.
Leaving this Metal Room had become an urgent matter. I worried that I wouldn’t be able to keep up the facade and that he—‘Xiao Guolin’—would realize I knew the truth. It would be better to leave this cramped space; at least I wouldn’t be instantly overwhelmed by him.
“Alright.”
I nodded, my eyes first landing on Xiao Ting. I hoped more than anything that Xiao Ting could stay behind. While this place was a dead end, it couldn’t be more dangerous than going outside. If luck was on our side, those left behind in this room might very well be the ones who survived in the end.
I saw Xiao Ting shaking her head resolutely at me. I had no choice but to give up; I knew this stubborn girl wouldn't be swayed by my few words.
"Let's leave European behind. His injuries aren't suitable for long journeys, and he would struggle to protect himself in danger," I turned to Jack.
Jack shook his head. "He's just like me; he wants to see it with his own eyes, even if it costs him his life. Besides, his knowledge of Physics will help us understand the mysterious spatial distortion phenomena."
I thought for a moment. "Alright then."
It was also true that strange phenomena had already appeared in the Metal Passage that I couldn't comprehend or explain. We continued forward until we reached the Eternal Gate; who knows what kind of trouble might arise there? Having a Spatial Physics expert with us would help unravel deeper mysteries.
The Hakka People wouldn't stay behind. Their goal was to go to the Eternal Gate to Dequantize. I didn't know whom to believe; whether Dequantizing was reliable or not, but it was the hope of the Hakka People, and they would never give up.
After some thought, I stood up and addressed Liu Squad Leader. "Liu Squad Leader..."
Before I could finish those three words, Liu Squad Leader interrupted me. "Don't get any ideas about me. Leave hair but not the head, leave the head but not the hair; in short, I'm not staying here."
What a mess. It felt pointless to argue with him.
I wasn't polite with him. "Liu Caozi, your warrior is injured. You arrange for someone to stay behind; it's up to you who you choose."
With that, I quickly took two steps and jumped onto the metal table.
Standing on the metal table, I could clearly see the hole and what was inside. I noticed that the dark panel, which had originally been flush with the metal roof without any gaps, seemed to have disappeared.
The hole had sharp edges, and inside was a passage barely wide enough for one person to crawl through. I reached up to touch it; there was a thick layer of dust, indicating it hadn't been cleaned in a long time.
I turned on the One-Eyed Beast Flashlight and held it in my mouth, slightly bent my knees, then jumped up suddenly, grabbing both sides of the hole with my hands as my head poked into it.
Under the intense light of the One-Eyed Beast Flashlight, I saw that it was a metal Ventilation Duct. From the angle I was looking at, it ran parallel to the currently water-filled Metal Passage.
I paused for a moment, looking in both directions. I noticed very distinct crawling marks on both sides of the Metal Passage, and they were fresh. The dust where something had crawled was wiped clean, without any new dust settling on it.
I jumped down and brushed off the dust from my hands towards Xiao Guolin. "Have you been up there?"
Xiao Guolin nodded. "Yes. I told you about this."
I pointed in the direction we came from, where the water was flowing. "Where does that lead?"
"There's no way that way," Xiao Guolin shook his head. "There should be an exit on the other side. You can feel it, right? The wind is blowing from that direction."
Of course, I felt it, but I preferred to go back where we came from; it would be easier to find Fatty over there. However, that was only if Xiao Guolin wasn't with me. With him around, to prevent him from coming into contact with the Antimatter Bomb, I could only move in the opposite direction.
(To Be Continued)
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