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墨書 Inktalez
My gaze lingered on the towering upper part of the passage, still trying to fathom who this high corridor was meant for. Could there be giants here, standing dozens of meters tall? But that seemed utterly absurd; even if such giants existed, their height would be disproportionate to their width, resembling nothing more than slender poles.
Hearing the exclamation from Liu Squad Leader, I hurriedly reached for my weapon. I had given my automatic rifle to Jack; once it slipped from his hands, there was no chance of getting it back. There was no point in trying to deceive him; he wouldn't fall for it again.
I pulled out my pistol, holding the One-Eyed Beast Flashlight in my left hand. The muzzle rested against my left arm's wrist as both the flashlight and muzzle moved together to scan ahead.
“Liu, are you trying to blind me?” came a familiar voice that reached my ears. I directed the flashlight toward the sound, and at the entrance of the passage, two dark figures emerged.
Overwhelmed with joy, I shouted, “Old Cao! Is that you?”
Though they were still far away and I couldn't clearly see who they were, their silhouettes were definitely not those of any Upright Monsters I had encountered before. I realized this was likely why Liu Squad Leader hadn't fired immediately; he had been the first to spot them while I was still observing.
It was understandable; the passage was so high that those two shadows appeared like dwarfs at such a height, making them quite inconspicuous.
Even when I shone the flashlight on their faces, I couldn't discern who they were. Liu Squad Leader's flashlight was a military tactical model, its brightness far exceeding that of my One-Eyed Beast Flashlight. In an instant, it rendered the two figures across from us unable to open their eyes.
All I could see were two men dressed in similar black Zhongshan suits. One shielded his eyes from the blinding light, naturally obscuring his face behind his hand. The other simply turned his back, seemingly more sensitive to our flashlight's glare.
“Zhang, you're still alive?! That's great! How are you all doing? How many are still alive?”
A series of familiar voices followed, and I had no doubt about who this person was. It was Cao Mingzhe; I never expected to see him again. Tears welled up uncontrollably in my eyes as I choked out his name: “Old Cao!”
“Captain Cao, is it really you?” Liu Squad Leader exclaimed joyfully as if he had encountered a long-lost relative and rushed forward in excitement.
Another warrior. Even Jack and European couldn't help but rush towards Cao Mingzhe. It was an unexpected joy, and no one could contain their excitement.
I didn't move. It wasn't that I didn't want to; I wanted to give Cao Mingzhe a hug, but a hand had grabbed me.
I turned around. The hand that held me was pale and delicate. Its owner was Tang Yumo, as porcelain-like in complexion as ever. At that moment, her face appeared even whiter.
Tang Yumo looked at me and asked, "How did he survive? I can't figure it out. Don't you find it strange?"
"No matter how they survived, the fact that they are alive is the most fortunate thing. Cao Mingzhe is very capable; you know that. The other Hakka person has visual abilities too. Their combination surviving isn't too surprising, is it?"
I frowned again and asked, "What's wrong? Aren't you happy that your fellow tribesman is alive?"
"Do you think the other person is Hakka?" Tang Yumo stared at me, questioning.
"Of course. Who else could it be? They disappeared at the same time and reappeared together..."
I stopped there. I hadn't seen the other person's face; I hadn't even seen Cao Mingzhe's face. I had only made a judgment based on their voices, assuming the other person was Hakka.
I recalled something Xiao Guolin had once told me: "Don't trust anyone here." If I chose to believe Xiao Guolin, I would have to give up trusting anyone at all. However, Cao Mingzhe shouldn't be considered just anyone; he came down with us, not from "here."
I glanced back at the two dwarf-like shadows at the entrance of the passageway. Liu Squad Leader had dimmed the flashlight, no longer shining it directly at the two shadows, making my view even less clear. I still couldn't see their faces. However, I noticed that one of them had not turned around and remained facing away from us.
I turned my face back to Tang Yumo. "Who is the other person?"
"I don't know. But I do know that another Hakka person is dead. Or... disappeared."
"Disappeared? What does that mean? What's the difference from dying?"
"A-Yong can't sense him anymore. As long as he was alive, A-Yong could sense him. But that connection has been severed."
"When did this happen? When was the connection broken?"
"Once we left the Metal Room, there was no more sensing. In the Metal Passage, there was still a faint connection. It's like A San's hearing ability; all abilities were cut off in the Metal Room.
After A San left the Metal Room, he could connect with another group of people, and the suppression of his awakening ability had disappeared. But A-Yong couldn't sense my other tribesman; he must be dead. The people around Cao Mingzhe are not Hakka!"
I shifted my gaze from Tang Yumo's face to A-Yong's. What I saw was a face full of provocation. He lacked the depth or pretense of Tang Yumo. At this point, the death rate of the Hakka had made him furious. His anger was unmistakable.
I thought that if it weren't for his past experiences and the shadows they cast in his heart, he would have definitely lashed out at me. After all, at least one Hakka person had died because of my choices.
Without needing to ask, I confirmed from his expression that Tang Yumo's information was indeed true.
I glanced past A-Yong to another person, A San. His face looked grim.
I didn't know why A San hadn't followed Liu Squad Leader and the others toward Cao Mingzhe. Perhaps it was because he felt uneasy about not being loyal to Cao Mingzhe. He had kept the matter of helping me with the Antimatter Bomb a secret from Cao Mingzhe, who had a significant issue with him.
I could understand his fear of Cao Mingzhe. Who wouldn't be afraid of such inhuman powers? I was afraid too.
Another person following me was Xiao Ting. I wasn't surprised; I had been with her before. "No matter what happens, stay by my side. Unless I tell you to leave."
I didn't want Fatty to blow me up, not even with a fart. I naturally didn't believe Fatty would shoot me. But I wouldn't let him down. I couldn't let Xiao Ting die in front of me!
"Let's go take a look," I turned to Tang Yumo. "Don't you want to see who the other person is?"
Tang Yumo released her grip. She showed no reaction.
I turned and ran towards Cao Mingzhe. Who was the other person? It couldn't be the Hakka People; who else could it be?
As I approached, Liu Squad Leader was already in tears, embracing Cao Mingzhe warmly. I didn't feel like celebrating; after being splashed with cold water by Tang Yumo, my mood had already sunk low. I was more concerned about who the person was that still hadn't turned around.
I even silently complained: Is it really that hard to just turn around? Harder than spinning in a chair?
To Be Continued.
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