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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Seven: The Struggle
With the light of the red string, Song Bunan felt that his relationship with Xin Yi had drawn much closer. At least now, this person was willing to move forward alongside him, occasionally reminding him which way to go. When he was near someone, Song Bunan could feel the warmth radiating from the man, even through the thick fabric of his jacket. There was also a faint scent of laundry detergent on his clothes, reminiscent of floral notes.
He didn't know when he had started to like men; it had come on suddenly, as if he had inexplicably "awakened." However, he never held any expectations for love. After spending years in the funeral industry, he had seen too many different kinds of people—those who were alive and those who were dead, always tormenting each other. For him, having a friend who brought joy was a good thing; whether it was love or not was not something worth considering.
As they approached the mountain's peak, Song Bunan suddenly felt a chill on his back, a sense of danger washing over him. He stopped and looked around, noticing that Xin Yi was also observing their surroundings. After exchanging glances, he confirmed that there were people in the woods.
With his excellent night vision, he spotted figures flickering between the trees not far from them; they seemed to be slowly closing in. Song Bunan gestured to Xin Yi to attract their attention while he climbed a tree to observe the situation.
Once he received confirmation, they both crouched down. Xin Yi pulled out his gun from between his legs, but before he could chamber a round, Song Bunan stopped him.
"Making noise will expose us; use a knife." Song Bunan handed him the knife from his side. Xin Yi asked what he should do next. "Don't worry about me; just protect yourself." With that, Song Bunan left his bag behind and crawled forward quietly until he reached a sturdy tree trunk. With a few quick movements, he disappeared among the branches without making a sound.
He donned his night vision goggles and confirmed that there were at least four people nearby—one on the left and three on the right. From what he could see through the imaging, one of them was holding a gun. He couldn't find suitable cover and had to crouch behind two bags to determine which one was closest to him.
The intruders were all trained; their footsteps were nearly inaudible as they moved stealthily behind the trees. Unless they were under heavy fire, it would be impossible to hit them with just a handgun without revealing their position due to noise. Uncertain of what Song Bunan was doing in the tree, he could only see dense leaves and branches above him and couldn't determine where the people were.
The first person to reach beside his bag was one of the three on the right. The moment that person grabbed Song Bunan's large bag, he swiftly knocked him down and rendered him unconscious before taking his gear and using the cover to run towards where the other two were located. The three were positioned widely apart and did not wear communication headsets or carry walkie-talkies or night vision goggles; they likely just agreed on positions before moving independently—one would go in successfully before others followed.
Using the cover of darkness, Xin Yi quickly approached the second person and disarmed him at lightning speed before binding him to a tree and searching for useful clues on him. The third person seemed to notice something amiss; before Xin Yi could act, this individual stealthily approached—this one had a gun. Xin Yi crouched behind some bushes and moved in sync with the intruder's movements. When that person got closer and sensed something was wrong, Xin Yi lunged at him, knocking the gun from his hand and pinning him down by his neck while demanding to know who they were.
In the darkness, the man being choked laughed—a deranged expression that did not resemble that of an ordinary person. He seemed oblivious to suffocation and continued struggling, trying to break Xin Yi's grip with his hands. Xin Yi noticed that this person's eyes had almost no pupils; amidst their pale whiteness was just a single black dot fixated on him, which made him feel quite uncomfortable.
During a previous mission, he had encountered such individuals—madmen who showed no fatigue or pain; they resembled zombies or monsters programmed solely for killing tasks. That mission had cost them three teammates who perished alongside such beings. Resolutely, Xin Yi twisted this man's neck until it snapped before checking on the other two; they were similar but not as severe as this one.
After tying up the person around the package, he suddenly thought of Song Bunan. Putting on his night vision goggles, he looked to the left and saw someone standing there, head bowed, seemingly unaware of the surroundings. No matter how Xin Yi looked at it, that person standing still resembled Song Bunan.
Xin Yi rushed over, and the closer he got, the more certain he became that it was indeed Song Bunan. He felt as if his blood had frozen in his veins, hoping desperately that this person was unharmed. He noticed that Song Bunan's tactical jacket was missing, and in his hand was a frayed piece of rope, which appeared to have been severed.
Turning Song Bunan's body to face him, he carefully checked to see if this seemingly fragile person had sustained any injuries. It wasn't until he touched the cold shoulder that Song Bunan snapped back to reality and hoarsely assured him that he was fine.
"It’s just that he got away," the man who had been moving his shoulders said with a look of frustration, his gaze still searching deep into the woods for any trace of the fleeing figure. Xin Yi stopped him, signaling that it would be better not to pursue any further. He felt how cold Song Bunan's slender arms were and realized that his body temperature was alarmingly low; under the shoulder lamp's light, he could see that Song Bunan's lips had turned a shade of purple from the cold.
However, when Xin Yi tried to take off his jacket to give it to him, Song Bunan turned back toward the pack, indicating that he had one. "Don't catch a cold; it's very cold at night," he said gently, causing Xin Yi's tense body to relax. Song Bunan moved quickly, discreetly retracting his hand that was about to help and instead reaching into his pocket to touch a piece of candy.
Xin Yi unwrapped a piece and handed it to Song Bunan, saying, "Here, have some energy."
This small act significantly advanced their relationship. Xin Yi realized that Song Bunan was not the frail charlatan he had appeared to be in videos. In Xin Yi's eyes, he saw recognition of his abilities from Song Bunan, even if it wasn't a full acknowledgment. They securely tied up the two unconscious individuals to a tree. As Song Bunan approached the unfortunate soul who had turned over and fallen asleep, something felt off.
The person's spirit lingered beside the body, wearing an expression of relief and even waving cheerfully at him as if to say he was here. Moreover, the spirit's color was faint; starting from the waist down, it had become completely transparent. This was not a recently departed soul. Cautiously glancing back, Song Bunan saw Xin Yi packing up their things and moved closer under the pretense of examining the body while quietly asking what was going on with the spirit.
The spirit floated around him dramatically, dancing with joy. It even came behind him and made a gesture as if to embrace him before finally answering: "Those people used my body to commit evil acts and stuffed strange things inside me, which caused my death but not completely. I’m not on the Ghost Messenger’s list for collection. Now I am free! Thank you, brave one! I wish for the Ghost Messenger to come for me soon; this place is quite unpleasant."
"Are others like you?" Song Bunan asked as he drew a symbol in the ground with his knife, indicating for this spirit to wait right there. The spirit exaggeratedly expressed gratitude and pointed at the two bound individuals: "When their physical lives end, you will witness a scene like mine. But be careful; those who turned us into such beings came from within. Head into the mountains; you are late."
With that, the ghost slowly faded away, and the surrounding Yin Qi dispersed as well, causing the temperature to rise slightly. Not lingering any longer, Song Bunan pondered what "from within" meant as he returned to Xin Yi’s side. His belongings were already neatly packed up when he heard Xin Yi ask if he knew that person.
"I don’t know him," he replied honestly.
Xin Yi nodded to indicate understanding and gestured for him to continue. Just as Song Bunan was examining the corpse, communication was restored, and the leader's voice came through, saying they had discovered an underground structure at the foot of the mountain and were searching for an entrance. Estimating his arrival time, Xin Yi replied that they would meet in front of the building.
Upon reaching the summit, they found a clearing with a massive tree standing alone in the center. Above its canopy, the moon illuminated the surroundings brightly. Song Bunan pulled out a length of red hemp rope from his bag and asked Xin Yi to help him wrap it three times around the tree's roots, tying a dead knot and attaching a piece of paper that seemed to have a drawing on it.
"What is this for?" Unable to contain his curiosity, he finally asked. The person who had completed the task smiled and shook his head, replying, "It's just a check-in."
The descent was not steep; in fact, it was much easier than the ascent. The only issue was that they had to navigate through numerous graves, moving in an S-shaped path from one mound to another as they made their way down. He walked behind Song Bunan, observing how excited the man was as he ran around the graves, occasionally stopping to closely examine the inscriptions on the tombstones.
Watching Song Bunan, he realized that this person now appeared quite complex in his eyes. He still retained that enigmatic quality from their first meeting but had gained a bit more liveliness. Even after becoming familiar with him, his voice sounded clearer than it did that day; it was no longer deliberately low.
There were no signs along the way indicating anyone lived in the mountains. Where could that killer known as Copper Coin be hiding? Was it in that building discovered by the leader? Xin Yi followed closely behind Song Bunan, curious about what kind of "surprise" this man might bring him.
As for Song Bunan, he was completely oblivious to the intense gaze fixed upon him by Xin Yi. At that moment, he felt like he was on a vacation. After all, since entering the graveyard, he had seen many white figures standing before graves, all uniformly pointing toward the foot of the mountain. There was no fear of getting lost while running around. He approached each person guiding him and thanked them one by one.
He knew Xin Yi was waiting—waiting for Copper Coin to appear and for his promise to be fulfilled. But reality always enjoyed playing hide-and-seek; capturing someone was no different. Song Bunan did not tell him that while Copper Coin truly existed in the mountains, he had no idea where exactly this person might be.
This was also why he chose to have someone from Mighty Falcon accompany him. The people from Mighty Falcon were skilled in physical techniques; even if a fight broke out behind them, he could use them as a distraction to make a quick escape. Once everything was over, he would explain that he was just trying to complete his mission and couldn't get involved.
Finally, as the light from their shoulder lamps began to dim, the two of them reached the foot of the mountain. There was still a recently extinguished campfire on flat ground, its warmth lingering. Next to it lay a mark made by the leader with branches, indicating where the building was located.
"It's incredible that there can be a structure in a place like this," Song Bunan remarked with admiration.
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