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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Nine
Xin Yi watched the two men locked in combat, trying to help but realizing that several shadowy figures lurked in the distance, their outlines indistinct. As he raised his gun defensively, he heard a cacophony of footsteps approaching from behind. Just then, two signal flares zipped past his ears and exploded in the distance. The situation inside the cave suddenly became clear; the figures in the distance vanished without a backward glance, leaving only three on the ground and one grappling with Song Bunan.
The battle was not looking good. Zhang Chengyun clearly had superior physical abilities compared to Song Bunan, and after a brief standoff, Song Bunan quickly found himself at a disadvantage, the blade nearly poised at his throat. Several red dots from sniper scopes appeared on both men, prompting Xin Yi to immediately stop his teammates behind him, informing them that this was Zhang Family's missing heir and their ally.
The leader stood beside him, aiming a tranquilizer gun at Zhang Chengyun while signaling to Song Bunan that he would target his neck and instructed him not to move. Receiving the message, Song Bunan suddenly pushed his opponent back an inch, and Xin Yi swore he heard a muffled groan escape from him.
The impact of the tranquilizer caused Zhang Chengyun to freeze momentarily, allowing Song Bunan to seize the opportunity to kick him down. However, a sharp pain radiated from his waist, restricting his next move. It was then that Xin Yi noticed the problem and hurried over, unfastening the safety rope from the leader's waist to bind Zhang Chengyun.
But the tranquilizer had no effect on someone like him; within three seconds of hitting the ground, he sprang back up, brandishing his knife and charging towards Xin Yi.
With no time to draw his weapon, Xin Yi dodged just as Song Bunan appeared before him. At the moment when the blade was about to pierce his chest, Song Bunan intervened with a powerful kick that struck Zhang Chengyun squarely in the chest. As he fell to the ground, Xin Yi rushed forward to knock him out, bind his arms, and stuff a Copper Ring into his mouth in one fluid motion.
All four were successfully subdued. As they were carried out, surprisingly none of them managed to spit out the Copper Ring. Xin Yi suddenly realized that Copper Coin was missing; when he searched for it, Song Bunan stopped him and said it had run away.
Outside the door, members of the Zhang Family quickly took over as they brought their comrade out and messaged their companions for assistance. Upon seeing Song Bunan, they displayed expressions of confusion. When one of them removed their mask and approached for a handshake, Song Bunan gently shook his head and declined: "Next time."
His voice was weak; his face pale and drenched in sweat. As he spoke, he swayed unsteadily and nearly collapsed until the leader caught him just in time before he fell onto the rubble. Xin Yi moved closer to ask what was wrong but was grabbed by the wrist; Song Bunan's trembling hand felt icy cold, sending an ominous signal through him.
"I need to go to your Mighty Falcon hospital. Don't notify my family. If anyone calls and sees Xiao Mei's name on their phone, connect them and tell them where I am. First help me stop the bleeding; I don't have much strength left." Xin Yi quickly caught hold of the unconscious man; as he wrapped an arm around his waist, he felt a wetness spreading through his clothes. The leader helped lift up Song Bunan's shirt to reveal a knife wound about an inch long on his side that was oozing blood.
This must have been caused when he kicked Zhang Chengyun away; if he hadn't blocked that strike, it would have been aimed at his own chest. Xin Yi knew very well that it was Song Bunan who had saved him. The leader sprinkled some coagulant powder onto a bandage; as soon as it touched the unconscious man's wound, he shuddered violently. The bandage was wrapped around repeatedly but blood continued to seep through.
"There’s a way out; backup has arrived—let’s retreat." Xin Yi held onto Song Bunan as the frail man leaned against him, looking even more fragile than when standing. Moreover, Song Bunan felt very cold; Xin Yi couldn't tell if he was trembling from cold or pain. The leader handed over a thermal blanket and mentioned that medical assistance was ready.
"There are still some on the mountain road—one dead, two captured, one missing." Xin Yi analyzed aloud that they were all likely members of Zhang Family who had gone missing. The leader nodded in agreement and pointed at his communicator indicating someone had already gone to clean up. "The communicator has background surveillance; they saw you send me your situation and have already dispatched people for cleanup. As for those four—two are dead."
Two? Xin Yi glanced thoughtfully at Song Bunan. Just then, he heard the leader continue: "The one you killed is still there; another is tied up under a tree while one is hanging from a tree after being strangled."
Hanging from a tree. Xin Yi’s gaze fixed on Song Bunan’s face as his breathing steadied but remained pale as ever. The leader quickly understood his expression and quietly asked if it was done by him. Upon receiving confirmation, he displayed an expression of admiration: "He may look small but he's quite formidable."
"That one was directly hung from a tree with no signs of struggle around—Zhang Family’s people are also present but said they wouldn’t pursue it further. Is this really the mystic that Captain brought? So capable?" They had split up earlier and only knew that Xin Yi was going to fetch someone mystical; now it seemed clear that there must be more than just investigating Old Otter's cause of death involved here.
But why did he tell me that he had let him run away? Xin Yi couldn't figure it out. The medical team took Song Bunan from him, got in the car and left without stopping. Xin Yi sat in the car behind him and took out Song Bunan's phone from his pocket. Like his, it had no password set. The screen saver was a landscape photo, and the software list was almost entirely based on the phone. The last page was two lonely downloaded software, chat and video. Xin Yi knew that it was immoral to spy on other people's privacy, but the messages that kept popping up made him curious whether the other party was the person named Xiao Mei. This name sounded like a girl. Song Bunan's avatar was a cartoon animal, a hamster wearing glasses and biting half a piece of coriander, with the background standing in a coriander field. The eldest brother also came over to look, saying that he really hated coriander, but this hamster was so cute, and asked him when he changed his avatar. Xin Yi was choked, and was too embarrassed to admit that he was looking at someone else's phone, so he evaded the question. 【Why do you go to help anyone who asks you to? If you have so much free time, come to my house and help uncle Meng wash the vegetables. 】 【No, you went into the mountains without knowing what happened! Big brother, can you use your rusty brain! Can't wait for us to come back? 】 【Speak up! Don't be silent, I know you are looking at your phone! 】 【Shhhhhhh, you didn't really go into the mountains, did you? Why is the store closed? No one is at home! Shabby——】 【Shabby, reply quickly, your brother is about to blow up my phone. You can answer the phone even in the mountains, idiot! 】 【Damn, I don't care about you, I'm going to spread rumors that you are dead. 】 Many messages popped up from the person named Xiao Mei. Judging from the time, they started replying when they arrived at Ting Feng Pavilion and only stopped half an hour ago. Thinking about the things Song Bunan arranged for him, Xin Yi decided to reply to this person's current situation. 【Song Bunan is injured and is now Mighty Falcon. 】 Less than three seconds after the message was sent, the other end of the phone called. It was also a young kid who asked how to prove it. Xin Yi introduced himself and said that it was Song Bunan who asked him to reply like this. After hearing this, the kid sighed and softened his tone to ask Song Bunan where he was injured. "The side of the waist, knife wound, the wound is more than an inch long and two fingers wide." After hearing this, the person on the other end of the phone ignored the call that had not been hung up, and shouted to others at the top of his voice that he had contacted the pig and it had just entered the slaughterhouse. The phone was hung up in a commotion, and the kid on the other end mumbled a long string of content. He couldn't hear what he said in the disturbance of the electric sound. But what he could be sure of was that he was scolding Song Bunan, and the scolding was very ugly. The eldest brother sitting next to him obviously heard the content of the call, and the corners of his mouth never lowered. He found a comfortable position to lean on his bag, closed his eyes and whispered: "You, are envious." I didn't. This rebuttal was stuck on his lips, and he couldn't say it out loud even after ruminating it for many times. The captain was right, and he was really envious.
Memories from the orphanage had mostly faded, but he clearly remembered joining the Mighty Falcon when he was six years old. It was a beautiful day, the sun warming the entire yard, pushing the chill of early spring into the dark corners, allowing them to take their blankets outside to bask in the sunlight. He stood by the clothesline, watching the leader emerge from behind a blanket, kneeling on one knee in front of him, looking quite dashing with a cigarette in his mouth.
"Come with me." That was the first thing he said to him, and it marked the beginning of his life. From that moment on, he gained countless teammates and brothers, and life shifted from mere eating and sleeping to training on how to survive. The leader left him at the training camp, saying before he departed, "Here, you will survive."
Where else could one not survive? Even now, he occasionally asked himself this question but found no answer. During casual conversations, newcomers sometimes asked if he regretted joining here. His answer was sincere yet filled with confusion. He didn’t regret it; he just pondered what kind of life he would have led if he hadn’t joined.
Now he had met Song Bunan, a person whose life trajectory was completely opposite yet intersecting with his own. Song Bunan had a happy family with harmonious parents, a stable academic and work life, friends who could help him out in times of trouble, and a bright future ahead.
What if? He dared only to consider what might have been. What if his irresponsible parents hadn’t abandoned him? Would his forty-two years of life have been different? Would it have been like Song Bunan's—free and unrestrained? Yet time offered no answers; it merely allowed this question to sink into oblivion, eventually eroding into a grain of sand in the desert of his life—unseen and forgotten.
Thus, he felt a twinge of envy for Song Bunan; it seemed that some people could indeed live so smoothly.
He hadn’t sustained any internal injuries; after two weeks of stitches following his wound closure, he could be discharged as long as there were no further issues after three days in the hospital. Upon arriving at the medical facility’s entrance, they heard the doctor say this to the captain. The captain, now dressed in his team uniform, acknowledged this with a wave and instructed the nurse to take the still unconscious patient to his room.
"Well done." His superior height meant that what should have landed on his shoulder instead rested on his chest as he patted vigorously in praise. The leader beside him scratched his head casually and smiled as he left. "Your report is due tomorrow; for now, go check on Song Bunan in the ward and take a break."
It was a double room. He removed his gear and lay down, unable to resist casting his gaze toward Song Bunan. The way he looked while asleep was softer than when awake; his thick, curled eyelashes trembled with each breath. Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating his face so clearly that even the fine hairs were visible.
"Don’t worry; I can take care of myself. I might even be able to save you," he had said while they were on their way to the building in the mountains. He had intended for Song Bunan to stay outside but was predictably met with refusal and a flag brought by the other party.
Xin Yi believed that Song Bunan could protect himself and now firmly trusted that he could save himself too.
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