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墨書 Inktalez
My heart raced, almost leaping out of my chest, the intense beating echoing in my ears, drowning out the chaotic roar of the Sandstorm. I stood there, facing him with a fierce expression, though my mind was consumed by thoughts of escape and retreat. Yet, I ultimately did not back down.
I had persisted in this conversation with Li Squad Leader to this point, and only I knew the struggles behind it. If I took a step back now, everything I had fought for would collapse. I could only hold on, striving for the outcome I desired.
I stared directly into his beast-like face, illuminated by a red glow. However, I overlooked one crucial detail: as he stepped closer, not only did his face become clearer to me, but the light reflecting off it also cast a faint glow onto my own face. Though the reflection was weak, it pulled my features from the shadows. When I realized this, Li Squad Leader's expression shifted dramatically, transforming into one of ruthless intensity.
I could clearly see sympathy in his eyes from across the room. While I felt immense anger towards this villainous man, I was even more ashamed of my own reaction. His strategic advance left me at a loss for how to respond; retreat was not an option for me. Under these circumstances, my awkward facial expressions became a powerful guarantee that would shatter my confidence and bolster his.
The moment Li Squad Leader saw my expression, he stepped back to his original position. "I will not agree to any unreasonable demands from you," he said, his tone calm yet firm, devoid of any aggressive forcefulness. Instead, it was casual yet resolute. "You are the most unpredictable factor here; I cannot allow any uncontrollable situations to arise, even though things are already quite chaotic."
His dismissive expression filled me with humiliation. I realized that in this negotiation, I had become the loser. A wave of defeat and helplessness washed over me, and suddenly I had the urge to strike him.
But before I could act on that impulse—perhaps due to the lingering hesitance and cowardice in my character—Li Squad Leader moved.
In that moment, he no longer felt like an Engineer; combined with his decisive and fierce demeanor, he resembled Rambo from First Blood. He delivered a powerful kick to my chest. As I felt my organs shift and my body lift off the ground, I caught sight of a dark shadow descending.
The object crashed onto the Ground with a loud thud and bounced off the Azure Stone Floor before slamming into a stone pillar in the center of the Excavation Pit. From its shape and color, I deduced it must have been a wall panel from a mobile cabin.
I landed heavily on the Azure Stone Floor, feeling as if all my bones might break; breathing became difficult due to the pain in my chest. Struggling to turn over and get up proved impossible due to the overwhelming agony coursing through me. Just then, someone tightened my collar and lifted me up.
I knew who it was; for reasons unknown to me, I didn’t look up or express any gratitude despite knowing that his kick had been meant to save me.
Li Squad Leader quickly brought me to the Escape Pod's side but suddenly stopped and looked at me. The pain in my body had become bearable enough for me to glance up at him; I noticed a deep gash on his chest that exposed flesh beneath.
I hurriedly pulled out a first aid kit to bandage him. He blocked my attempt with a hand: "It's just a scratch."
Suddenly, his face showed an unusual seriousness, not the sternness I had seen before, but a pure and simple earnestness. "I really am not lying to you. I will complete the mission and bring Song Guilong back."
I slightly altered his last sentence, repeating, "Bring Song Guilong back alive."
Li Squad Leader nodded seriously. "Yes, bring him back alive."
Then, Li Squad Leader pushed me into the transition chamber. After I entered the Sealed Chamber, I saw him pass by my hatch and enter another Sealed Chamber.
Xiao Guolin looked at my pained expression and asked, "Are you hurt?"
I secured myself in the Seats, moved a bit, and realized that I couldn't close the Hatch like this, so I unfastened the safety belt. This movement triggered pain throughout my body, and I knew my face must be pale, a clear sign of injury-induced pallor.
"I fell. Something fell from above," I said lightly, suppressing the Severe Pain.
I didn't want to cause Xiao Guolin any worry. More importantly, I increasingly felt that there was no one trustworthy around me. Even though Li Squad Leader had saved me and was injured in the process, I didn't believe his serious words at all. What was he hiding? Why was he concealing it from me? Was there a higher level of confidentiality beyond my authorized clearance?
This series of questions temporarily made me forget the pain. Xiao Guolin frowned, clearly puzzled by something, but he cooperatively refrained from asking further questions. In this project location, it seemed to be an unspoken understanding; only I broke this tacit agreement as I desperately sought to uncover the mystery.
Before long, Li Lianzhang's Voice came through the intercom between the Sealed Chambers, filled with vigor and sounding nothing like someone who had been injured. “Zhao Squad Leader, close the transition chamber Hatch, and open the ventilation window of the transition chamber. Send someone—no, you stay on duty in the transition chamber yourself. If there’s an emergency, immediately notify all Sealed Chambers to seal their Hatch. You know how to handle it.”
After hearing Zhao Squad Leader respond with a firm "Yes," the transition chamber Hatch slammed shut with a loud bang. As the air quality deteriorated, the atmosphere inside the Sealed Chamber became murky; conditions were much better in the transition chamber. However, no one envied that position; there one had to keep a close watch outside while being most likely to fall into danger.
Since a wall panel from a mobile cabin had fallen into the Excavation Pit, various debris began to be swept in by the Sandstorm. Things kept crashing onto the Escape Pod, producing very loud noises. From the sounds of impact, one could roughly determine the nature of what was falling: dull "thuds" indicated wooden furniture or tools hitting; sharp "cracks" came from metal sheets of the mobile cabin breaking apart. It wasn't until a tremendous crash echoed that shook everyone’s ears that my heart—and perhaps everyone else's—truly tightened in fear.
The escape pod was engulfed in darkness, and the faint light filtering through the small porthole made it impossible to discern what had fallen. However, judging by the sound, it was clear that something very heavy had crashed down.
As the deafening echoes faded, the voice of Li Squad Leader roared through the intercom, "Is anyone injured? Report losses from each Sealed Chamber."
After a brief and chaotic exchange of reports, the damage was assessed. Song Guilong's Sealed Chamber was directly beneath the impact site and had sustained a dent, but fortunately, there were no casualties.
"Liu Squad Leader, Captain Song is currently unresponsive. I order you to thoroughly check his physical condition and ensure he has no injuries," Li Squad Leader immediately issued a new command.
After a moment, Liu Squad Leader reported back, "There are no new external injuries. Hearing response... no response to sound."
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