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墨書 Inktalez
"Mr. Zhang, have you seen that piece of iron?" Unexpectedly, it was A San who asked the question.
I nodded thoughtfully. I wouldn't reveal everything to him, but my impulsive reaction earlier had already betrayed some things. I hoped that through this conversation, I could establish a certain level of trust between myself and the Vietnamese. After all, the road ahead was uncertain; only by working together could we hope to survive, and even that was just a hope.
"Yes. I've seen a piece of hexagonal iron, about as large as I drew it. However, I didn't see it here; I saw it on an airplane. What I saw was a one-to-one scale photograph."
I squinted slightly, pretending to be deep in thought. I was contemplating what to say and how to say it. The best outcome would be for him to believe that what I said was true while also thinking that I didn't know much. Of course, the truth was indeed like that, but convincing him would be challenging.
"From the photograph, there should be some patterns on that piece of iron. However, you can imagine how difficult it is to discern those intricate patterns from a photo. The conditions under which I viewed the photo were poor; I could only see some patterns on it, but I couldn't identify what they were."
As soon as you mentioned hexagonal iron and that there were also patterns on it, I naturally thought of the photograph I had seen. That photo had caused me some unpleasant experiences afterward, forcing me to leave my previous workplace. It had a significant impact on me and was something I couldn't forget. So my reaction was somewhat exaggerated.
However, I couldn't imagine that our two pieces of iron could be the same one. It must be a coincidence. The photograph of that piece of iron was taken about ten years ago. As for when this photograph was taken, I had no way of knowing; it must have been even earlier.
When did you receive information about this piece of iron? It can't be more than two years ago, right? Since the European has information that this piece of iron is here, based on the timeline, it's highly likely that these two pieces are not the same one; of course, we need to verify this.
At this point, I opened my squinted eyes and made a decisive expression.
A San was clearly observing me; upon seeing my expression, his demeanor instantly brightened before settling into a mournful look. It was evident that my last statement had given him an ominous feeling.
"Mr. Zhang. Do you think we still have the ability to verify anything? Our survival depends on God's favor; how could we possibly do anything else? I'm now your person; you have to take me back. I don't want to die here."
My expression remained cold and unchanged. In truth, my heart had begun to shift; since entering this valley, my resolve had never felt so steadfast.
The Valley initially struck me as terrifying and bizarre, and I wanted nothing more than to escape it. However, upon hearing that A San had come here to search for the Hexagonal Iron, my thoughts shifted dramatically. I couldn't fathom how this place could be connected to Lop Nur, but that piece of iron had already linked them together.
I knew, and only I knew, that the iron from Vietnam was the same as the one in the photos I had seen. At least, they belonged to the same category of objects.
This wasn't some nonsensical intuition; the words ancient tomb and Hexagonal Iron were enough to tie this matter together. This iron originated from an ancient divine relic.
I didn't believe I could find the Hexagonal Iron in this Valley, but I was convinced there must be some connection to Lop Nur that I needed to uncover. However, our current situation was not conducive to taking unnecessary risks, especially with an injured member among us.
I needed to find a way out and let part of the group leave while I stayed behind to search for clues. Perhaps Jack would stay too; I decided to let him make that choice himself. It was too dangerous, and I didn't want to make decisions for him—I wasn't ready to play God.
As for Fatty, I decided not to tell him anything. He could take care of Xiao Ting. If she learned the truth, she would insist on coming along, which would only complicate matters for me. I quickly devised a plan regarding this situation.
"Do you believe in God too?" I teased Vietnamese.
"Jack taught us; he told us to pray to God."
I stifled a laugh. I hadn't expected him to be an amateur missionary.
"We certainly need to find a way out; that's our most important and only task right now. You don't need to worry—getting out alive is our most urgent matter, without exception. You should understand the situation with European."
"I know about that. The European Consortium has ties with the Chinese Government and has engaged in several arms deals with us, especially during the Civil War years when they made quite a profit. However, acquiring some advanced weapons is difficult now; they often come with conditions. For instance, our current operation is tied to an arms deal."
"Their headquarters seems to be in Switzerland; I've never been there but heard it from Ah Xiang. We interacted with them in Mangu; they have a branch there, and I accompanied Tai Ge once. But I couldn't understand what they were saying; Tai Ge handled the conversation. The only thing I caught was their last word in English—'bye.' The earlier parts weren't in English; otherwise, I would have understood some of it."
Switzerland has several official languages—German and French among them—but definitely not English. It seemed they were avoiding using English as a means of communication, likely to keep A San in the dark. Naturally, this eavesdropper was left feeling anxious and frustrated.
"They should have discussed this operation during their negotiations. Did the Europeans provide a detailed map? How can you find this place without a map?"
"There should be one, but they didn't take it out in front of me, and I haven't seen it. However, Ah Xiang knows. After we got separated, when you went to look for Buasong, the direction Ah Xiang took me was towards the center of this Valley. His ancient tomb should be at the center of the Valley."
I roughly calculated our direction of travel; initially, we were also heading towards the center of the Valley. However, the subsequent events were too chaotic, and we were exhausted, completely losing our sense of direction. I could only confirm that we must be in the lowest part of this Valley; whether we were at the center could only be determined later.
"Now I need to ask you the most crucial question: is there any place in our current environment or the places we've passed that matches what you know, even if it's just a hint?"
A San shook his head with a mournful expression. "I haven't seen a map, and I don't know what the ancient tomb and its surroundings look like. I really can't make a judgment."
My expression darkened further due to my frustration. I felt that the environment around us grew colder under my icy demeanor. Of course, A San felt it even more acutely.
As if to change this oppressive atmosphere, Vietnamese suddenly said, "I know what Xiao Guolin is after." (To Be Continued...)
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