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墨書 Inktalez
"Zhang, you're hiding something from me." Jack's voice was still a bit hoarse, but his tone was serious.
I couldn't understand my own state of mind and stubbornly replied to Jack, "Pull your feet back up."
This time, Jack didn't insist; he pulled both feet back onto the shore. However, the way he looked at the river had changed.
"Yes, I am hiding some things from you. You also have some things you haven't told me, don't you?"
During the recent journey, I had time to think about these matters. I gathered various pieces of information, but it only felt increasingly confusing. I couldn't connect them; I lacked a central thread.
Moreover, I began to worry about a crucial issue: these pieces of information might be buried here.
As of now, I was the only one who knew this information. The last Desert Archaeological Activity left only a few survivors from the Underground Passage. Xiao Guolin was unaccounted for, Cao Mingzhe was missing, and his mental state was poor. Aside from those two, everyone else had already distanced themselves from the influence of the Underground Passage. Although Liu Squad Leader intended to join in, he had actually already broken free from its effects. I truly didn't want him to get dragged back in.
If I were to meet an unfortunate end this time, these pieces of information would be buried here forever, and that thought left me feeling unsatisfied. I planned to hand this information over to someone reliable to increase the chances of it getting out. For now, that person could only be Jack.
Of course, this was relative. If Fatty were here, I wouldn't consider Jack. Fatty was the one I trusted the most.
Additionally, Jack should have some information that I didn't know about. Why were they funding me so generously? What were their intentions? What did they know? I wanted to extract this information from Jack as well.
My words plunged Jack into deep thought; his expression grew unusually serious as if he were making some kind of decision.
We sat quietly by the river, the glow stick in our hands dangling casually over the pavement. Suddenly, I realized that our posture resembled the moment when Squad Leader Liu and I first encountered the Cephalopod Water Monster, with the only missing element being a powerful flashlight between us. This realization made my heart race, and I focused my gaze more intently on the pavement.
I couldn't calm my nerves; an inexplicable sense of unease and agitation lingered within me. I knew this was detrimental to our negotiation, yet my emotions were uncontrollable, and my body felt tense.
"You’re afraid of this water. Why? Do you know this place?" Jack turned to face me. "Zhang, your behavior is unusual. It feels like you've been here before and know what dangers lurk."
The underground river flowed slowly, the sound of water barely audible. Aside from that, there was no other noise in this space, making it as silent as being in outer space. In contrast, Jack's voice seemed to resonate throughout the entire area.
I turned my head, not looking at Jack but instead glancing toward the campfire not far behind us. Two Lao People and one Vietnamese person were gathered around the fire. The Lao People didn’t understand Chinese, so I wasn’t particularly wary of them. However, I was most cautious of the Vietnamese individual, who had found a protruding stalactite to lean against for comfort. Coincidentally, this positioned his face toward me and Jack by the underground river.
The campfire was close to the underground river, allowing me to see each person's expression clearly. Yet, I could only see A San's face since he was facing me, appearing to be feigning sleep. I recalled that he hadn’t initially been in that position.
During my conversations with A San, I discovered that most of his information came from eavesdropping; he seemed quite skilled at and fond of listening in on others. This made me wary.
I shifted closer to Jack, resting my hands on the ground beside him until our knees touched—one of mine pressing against one of his. Jack grimaced in distaste at this somewhat suggestive physical contact.
I shot him a cold glance before turning back to face forward and whispered in a tone only we could hear, "Speak softly; I don’t want these conversations reaching the Vietnamese ears. Also, I'm not interested in you, even though your backside is quite fair."
"Fuk," Jack's voice was indeed louder, and he pressed his knee down in a retaliatory manner.
"I've never been here before, but I encountered a massive aquatic monster in another place. It nearly took my life, and I still have lingering fears about it. I hope you understand." I paid no mind to Jack's childish behavior.
"Did it happen the last time you were at Lop Nur?" His tone immediately perked up, filled with excitement.
"Yes. It was a gigantic Cephalopod Monster. I can't tell you exactly how big it was because I didn't see its full form. But I can tell you how big its eyes were." I spread my arms wide, forming a circle in front of my chest. "About this big."
I turned to look at Jack's wide eyes and mouth. I smiled.
"For someone who desperately wants a live Specimen, its allure must be even greater," I said as I turned back slowly.
"You’re not lying to me, are you?" Jack asked, forgetting to turn back around.
I shook my head and reached out a hand to push his face toward me.
"No, of course not. I'm no longer interested in deception or have the time for it. Perhaps you still have an interest in that area, but time is running out. I hope one of us can get this information out. I'm planning to be straightforward; what about you?"
After another moment of silence, Jack replied, "I can only do what I can."
In this situation, his insistence on certain things made it harder for me to trust him and his affiliation with the grassroots organization.
"But this isn't Lop Nur; why do you still feel this fear? Could there be such a huge Water Monster here too? Your association seems far-fetched," Jack said, staring at the pavement of the underground river with confusion.
I glanced at Jack. "You should have gotten some information from Ah Xiang."
Jack should know the purpose of this trip to Vietnam. A San had told me that Jack and Ah Xiang had spoken privately, so he likely knew more about the Vietnamese's cards than I did. I wanted to delve deeper into the information regarding the Vietnamese through Jack, especially concerning the European information about the Antimatter Bomb. However, even if Jack knew about that piece of metal, he wouldn't connect it to Lop Nur. I believed only a few people who had entered the Underground Passage could link those two distant places through that piece of metal.
Another silence fell between us. I looked at Jack in frustration, only to see his face twisted with anger.
"He knows nothing. Damn it, I even threw him into the water, and he still wouldn't spill a word," Jack said, his face twitching.
(To Be Continued...)
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