Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
This answer caught me off guard. I had thought he knew more than I did and that I would gain some information from him, but it turned out to be the opposite. It seemed I was expected to divulge everything while he couldn't offer me much in return.
Feeling frustrated, I turned back to him. I still needed to talk to him, but I had to reconsider what to share. The information about the Underground Passage could only be partially disclosed to him, while the new information would need to be fully revealed since the ultimate recipient of this information would be Fatty. I had no reservations about sharing everything regarding the Underground Passage with Fatty; as long as this new information reached him, I believed he would compile it and analyze it to uncover closer truths.
At the same time, I understood why the leader of the Vietnamese group was Ah Xiang and not A San. It seemed that both Jackal and Wu Qitai had a keen eye for people.
"Alright, I'll go first," I sighed. "I got some information from A San; the Vietnamese are here this time..."
At this point, I pointed down with my glow stick. Yes, I was beginning to lean towards the idea that this was the place where Europeans believed there was Hexagonal Iron. Regardless of whether this was an ancient tomb or not, it certainly had some connection to Lop Nur. It wasn't just that piece of iron; the entrance's shape was too similar to both Lop Nur and the Underground Water Reservoir for me not to link them together.
"I might have seen that thing you're looking for."
"In Lop Nur?!"
Jackal exclaimed, his voice rising in surprise. Perhaps due to his shock, his tone became somewhat erratic. The pitch change, combined with his thick Henan accent, made this serious moment feel almost like a comedy.
I was irritated that he disrupted the atmosphere and ignored my quiet request. Turning sharply towards him, I noticed he was nervously watching me.
I made my expression stern and mouthed to him, "Can you keep your voice down? Otherwise, this conversation ends here."
Jackal quickly nodded. Out of the corner of my eye, I glanced over at the campfire where three people were quiet; they seemed to be asleep.
Jack wore a skeptical expression but remained silent. He mouthed to me, "You're being too cautious. We're far enough from the campfire that even if they strain to listen, they won't hear us."
"Not necessarily," I replied with a gesture.
I turned back to look across the Underground River. The other side was shrouded in darkness as I sat on the bank. The light from my Glow Stick couldn't reach it. I avoided looking at the river surface; the pavement made me anxious and distracted. I needed to speak without any gaps and quickly convey what I wanted to say. I worried that we might not have time or this quiet environment later on.
"That thing didn't originate from Lop Nur, but it definitely existed there. I've found traces of its presence. Also, all I've seen are photographs of it."
I waved my hand. I sensed Jack was itching to ask something; there must be questions he wanted to raise, and I understood. My explanations were convoluted and lacked detail, so he was bound to have doubts.
"It's not time for questions yet," I warned Jack loudly, concerned he would disrupt my train of thought. "And the item that the Europeans commissioned the Vietnamese to retrieve here is strikingly similar to what I've seen before. I don't believe it's a coincidence, nor do I think there is a second one of this item because having even one in this world is miraculous.
So when I learned that our purpose for coming here was to find and retrieve that item, I concluded that this place must be connected to Lop Nur, the underground space I once entered. The Europeans knowing about that item and asserting its presence here must have a reason behind it, which we currently cannot ascertain. If we get a chance to leave, we can try to understand more.
If you think this still doesn't prove a connection between here and Lop Nur, let me tell you that the entrance's structure around my Pit Vortex is remarkably similar to what I saw in the underground space at Lop Nur. At Lop Nur, when we descended through that entrance, we encountered a vast underground lake and faced my Cephalopod Water Monster there."
At this point, my voice inexplicably trembled as if I were transported back to that perilous space. I turned my neck nervously and glanced around.
Jack was affected by my anxiety; his expression grew tense as he scanned the river surface and the cave ceiling under the light of his One-Eyed Beast Flashlight. I had been reluctant to use my Flashlight, but now with Jack's light, I took a quick look at the opposite bank of the Underground River. There was indeed a relatively open Ground area there, but it wasn't as flat as ours; Stalactites stood like miniature hills.
Perhaps too tense, Jack instinctively pulled one hand back and gripped the small firearm hanging on his chest. At that moment, I felt Jack's body stiffen; the moving Flashlight also came to a halt. I looked nervously at Jack and found his gaze fixed on me, but his expression was unfriendly, mixed with realization and an "I see now" look.
His expression resembled an epiphany in Buddhist terms—had my words triggered something in him? But it didn't seem quite right; his eyes were direct and blank, not reflecting the enlightenment one might expect. That piercing gaze felt like a stick pointing towards something; soon enough, I followed its direction and found what it indicated: an AK-47 assault rifle hanging from my chest.
I immediately understood that Jack had indeed realized something; he had come to the conclusion that I had tricked him with this gun, and that was not good news for me. I felt that Jack's gaze was like a sharp stick, piercing and painful.
Under the weight of that sharp gaze, I feigned nonchalance and shrugged. "You know, at that time, you were exhausted carrying Fumi, and I exchanged this gun with you to lighten your load. It was for your own good, okay? Besides, we've known each other for a while now. Am I really the kind of person who betrays trust?"
Jack shifted his gaze to my face, resolutely stating, "You are."
Damn it. I was cursing myself. What kind of question was that? Was there really such a way to ask? It was like asking for a beating. If I had turned the question around and said I wasn't the kind of person who betrays trust, right? His answer might have been different. But he could have just as easily replied, "You are." I wallowed in self-reproach and insecurity.
"I demand to have the gun back," Jack insisted.
"Let's change the subject." There was no way I would give up this assault rifle I had finally gotten my hands on, so I quickly moved on to another topic. "Do you know what Xiao Guolin bought from the Vietnamese? It's truly unbelievable."
"I don't care about that," Jack replied bluntly. "What did you see in the photo? What was that thing that came here with the Vietnamese?"
(To Be Continued...)
Comment 0 Comment Count