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墨書 Inktalez
This was a face that revealed no trace of color except for the lips. A face so beautiful it drove one to madness. A face as cold as an iceberg, evoking no thoughts of defilement.
Her long black hair was parted down the middle, cascading down beside her ears and draping over her shoulders. Her eyebrows were not thin, but rather straight and flat. I didn’t know much about girls, so I couldn’t accurately judge whether they had been shaped, but I thought that even if they had been, it was only lightly done.
Her eye sockets were slightly sunken, and her eyes were large. When she looked at me, they seemed to silently express the word "why," as if reproaching me without a sound. Yet from those brows and eyes, I sensed a hint of sorrow and something sharp.
Her nose was straight, and her full lips had a slight curve, perhaps because she was gently pressing them together.
The black of her hair and eyebrows accentuated her skin, which was as white as cream, like a night-blooming cereus under the moonlight, strikingly bright against the darkness like a firefly. She resembled a fairy untouched by the mundane world—or perhaps a devil.
Faced with such a perfect and alluring woman, I felt no surge of excitement or adrenaline. It wasn’t that I was particularly calm; rather, this woman gave off such an eerie vibe. It felt as if amidst the demons lurking around, a pure and pristine girl appeared, her demeanor serene and natural. In that case, the devilish aspect of this girl far outweighed any angelic qualities.
I stared at her as she slowly walked up to me, extending a hand without any expression on her face. "I didn’t expect to meet you under these circumstances, Mr. Zhang."
I reached out and shook her hand firmly. It was a hand that seemed never to have held a broom—so soft. The bones felt delicate, almost like an adjective: soft as if boneless. I truly couldn’t imagine why such a girl would come here.
"You know me?" I asked in surprise.
"I’ve heard about you for quite some time. We’re here to rescue you; how could we not know you?"
Actually, there was something off about her statement; she should know of my existence but shouldn’t recognize me personally. I didn’t dwell on her slip of the tongue and directly voiced my confusion.
"Sister Tang's" presence in a place like this surprised me. If it was just for guiding, the two men on the other side of the campfire would be enough." I gestured with my eyes toward the two men. "It's not appropriate for you to come to such a dangerous place."
"Why is it inappropriate? If Xiao Ting can come, why can't I?" The woman replied cunningly.
"Because Sister Tang knows the way around here." Xiao Ting, sensing the tension between us, chimed in to explain.
"You've been here before?" I immediately asked.
"Yes, it was many years ago."
"This place is very dangerous. What are you doing here? Who are you?"
Seeing my stern gaze, Xiao Ting fell silent, and after a moment of hesitation, Sister Tang said, "After we get out, you can ask our village chief. There are some things I can't discuss; he will provide you with answers. We need to hurry and leave this place; it's not good to stay here too long. Are all your people here? Are there any missing?"
I shook my head. "No, everyone is here."
"That's good. By the way, you didn't bring anything else in, did you? The species in the Valley can disrupt the ecological balance here."
"Are you talking about those terrifying bugs outside? And those red snakes? We were chased by them and jumped into this Underground Cavern; we couldn't escape in time. There's no way we could have brought anything in."
Sister Tang smiled slightly. I sensed she might have relaxed a bit.
I kept my eyes fixed on her; even the slightest change in her expression wouldn't escape my notice. I couldn't understand why Fatty would let her come along. I certainly didn't believe that she had to lead the way. Even if she had been here before, it must have been with someone else taking care of her. I couldn't believe there wasn't someone in their village who was more familiar with this place than she was.
"Is your Village located in this Valley?"
"Yes, otherwise how could we enter here?"
"But how do you contact the outside world? There’s no road out of the Valley, and the marshes are fraught with danger. You can't possibly stay in the Valley forever."
"We use the Zip Line. We have a Zip Line that leads to the banks of the Beipan River, and then there's another Zip Line that crosses the Beipan River to the village on the other side. This is our only way in and out of the Village. Even the children in the Village use this Zip Line to go to school."
I fell silent. Before entering the Valley, I had observed its interior through binoculars and hadn’t seen any Zip Line. Of course, if it was far away, it made sense that I couldn't see it. But it seemed unreasonable for them to live in such an isolated and perilous environment without any visible means of escape.
"I'm curious about what you are doing here. Are you part of a multinational force? I assume you don't have any ulterior motives."
To my surprise, the Tang Woman quickly turned from defense to offense, throwing me a challenging question.
Undoubtedly, our purpose was indeed not something we could openly disclose. However, I had no intention of being honest about it; I had a hundred reasons to cover up the truth of our visit. The problem was that Fatty had already made contact with them and must have explained things beforehand. If I concocted another story now, it would surely contradict Fatty's account.
I shrugged and pointed toward the campfire. "He's our leader, that Fatty. You should ask him about this; I'm just a runner, a worker. The boss won't tell me everything."
I noticed Xiao Ting making a 'K' gesture at me discreetly. It seemed Fatty had already spun some tales for them; thankfully, I hadn't fabricated another story, or it would have been a disaster.
The Tang Woman clearly wasn't satisfied with my answer; her brows furrowed. "But I see you have quite a leadership quality."
Her words almost choked me. Leadership quality? How ironic. A person's entrance often determines their impression, and for these Hakka People, my entrance was nothing short of disgraceful—stepping into a cold lake and being tossed onto the deck like a frozen fool left no room for any semblance of grace.
I gave a cold smile. "You're overestimating me; Sister Tang is truly remarkable for daring to come down here. That kind of courage is beyond ordinary people."
"Tang Yumo. Language means 'word,' silence means 'silence.'"
I suppressed a cold smile. "Zhang Jianqiang. Strong in strength, strong in might."
Damn it, I hated introducing myself. My name was too straightforward, too uninspired.
"I heard your companion is after something called Heimanluo. What is Heimanluo?" I quickly shook off the awkwardness and continued with my questions.
"Don't you want to invite me to sit down?" Tang Yumo said, a bit dissatisfied.
I pointed to the stone pillar lying on the ground. "Please."
Xiao Ting and Tang Yumo linked arms and sat down, while I remained standing, facing them against the light of the campfire. I timely turned off the flashlight, allowing my face to be completely hidden in the darkness, while Tang Yumo's porcelain-like skin stood out even more in the firelight.
"What is Heimanluo?" I asked again.
(To Be Continued...)
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