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墨書 Inktalez
I sat across from Fatty at the table, which was cluttered with a stack of papers and a pen. Buasong was in another room with Fumi, leaving only Fatty and me, along with A San, who was dozing against the wall.
Fatty and I exchanged glances, and he mouthed to me, "Try to communicate silently; writing it down is too much trouble."
I nodded. "First, tell me about Cao Mingzhe. Have you seen him?"
Fatty shook his head slightly. "I haven't seen him. I got the information through a satellite phone from the Search and Rescue Team that came from Hong Kong. And it wasn't the Search and Rescue Team that found him; he found them."
"Hasn't he been avoiding contact? Why would he suddenly reach out to the Search and Rescue Team? How's his mental state?"
"It seems he discovered your whereabouts and realized you were in trouble in the Valley, which prompted him to contact the Search and Rescue Team. However, he didn't speak to me directly; he communicated entirely with Xiao Ting. He provided her with the location of Hakka Village and informed her that there’s an entrance underground there."
Xiao Ting's language was precise and logical, indicating that his mental state was stable. Moreover, he had initially instructed Xiao Ting to come directly to Hakka Village and immediately enter underground to rescue you all. I made a mistake by searching downstream for you, which wasted a lot of time; otherwise, things wouldn't have become so complicated, and Jack wouldn't have been injured.
I spoke with the Search and Rescue Team from Hong Kong. Their leader, this Cao Mingzhe you're referring to, is quite impressive. It took the team half an hour to climb the steep mountain, but he ascended quickly without any protective gear. However, after his call with Xiao Ting, he left without much interaction with the Search and Rescue Team."
"What else did he discuss with Xiao Ting? Why did he come here?"
"You'll have to ask Xiao Ting about that; she didn't share. You know I respect women and won’t pry into matters they don’t wish to discuss."
"Damn," I couldn't help but curse under my breath.
My voice wasn't loud, but I noticed the Vietnamese man across from me shudder slightly as if startled awake from a dream.
My voice left Fatty extremely dissatisfied. He lowered his voice and said to me, "Don't think that just because you and Jack have read a few more years of books, you're superior or more understanding. In reality, hypocrites often crawl out from piles of books. There are plenty of people whose knowledge has gone to waste. What do you mean? Just because someone is a grassroots person, they don't understand how to respect women? They have no dignity?"
"Don't change the subject. The difference isn't because I haven't read much. I'm calling you out for pretending in front of me. Is it really necessary? I know exactly what kind of person you are! If it weren't for this situation, with your pretentious act in front of me, do you believe I wouldn't knock you out?"
Fatty looked at me in shock, "You think you can beat me?!"
Damn. I had forgotten about that. This was his strong suit; he always had the upper hand over me.
I must have made him so angry that I blurted that out. But we were used to joking like this; we could tease each other a bit.
"If you can't beat me, are you scared to hit me? Want to give it a try?"
"Hey, it's only been a short while since we last met, and you've gotten bold. I'll give you a chance when we get home. I'll take you on one-on-one; it's been ages since I've dealt with you."
I raised my middle finger at him. 'Where did Cao Mingzhe go?'
'No one knows. He didn't go with Xiao Ting, and certainly not with the Search and Rescue Team. Moreover, he left very suddenly, right after finishing a call with Xiao Ting. According to the Search and Rescue Captain, it was like he was rushing for a flight.'
'How did he know there was an entrance to the Underground Cavern in the Village? That information shouldn't be so widespread.'
'No. It wasn't widespread at all. When I first suggested entering the Underground Cavern to them, the people in the Village were shocked as if they had seen a ghost. Clearly, I'm not the first outsider to enter this Village, but no one has ever suggested entering the Underground Cavern from here.'
'There's another thing. The reason they agreed to let Xiao Ting and me enter underground and even sent us a Guide was largely due to something Cao Mingzhe said.'
Fatty suddenly shut his mouth, his big eyes narrowing and his brows furrowing.
'Come on, don't keep me in suspense.'
'It was the Awakened One who sent me here.'
"What?" I frowned as well.
"It was the Awakened One who sent me." Fatty repeated word for word. "These are Cao Mingzhe's exact words; he will receive help as long as he says this. It turns out he wasn't lying to us."
"What does that mean?"
"Genius knows! No, the Hakka Clan Leader knows. After Xiao Ting said that, the old man with the white beard immediately changed his mind. You should have seen the situation at that time; when I rashly suggested entering the underground, the mood in the Village suddenly became tense. It almost led to a fight."
"Then why did you end up fighting them anyway? What did you say to offend them?"
"I didn't; the problem wasn't on my side. As soon as we entered the Underground Cavern, they attacked. It was almost without warning. However, they overestimated themselves, and more importantly, they didn't hide their emotions well. If it weren't for Xiao Ting being there, I wouldn't have spared any of those three."
"You didn't take the opportunity to ask Hakka Guide what Cao Mingzhe's words meant? That's not your style."
"Hehe." Fatty chuckled.
"Still, my brother understands me. But without prying it out of them, I think it's more likely they don't know. Tang Yumo is very likely to know; that girl is mysterious and definitely not as harmless as she appears. Those two Hakka Guides actually act based on her cues. However, Xiao Ting was deceived by her, and I couldn't force Tang Yumo to reveal more. I didn't want to make Xiao Ting uncomfortable or misunderstand me."
"Hmph." I scoffed, "That's not called misunderstanding. It's a misunderstanding now. She has been completely deceived."
Fatty widened his big eyes in surprise. "People can change."
"Yes, but pigs won't change; even if they do, they're still pigs. Don't flatter yourself too much."
Fatty's big face suddenly leaned over the table, almost pressing against mine, his features contorted as he stared at me. Suddenly, he burst into laughter.
"You’re jealous!"
My face turned red instantly; fortunately, it was already dim in the room and we hadn't turned on any lights, so it shouldn't be too obvious.
"I’m not jealous! I just can’t stand seeing good cabbage being pushed by pigs. I promised Xiao Guolin to take care of his daughter, so of course I have to keep an eye on someone like you, a good-for-nothing youth. Otherwise, she’ll have no face to see Xiao Guolin in the future."
Fatty chuckled and sat back down, wearing a smug expression.
"Isn’t the American Guy more handsome? He knows how to act like a gentleman. Compared to him, you don’t stand a chance, and you’re even less competitive than me. Your words don’t affect me; you know I’m immune to such insults."
"Thick-skinned."
"Suit yourself."
I knew that Fatty was putting on an act, but he truly ignored my disdain. His face, which seemed impervious to any criticism, wouldn’t flush from these few words.
I shook my head helplessly. "About the hearing issue, why do you think they have hearing problems?"
(To Be Continued...)
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