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墨書 Inktalez
I couldn't stay at the Palace Museum any longer. After saying goodbye to the staff, I hurriedly left the Palace Museum.
As I walked outside the red walls of the Palace Museum, I pulled out my phone. "Jack, I've got the stuff."
"Ugh, fine. I get it. The days of worrying have begun."
"Don't be so down; be a bit more optimistic."
"Are you kidding me? How can I be optimistic about this?"
"Anyway, give Fatty a call to verify the authenticity of the items. Don't let those Vietnamese trick you into buying a worthless piece of junk. I'll send you the number."
"Alright. I really don't want to deal with that barbarian. How's Xiao Ting? She's with the Task Force, right?"
I didn't want to discourage Jack. I had already given up on Xiao Ting, but it seemed Jack still held some hope.
"She's at the hospital. No, she's fine; she's just taking care of a patient there. Yes, it's Liu Squad Leader—he's got a leg injury."
Before I could finish this call, another one came in. I checked and saw it was Cao Mingzhe calling. I quickly ended my call with Jack and answered Cao Mingzhe.
"Zhang, we're ready to head out. Just go straight to Lop Nur; we'll meet there."
"Got it, I'm on my way now. See you at Lop Nur."
After hanging up, I headed straight for the hospital to say goodbye to Captain Zhou. Regardless of whether I'd return from Lop Nur, I thought this might be our last meeting.
In the hospital room, there was a doctor, a nurse, and several family members of Captain Zhou; I only recognized Captain Zhou's Daughter.
"Zhang, come here. My dad is waiting for you."
As I stepped into the crowd, I finally saw Captain Zhou with an oxygen mask covering his face. It seemed his condition was quite dire.
Captain Zhou smiled at me when he saw me, as if I were the person he most wanted to see before his passing.
He weakly waved his hand. The people around me stepped back until they exited the room, leaving only the two of us. Captain Zhou seemed satisfied.
He pulled the oxygen mask down slightly and, in a weak and muffled voice, asked, "Are you ready to set off?"
I quickly moved closer to the bedside and crouched down. "Yes, I'm leaving today. Cao Mingzhe just called me and told me to head directly to Lop Nur to meet up with them."
"I didn't tell Guo Lin about this; I was thinking about it. But seeing his condition, I feel that his return is the most important thing. It seems my initial judgment was correct. I can trust you with this; I believe you can accomplish it."
It was clear that Captain Zhou wanted to deliver his last words, and this matter was very confidential—he didn't want even his children to hear it.
"Bring that piece of iron back." After uttering those words, Captain Zhou's eyes fixed on me, his head leaning slightly in my direction. I understood; this movement took almost all of his strength.
For a moment, I felt as if Captain Zhou were hallucinating or confused. That piece of iron was in Cao Mingzhe's hands, at least at the Task Force's base. And what Song Guilong had taken down was merely a replica.
“Zhou Team, that piece of iron is in Cao Mingzhe's office. I saw it there not long ago. Don't worry.”
Suddenly, Captain Zhou grabbed my shoulder. “That piece of iron was taken by Song Guilong. The military and the Academy only have replicas. Zhang, get that piece of iron back! It slipped from my hands, and this has tormented me. I can't go down there. I can only rely on you. Promise me, bring that piece of iron back!”
“I will. I will definitely get that piece of iron back.”
My mind was in a daze. I couldn't fully comprehend or digest this information; I could only vaguely promise. I couldn't bear to see someone I respected, who had done me a favor, leave this world with regrets.
Like the spark that emerges from the last drop of wax burning out, Captain Zhou released his grip the moment he heard my words, his entire being lying there motionless as if his soul had departed. Yet his face bore a peaceful expression.
“Doctor!”
With my shout, a crowd rushed into the ward. I was nearly trampled by countless feet as I was pushed out of the room. Yes, my shoes were covered in footprints.
“I’m sorry,” I said to Captain Zhou's Daughter.
“It's not your fault. He held on until now just to wait for you and hear a word from you. It must have been important to him. Being able to let him leave without regrets is also our duty as children. We should thank you.”
Honestly, I also believed that Captain Zhou left without regrets; his peaceful expression made that clear. However, he left his regrets and confusion with me.
I went back to the hotel to book a first-class ticket for Fikurle in a daze. I had nearly 50,000 yuan in my pocket and I still didn't spend it. I was at a loss. Fortunately, I booked my flight tickets in advance and didn’t rush to check out. The earliest flight is Tomorrow morning. If you check out, you have to check in again, which is very troublesome. After booking the flight, I took a taxi to Sanlitun. You have to spend the money in your pocket. Don't carry a few piles of paper down there. When you get to the Lop Nur underground, the money in your pocket is just some paper. It's worse than toilet paper, it's so hard to wipe your butt. I followed the driver in the car, just drinking and finding a quieter bar, not too noisy. In my current state, the chaotic environment can drive me crazy. TaxiThe driver glanced at me meaningfully. "Alone? Picking up girls?" I said with a cold face: "Just drink, I will go to the execution ground tomorrow, and tonight I will be drunk and be stabbed without feeling or pain." The Beijing Guy smiled and said: "You are so funny." I Turning her face towards him for the first time. "Do you think I'm teasing you?" When I was booking a flight at the hotel, Receptionist glanced at me and then kept his head down without even glancing at me. But I could tell that she was very nervous, and her hands were shaking when she was writing the list for me. I didn't realize what was happening at the time, but as I was leaving the hotel, I saw my own face in the shadow reflected from the glass door. It was a lifeless face. Not only was it gray and dark,
My face showed no expression at all. I squeezed my features in front of the glass door, trying to force out some semblance of emotion, but the reflection staring back at me was a distorted, rigid visage.
The taxi driver glanced at me, and instantly, both he and the entire taxi shuddered. I could see his knuckles turn white as he gripped the steering wheel; his expression must have been one of sheer terror.
He deserved his bad luck; we were caught in peak traffic, and the cars were gridlocked. The look on his face was akin to someone attending a funeral. With my own face looking so unsettling, anyone else would surely think I was a threat. It was a wonder he didn’t jump out and run away.
“Hey, there are some decent bars in Sanlitun, but they can be pricey,” the driver said, forcing himself to strike up a conversation with me.
“Money? It doesn’t matter to me anymore. I still have tens of thousands in my pocket. Once I spend it all today, I’ll be good to go tomorrow. No need to save for me; just take me to a place I like.”
Hearing this, the driver finally let out a sigh of relief. It seemed he had been prepared to jump out of the car at any moment.
(To Be Continued...)
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