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墨書 Inktalez
What the hell! The bottle was barely empty, and Old Zhou really couldn't hold his liquor! I had only had a few drinks and still felt quite sober. Turning my head to look outside, it was already pitch black, and heavy rain was pouring down, occasionally illuminated by flashes of lightning that lit up the entire night sky.
I thought to myself, I'll wait until the rain stops before heading back. I might as well take Old Zhou back to the television station; at least he would have a place to stay there.
With that in mind, I called over the Boss to settle the bill, idly watching the rainy night outside as I waited for the rain to ease.
Despite being on the edge of the city, there were very few cars passing by at this time. After a while, only an occasional vehicle splashed through the water. I silently lamented; what was I going to do? There weren't any taxis in sight.
The number of diners in the restaurant dwindled until only our table remained. Old Zhou was still sound asleep, snoring away, which only added to my worries as I noticed the Boss approaching us with an uneasy expression.
"I'm sorry, but we are closing soon," the Boss said with a forced smile as he gestured for us to leave.
I glanced outside; the rain seemed to have lightened up a bit, but without an umbrella, stepping out would mean getting soaked quickly. Checking my watch, it was nearly ten o'clock. If I didn't return to the barracks soon, it would be too late—there was mobilization for training tomorrow.
After some thought, I nodded at the Boss and, with his help, managed to get Old Zhou on his feet. I planned to borrow an umbrella from Yingluo's shop first and figure out how to get back myself. As for Old Zhou, he could just sleep in the restaurant; there was still someone keeping an eye on him.
Yingluo's shop wasn't far from here. Exiting the restaurant and crossing the street, I walked over a hundred meters towards the hospital. Once outside, the rain had eased slightly again. I had no choice but to support Old Zhou along the street, moving from shop awning to awning as we slowly made our way toward Hutong Entrance.
It's true what they say about drunk people being dead weight. Old Zhou looked skinny but felt incredibly heavy as I helped him walk. Even as a young man, after a while, I was sweating profusely.
I paused for a moment to wipe the sweat from my forehead and unconsciously glanced back to see if any taxis were coming.
At that moment, a flash of lightning suddenly streaked across the sky, illuminating everything for a brief second. I thought I saw someone standing at a nearby street corner wearing a raincoat and looking this way; it felt strange. Just as I focused on that spot, darkness enveloped it once more.
I felt confused because that figure seemed vaguely familiar; it was on the tip of my tongue who it could be but eluded me completely.
When another flash of lightning lit up the area again, there was no one at the corner.
"Could it be? Am I seeing things?" I muttered to myself.
"Money spent... all spent... you can't take it with you when you die..." Old Zhou mumbled incoherently; I couldn't quite make out what he was saying.
“Old Zhou, aren’t you going to save some money for retirement? I really don’t understand your way of life.” I wiped the rain off my face and continued to support Old Zhou as we moved forward. Perhaps what I felt earlier was just an illusion.
The rain had lightened up a bit, turning into a fine drizzle. I could see that we were not far from the Hutong Entrance, so I helped Old Zhou cross the street despite the rain.
I looked around; it was dark and silent everywhere. This didn’t feel like a road in a big city at all—it was more like the wilderness or a remote suburb.
In such terrible weather, I wondered if Yingluo had already gone to sleep. I silently lamented, Old Zhou, you’re such a troublemaker!
As we reached the Hutong Entrance, I felt as if someone was watching me from behind. It was an indescribable sensation, an instinct telling me that danger was imminent. My heart raced as I suddenly turned around. Behind me was nothing but darkness; the rain fell like threads, obscuring my view of anything further away. But I knew someone was following me—could it be that strange person from earlier?
I stood still for a while, but nothing happened. Remembering Old Zhou’s earlier words, could it really be someone from the Buzhang Family? It couldn’t be that quick, could it?!
No way, no way. With Old Zhou here, I reassured myself.
I glanced at Old Zhou; he had stopped snoring, perhaps because he was in a deeper sleep now. I tried to pat his face gently. “Hey, we’re home, Old Zhou!”
There was no response. I silently cursed; it seemed I couldn’t rely on Old Zhou after all.
Caught in a dilemma, waiting here wasn’t a solution. I needed to settle Old Zhou first and then find a chance to slip away.
I made up my mind and quickened my pace, guiding Old Zhou into the Alley. The ground in the Alley was still puddled with water, splashing as I stepped on it. I didn’t care about that anymore and hurried forward.
Just a few steps away from Yingluo Shop, I saw that the door was closed, but there seemed to be faint light coming from inside. A wave of relief washed over me—at least she hadn’t gone to sleep yet.
I paused and let out a sigh of relief. At that moment, I clearly heard sounds coming from behind—a rhythmic and slow sound of footsteps splashing through the puddles.
I froze; this didn’t sound like the hurried footsteps of passersby on a rainy night or the eager steps of someone returning home on a winter night. There was only one possibility: someone was coming for me.
Listening closely, they were getting closer. It seemed I had no choice but to face them. Without turning back, I slowly helped Old Zhou to the side of Yingluo Shop’s rolling shutter door and set him down against it.
With Old Zhou settled, I slowly turned around. The Alley was dark; only a few lights from nearby hospitals and residential buildings faintly illuminated where I stood, while in front of me lay an expanse of darkness.
The sound of footsteps grew closer, and I felt a surge of anxiety. Who could it be?
A figure gradually came into view. At that moment, I held my breath as a person in a raincoat slowly approached within two meters of me, their hood obscuring their face.
"Did you spot me? Why not run?" The voice was deep and low, carrying an unsettling tone. Yet, I felt like I had heard this voice before, though I couldn't recall where.
I didn't respond, instinctively glancing at Old Zhou. Unfortunately, he was still slumped against the doorframe, nearly lying down now.
"Stop looking at him. This is a rare opportunity; you two are together, so let's deal with you both tonight."
The voice sounded increasingly familiar. I must have interacted with this person before—who could it be? I pondered deeply.
"Are you stunned? Wang Wei, you too? You weren't like this during the mission!" The tone was laced with mockery.
He knew my identity? Who was he? Suddenly, a realization struck me. "I know! You're that translator!" I blurted out.
After a long silence, he finally replied slowly, "So you've figured it out. No wonder the mission went awry." He pushed his hood back slowly, revealing his true face.
An utterly ordinary face—so plain that in a crowd no one would spare it a second glance—but none of us expected it to be him.
It felt like all the pieces I couldn't make sense of before suddenly clicked into place. My mind raced as I thought aloud, "So it was you! You killed Zhao Xinran and staged the rape! And you were also responsible for the demon's death! The mission was legitimate; he really didn't kill anyone. He was just caught up in trouble in China and couldn't escape. Plus, Shikigami Soul Devour doesn't require killing."
He remained silent, chuckling to himself.
But I couldn't understand why. Wasn't this translator supposed to be working with him? Why frame him? If he was an enemy of his, he had even less reason to come after me!
Confused, I couldn't help but ask, "Who are you really? Are you Chinese or Japanese? Are you from the Buzhang Family? What do you want?!"
"Hahahaha!" He threw his head back and laughed wildly, full of arrogance and pride.
"Japanese? Japanese are all pigs! What’s Bu Shang even worth?! He was just a pawn in my game! Hahaha! You’re all a bunch of fools! In the end, you were all just used by me! Hahaha!" He sneered at me.
"I want to do what? I want to kill you to take revenge for Buzhang! Hehehe! Once you're dead, the Buzhang Family will trust me completely and give me what I want." The other person took another step closer.
I didn't quite understand and couldn't help but take a step back, asking, "You, are you the Destroyer?!"
"Pah, what is the Destroyer! Just a bunch of selfish and unruly people!" The other person spat vehemently.
"Wait!" I suddenly calmed down. I knew this person also possessed strange powers, and facing them directly offered no hope of escape. Given how easily they had killed a few girls, I couldn't expect any mercy from them.
The only way was to stall for time and see if Old Zhou could wake up. With that thought in mind, I couldn't help but take a step toward Old Zhou.
"Do you have any last words?" I saw their hands raised, unsure of what they were about to do.
"You—you have to let me die with some understanding?!" I still hoped Old Zhou would stand up at that moment. Quietly, I kicked at the person, but since I wasn't looking, I accidentally kicked the rolling shutter door instead, making a loud clang.
"Fine, I'll let you die with understanding!" The other person lowered their hands.
(To be continued, more exciting content tomorrow!)
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