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墨書 Inktalez
I first set two directions for myself.
The first was to figure out the organization behind Xiao Guolin's operation. No matter how many departments were involved in this action, there would always be a unified command department. I just needed to identify that command department. Establishing contact with them would provide more detailed information and reveal the whereabouts of Xiao Guolin and the others. Although I knew the chances of their survival were almost zero, I still found it hard to feel at ease without making some effort.
The second was to keep Xiao Ting out of this. Given her current state, she would undoubtedly make irrational decisions. If she learned more detailed information, she might take reckless actions. Even though the possibility of entering the underground alone was slim without anyone's help, it was unimaginable for an inexperienced girl like her to venture deep into the desert alone. If something went wrong, I would have no face to meet Xiao Guolin in the afterlife.
Actually, given my personality—especially since I had that mentor-friend relationship with Xiao Guolin—I would do everything in my power to help him as long as there was a glimmer of hope. But I knew that was impossible; once he entered that passage and had been missing for so long, survival was unlikely. The problem was that Xiao Ting couldn't understand this, and I couldn't reveal such information to her; convincing her to give up would be very difficult.
I needed to think about how to persuade her, but my mind was too chaotic right now. A series of messages and troubles from her and Fatty overwhelmed me. First, I needed to stabilize her.
"It's getting late; let me arrange a place for you to stay. There's a chain hotel nearby with a good environment; I'll take you there." I pointed outside where it was growing darker.
Xiao Ting frowned at me. "I want to see that letter first."
I knew what she meant, but I had no intention of letting her see it. There must be things in there that Xiao Guolin didn't want her to know; otherwise, it wouldn't have been encrypted. I smiled lightly, "Let's put that aside for now; we're both too tired today. We should get some rest."
Xiao Ting extended a hand. "Then I want to take it back with me. My dad said I can't let this letter leave my possession."
This girl was being so naive, trying to pull this trick on me. I remained calm and said, "The letter from your dad is my responsibility now; handing it over means you've completed your task. It should contain personal matters; otherwise, it wouldn't be encrypted. Now, stop throwing a tantrum and get some rest."
After saying that, I felt a flush on my face; those words sounded so old-fashioned.
"No way! My dad has to open this letter in front of me. Otherwise, I'm taking it back." Xiao Ting stubbornly held out her hand.
Seeing her face flushed and showing no signs of compromise made me uneasy as well; I couldn't just force her out either. I decided to adopt a stern tone as an elder. Although I wasn't much older than her, since Xiao Guolin had entrusted me with something important, I could at least assert some authority over her due to our professional relationship. In any case, I wasn't going to let her see the contents of that letter—at least not before I had seen it myself.
Unexpectedly, Fatty lost his composure. Perhaps he was worried that Xiao Ting would take the USB drive back. He suddenly interjected, "Qiangzi, let's just take a look. It's not right to open something left by my father without showing some respect, right?"
"That's your head," I retorted irritably.
This guy was acting unusually today, as if he were deliberately opposing me at every turn. I truly didn't know if he was blinded by greed or what. Despite my anger and the curse that slipped out, it didn't affect Fatty's attitude at all. He remained unfazed, wearing a mischievous grin and feigning innocence as he looked at me.
With Fatty's support, Xiao Ting became even more resolute, extending her hand towards me. The message in her eyes was clear: give it to me or open it.
In an instant, I found myself isolated; the two of them stood opposite me, one overtly and the other covertly. I shot a dagger-like glare at Fatty, who finally toned down his nonchalant smile. However, it was evident he had no intention of backing me up; in fact, he leaned a bit closer to Xiao Ting. His attitude was unmistakable.
"I can open it, but I want to see it first." This was my bottom line. Faced with their united front, I had no choice but to compromise.
"Of course, you should review the contents before sharing them. We wouldn't want any inappropriate material getting out," Fatty chuckled while glancing at Xiao Ting.
Xiao Ting shot him a disdainful look for his backstabbing behavior. I quickly understood what Fatty meant; he was hinting that I should delete any sensitive content after reviewing it. Suddenly enlightened, I thought it would be better to make a copy of the files and then even clear the USB drive entirely. With that thought, I felt much lighter and led the way inside.
There was a computer at my workstation, but I didn't want Huang Hai to know about this. I trusted Fatty; when it came to important matters, he would keep his mouth shut. Huang Hai was different; trusting him? That was a challenge.
Seeing the lively interaction among the three of us, with its undercurrents of intrigue and tension—voices rising and falling like an engaging play—Huang Hai grew anxious when he saw us heading into the courtyard. He closed up shop and followed us.
He was exactly who I wanted to avoid! Why did he have to come along? I shot him an irritated glance over my shoulder. Huang Hai glared back defiantly. I had no good response for him and turned to look at Fatty instead.
Fatty shot Huang Hai a sideways glance and said, "You stay outside and keep watch; don't let anyone in."
Then he gave me a push, signaling that I should ignore Huang Hai and hurry along. To my surprise, Huang Hai lowered his head submissively without any sign of anger, muttering, "Don't worry, Brother Qiangzi; I'll keep an eye out here so no one gets in." What kind of situation is this?
I realized my position was diminishing; nominally, I was the owner of this shop, yet everything required Fatty's approval. Not only did no one listen to me, but even Fatty seemed to go against me openly while finding ways to create trouble every few days.
Upon entering the living room, I gloomily opened my computer. To my surprise, the password for the file was a thirteen-character crossword puzzle. These thirteen characters were already provided: a line from Xu Zhimo's poem "Farewell to Cambridge," which reads: "I left lightly, just as I came lightly."
I was required to arrange these thirteen characters in any order to fill in the password box.
As I looked at it, my mind buzzed, and I felt a rush of blood to my head. I immediately recalled the letter I received from Xiao Guolin six months ago. In that letter, he mentioned two things: one about a promise and the other about a word puzzle game. Now, both had come true. This was no coincidence; Xiao Guolin must have foreseen trouble and left behind a backup plan.
I considered myself somewhat experienced and seasoned enough to handle situations without panic, but this still made my face turn pale as I stared blankly at the scene before me, struggling to regain my composure.
Fatty and I crowded in front of the computer while Xiao Ting's voice came from behind us. "My dad can enter the password three times. Regardless of whether it's correct or not, the information inside will be automatically deleted. I tried once, and it was wrong. There are two chances left."
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