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墨書 Inktalez
After hanging up the phone, I felt completely drained, even losing the interest to curse at Liu Squad Leader.
"You." I pointed at Liu Squad Leader. "Your leg is better, right? Go book me a train ticket to Beijing. Just make sure it's a high-speed train that leaves before noon."
I dismissed Liu Squad Leader because I had something to discuss with Xiao Ting. I had a feeling that this trip to Beijing might be my last. There were some things I needed to clarify with Xiao Ting, including what I wanted to say about Fatty and Jack.
"Is it Grandpa Zhou? What happened to him?" Xiao Ting asked sensitively.
I nodded.
I understood the relationship between Captain Zhou and Xiao Guolin. It was somewhat similar to the bond I shared with Xiao Guolin—both a mentor and a friend—but much closer than what I had with Xiao Guolin. Xiao Guolin was Captain Zhou's student, assistant, and successor.
Captain Zhou was an absolute authority in the field of archaeology in northern China, leading the JD Archaeological Team and being a prominent figure in northern archaeology. It was well-known that Xiao Guolin would take over Captain Zhou's position; there were no secrets about it. Naturally, Xiao Ting knew and was familiar with Captain Zhou.
"Captain Zhou doesn’t have much time left; he’s in the late stages of liver cancer. I need to go to Beijing to see him one last time," I sighed, waiting for her response.
"I'll go with you. Captain Zhou has always taken care of us; I want to see him," she said unexpectedly.
I was surprised that it wasn’t Xiao Ting who made this urgent request but rather Liu Squad Leader.
I had thought that Xiao Ting would be the one to insist on going, but she remained silent, her face serious as she stared at the ground, looking dejected and downcast.
I turned to Liu Squad Leader. "I told you to book the train ticket; why haven't you gone yet?"
"I’m going to Beijing too," Liu Squad Leader insisted, fixing his gaze on me as if he were determined.
"You are the liaison for the military and the Task Force, not for Captain Zhou. What good does it do for you to go to Beijing? It's none of your business. Hurry up and book the tickets."
"I want to meet Captain Zhou."
"Who else do you want to meet? God? The problem is, no one wants to see you. You're like a plague; anyone who meets you is doomed. I'm the only one with strong luck, having survived your two attempts at selling me out. Do you want Captain Zhou to die early or something?"
This conversation had Liu Squad Leader losing his temper. It’s not like just because you want to meet someone, they have to accommodate you.
"Stop dragging this out and book the tickets!" I snapped at him, feeling irritated just looking at him.
"So you don't hate me anymore?"
"That's a different matter! Your life is in my hands; I can make you do whatever I want!"
"Damn! I was born to my parents; they don't even have that right." Liu Squad Leader shot back fiercely before turning and running off.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"Booking tickets."
"You could try being nicer to him," Xiao Ting said, watching Liu Squad Leader's retreating figure.
"Hmph, you don't know what he has done to me."
"I do." Xiao Ting didn't look up. "I also know that Gangzi entrusted him to bring down something."
"What thing?" My mind started to clear, and my eyes lit up.
"Something that belongs to both of you," Xiao Ting said meaningfully.
I truly hadn't expected Fatty to have such cleverness. He was thinking about this matter much deeper and clearer than I was.
Indeed, Liu Squad Leader is the best candidate to bring items into Lop Nur underground, even more reliable than Cao Mingzhe. His position speaks for itself. The military's liaison with the Task Force means that all security matters must be communicated through him to the Task Force. It doesn’t matter if it’s a bomb; as long as it can get in, there’s no problem.
I stroked my jaw and said softly, “He can bring things down without issue, but he’s not trustworthy. His specialty is betraying people. Before we even get anything down there, he might spill our plans to the military.”
“He doesn’t know what it is. Gangzi calls it a super weapon of some kind, not a bomb.”
I paced in circles, my mind racing to decide what to tell Xiao Ting quickly. I needed to finish what I had to say before Liu Squad Leader returned.
“Jack is here.” I decided to inform Xiao Ting first so that Fatty would also be in the loop; now there was one more person aware of this matter. “I told him about this. He shares our goal. Plus, he’s an expert in this area and knows that weapon well. Do you understand what I mean?”
Xiao Ting nodded. “I understand; he’s a trustworthy person.”
“Yes, handing that weapon over to him significantly increases our chances of survival. The difference between a professional and a novice tinkering with that thing is huge.”
“And also,” I continued with the second matter, “if there’s any news from Fatty, let him know my situation and my message. Tell him that weapon has already leaked out of the laboratory in Europe. The current issue isn’t whether there’s stock but rather the price and whether the other party has changed their mind. He needs to find a way to secure that item! Lock down the price as soon as possible so I can get money from Cao Mingzhe.”
Taking the train is only slightly slower than flying to Beijing, and it saves me from the intermediate steps. The journey from the city center to the airport is equally time-consuming. Of course, I can also catch up on some sleep on the train; my current state is too poor.
I entered Captain Zhou's hospital room carrying a flower basket. Buying anything else would be unnecessary; I thought he no longer had material needs.
There were people in the room whom I didn’t recognize, but judging by their complexion, they were definitely from the archaeology field—healthy red faces from being fully exposed to sunlight.
When Captain Zhou saw me, he immediately sent everyone else out of the room.
“Zhang, you look quite well.”
Yes, after a good sleep on the train, it was only when the attendants were cleaning up that they realized someone hadn’t gotten off yet. My complexion had naturally returned to normal.
However, Captain Zhou looked terrible—pale and devoid of color. He exuded deep fatigue. The wrinkles on his face were still as deep as before, but his sagging skin made them appear denser and softer; unlike before when his wrinkles conveyed authority.
This state reminded me of Hakka People and Lao.
“Captain Zhou,” as soon as I called out that title, it felt like something was lodged in my throat, rendering me speechless.
“Come, sit over here.” Captain Zhou lay on the hospital bed, pointing to a chair in front of him.
Given his condition, getting up from the bed seemed an impossible task for him.
I took a seat. “Captain Zhou, I really wanted to come see you, but you know my situation. It's not that I'm afraid of bothering you; it's that I'm worried about causing you trouble.”
“I understand. But it doesn’t matter now; I’m not afraid of trouble, and I don’t have time for it anymore.” Captain Zhou spoke softly, almost as if he were murmuring to himself. “Do you know why I called you here?”
I forced a bitter smile and shook my head. I had thought about this question but had no answer. Just like how Captain Zhou pulled me out from the military’s grasp, I didn’t know why.
“Hah,” Captain Zhou exhaled heavily. “I just wanted to see how you were doing. To see if you're the same as Song Guilong and Xiao Guolin.” (To Be Continued...)
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