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墨書 Inktalez
I turned to glance at those busy figures, feeling a twinge of regret for them.
Life is sometimes like this; perhaps you can grasp your own fate through hard work, ensuring that you live without worry and attain wealth.
Yet, you can never truly control your own life and death. Life is unpredictable, and death can come knocking at your door at any moment.
At that time, even if you wish to escape, it may be impossible to do so.
After returning to the factory, I told Chen Sheng about the situation, hoping he would prepare himself mentally.
Upon hearing the news, Chen Sheng collapsed onto the ground, his face pale and ashen.
He kept muttering, "It's over, it's over, this time it's really over."
I didn’t disturb him; Zhou Zhen remained silent as well, quietly watching him. This was a process that required time for him to accept.
More than a dozen people—more than a dozen lives.
As their boss, Chen Sheng had to face the reality of how he would explain these lives lost. Just the thought of those vibrant lives extinguished was enough to weigh heavily on him.
After he had calmed down for a couple of minutes, I asked about Heizi.
I suggested that he send Heizi to notify the others; those who hadn’t gone should stay behind to avoid losing more lives.
But Chen Sheng shook his head weakly and said, "Heizi... Heizi left early this morning too."
Hearing this, I let out a helpless sigh.
Zhou Zhen and I had come here because Heizi picked us up, so I was somewhat familiar with him. Initially, when we arrived, I hadn’t seen Heizi around and thought he might not have come.
But now, after Chen Sheng's words, I felt a sense of regret wash over me.
At that moment, Chen Sheng dashed out like the wind. I quickly called out to him, worried that he might act rashly after being stirred up.
Zhou Zhen furrowed his brow and followed him outside, only to see him notifying the remaining few people.
These individuals were either part of the logistics team or responsible for cooking, so they hadn’t gone out, which turned out to be their good fortune.
After learning about the situation, everyone felt a mix of relief and sadness as they sat helplessly at the factory door, gazing down the small path where the miners would return.
As noon approached, Chen Sheng weakly addressed those behind him, saying, “Go make something delicious for them; let them have a good meal.”
After he spoke, an elderly couple who were in charge of cooking stood up behind him. They wiped their tears and nodded before turning to get busy.
Soon, the aroma of rice mixed with meat wafted from the kitchen.
By this time, it was already noon, and not long after, a group of people appeared on the path.
“Since we want them to enjoy a good meal, let’s not act like this,” I couldn’t help but say as I watched the approaching group.
Chen Sheng glanced at me and nodded in agreement. “Lin is right. Everyone get up and do what you need to do; we’ll eat when it’s time.”
People nodded indifferently, but even while pretending everything was fine, the sadness on their faces was hard to conceal.
Zhou Zhen sighed and returned to the room, claiming he was too tired to eat.
I figured he must be feeling down inside as well, so I didn’t say much more because I was equally upset.
Before long, everyone returned cheerfully, including Heizi.
As soon as he saw me, he ran over with curiosity. “Lin Hao, I saw you and Master Zhou heading up the mountain this morning. I was operating the excavator and couldn’t come down. What were you two doing?”
At that moment, the elderly couple had already brought out several large bowls of food.
Although it was a large pot of stew, the couple had put a lot of effort into this meal. Not to mention that there was a variety of chicken, duck, fish, and meat, it could be considered quite a feast.
I didn't know how to respond to Heizi, so I hurriedly pointed at the dishes that had been served and said, "Let's eat first."
Upon seeing the abundance of food prepared today, Heizi immediately forgot about everything else and exclaimed with a laugh, "Wow, why did you make so many dishes today? Boss, either you've struck it rich or you've won the lottery!"
Chen Sheng stood by silently, merely smiling without saying a word.
The workers were tired from their labor, but seeing such a lavish spread made them chat and laugh as they sat down to eat.
Chen Sheng picked up a bowl of rice and quietly watched without taking a single bite.
Seeing Heizi and the others devouring their food made me lose my appetite a bit; I felt a pang of sadness in my heart.
Still, I managed to eat a little. After everyone finished their meal and took a short break, Heizi and the others prepared to get back to work. At that moment, Chen Sheng weakly said, "Everyone should take the night off and rest well."
"Hey, Boss, are we getting a holiday?" Heizi laughed heartily.
Chen Sheng nodded indifferently without elaborating further.
Suddenly, a sound of sobbing broke through the air. It was the woman who had cooked; she covered her mouth but couldn't stop herself from crying as tears streamed down her face.
Women are soft-hearted and prone to tears. No matter how much she tried to hold back, she eventually broke down.
Heizi frowned in confusion and asked, "Aunt Qiu, why are you crying? Did Uncle Cai bully you?"
I assumed Uncle Cai was her husband, who was currently trying to comfort and scold her at the same time.
However, upon hearing Heizi's question, the woman cried even harder.
"Oh dear..."
Chen Sheng couldn't help but sigh at that moment, not hiding his feelings, but rather speaking with a sense of helplessness. "Heizi, the reason Aunt Qiu is crying is that you all are about to die."
"What?"
Chen Sheng's words clearly stunned Heizi, who widened his eyes in disbelief, thinking he must have misheard.
"You guys went to mine, right?" Chen Sheng continued.
"Yeah, Boss," Heizi nodded and asked, "What's wrong?"
"This is it," Chen Sheng said weakly. "You all will soon end up like Xiao Gao."
"Xiao Gao?"
Heizi was taken aback, and everyone who had gone to work that morning looked equally shocked. But their expressions quickly turned grim.
Heizi was the first to react, staring blankly at Chen Sheng and asking, "Boss, why are you bringing up Xiao Gao out of nowhere?"
Everyone knew that Xiao Gao was dead, and they were all aware of how tragically he had died. His body was currently lying in the room where he used to live.
It had been decided that his body would be taken away this morning, but Zhou Zhen suggested they keep it until Gu Chen arrived to take a look. So no one had moved him.
Now, with Chen Sheng saying they would soon be like Xiao Gao, it implied they wouldn't be alive much longer either.
How could this not shock them?
Chen Sheng sighed again, lowering his head and avoiding the panicked and desperate gazes from Heizi and the others. He didn't want the truth to come from his lips.
Because once the truth was spoken, it would almost equate to stripping them of their hope and their lives.
It was too cruel.
Finally, with a heavy heart, Chen Sheng repeated what Zhou Zhen had said earlier.
After learning the truth, everyone burst into tears, and Heizi cried the hardest among them, which puzzled me.
Chen Sheng said helplessly, "Heizi comes from a poor family. He didn't even have a house before, and he couldn't find a wife. These past few years, he saved some money while following me and just made the down payment. He had also found a partner and was planning to earn some more money to hold a wedding. But now..."
By the end of his words, even Chen Sheng was crying, unable to continue.
Hearing Chen Sheng's words made my eyes well up as well. I finally understood why Heizi was crying so much more sorrowfully.
But that's how fate works; it gives you a glimmer of light and hope, only to shatter it around the next corner.
A calamity struck.
Chen Sheng wept, "Heizi has been with me for several years. I was so happy to see him finally making progress, but I never expected something like this to happen. If I had known, I wouldn't have brought him here. Then none of this would have happened."
Chen Sheng looked filled with guilt, growing sadder as he spoke.
I didn't know how to comfort everyone; the cries filled the air.
At that moment, Heizi shouted, "I don't believe it! I don't want to die! I need to ask Master Zhou!"
With that, he stood up and ran towards Zhou Zhen's room.
Just then, Zhou Zhen's door opened slightly, and he stepped out with a grim expression. He looked at Heizi and the others with a weary nod and said, "What your boss said is true. If you have any concerns, you should contact your family as soon as possible while there's still time."
While Chen Sheng's words had left everyone feeling hopeless yet still holding onto a thread of hope, Zhou Zhen's words completely crushed that hope. After hearing him speak, everyone collapsed helplessly to the ground, crying in despair.
Who doesn't want to live? Who wants to die?
Especially after witnessing Xiao Gao's terrifying death firsthand, they were even more afraid of death approaching them.
Most of them either had elderly relatives at home or young children to care for, or they were tied to someone like Heizi.
After crying, feeling sad and heartbroken, I still called home, and soon the sound of weeping filled the air.
I regretted a bit; why did I follow Zhou Zhen to this place? If I hadn't come, I wouldn't have to witness this scene before me.
My thoughts weren't born from a heart of stone; on the contrary, I couldn't bear to see what was happening.
Tears fell like kites cut loose from their strings. I wondered how I would feel if I were any one of them at that moment.
Exhausted from crying, all that remained was waiting for death.
As the sun began to set, Heizi and the others all looked up at the sky.
They knew their misfortune might be about to begin.
Suddenly, a gasp echoed through the crowd, followed by heart-wrenching sobs.
Tears, crimson tears, silently streamed from his eyes.
One by one, two, three—soon all those who had returned from the mountain that morning, including Heizi, had blood-red tears flowing from their eyes.
Perhaps these couldn't truly be called tears; blood would be a more fitting description.
In just a moment, the ground was soaked with blood, and the air was thick with a nauseating metallic scent that made one want to retch.
Even more bizarrely, at first, Heizi and the others could still cry out loud.
But in the end, they were seen either sitting or lying down, completely silent.
Their eyes overflowed with crimson blood, devoid of any glimmer of life.
As night quietly descended, the silent scene felt eerily terrifying.
Amidst the fear, my heart was also filled with overwhelming anger.
What lay behind that half-broken stone tablet marked with No Entry? What secrets did it hold?
What could possibly evoke such a horrifying and bizarre death?
This chapter is dedicated to Mo Xiao Qi. I am truly touched; this is the first airplane for this book. I had been busy at the construction site until past noon, then returned to write and update. After finishing the update, I quickly ate something and went back to the site. When I refreshed later and saw someone had given an airplane as a reward, I was genuinely moved. So after Boss left, I worked hard to write this chapter as a response. Thank you all for your support.
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