Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Lucia drove the car back to the hotel, and along the way, there were hardly any people in sight. Even if there were, they hurried past, making the night in Bambi even quieter. Upon entering the hotel lobby, a bellboy immediately approached, radiating joy in his every gesture.
"You've finally returned! How was it outside?"
"It was fine, just not many people on the streets."
"Is that so?" The bellboy pondered for a moment and advised, "Please do not go out at night, especially not towards the palace."
"Why? We just came from that direction," Lucia asked.
"Just don't go back there; it's very unsafe."
Zhang Qiu noticed the fear reflected in the bellboy's eyes as he spoke and cautiously asked, "Is there news that the king is planning to take action against the public outside the palace?"
The bellboy looked around warily before whispering, "Yes, sir. We all suspected this would happen."
Zhang Qiu nodded and asked again, "Has Luo recovered?"
"Not yet, sir."
"Thank you."
As Zhang Qiu stepped into the elevator, he turned around just in time to see the bellboy closing the hotel door.
At the moment the elevator doors closed, he used his phone to message Wen Dao: "A storm is brewing."
Back in their room, Lucia immediately took out her computer and imported the videos from her phone. Zhang Qiu leaned over beside Lucia to watch the footage taken in the evening. As he looked at the men and women on screen, he couldn't help but wonder if these people felt cold or if it was simply a custom of Tanzania.
"Damn it," Lucia slammed her fist on the mattress, "there's no connection, I can't upload the video to YouTube."
"Cheer up, the day we leave here will be the day the video goes live." Zhang Qiu held Lucia's hand. Ever since they saw the public outside the palace, Lucia had been in an excited state.
"Thank you," Lucia said.
The two stared at the video in silence. Zhang Qiu felt anger as well; how could one lay a hand on those innocent faces in the footage?
"Lucia," after the video ended, Zhang Qiu turned to look at her.
"Yes, what is it?"
"What happened here, we can't just stand by and watch."
Lucia's eyes lit up as she asked, "Do you have any good ideas?"
"Not yet, but since I've encountered this, I must take action! Tomorrow morning, we'll head out, get close to the palace, and find a way to contact Prince Banan."
"Okay, I'll go with you." Lucia suddenly hugged Zhang Qiu and gave her a passionate kiss. When Zhang Qiu finally reacted, she said, "No wonder you're the Jade Pendant Heir; you handle this beautifully."
"If we don't save a nation, how can we save the world?"
Zhang Qiu's gaze was resolute. She had already decided that no matter what, she couldn't just watch evil unfold on this land. However, events were unfolding too quickly for Zhang Qiu; she had underestimated the situation.
As Zhang Qiu and Lucia were lost in their dreams, there was a loud knock on the door. They both woke up simultaneously and looked at each other. Zhang Qiu was wide awake and immediately thought of something bad. She rolled out of bed and grabbed the ashtray from the nightstand, looking at Lucia and softly saying, "Get dressed first."
The knocking continued persistently as Zhang Qiu, dressed in pajamas, quietly approached the door and asked, "Who is it?"
"It's me, open the door quickly." A cold voice came from outside.
Zhang Qiu turned to look and was surprised to see Lucia already dressed. While astonished by Lucia's speed in getting ready, Zhang Qiu opened the door. K swiftly entered, leaning against the door and looking at the ashtray in Zhang Qiu's hand, asking, "Do you want to hit me with that?"
"Not you, but bad people." Zhang Qiu set the ashtray aside. "Why are you in such a hurry to find us? What happened?"
"Didn't you hear?"
K had an expression that suggested they should have known by now. Zhang Qiu and Lucia exchanged glances, stopped what they were doing, and listened intently. Faint sounds of crackling came from outside the window.
"Is someone getting married nearby? No, wait, is it customary in this country to have weddings at night?" The sounds outside resembled firecrackers typically used during weddings, crackling away. Zhang Qiu was all too familiar with such noise; the more it was a holiday, the more people would set off firecrackers early in the morning to disturb others' dreams.
"No, it's gunfire!" Lucia suddenly covered her mouth.
"Gunfire?" Zhang Qiu couldn't be sure.
"Yes, definitely gunfire." K nodded seriously. "Five minutes ago, there was gunfire that lasted for half a minute and then stopped; now it's started again."
"Is the gunfire coming from the palace?" Upon hearing K mention gunfire, Zhang Qiu immediately associated it with the palace. Among the three in the room, only K could discern the direction of the gunfire.
"Yes, it's coming from the direction of the palace." A hint of sadness appeared on K's face. "It seems that those people there are in grave danger."
"Does that mean that uncle..." Lucia began but couldn't finish her sentence.
Zhang Qiu's mind was filled with Uncle Agari's smiling face, and the image of him waving goodbye lingered in front of Zhang Qiu for a long time. With moist eyes, Zhang Qiu looked out the window, reassuring the uncle that he would definitely write this book and let the world know what had happened here.
"Perhaps I shouldn't interrupt your memories at this moment, but I must. This city is about to descend into chaos, and we can no longer afford to wait for dawn. I suggest we head to the airport immediately and catch the next flight out."
"K, you should go back," K said. It was true; Bam would soon be engulfed in chaos, and danger lurked every minute. After all, this trip to Africa was merely Zhang Qiu's personal affair, and he couldn't bear to involve K in it.
"Do you really want to stay?"
"Yes, I must stay," Zhang Qiu said slowly, looking at Lucia with a smile. "Because I am part of the Zhang Family."
"What is the Zhang Family?"
"The Zhang Family is entrusted with a special mission. I need to stay to complete it and fulfill it."
"You could lose your life because of this."
"I won't." Zhang Qiu shook his head. "After you return home, tell Professor Bai that I will come back alive and hand over the jade pendant to him for research in perfect condition."
Before K could respond, Zhang Qiu continued, "Also, please inform Professor Bai that the jade pendant is only for medical research and its results will be shared with all humanity."
"I will stay too."
"Are you sure?" Zhang Qiu raised an eyebrow at K. "If it's because of the jade pendant, you can rest assured that I value it more than my own life. No matter how chaotic it gets outside, I will protect it well. I promise you that as soon as I return home, I will bring the jade pendant to the research institute. So, you really don't need to stay here with us."
"No, it's very necessary. I want to protect you both."
As soon as K's voice fell, the lights in the hotel room flickered a few times and went out. The room was pitch black, and one couldn't see their hand in front of their face. Outside, dark clouds loomed, blocking any trace of moonlight.
"Lucia?"
"I'm here, I'm coming to find you."
In the darkness, Zhang Qiu grabbed Lucia's hand.
A flash of lightning struck from the sky, illuminating the room as bright as day. Whether it was due to the light or something else, Zhang Qiu noticed that Lucia's face was pale. The brightness from the lightning was fleeting, and the room fell back into darkness, accompanied by a rumble of distant thunder.
"You all wait in the room for me; I'll go find the waiter."
With that, K turned and left.
"Lucia, over here." Zhang Qiu pulled Lucia towards the wall where their two suitcases were placed. Zhang Qiu unzipped the outer pocket of one suitcase and reached inside, pulling out a palm-sized black flashlight.
Zhang Qiu turned on the flashlight, adjusting the beam to its maximum setting, and used two pillows to prop it up on the bed. The bright white light reflected off the ceiling and illuminated every corner of the room. Zhang Qiu chuckled at his preparedness; this powerful flashlight had been useful during his trip to the ancient city before his college entrance exams. When he went abroad, he had casually packed it into his bag, and now it was proving invaluable.
With the flashlight's glow, Zhang Qiu could see that Lucia indeed looked pale, her beautiful golden hair also losing its luster. He held Lucia's hand tightly to comfort her: "Don't worry; nothing will happen."
Lucia looked at Zhang Qiu with a pitiful expression: "Will this blackout last forever? What if it never comes back?"
"It won't; if the whole city loses power, it would be paralyzed." Zhang Qiu could only offer this temporary reassurance. Even if the power didn't go out completely, once it returned, there wouldn't be much difference between Bam being lit up or paralyzed. As for whether power would be restored, they would know when K returned.
Lucia sat silently on the bed, gripping Zhang Qiu's hand tightly. Zhang Qiu pulled a blanket over Lucia's shoulders, and they both huddled under it waiting for K to come back.
The waiting time felt incredibly long, with no sounds coming from the hallway. The gunfire, aside from waking K, did not disturb the others who remained sound asleep. Outside, it started to rain, and the sharp sounds of gunfire faded away, leaving uncertainty about whether it had truly stopped or was simply drowned out by the rain.
After an unknown amount of time, K pushed the door open, holding a flashlight. "How is it?" Lucia asked hurriedly.
"The staff checked; it's not a circuit breaker issue but a widespread power outage."
"Do they have any idea when it will be restored?"
"No, the staff only told us to be patient. From my perspective, I doubt the power will come back."
"Oh dear!" Lucia looked up at the ceiling with a hint of despair, her right hand drawing a cross over her chest as she mumbled something under her breath.
"Do you have any suggestions?" Zhang Qiu asked K. Since K had decided to stay, they were now true partners in this endeavor.
"Leaving is the best option. Theoretically, the farther we are from the palace, the safer we will be. However, given the current situation, we don’t know where to go. During my descent, I observed carefully; aside from the staff, only the three of us are awake or moving around. We might as well act like snipers and remain still until we gather more information after it gets light."
"I agree with you, but you seem to have forgotten one crucial point!"
Comment 0 Comment Count