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墨書 Inktalez
"I am also worried about his safety; I just hope Muwadis IV is not that ruthless," Zhang Qiu said, his brows furrowing into a frown. People often say that even a tiger does not eat its own cubs, but how many princes have met untimely deaths throughout history due to palace intrigues? In the face of great temptation, there are no fathers and sons, only life and death.
"What should we do then?" Lucia asked.
"We wait for nightfall and then go near the palace. I refuse to believe they can truly surround the palace with an impenetrable wall!"
"Are we going to force our way in?"
"It's not about forcing our way in; it's about finding a breakthrough. We can't just stay here; if we linger too long, danger will come knocking on our door."
"Zhang Qiu is right; we can't stay in this inn forever. Last night we managed to slip through under the cover of darkness, but as soon as we step outside, Boss Lady will notice."
K was quite cautious, mentally rehearsing all possible dangers to avoid any mishaps. After an hour and a half of discussion among the three, they made their decision. They would stay in the inn until evening, leave under the cover of darkness, find a place to have dinner, and then stealthily approach the palace from the western mountains. During their time in the inn, K, being the most experienced, gave Zhang Qiu and Lucia lessons, training them on basic knowledge, no matter how much they could ultimately grasp.
"Practice makes perfect," Zhang Qiu remarked.
During the day, no one moved around in the inn, so K stayed in Zhang Qiu and Lucia's room. He used a bed board as a blackboard and filled it with dense notes. Zhang Qiu felt overwhelmed again; however, compared to Wang Hailong's intensive training he had undergone, K's was somewhat easier.
Their intensive training was interrupted by cheers from outside. Just as K was speaking passionately and Zhang Qiu and Lucia were diligently taking notes, a sudden wave of cheers erupted outside the inn, with enthusiastic sounds filtering through the glass. The three exchanged glances before rushing to the window to look out through the narrow, dusty panes.
On both sides of the street stood sparse residents pouring out from their homes. People raised their arms high; some waved their clothes and jumped excitedly as if celebrating something.
"What happened to these people?"
"I don't know."
Zhang Qiu shook his head. From their jubilant expressions, it seemed they had encountered some good news. But in the current tense environment, what could possibly be worth celebrating in such a manner?
"Let's go take a look."
Zhang Qiu decisively felt that something significant was happening outside, and it was time to stop hiding in the hotel. The situation had turned serious, and it was time to act. Lucia and K had no objections to Zhang Qiu's decision to go out. When Zhang Qiu opened the door, he was surprised to find the dim lighting in the corridor emitting a faint white glow.
"The power is back on!"
"Then we definitely need to leave," K said. "Pack up and let's get out of here."
Zhang Qiu and Lucia had left their luggage at Ematienni, carrying only a flashlight and a phone, which had already powered off due to low battery. After K went back to grab the Camouflage Bag, the three of them made their way down the narrow staircase. The Boss Lady was still lazily sitting behind the front desk. When she saw the three guests approaching, she was initially startled and asked, "When did you check in?"
Zhang Qiu was also taken aback. Before he could respond, the Boss Lady had already noticed something from their skin tones and clothing.
"You... were guests from last night?"
Zhang Qiu nodded and asked the Boss Lady, "Could you tell us what happened outside?"
"Don't you know about what happened during the night?" The Boss Lady expressed her surprise.
"I know a bit; citizens went to the palace to protest and were met with..." Zhang Qiu suddenly realized he didn't know this person well and, considering her position, changed his wording to an official tone. "I heard that it was a group of rioters, but they have been controlled now."
"What rioters? They are just honest citizens and villagers from nearby." The Boss Lady interrupted Zhang Qiu directly. Her disdainful attitude towards the term "rioters" surprised him but also relieved him. It seemed that the Boss Lady was quite friendly.
Hearing her speak, the Boss Lady perked up, sitting up straight and pointing at the crowd outside. "See that? That's public sentiment. This time, Tanzania is really going to change." The Boss Lady nodded and muttered, "It's about time for a change." She began talking to herself.
Zhang Qiu was confused by the Boss Lady's stance. She sympathized with these citizens while also referring to them as public sentiment when they were being arrested. While Zhang Qiu pondered this, the straightforward Lucia asked, "Are those people outside celebrating because those in front of the palace were captured?"
"No, how could that be?" The Boss Lady shook her head vigorously, her large round earrings clinking together. "They are celebrating, celebrating the freedom that is about to come."
"Is freedom coming soon?" Zhang Qiu increasingly found it hard to understand Boss Lady's words; it seemed they were not on the same wavelength. Zhang Qiu felt that there were things he was unaware of. Could it be that another significant change was about to happen in such a short time?
"That's right, freedom will come soon. I can't explain everything clearly to you, but now we have electricity, and you can listen to the broadcast!" Boss Lady took a radio from behind the counter and placed it on the table, pressing the power button. A muffled sound came from inside, and after some adjustments by Boss Lady, the voice became clear. Watching Boss Lady's excited expression, Zhang Qiu couldn't help but wonder if her face would turn red if her skin tone wasn't so dark.
The broadcaster's voice was high-pitched and fast-paced, and what left Zhang Qiu speechless was the broadcaster's strong local accent. He could only catch a few scattered words, which didn't form coherent sentences for him to understand. Fortunately, Lucia was beside him, translating in fluent English, allowing Zhang Qiu to grasp what was being said in the broadcast.
The situation in Tanzania developed far beyond Zhang Qiu's imagination, taking a complete turn. On the night Prince Banan was deposed by the king, the Santania New Army stationed in the capital Bam declared loyalty to Prince Banan and forcefully rescued him and several ministers from prison. The National Defense Force, plagued by corruption and inadequate training, suffered defeat after defeat, forcing Muwadis IV to flee the palace. Overnight, Bam, the largest city in the Santania Kingdom, changed hands as nearby cities declared their allegiance to Your Highness. The entire city began restoring power and order.
"This is simply amazing!"
Zhang Qiu clapped his hands excitedly while Lucia beamed with joy. K also showed signs of happiness; everyone had been worried about Prince Banan's safety, but that concern was no longer necessary.
Just as Zhang Qiu and the others were celebrating, Boss Lady suddenly said, "Hey, soldiers have been looking for three foreigners. Could it be you?"
Zhang Qiu and Lucia exchanged glances when K's voice erupted behind them: "Run!"
Zhang Qiu, Lucia, and K rushed out the door. Boss Lady held onto the deposit money and muttered, "Is it really that urgent? You're leaving without even taking your deposit." She shook her head and put away the money with a satisfied smile. "It's fine; with fewer customers today, I'll take it as God's compensation. Thank you, God."
After running two blocks, Lucia stopped, panting heavily. "I can't go on anymore; this amount of exercise is equivalent to what I did in a month before."
"We can't stop; the soldiers are looking for us because of that captive incident from that night. Boss Lady will definitely report it; it won't be long before those soldiers start searching nearby again." K's expression was serious and tense; his identity was special as a former special forces soldier appearing in a riot-torn country. Moreover, he had injured local soldiers; if his identity were exposed, it would cause an uproar internationally.
"K is right; we can't stay here."
Zhang Qiu couldn't imagine what kind of punishment they would face if they fell into enemy hands. He certainly didn't believe they would receive fair treatment or legal protection here.
"But I really can't run anymore; just let me rest for a bit—just for a moment, okay?"
"Come on, I'll carry you."
"No, it's fine," Lucia panted heavily, beads of sweat dripping down her face.
"Time is precious. I'll carry you, get on!"
K said from the side, "Let me carry her."
"You still have to carry the backpack. I'm the captain; everything goes by my orders."
"I can hold on a little longer," Lucia insisted, not wanting anyone to carry her. She knew that Zhang Qiu and K had also expended a lot of energy.
"Are you sure you can do it?"
"I can."
Lucia started running, and Zhang Qiu and K exchanged glances before running up to her sides, each supporting one of her arms. This made Lucia feel a bit more at ease.
The three of them ran until it was completely dark, their legs numb and devoid of feeling. They avoided many passersby along the way until they reached a place surrounded by dense forest. Looking around, there were no houses and no signs of people.
Zhang Qiu leaned against a tree, his legs already numb, a metallic taste in his mouth. He asked K, "Where are we?"
"In the jungle east of the palace. It seems we will have to spend the night here."
"As long as we can rest, I don't mind where we spend the night," Lucia said as she collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily.
"Shh!"
K suddenly knelt on the ground, raising his AK-47 assault rifle and aiming into the depths of the jungle. A minute passed, and K remained in position, holding the weapon steady.
Zhang Qiu walked over slowly and crouched beside K, whispering, "What's wrong?"
"Call Lucia. We need to leave; this place isn't safe."
"Not safe?" Zhang Qiu surveyed the surroundings. In the darkness of the night, the forest was pitch black, with only the sound of the wind rustling through the trees.
"I heard the sound of broken branches. Don't hesitate; we need to get out of here immediately."
"Okay." Zhang Qiu turned back to call Lucia.
"Are we leaving again?"
As Lucia's voice fell, six camouflaged figures emerged from the jungle, surrounding Zhang Qiu and the others.
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