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Chapter 189: The Return of the Dead 2
After reading the note hidden in the cake, the group fell into silence. Ming Junwei stared blankly at the paper, while Su Lan and the others wore puzzled expressions, waiting for Ming Junwei to say something. Jin Bo noticed that everyone was focused on the note, so he busied himself with a pile of snacks, crunching loudly as he ate.
"Is it Vice Commander? See, I told you Vice Commander wouldn't ignore us!" Xiao Wei exclaimed excitedly, his acne-flushed face glowing with enthusiasm. Previously, Soldier had been in low spirits, unable to understand why Bai Yudong appeared here. He couldn't believe that Vice Commander would betray them, even though the reality suggested otherwise.
The moment Su Lan saw the note, she sensed trouble. She desperately hoped everyone could survive safely, but these men were inherently stubborn and unruly. As a prisoner, Ming Junwei had been scheming, while the unidentified Bai Yudong finally revealed his true colors.
"Are you planning to create chaos from within and without?" Su Lan felt powerless, pinching her brow with a sigh.
"Aso, I'm sorry to put you in this position," Zeng Yadong said sympathetically. She disliked Glasses Man but had always regarded Su Lan as a close friend. Seeing Su Lan in such a dilemma made her uneasy as well.
"We won't cause any trouble," Ming Junwei said with an understanding smile as he pulled out a lighter and set the note ablaze, watching it turn to ash in the flames. "Regardless of whether this message is from Old Bai or not, it clearly states to 'not act impulsively.' We should just follow that advice."
"Huh?" Su Lan lifted her eyelids in surprise, seemingly not expecting Ming Junwei to be so agreeable. Had he suddenly changed?
"Aso, I know you're looking out for us," Ming Junwei said as he snatched an apple from Jin Bo's hand, took a bite, and then returned it. Chewing thoughtfully, he continued, "It seems Song Yao is still alive. Old Bai should have a way; after all, he's freer than we are and can act more conveniently."
The warmth that had just blossomed in Su Lan's heart was extinguished by his latter statement. She huffed silently for a while before pretending she hadn't heard him.
"Let’s eat and drink well to keep our strength up," Ming Junwei chuckled as he plopped down on the sofa. "For now, that's all we can do—wait for news from Old Bai."
Ming Junwei's words seemed effective; Xiao Wei no longer appeared as excited as before and quietly pondered for a moment before agreeing with Ming Junwei's perspective. He and Jin Bo had been considering how to deal with Security in the corridor; there were only five armed guards on duty at any time who were very alert. Their activities were limited to their own rooms and Su Lan's room, leaving them no opportunity to scout the floor layout or take action.
After chatting idly for a while, the three men finished off most of the fruits and snacks before patting their bellies and heading back to their rooms to sleep, leaving the mess for the three girls to handle. Zeng Yadong rolled her eyes while tidying up; Wheat had cried herself to sleep on the sofa, and Su Lan covered her with a light blanket before sitting at the table with Zeng Yadong for a late-night talk.
"Dong Dong, would you like to stay?" Su Lan bit her lip and hesitantly asked.
Zeng Yadong lowered her head, her long hair cascading over half her face as she listened to Wheat's even breathing, unsure of how to respond.
Su Lan sighed; Zeng Yadong's silence was an answer in itself. Not wanting to force the issue, she decided not to bring it up again.
"Rest now." Su Lan stood up and left the small living room, returning to her bedroom.
Zeng Yadong sat alone by the window, resting his chin on his hands, gazing into the deep night, his heart in turmoil.
In the pitch-black Radar equipment room, heavy breathing could be faintly heard.
Luci sat across from Jiang He, hugging his knees in silence. His eyes, devoid of their usual spark, were misty with tears and filled with sorrow. It had only been two months since they parted ways in Nantang Township's outskirts, yet everything felt different now. Luci heard Jiang He's suppressed sobs; he turned off the flashlight, trying to hide in the darkness, unaware that Luci could see him clearly. Luci refrained from offering empty words of comfort; at times like this, words were insignificant.
Jiang He sniffled, wiping away the tears and snot smeared across his face with the back of his hand. He rubbed his hands together and muttered to himself, "That fool, why couldn't he just admit defeat? It's just admitting defeat."
"I was thinking, if I had mustered the courage to look into that pit back then, maybe none of this would have happened," Luci sighed softly, resting his forehead on his hand. "I was so scared at that moment; all I wanted was to get away from that place."
"Don't say foolish things; what's meant to happen can't be avoided," Jiang He said as he patted his numb legs, fiddling with a hot lighter. "It's all fate, even though I never believed in such things."
Outside, the wind howled with sand, and the two fell into silence.
Life is inherently fragile; what has happened cannot be changed and must be accepted. The dead cannot be brought back, while those who remain are still waiting for salvation.
"Let's talk about the situation here," Jiang He finally spoke up, exhaling deeply to release the heaviness in his chest and temporarily suppressing his sadness to focus on the present. Luci had shared a lot earlier; he was deeply affected by the news of Chao Yifan and the others' deaths and had hardly absorbed anything else. After reflecting on what Luci had said, Jiang He asked, "So everyone has become test subjects now?"
"Perhaps. Before I 'died,' Brother Ming and Jin Bo seemed fine," Luci replied with a strange expression, still struggling to accept the fact of his 'death' and resurrection.
Jiang He felt awkward listening but had no choice but to acknowledge this bizarre reality given Luci's injuries and cold skin.
"Huh?" Jiang He suddenly froze in surprise. "Jin Bo? How did that guy end up here too?" Earlier, Luci had referred to everyone collectively without mentioning names one by one. Given Jiang He's dazed state at that time, he hadn't noticed even when Luci brought it up.
"Ah?" Luci lifted his eyelids slightly and said, "Yes, he came along with us. At that time, everyone thought you were dead. Jin Bo felt you saved his life and wanted to repay you by bringing his own life along."
"At least he has a conscience..." Jiang He thought, somewhat surprised. Although he hadn't discovered Jin Bo's body back at Daliugou, he never expected that the man would leave with the main force. Based on what Jiang He knew of his character, he had assumed that Jin Bo would wander off alone, continuing his life as a lone wolf.
Luci, hearing this, also found it strange and frowned. "Didn't Zheng Er tell you?"
"Huh?" Jiang He's eyes widened, a chill creeping down his back as he muttered, "Is Qianqian okay? Zheng Er isn't like you; she didn't come back from the dead..."
"What are you talking about?" Luci was even more confused and couldn't grasp Jiang He's meaning. "Before we left, we left a message for Zheng Er. Yao Yao didn't believe you were dead and specifically told Zheng Er to inform you of our whereabouts if you returned."
"What?!" Jiang He swallowed hard, a sudden shock gripping his heart.
Seeing his serious reaction, Luci began to suspect something and incredulously asked, "You mean you didn't come here because you heard our message?"
"I didn't hear any message!" Jiang He exclaimed, stammering. "When I got back to Daliugou, everyone was dead!"
"..." Luci's eyes finally lit up with the spark of life again, though it looked somewhat terrifying. "Dead... all dead?"
"Oh my God." Jiang He slapped his forehead as he realized the gravity of the situation. He forced himself to lower his voice and said seriously, "It seems you all wandered too close to the gates of hell! My goodness, I thought you had escaped! Everyone in Daliugou is dead; not a single soul survived! I saw it with my own eyes!"
Luci was stunned. Although he didn't have much emotional attachment to the people from the Underground Bunker, they had been a stop along their journey, and the supplies and vehicle they had left with were generously provided by Zheng Er.
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