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墨書 Inktalez
Xin Mengfan fell asleep quickly, but her sleep was shallow and of poor quality. Whenever she had some free time, she liked to find a cozy spot to take a nap. After exhausting herself in the woods, she felt a bit weary. She had planned to eat something before sleeping, but as soon as her head hit the pillow, drowsiness enveloped her. She barely held on for a few seconds before her hunger succumbed to her heavy eyelids.
A girl's room was always filled with various pleasant fragrances. Song Jiu and the others had smoked some cigarettes in the living room earlier, and the swirling smoke slipped out through the crack of the door, while the sweet scents of the girl's sanctuary defended its territory. However, while smoke could dissipate, a living person could not be easily deterred. The Fat Man stealthily crept in, sniffing the air with his small eyes darting around, secretly guessing where his treasure might be hidden.
The Fat Man's mind was in turmoil; on one hand, he desperately wanted to retrieve his precious item, but on the other hand, he feared being discovered. The young man who had left was not someone to be trifled with, and if caught red-handed, his fate would likely be dire. But that item was rightfully his; he couldn't just let it go. Standing in the hallway, he engaged in a fierce internal struggle until reason knocked him out cold and firmly took control.
"I’m just taking back what’s mine; I have nothing to feel guilty about," he reassured himself as he tiptoed toward the vanity. Peeking into the bedroom, he noticed that the door wasn't fully closed. Through the gap, he could see a large round bed covered with a plush blanket and a pair of pale legs sticking out from beneath it. The owner of those legs was still lost in slumber, the satin blanket rising and falling gently with each breath.
As an impromptu thief, the Fat Man couldn't help but recall the springtime scene by the riverbank at noon. Gazing at those white legs made him feel somewhat distracted. While listening intently for any sounds outside, he cautiously opened the exquisite lacquered drawer beneath the vanity. Inside lay many miscellaneous items—necklaces and earrings jumbled together in a heap, sparkling and dazzling.
"Little La San," he muttered under his breath in frustration as he heard movement from within the bedroom and hurriedly quickened his pace.
Still empty-handed, he found only girlish trinkets filling the drawer—scattered accessories and skincare products taking up most of the space. In one corner lay several differently shaped vibrators, but there was no sign of the small medicine box that occupied his thoughts.
"Damn it," he sighed in disappointment as he picked up one of the soft-spiked toys and brought it close to his nose for a sniff.
"If you want it, just take it," came a lazy female voice from the quiet living room.
The Fat Man jumped in shock and sprang up only to forget that he was crouching beneath the vanity. With a loud thud, he nearly toppled over the solid wood vanity; bottles and jars on top clattered to one side and fell to the floor with a crash. Still shaken, he nervously looked at Xin Mengfan leaning against the doorframe of her bedroom. His chubby face turned pale as cold sweat soaked through his back.
Xin Mengfan had been standing there for a while without saying anything, simply watching this sneaky character to see what he would do. After watching him rummage through her belongings for quite some time only to pick up a toy to smell it, even someone as worldly as Xin Mengfan couldn’t help but feel taken aback. Unable to hold back any longer, she let out a sound that nearly ruined her vanity.
"I-I-I... don’t be nervous! I’m just looking for something!" The Fat Man stammered anxiously, trying several times to speak coherently but failing miserably. Seeing that he still held onto that toy only made his face turn redder with embarrassment as he hurriedly tossed it onto the table.
"Speak in Mandarin," Xin Mengfan said as she rubbed her eyes sleepily and yawned. She initially thought someone had come to steal her perfume but instead found herself facing a pervert.
"I mean no harm; please don’t misunderstand!" The Fat Man steadied himself upon seeing that Xin Mengfan didn’t seem inclined to call for help. He felt somewhat calmer and pondered whether he could directly ask her for it.
"I can tell; if you like it, just take it," Xin Mengfan shot him an annoyed glare before walking barefoot into the living room to pour herself a glass of water and sit down, complaining, "I can’t even sleep peacefully."
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" The Fat Man bowed repeatedly while apologizing awkwardly, his face flushed as he stammered, "I-I-I don’t want this."
"What do you want then?" Xin Mengfan asked with a puzzled expression, furrowing her brow as she thought about such perverse preferences. "I won't give you any underwear; they're all new."
Fat Man was at a loss for words. If he didn't need something from her, he would have liked to grab a stool and hit her with it.
"Then just leave if you don't want anything. Otherwise, Brother Jiu will come back and skin you alive." Xin Mengfan wiped the water stains from her mouth and stood up, issuing an eviction order. "Fatty, having a little quirk is fine, but don’t sneak into girls' rooms anymore, got it?"
Fat Man was on the verge of tears. What was wrong with this girl? Did she really think he looked like some pervert who steals women's underwear?
"Miss, let me be honest with you. Did you find a box in the woods during the day?" Fat Man saw her about to turn away again and decided to take a chance. "That... that belongs to me. Can you give it back?"
"Oh," Dream Fan, who had just climbed onto the bed, turned her head with a look of hesitation and asked, "What are you talking about? I don't understand."
"Hey, Miss, you know, the little grove outside the camp today," Fat Man rolled his eyes and gestured wildly to describe the shape of the medicine box.
"Oh, oh, oh! So that's yours!" Xin Mengfan suddenly realized what Fat Man was referring to. Her face flushed slightly as she frowned and asked, "Are you using drugs?"
"Uh, I have severe gallbladder pain; that’s for pain relief," Fat Man blurted out an excuse. Although there were no drug enforcement officers around now, drug addicts were generally not well-received.
"Do you think I wouldn't know what I used to do?" Xin Mengfan chuckled and sat up in bed.
Fat Man thought to himself that he didn’t care what she used to do; he just wanted his stuff back. Even if she claimed to be the President of the country, he would believe her.
"You think I can't tell the difference between Dilaudid and Cocaine?" Xin Mengfan found it amusing and adjusted her nightgown as she curiously asked, "Where did you get this stuff?"
Fat Man blinked his small eyes as his greasy brain suddenly became alert. He speculated: Could it be that this girl is also a drug addict? Many young ladies used to enjoy getting high on drugs; looking at her youthful appearance and alluring demeanor, she seemed knowledgeable about drugs—she must have been a nightclub girl before.
With this thought in mind, Fat Man finally relaxed his tense mood and felt an odd sense of camaraderie with someone from another place. He flattered her by saying, "Well then, little lady, how about I share half with you if you give me back the other half?"
Xin Mengfan was sharp-minded and noticed the changes in his expression. She guessed that he might have misunderstood her intentions but didn’t point it out. Instead, she smiled and said, "Half isn’t enough! Where did you get it? Share some details."
Fat Man was completely dumbfounded. This was truly a case of losing more than he gained; he had thought that at worst he would leave empty-handed but now he had encountered someone similar to him. Having dealt with many addicts before who appeared harmless but would do anything for their next fix, he realized this girl clearly wanted a piece of the action too. If he told her where it came from, there would be no chance for him to benefit from it later. However, after thinking it over again—currently being part of a labor team meant he had no opportunity to deal drugs anymore—he figured this could be an opportunity for advancement. Since he didn’t want to keep working as a laborer every day, perhaps if he used this powder to curry favor with her—given her connections with that young man—she might share some benefits with him.
While Fat Man was still lost in his thoughts at this crossroads, Xin Mengfan observed him closely and felt uncertain herself. Fat Man had guessed part of it right; indeed, Xin Mengfan had once been a butterfly flitting through midnight parties but had never touched drugs—she was merely familiar with them. The reason she asked about their source was mainly to gauge how many addicts were in the camp. Like Fat Man, she understood the destructive power of drug addicts; even in an orderly society they could cause various troubles—let alone now when order had collapsed and the camp faced potential crises after just resolving issues between Zombies and Survivors. Xin Mengfan certainly didn’t want complications arising from drug addicts again. She originally planned to discuss things with Song Jiu first but hadn’t expected this fat man to come knocking on her door instead.
Fat Man licked his lips and cautiously asked, "If I tell you, you won't keep it all to yourself, right?"
Xin Mengfan was taken aback for a moment, but quickly understood what the fat man meant. She hurriedly put on a serious face and said, "We'll split it fifty-fifty."
"You won't tell anyone else, will you?" Fat Man asked again, still not at ease.
Xin Mengfan blinked and gave him a sweet smile, asking, "Of course not! But what if others find out how many people are using it in the camp?"
"Relax, relax," Fat Man finally felt relieved. Gaining some courage, he sat down across from her and said mysteriously, "Don't worry. I estimate that I'm the only one in the whole world who knows about this."
"What do you mean? You can make drugs?"
"Uh, no." Fat Man glanced at her white collar and took the opportunity to feast his eyes while whispering. He quietly said, "I stumbled upon it while escaping into the mountains."
"You don't know? There’s a huge workshop hidden in this mountain valley. Unfortunately, there’s no water or food. I hid there for a few days and was planning to go out and try my luck when I ran into this camp's Patrol Team and came back with them."
"A Drug Workshop?" Xin Mengfan gasped. She felt relieved that there were no drug addicts in the camp, but it was surprising to learn that there was a processing workshop nearby. In her impression, such places should generally be found in Yunnan; how could they exist in the Central Plains Region?
"I guess it must have been left behind by some drug dealers. We just happened to discover it," Fat Man excitedly recounted his findings. Seeing Dream Fan frowning in silence, he thought she didn't believe him and quickly added, "If you don’t believe me, I can take you to see it—just don’t make me dig any more trenches; I'm getting old and my back can't take it!"
"Is that place big? Is it far from here?" Dream Fan was no longer interested in drugs; the unexpected information from Fat Man made her think of other issues.
"It's quite large but not too far. It's pitch dark inside; I didn’t dare go deeper alone because I was afraid of running into zombies," Fat Man said, completely oblivious to Dream Fan's shift in focus as he was distracted by the faint red visible beneath her nightgown.
"Wait here for me." Xin Mengfan made up her mind and prepared to report back to Song Jiu immediately. If there was indeed a hidden safe space near the camp, then Song Jiu wouldn't need to worry about zombies anymore. They could just move the entire camp over there since it would still be close to the riverbank, allowing for a safe transfer of all supplies. What could zombies do if they came back?
"Hey, hey! What are you going to do?" Fat Man exclaimed as he saw Xin Mengfan already rushing back inside to change clothes.
"Dream Fan is up!"
The half-open door swung open again, and the Pockmarked Girl stood frozen at the entrance, holding a lunchbox. She stared at the anxious Fat Man and the hurriedly dressing Xin Mengfan, completely taken aback.
" Brother Jiu asked me to bring you lunch, so I’ll be leaving now," the Pockmarked Girl said as she set down the lunchbox and turned to leave, secretly lamenting how undemanding Dream Fan was—how could anyone accept just about anyone?
"Guli, come back!" Dream Fan had no time to entertain her thoughts and quickly pulled her back. "Perfect timing, you can come along too."
"Ah!" The Pockmarked Girl nearly spat out her drink, glancing at the Fat Man, who resembled a piece of fatty meat. She retreated while waving her hands. "No, no, no, it's fine. You enjoy yourself."
"What are you thinking?" Xin Mengfan chuckled helplessly and gave her a light smack on the arm. "Where's Ziqian? Tell him to find two Young Men to accompany me out."
The Pockmarked Girl automatically filtered out the ambiguity of that statement and quietly asked, "Where to?"
"A great place! Hurry up!" Xin Mengfan was quite excited as she quickly changed into a tracksuit and tied her long hair up, radiating youthful energy.
The Fat Man vaguely felt he had been tricked; they had agreed not to tell anyone. He wanted to cry but had no tears—women were indeed all deceivers.
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