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墨書 Inktalez
Fear often manifests itself in unexpected ways. Just when the atmosphere had lightened, Xiao Wei doused everyone with a bucket of cold water.
"What happened?" Ming Junwei's expression changed rapidly, and Wu Wentao beside him also showed concern. Each had their own worries; Ming Junwei was primarily concerned about Yinuo's safety, while Wu Wentao was preoccupied with the broader implications. Regardless of their differing focuses, they were united in their urgency regarding the sudden situation at their base.
"Who is Yinuo?" Jin Bo asked, his gaze shifting to the graduate student, surprised. "Your sister-in-law?"
At that moment, the graduate student had no time for banter. Frowning, he nodded and said, "Let's talk while we walk; we need to head back first."
Everyone agreed and wasted no time. The bus, which could hold sixty people, quickly filled up again. The young driver noticed the grim expressions on the leaders' faces and said nothing as he turned the cabin around and sped back the way they came.
"It happened this morning," Xiao Wei said as he stood with the leaders in the cabin, gripping the overhead strap like commuters during a busy morning rush hour. Unfortunately, the light-hearted scene was overshadowed by a sense of foreboding.
Xiao Wei organized his thoughts and recounted the events to them. With so many eyes and ears around, he omitted Dr. Zhong's significant discovery and went straight to the point: "Old Tian went to get something from the train station, and Yinuo went along with him. She contacted me just before reaching the station, but it was too far away at that time. Yinuo told me to head back first, and I didn't think much of it."
"And then?" Ming Junwei patted his shoulder reassuringly. "Don't panic yet; you're still recovering from your injury, and Roundabout is short on personnel. We need you."
Xiao Wei sighed and continued, "I returned to my post and slept until the afternoon. When I woke up, Sister Jia and Dr. Zhong came looking for me, and that's when I learned that Yinuo and Old Tian hadn't returned."
Song Yao exchanged glances with Luci, both feeling puzzled. Yinuo was no helpless girl; she had spent enough time in the ancient city to know every street like the back of her hand. Just days ago, after an acid rain showered the city, Xiao Wei had led several large-scale operations to clear out zombies around Roundabout for easier search team operations. The area surrounding Roundabout was nearly devoid of zombies now. Although it wasn't a short distance to the train station, it certainly didn't pose a significant risk. Given Yinuo's cleverness, even if she encountered a horde of zombies, she wouldn't simply vanish without a trace—unless...
Xiao Wei glanced at Wu Wentao, who remained silent with a furrowed brow. After a pause, Xiao Wei continued, "You know how things are around Roundabout; Yinuo was armed. Yet no one heard anything unusual in the city during that time. I asked Young Man, who took over my post; he was also active around the train station at noon and reported nothing out of the ordinary."
"She just vanished into thin air?" Song Yao frowned slightly, still struggling to comprehend what had happened. "Did you check the train station?"
"I did," Xiao Wei replied with frustration. "But we were short-staffed. I worried there might be trouble at the station, so I only conducted an aerial survey from above—it looked normal as ever; not a single ghost in sight." He felt regretful; although nothing abnormal was detected outside, Yinuo had clearly gone missing on her way to the train station. Logically speaking, he should have gone in to investigate further. However, his ingrained caution held him back; after all, he was currently the only defense force at Roundabout. If something were to happen to him as well, there would be no one left to report back on the situation.
"To the station." Ming Junwei's brow twitched, and without any hesitation, he instructed the driver to turn.
Xiao Wei opened his mouth but swallowed his words. It was clear that Ming Junwei and his group had just come from a fierce battle; logically, it would be more appropriate to return and regroup first. Travel fatigue could affect both judgment and physical condition, making it unwise to head directly to the train station. However, with Yinuo's life hanging in the balance, returning would not allow anyone to rest easy. It was better to go directly and see what was happening. Moreover, with Xiao Jin suddenly appearing after many years and his exceptional skills as a Swordmaster on their side, Xiao Wei felt more confident.
The driver remained silent, simply following orders without question. A graduate student in the passenger seat directed him, and before long, the bus with its lights off pulled into Train Station Square, slowly stopping at the side of the road.
"Is High Watchtower still there?" Ming Junwei didn't rush to get out but instead looked through the window at the dimly lit waiting hall.
"Yes," Xiao Wei replied as he took out a walkie-talkie to call over. Soon, there was a response from the other end.
"Is there any movement at the station?" Ming Junwei asked.
"Ming Ge, you're back! There's been no movement. I've been watching since this afternoon; nothing can be seen inside the station, and everything seems normal in the visible area."
"Keep watching," Ming Junwei said in acknowledgment as he pushed open the car door and jumped out, planning to send a few people in to scout the situation. He scanned around and realized that Song Jiu and his group were still the best suited for this task. Unfortunately, Song Jiu seemed somewhat out of sorts; since entering the city, he had remained silent, completely blending into the crowd.
After considering it for a moment, Ming Junwei decided to skip over Song Jiu and called Liu Yan down instead. Just as he was about to borrow some manpower from Wu Wentao, Wu Wentao spoke up first.
"We can't go in." Wu Wentao's brows were furrowed tightly as if he were deep in thought. Seeing Ming Junwei about to argue, he raised his hand and shook his finger. "It's not that simple; I suspect they have been kidnapped."
"Kidnapped?" The expressions of several people turned strange.
Jin Bo rolled his eyes; he had no fondness for this former enemy. He bypassed his seat and jumped out of the car. "We'll know if we go in and take a look. Ming Ge, I'm going with you."
"We can't go." Wu Wentao reiterated those three words without further explanation.
"Flickering," Ming Junwei hesitated, sensing Wu Wentao's thoughts. "Are you worried that E won't be able to handle it? We just left two days ago; she can't be that quick."
"Why not?" Wu Wentao raised an eyebrow. "It's only been a short time since we left, but she's been gone for a while. Perhaps she's been secretly monitoring Roundabout."
"Then why would she need to kidnap Yinuo? She could have taken advantage of the situation and wiped out Roundabout directly," Xiao Wei said, skeptical of Wu Wentao's caution, feeling he was being overly cautious, even timid.
"If she's been observing Roundabout, she should know that you're all absent. So she's waiting—waiting for you to walk right into her trap," Wu Wentao stated firmly, pointing to the dark and empty waiting hall. "Now that everyone is here, if you go in, the consequences could be dire."
"I'll go," Song Yao stepped forward, shaking her short hair. "If there are problems, I can retreat safely."
Wu Wentao scoffed at her confidence. "E has also been injected with the drug; I know her well. Since she wants to lure you in, she must have made thorough preparations. It's very likely that as soon as you step in, you'll fall into an ambush."
"You're being a bit alarmist," Xiao Wei said impatiently, huffing. "It's as if that Foreign Horse is really coming. If that's the case, we might as well do nothing at all—it's not like your people are missing."
"Oh?" Wu Wentao wore an amused expression. "Isn't Old Tian also missing?"
"I'm too lazy to argue with you. Since you don't dare to go, just wait here," Xiao Wei said dismissively, checking her gun's ammunition and preparing to enter with Ming Junwei to search for Yinuo.
Ming Junwei felt troubled; as a leader, one must not be biased. He had to admit that Wu Wentao's concerns were not unfounded. Having worked with E for a long time, they understood each other well. Yinuo's disappearance was sudden, especially in such a sensitive location as a train station—it was indeed hard to rule out a trap.
"Who are you talking about?" Jin Bo looked around, momentarily confused. "Is someone causing you trouble?"
"That Golden Hair Foreign Horse from the Gobi Desert," Xiao Wei reminded him curtly.
"Oh, oh, oh! I remember her now." Jin Bo suddenly understood and then looked indignant. "Damn it! Back then she was tough with a gun; we weren't her match. But now? Who's afraid of whom?"
Song Jiu lifted his eyelids after a long silence and asked curiously, "Is there really no other entrance to the train station? Do we have to go in through the main entrance?"
Xiao Wei sighed deeply again and replied, "Of course not. The key is that all the other exits have been sealed off. We haven't been active in this area for years, and right now, aside from the main hall, there really isn't any other entrance."
"Sealed off?" Song Jiu's eyelids twitched as he asked, "Did you seal them off, or...?"
"I can't remember," Xiao Wei said irritably. After a moment of thought, he understood what Song Jiu meant and explained, "The entrances to the underground passage collapsed long ago. Some of the other exits are blocked with barbed wire and similar defenses. We reinforced them a few years back, but we haven't maintained them since. I checked; there are no signs of recent activity."
"The people from e are very professional. If they had been there, you might not even notice," Wu Wentao stated firmly, seemingly convinced that Yinuo had definitely been captured by e. All speculations revolved around the Blonde Woman, which only made Xiao Wei and the others increasingly frustrated.
While they were worried about Yinuo, rationally speaking, they couldn't ignore Wu Wentao's warning. Among those present, if anyone knew the Blonde Woman best, it was undoubtedly Wu Wentao. Although there was currently no evidence showing that she had returned, it seemed impossible to find a more reasonable explanation than her. The Roundabout had occupied the ancient city for a long time; there was no reason for a new force to appear without their knowledge.
Seeing that the group was at an impasse and the sky was growing darker, Xiao Wei gritted his teeth and called Wu Wentao and Song Jiu aside. He took Ming Junwei and Jin Bo with him to a corner and lowered his voice to share Dr. Zhong's research findings candidly. Watching the astonished expressions on their faces, Xiao Wei took a deep breath and said half-threateningly, half-invitingly, "Wu, I know you don't care about others' lives or deaths, but Antibody is a serious matter. Aren't you afraid your boss will discover your situation? If what Dr. Zhong needs falls into the hands of the Blonde Woman, do you think you'll be able to escape?"
"Damn it," Wu Wentao bit down hard on his teeth and cursed under his breath. Xiao Wei's words hit home; they indeed left him feeling trapped.
"Wow, it's been years since we last met, and you all have become quite adept at stirring things up," Jin Bo said with a blank expression. He had been living like a king on an island, completely oblivious to outside affairs until he reunited with old friends and was bombarded with heavy news.
"Then let's not hesitate any longer," Song Jiu glanced at the various expressions on their faces and spoke up. "What’s coming cannot be avoided. Even if the Blonde Woman sets an ambush here, isn’t this also your home turf? Besides, we have plenty of guns; if sneaking around won't work, then let's confront her head-on."
"That's exactly what I mean," Xiao Wei nearly cried out in frustration; after all this time talking, he finally found someone who shared his stance. He understood Ming Junwei's and Wu Wentao's concerns but realized that understanding didn't solve the problem. Two lives plus the crucial Vaccine research issue weighed heavily.
"If you were e and were waiting for prey, what would you do?" Ming Junwei frowned at Wu Wentao in an attempt to gather more useful information.
Wu Wentao's expression became serious as he pinched his temples and said, "To be honest, concentrated firepower would suffice against you all. You are resilient, but in the face of absolute force, you're still vulnerable." He paused for a moment before frowning again. "The reason she chose to lure you here is probably to ensure success; after all, Roundabout is your base of operations. If she can't defeat you outright, she'll still have a way to escape—this time she doesn't plan on leaving any survivors."
"Go ahead and try it. Even the bravest fear a little gold. I want to see how impressive this foreign woman can be; can she really survive when the blade goes in?" Jin Bo spat, drawing his long knife with a sharp clang, the bright blade glinting ominously in the dim light.
Ming Junwei's expression grew serious. If the hypothetical enemy was indeed the Blonde Woman, then they were facing a significant problem. According to Wu Wentao, if she intended to uproot the Ancient City Camp, it was likely that not only the train station but also the area around the Roundabout was unsafe. In that case, whether they retreated or advanced would play right into the Blonde Woman's hands. Weighing their options, taking the initiative might allow them to regain some control.
After some discussion, the group that had returned from their long journey set out once more, quickly briefing each other on the current situation and making arrangements as swiftly as possible.
Wu Wentao was tasked with leading the advance team, while Song Jiu and Jin Bo formed the second tier. Ming Junwei stayed behind with the last group as support, either to harvest from the battlefield or to collect bodies; the pressure was considerable.
The incident had occurred suddenly, leaving them little time for further communication. They made quick adjustments and distributed weapons and ammunition among themselves. Under the cover of the dim moonlight, Wu Wentao led a team into the square, stealthily approaching the partially concealed entrance.
On top of a high building, in a blind spot, Yinuo felt a chill run through her body. Her mouth was taped shut, and her body trembled uncontrollably.
E stood behind her, holding a night vision device up to Yinuo's eyes. Leaning close to her ear, with crimson lips brushing against her skin, he whispered with a low laugh, "This will be the most spectacular fireworks display you've ever seen."
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