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墨書 Inktalez
"The first guy who came to the island with us was Big Brother from The Establishment." Jin Bo lit his pipe and took a puff, the spicy smoke swirling in his lungs before slowly escaping through his mouth and nose.
"This little island business is quite thick, huh?" Song Jiu chuckled helplessly, leaning back in his rattan chair and sighing. He asked, "Was it just you and that Xiao Zhuang running the place back then?"
"Pretty much. No matter what happened, one of us would always stay on the island." Jin Bo nodded and said, "Now that he’s gone and I’ve been away for so long, without the old tiger in the mountain, these monkeys are getting restless."
"The more I listen, the more confused I get. Can you explain it more clearly?"
"I don't even know where to start." Jin Bo bit down on his pipe and pondered for a moment, frowning as he continued, "When the island had just stabilized, Xiao Zhuang and I would take turns bringing people out to sea. Back then, there were few of us; as long as one of us was around, we could keep things under control. But later on, when more people came, it became different. Didn’t I tell you? People can share hardships but not joys; there are always those who want to stir things up."
"And then? What about that Xiao Zhuang?"
"He went out to sea six months ago and hasn’t been heard from since." Jin Bo sighed deeply. There were only a few people who had landed on the island back then; besides Shaoshan, Xiao Zhuang was his closest ally. If it weren't for him, Jin Bo and the others might have perished at sea long ago.
Fang Fei and Ye Qingmei lowered their heads in silence. They had witnessed the island's transformation from desolation to prosperity and had come to regard it as home deep within their hearts. Given the current situation, the future of the island was indeed worrisome.
Song Jiu could understand Fang Fei's feelings well; starting a business was easy but maintaining it was difficult. Ultimately, the island lacked a leader, and Jin Bo was not suited for that role.
At its peak, Roundabout had nearly three hundred members. In terms of living conditions and environment, it was far inferior to the island. However, no one had the leisure to engage in internal strife; the role of the bar's leadership team was self-evident. Song Jiu and the others who came later saw this clearly and genuinely respected them; everyone worked together towards a common goal. To put it another way, Desolate Mountain Cave had even worse conditions than Roundabout but still maintained a decent population base. Similarly, with Red Mother firmly seated on her throne and Eunuch occupying her position, if Song Jiu and his group hadn’t stumbled into a trap, they would likely be thriving now.
As for the island, it had always relied on Jin Bo and Xiao Zhuang to intimidate others through force—a strategy that was inherently unreliable. Initially, with just ten or so people, it worked fine; but now with over two hundred members? Even ants can kill an elephant in numbers. Previously, Jin Bo had several loyal subordinates keeping things relatively stable; now that he seemed like a lone commander, everyone was growing restless.
Jin Bo was undeniably brave; that was beyond question. However, bravery was a quality of an excellent enforcer rather than a leader. Jin Bo understood this himself; back in the underground air raid shelter, he played the role of a tough guy. Before joining Song Yao and Ming Junwei, he had been a lone wolf who fought his way through challenges with little thought involved—now thrust into leadership unexpectedly made things difficult for him.
"Ah, it's also my fault for being careless with my choices," Jin Bo said as he tapped his pipe thoughtfully, regret evident on his face. "I shouldn't have given that old fool so much power back then."
"Times have changed; it's not your fault," Fang Fei said with a hint of sympathy in her eyes as she looked at Jin Bo. After three years of witnessing everything unfold before her eyes, she knew all too well about Jin Bo's efforts. Back then they were destitute; to survive they had to mobilize all their resources. Jin Bo set aside past grievances to extend generosity towards a troublemaker who initially expressed gratitude but soon forgot their kindness—after all, even useless people can eventually grow wings.
"After all that has been said, do you have any specific thoughts?" Song Jiu had resigned himself to the fact that he wouldn't be able to enjoy this meal today. He decided to stop pondering other matters and focused his mind on the task at hand, planning to help Jin Bo with a household issue.
Jin Bo and the others were momentarily taken aback, all turning to look at Song Jiu.
Taking a drag from his pipe, Song Jiu smacked his lips and said, "To be honest, I think you all have overthought things to get to this point."
"Uh-huh," Jin Bo and the others looked confused.
"Why waste your breath with them? The ocean isn't covered by a lid."
Fang Fei blinked her watery eyes and murmured, "You... you mean..."
Jin Bo swallowed hard, watching as Song Jiu's finger traced across his throat, his eyes filled with unspoken meaning.
Song Jiu let out a long sigh. He understood now; Jin Bo was just like his sister and her group. They faced zombies without fear and charged through gunfire without hesitation. In terms of lives lost, they had blood on their hands too. Yet deep down, there remained a softness that sometimes prevented them from being ruthless.
This scene felt familiar. Two months ago, during the torrential rain at Strawberry Farm, Ming Junwei had been just like Jin Bo was today. Back then, it was Song Jiu who had taken action; perhaps this time it would fall to him again.
"I understand what you're saying, but we can't do it that way. The island has finally gotten back on track; if we start a major purge, everything will fall apart," Fang Fei insisted, unwilling to let Jin Bo lose face. "You used to have a team; you should know that many times you can't solve problems with violence."
"You think too highly of me," Song Jiu grinned sheepishly. "I solve problems this way."
Fang Fei was momentarily speechless.
"I'm not trying to argue with you," Song Jiu straightened up and said seriously. "You're always worried that breaking the balance will lead to chaos, but balance is just stability emerging from chaos. It's merely starting over; what's so terrible about that? Back then, you had nothing and still made it through the storms. Now, let's not even mention it—you're managing water and electricity just fine, and you don't have to worry about guns or food. What are you afraid of?"
"You all share my sister's mindset; you always want to think positively, believing everyone is like you—grateful and willing to reciprocate. But in reality, Jin Bo should know how many times you’ve stumbled over this issue before."
"Those people are not companions."
"But they aren't exactly enemies either," Ye Qingmei timidly interjected, her voice barely above a whisper. "After all, the wind power generation system was developed by Teacher Sun; we can't just..."
"The generation system you're using now," Song Jiu raised an eyebrow and said, "you wouldn't be able to operate it without him."
"That may be true, but isn't this a bit... not quite right?" Ye Qingmei's name carried a certain weight, yet her demeanor was gentle and she hardly dared to meet Song Jiu's gaze.
Song Jiu chuckled lightly and said, "Not quite right? Are you trying to say ungrateful?" Noticing the discomfort on their faces, he softened his tone. "We still need to find The Establishment. If we don't resolve the issues here, can we leave with peace of mind? To put it bluntly, next time we come back, it might not just be Kayak waiting for us."
Jin Bo let out a long sigh and suddenly laughed, stroking his stubble. "If it had been you I encountered back then instead of your brother-in-law, maybe we wouldn't have these problems today."
"Yeah."
"You and Yao Yao only resemble each other in looks; there's no other similarity," Jin Bo chuckled.
Song Jiu rolled his eyes at them and smirked. "Same mother, same bloodline—no doubt about it."
"Seriously, I've thought about what you said, but..." Jin Bo's expression turned troubled as he clenched his fists. "There are over a hundred people; it's not just three or five."
"You’re the leader here; there are about two hundred people on this island, and half of them don’t respect you," Song Jiu replied incredulously.
"There are many families involved. If you kill the shopkeeper, won't his wife and kids automatically take sides? I can't bring myself to wipe out an entire family." Jin Bo stared intently at Song Jiu with a strange expression. "I don’t believe you could go so far as to harm women and children."
As the discussion grew increasingly grim, Fang Fei quickly intervened, displeased. "What nonsense are you two talking about?"
"Right? It hasn't gotten that serious," Yuan An joined in to mediate. Facing enemies like Zombies was one thing; committing mass murder against one's own kin was another. No matter how much the world changed, the thought of slaughtering wives and children sent chills down her spine.
"Let's not get sidetracked," Song Jiu sighed, avoiding Jin Bo's gaze. "What I mean is, this island was built brick by brick by you all, and the decision-making power lies with you. If you don't want bloodshed, then think of ways to avoid it. Also, about Ziqian's wedding—can it still happen?"
"It must be a grand affair. Anyone who dares to show their teeth in this matter will have to face my wrath," Jin Bo said, a fierce look flashing across his brow. He was neither a ruthless executioner nor a meek sheep waiting to be slaughtered. In a situation where they didn't interfere with each other, Jin Bo was willing to compromise, but if his bottom line was crossed, Song Jiu believed his blade would not hesitate.
"Alas," Fang Fei and Yuan An exchanged silent glances, both feeling a deep sense of fatigue.
The group continued to discuss matters at the Stilt House for quite some time. Ultimately, the flames of war did not ignite. As Fang Fei put it, with the wedding approaching, it would be inappropriate to resort to violence on such a joyous occasion. Although those people were acting out of boredom, they didn't truly want to push things to an impasse. It was just right to use the celebratory atmosphere of the wedding to ease tensions; afterward, it would be best to sit down and talk things over, laying down a mutually agreeable path forward.
Song Jiu had no objections; after all, this was an internal matter for the island. As a guest, he didn't mind drawing his sword when necessary, but ultimately the direction should depend on the host's wishes.
Long discussions failed to yield a good solution; instead, Song Jiu's bloody rhetoric left Fang Fei and the other girls feeling somewhat uneasy, fearing that after a few drinks, things might escalate.
"For now, let's put this matter aside. Little Leaf and I will talk to them; nothing can go wrong before the wedding, okay?" Fang Fei half-pleaded, her eyes fixed on Jin Bo and Song Jiu. She understood Jin Bo's character; sometimes he could be quite stubborn. Having spent time with Song Jiu and Wu Wentao, she worried that he might get carried away in a fit of passion.
"I don't mind as long as they don't cause trouble," Song Jiu nodded in agreement. After pondering for a moment, he asked, "What's the name of the ringleader among those troublemakers? I should at least recognize their face."
"Qian Wanguo. I'll point him out to you tomorrow; he's easy to spot—he'll be wearing a suit," Fang Fei replied.
"Just hearing his name makes it clear he's not a good person," Song Jiu scoffed.
Fang Fei shot him an exasperated glance. Having spent time with him for neither too long nor too short a period, she had previously thought Song Jiu had a gentle temperament. She hadn't expected him to reveal such a different side. It wasn't entirely her fault for misjudging him; when they first met, Song Jiu was in his Low Valley phase—having faced consecutive setbacks that nearly left him despondent—making it hard to see his former decisiveness.
"By the way," Song Jiu suddenly recalled something and asked, "Do you know someone named Liang Song?"
"Hmm?" Fang Fei was taken aback.
Yuan An, sitting nearby, sprayed water all over the table.
"What's wrong with him?" Ye Qingmei asked, raising her head in confusion. "I'm more familiar with him."
"That kid is a rebellious one, and he even wants to hit on Yuan An," Song Jiu scoffed, glancing at Yuan An, who was rolling her eyes. "He talks too much; if Yuan An hadn't pried a few words out of him, we wouldn't have come to check the situation."
"Don't mind him; he's just a little brat," Jin Bo sneered, snorting dismissively. "When I organized the island defense team, I thought that kid had potential, but it turns out he's just a softie."
Fang Fei giggled and teased, "You should focus on your Barbie Doll. Yuan An is just a kid; she still needs you to keep an eye on her."
Song Jiu fell silent at that moment. The thing that had been bothering him the most lately was this issue. Just when he thought he could distract himself with other matters, Fang Fei came along to stir the pot.
Speaking of the rescued Barbie Doll, the previous gloomy atmosphere lifted as everyone became interested. Their faces were filled with curiosity and eagerness as they waited for Song Jiu to share his story.
"Come on, tell us about your situation with the Barbie Doll. Why don't you and Ziqian get together? It would be double happiness," Jin Bo said, his eyes sparkling with excitement. He hadn't even cleaned up his own mess yet was already trying to set Song Jiu up.
"I'm hungry; you guys chat," Song Jiu said as he turned and walked away, leaving them with a carefree view of his back.
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