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墨書 Inktalez
When Luci found Song Yao, she was sitting on the edge of the bed, lost in thought.
"Where have you been?" Luci patted her from behind, pulling a chair to sit beside her. "I was hoping to get some first-hand news from you, but here I am, unable to find you for half the day."
Song Yao's wandering thoughts were pulled back as she rubbed her somewhat stiff face and smiled at Luci. "It's my fault, but I can make it up to you."
"How will you make it up? With flesh?" Luci grinned mischievously, her hands clawing playfully at Song Yao's ample chest.
Caught off guard, Song Yao laughed and scolded while dodging Luci's playful groping. "Stop messing around! I have good news to tell you."
"What good news?" After finishing her playful antics, Luci sat back in her seat, curiosity piqued. "Is it about what you were just discussing?"
"No, that can wait." Song Yao still felt a bit uneasy about her, crossing her arms and sitting across from her. She blinked and said, "It's about Tan."
"Tan? You have news about her? Where did you hear it?" Luci was instantly stunned. She and Tan were like sisters, relying on each other during the early days of the disaster. After parting ways at sea, they had not seen each other again. All she knew was that Tan had gone to the island with The Establishment, but she had no idea about the specifics.
"This is a long story; just tell me if you want to know." Song Yao's mysterious smile piqued Luci's interest. The latter nodded eagerly, urging her to continue. However, Song Yao played coy and teased, "It's time for you to make it up to me."
Luci shot her a playful glare and laughed, "Alright, alright! I’ll let you touch me again; now hurry up and tell me how Tan is doing!"
"She got married."
"Ah!"
Song Yao's expression when she first learned this was exactly like Luci's now.
"You’re not joking, are you? How old is she?" Amidst her surprise was a hint of skepticism. Luci counted on her fingers and said, "Three years ago she was only sixteen; this year she barely turned twenty—taking advantage of a minor!"
"You don't need to worry about that." Song Yao chuckled at her reaction. "Dongdong and Tan are both doing well—better than we imagined. Tan got married last year; she's an adult now."
"Oh my God." Luci was left speechless; all she felt was shock. At the same time, she couldn't help but think of the wedding that had taken place on the island a few days ago.
"So, as her older sister, aren't you planning to prepare a belated gift for Tan?" Song Yao teased.
"Of course I will! Wait—what do you mean? Us? Are we going to The Establishment?" Luci suddenly realized and quickly skipped over personal matters. She became serious and asked, "What exactly did you discuss? I just ran into Jiu Jiu; he didn't look too good."
Song Yao sighed with a wry smile. "He's disappointed with The Establishment."
Disappointment was not limited to Song the Official; it was just that Song the Official expressed it most directly. To understand the reason, one must start with Stilt House.
At that time, two groups of people were still pretending, with Fang Fei and Xiao Zhuang exchanging words, creating a somewhat emotional atmosphere. Song Jiu could no longer tolerate it and signaled Fang Fei with his eyes to get straight to the point. Fang Fei was clever; she could meander through small talk but also knew how to cut to the chase.
Fang Fei threw out the question, "Are you just passing through this time, or did you come back on purpose?" The tone carried a hint of grievance, catching Xiao Zhuang off guard as he tried to play the emotional card. Xiao Zhuang was stunned for a moment, confused by the abrupt shift in topic. He opened his mouth but didn't know how to respond. Just a minute ago, they had been gazing into each other's eyes with tears, and now he was suddenly expected to take charge, which created quite a contrast. Fang Fei didn’t give him much time to think; she seized the moment of his confusion to inform him that Jin Bo had passed away.
It was easy to imagine how Xiao Zhuang, just coming out of his daze, was knocked down again by this shocking news.
Song Jiu had a strong aversion to Xiao Zhuang, not only because of his unclear intentions for visiting but also due to his performance upon hearing about Jin Bo's death. Perhaps Song Jiu viewed Xiao Zhuang with suspicion, believing that his subsequent actions were filled with insincerity. This made him feel uneasy, especially when he thought about how open-hearted Jin Bo had once regarded him as a close friend. Song Jiu couldn't help but question Jin Bo's judgment.
However, whether it was insincere or not didn’t matter; it wasn’t illegal. If he couldn’t stand it, he could just look away—there was no need to create conflict over it.
Song Jiu continued to signal Fang Fei to press on. Fang Fei entered her element and interrupted Xiao Zhuang’s uncontrollable grief, continuing to ask questions with one goal in mind: to clarify the reason for their visit. Xiao Zhuang struggled to suppress his sorrow and confirmed that there was indeed a purpose behind this trip. He shifted the conversation to his experience from six months ago when he went out to sea. For over half an hour, Stilt House became his personal showcase.
To summarize succinctly: "I went out to sea looking for supplies and encountered a storm that left me stranded on an island, barely surviving. Just when I thought all hope was lost, my comrades from back then descended from the sky and rescued me from peril, bringing me back to the main force. I was severely weakened and recuperated for a long time while missing my brothers and sisters on the island. However, the leaders insisted I focus on recovery and not think about anything else. Finally, one day I could get out of bed; my first action was to seek out the leaders in hopes of returning to the island and bringing my brothers and sisters here to enjoy life together. But the main force Garrison is different from the island; there are many considerations from above—one of which is a six-month wait—and coincidentally, some internal issues arose within the main force that required external resources and support for resolution. Under these circumstances, my appearance was like a stroke of luck from heaven, providing an opportunity for the islanders to land there. After careful consideration, the leaders finally agreed to my proposal and allowed my island brothers and sisters to join Garrison. So here I am with several comrades, eager and anxious to bring this good news despite braving storms that nearly cost us our lives."
What Fang Fei felt specifically remained unknown to Song Yao as she had been observing Sun Houqi throughout. However, she could clearly see Wu Wentao and her brother sitting nearby; their reactions were evident.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that although Wu Wentao had his eyes open at that moment, Song Yao felt as if he were already asleep. As for her brother, he wasn’t asleep but seemed very engaged—though his engagement wasn’t what Xiao Zhuang and others hoped for. Song Jiu kept questioning him; initially reasonable doubts turned into escalating tensions as both sides began exchanging heated words.
This was Song Yao's first experience witnessing her brother's verbal skills in action. From what she observed at that moment, Song Jiu seemed determined to showcase his sharpness—not only targeting Xiao Zhuang but occasionally dragging in others from Platform as well. At first, Xiao Zhuang tolerated it but eventually lost his temper and asked Fang Fei who exactly Song Jiu thought he was—did his words carry any weight?
Fang Fei shrugged helplessly and explained: "As for what Song Jiu is now... it's really like rich families enjoying their feasts while others starve on the streets; while they tread carefully building Roundabout, others are living in peace."
"So you understand why Jiu Jiu wore that expression," Song Yao sighed in exasperation. "It's still Land's world dominated by Zombies; The Establishment has resources but remains stagnant—don't mention Jiu Jiu's disappointment; I find it hard to believe too."
Luci chuckled helplessly at The Establishment's actions: "Now that you mention it, I have developed some fondness for Aso men."
Song Yao stared blankly for a moment before breaking into a helpless smile.
"I get it now; so Xiao Zhuang came here seeking refuge and intended to play the sympathy card—but easily moved Jin Bo is no longer around," Luci mused after some thought. " Jiu Jiu has no ties with him so he exposed him right there."
"Yeah, it was quite awkward at that moment; Xiao Zhuang didn’t expect Jiu Jiu and Old Wu would be in charge—he thought convincing Fang Fei would suffice but ended up hitting a wall," Song Yao nodded.
"What does Fang Fei mean? Is she caught in between?"
"Not really; emotionally she does have some reservations about Xiao Zhuang but when it comes down to important matters she sides with Jiu Jiu," Song Yao observed everything closely during the encounter. It was clear that Jin Bo—a person without ulterior motives—managed such an island largely due to Fang Fei’s contributions.
"Does that mean Jiu Jiu agreed in the end?" Luci asked, a bit surprised. After understanding the situation, she realized that The Establishment was just as it seemed, which made her curious about the subsequent decision.
" Jiu Jiu didn't want to get involved, but after Old Wu whispered a few things to him, they discussed it and eventually agreed," Song Yao said with a shrug, sounding helpless. "Old Wu is more rational; he thinks this is an opportunity."
"What kind of opportunity? Turning a wild chicken into a phoenix?"
"Don't forget, our initial goal in seeking out The Establishment was the Antibody that Huihui carries." Song Yao lowered his voice and continued softly, "Originally, we needed to find a way to contact them, but now they need us. To put it nicely, it's a win-win cooperation. Old Wu means we should temporarily set aside the matter of Huihui and enter as external support first to probe into The Establishment's current situation. A skinny camel is bigger than a horse; even though they are in disarray, they can't be so poor that they only have food and drink left. If they still have the means to conduct experiments, we can help one faction gain dominance first. That would be the right time to present the Antibody. Besides, this place has already been discovered by e; despite the chaos in The Establishment, it's still a big tree we can mutually utilize."
"This sounds exhausting," Luci sighed, rubbing her forehead in confusion. "How exactly do we help? Are we going to have an internal war on the island?"
"It shouldn't come to armed conflict; I don't quite understand the specifics either," Song Yao admitted. He was also somewhat in the dark about it. Song Jiu had already discussed results with Wu Wentao, and they could only take things one step at a time from here.
"I suddenly miss dealing with Zombie. It's much simpler and more straightforward," Luci remarked.
"I feel the same way," Song Yao nodded in agreement.
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