Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Two hours later, E left the main hall with a cold expression. The driver waiting at the door had dozed off several times, but upon seeing her frosty demeanor, he quickly straightened up and shook off his drowsiness.
"Where to?" the driver asked through the rearview mirror, his gaze meeting hers. Her sapphire blue eyes flashed with a fierce intensity that was hard to ignore.
"Back," E replied after a moment of silence. The icy glare in her eyes softened considerably as she let out a weary sigh and leaned back against the seat, closing her eyes.
It was hard for E to accept that former colleagues now stood on opposite sides. Moreover, Kenny's attitude left her baffled. She hadn't suddenly begun to suspect Wu Wentao; even during her second return to Strawberry Farm, she had sensed his presence lingering in the air. The reason she hadn’t reported it to Kenny was simply that she lacked concrete evidence. After years of working together, E believed she knew this old partner well enough—though she didn’t like him, she felt he wouldn’t betray them.
However, reality dealt her a harsh blow. The man who had flown away from the Gobi Desert three years ago was not dead; he was alive and mingling with the exiled Survivors he had once disregarded. If he had merely failed to return, E might have tried to understand, but it was clear that Wu Wentao was not content with solitude.
What she had once been uncertain about was now indisputable.
Months ago, a transfer station along the Railway line was raided; supplies and weapons were completely wiped out, leaving no survivors. The attackers were highly skilled and efficient, leaving almost no trace behind. At that time, E had been busy preparing the new camp at Strawberry Farm and hadn’t pursued the matter further, merely alerting nearby Zombie Camps to be vigilant.
Not long after, the reserve base at Strawberry Farm was completely annihilated. When she arrived, there were only about twenty wandering Zombies left in the garden and one lucky survivor named Gaoyang. Gaoyang told E about a camp that had long been his enemy within the ancient city. E had previously led an attack there but had temporarily abandoned it due to the raid on the transfer station. Little did she know that just after they left, Strawberry Farm would fall victim again.
In fact, there was no direct connection between the raid on the transfer station and the destruction of Strawberry Farm; at that time, Wu Wentao hadn’t yet come into contact with Ming Junwei and acted independently. However, to E, the timing of both events felt too coincidental—it seemed like an inside job meant to lure them away.
Additionally, the fortunate survivor Gaoyang informed her that those who attacked Strawberry Farm included not only members of Roundabout but also several unfamiliar faces among them—many of whom were foreigners with formidable weaponry, unlike mere scattered troops. At first, E dismissed this as Gaoyang trying to excuse himself, but on the night of the train station explosion, Field Duty reported similar concerns.
The emergence of Survivor camps in abandoned cities wasn’t unusual; however, repeated sightings of similar armed forces within a small area raised suspicions. E sent Hou Xiong—whom she encountered by chance—to infiltrate Roundabout to understand their internal composition. Unfortunately, Hou Xiong didn’t provide her with any useful information. Moreover, Roundabout had already been destroyed; the train station explosion was successfully executed, and Zombies were running rampant in the city. It seemed those Survivors were nearing their end as well, so E didn’t delve deeper into it.
Before long, however, an attack occurred at Industrial Park less than a hundred kilometers from the ancient city; the entire experimental area was thoroughly destroyed and researcher Professor Tu lost his life along with a confidential document that went missing.
Field Duty members who escaped brought back two pieces of news: 1) Antibodies were discovered in the laboratory; 2) The attackers appeared to be armed Field Duty members—one resembling the long-missing Wu Wentao.
It was then that E realized what she had overlooked. She suddenly recalled seeing a bespectacled young man at Riverside Camp who pretended to rejoin their ranks while secretly aiding those defectors. Her earlier trust in Liu Yan’s claim of being under Wu Wentao’s command now felt misplaced.
E experienced an epiphany; in an instant, many questions fell into place—the attack on the transfer station, the foreign armed forces at Strawberry Farm, the familiar formations at the train station explosion—all pointed towards Wu Wentao orchestrating these events from behind the scenes. It became clear that her former colleague had betrayed their organization and allied himself with Survivor groups against her.
Despite everything becoming clearer now, E still lacked solid evidence because during their confrontations, she hadn’t seen Wu Wentao himself or any armed Field Duty members in her memory. Thus, she tentatively engaged Yuan An in meaningless conversation before abruptly throwing out a crucial question.
Yuan An, immersed in the situation, was completely unaware that he had fallen into a linguistic trap. In a moment of carelessness, he inadvertently revealed the truth.
As a result, all the dirty water was poured into one basin, and with a shake of his arm, it splashed all over Old Wu's head.
E's report was logical and well-founded, with a clear timeline and a plot that stood up to scrutiny. Coupled with Yuan An's corroboration, there was no doubt that one of the former leaders of Field Duty had now become a major benefactor in the wool-pulling scheme, a living embodiment of a guide and an insider.
Kenny finally shifted his attention away from his toy, listening intently. Occasionally, he interrupted with small questions or added details, as if E were telling an engaging story rather than reporting on a serious case of betrayal.
After more than an hour of discussion, silence fell over the inner hall.
As E spoke passionately, filled with anger and frustration, he wished he could gather everyone immediately and strike again at the island. However, Kenny wore an amused expression, with a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
"Boss," E said in confusion, tentatively asking, "Do you need me to do anything?"
Kenny seemed lost in thought for a moment before replying, "No need. Take a break for now and handle the Antibody matter first."
"And Wu Wentao?"
"Don't worry about him," Kenny replied with a wink and a smile. "Let him be."
E was left speechless.
Before E could think of a response, Kenny issued another dismissal.
"If there's nothing else, you can head back. You've worked hard for so long; take a break." Kenny stood up and patted his trusted subordinate on the shoulder. Sensing E's confusion, he smiled and shook a vial he had taken from the box on the table. "We have more important matters at hand. It won't be long before the dormant period becomes a thing of the past; new evolution and breakthroughs will be key to determining our future."
"I understand," E sighed heavily. He felt disheartened that despite his efforts and worries, the boss seemed completely unconcerned. Just as he was about to mention something he had forgotten to report before leaving, he noticed Kenny yawning wearily.
With a faint sigh, e could only swallow back the words. After all, Wu Wentao's betrayal was something he hardly cared about, and it was likely that he had little interest in information regarding The Establishment overseas. The boss had invested all his energy into the Underground Testing Facility. As long as external threats did not reach this place, he probably had no mind to concern himself with anything else.
The off-road vehicle returned to the Old Command Center, and e felt somewhat fatigued, standing downstairs to catch a breath of fresh air. Suddenly, Blonde Woman experienced a wave of emptiness. Over the years, the changes in the Gobi Desert had been significant; kenny was no longer the same as before. The situation had shifted from early chaos to relative stability, and their roles as Field Duty personnel were gradually diminishing.
Reflecting on the incongruous lake palace amidst the Gobi Desert, with its drapes, fierce dogs, birdcages, and the Rubik's Cube in kenny's hands, e chuckled softly to herself. She thought perhaps it was time to seek some new pleasures. One day, gunfire would drift further away from her life. Who knew? Maybe one day when the dust settled, she would return to her homeland.
Lost in thought, e returned to her quarters. A dim light spilled out from the crack of the door, and faint voices could be heard inside.
Pushing the door open, a hint of displeasure crossed e's face as she frowned slightly and coldly asked, "What are you doing here?"
Gaoyang was talking to Sister Jiu when he was startled by her sudden appearance. Turning around to see Blonde Woman standing at the door, he hurriedly stood up and greeted her, "I—I heard you were back, so I came to check on you."
"Checking on me when you have nothing to do?" e shot him a glare and closed the door behind her. Looking around, she noticed Yuan An was nowhere to be found.
"She went inside to sleep," Sister Jiu pointed towards the bedroom door and pouted, "It seems like she's gone home."
e nodded and opened the bedroom door for a glance. Yuan An lay fully clothed on the bed, her body and spirit having reached their limits; she was already sound asleep.
"Is there something you need?" e glanced at Gaoyang, who had noticeably gained weight since they last met; he no longer resembled a starving ghost.
Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Gaoyang hesitantly said, "I just wanted to ask when we would go out to sea again."
"Out to sea?" e looked puzzled and replied oddly, "What for?"
Gaoyang's expression stiffened as he mumbled, "Aren't you talking about that?"
"What that?" e asked with a confused look, completely unaware of what Gaoyang was trying to convey.
Sister Jiu remained silent, glancing left and right, when suddenly she seemed to remember something and chuckled, "Oh, you must be thinking about becoming the captain, right?"
Gaoyang's secret was exposed by Sister Jiu, and his face turned beet red. He cleared his throat twice to cover his embarrassment while secretly stealing glances at e's expression.
e finally understood Gaoyang's intentions for being there.
Previously, the informants at sea reported that they had located the yacht where Antibody was. She had brought Gaoyang and others along to follow it. At that time, the person in charge of the nearby waters was slacking off and being lazy, so e dealt with him on the spot. Unsure whether the yacht's destination had any ties to The Establishment, e prudently gathered a group of Field Duty armed personnel from the surrounding Zombie Camp for this task, which was assigned to Gaoyang.
The Field Duty personnel who accompanied them had teased Gaoyang, saying he was the new person in charge of the nearby waters. The Foreigners were just joking around, but Gaoyang took it seriously, naively believing he was about to rise to power. He returned to the Gobi Desert eagerly waiting for e to appoint him.
Upon hearing that e had returned with Antibody, Gaoyang couldn't sit still. He even went out of his way to ask other Field Duty members for their opinions. Those Foreigners were all part of Kenny's inner circle and looked down on someone like Gaoyang, who had just joined them. Bored, they gathered together to tease Gaoyang, tricking him into thinking that if he didn't seize the opportunity quickly, it might slip away.
Thus, envious and eager, Gaoyang hurried over to e's place filled with anticipation and asked that ridiculous yet pitiful question.
Seeing e's smirk tinged with sarcasm, Gaoyang suddenly realized he had been played. In the cramped living room with nowhere to retreat, his face flushed crimson as if it might bleed.
"Cough, I have nothing else to say; I'll take my leave," Gaoyang said in a mix of shame and anger. He felt a surge of frustration rising within him but dared not unleash it on the Blonde Woman. The more he held it in, the more agitated he became, nearly grinding his teeth in fury.
e regarded him merely as a temporary errand boy. With her characteristic demeanor showing no restraint in her mockery, she coldly remarked, "Gaoyang, the person in charge of nearby waters—it's only been less than two months since you started working with me. Why are you so anxious?"
"I-I..." Gaoyang stammered, unable to defend himself while cursing those Foreigners in his mind.
"Alright, let's not make such jokes again." Seeing his awkwardness, e lost interest in teasing him further. After a moment's thought, she tossed him the car keys and pointed toward Yuan An sleeping in the bedroom. "I have something for you to do; there's a car downstairs with a document bag in the passenger seat. Take the documents and her to the experimental area and hand them over to the head of the research team."
Gaoyang caught the keys and paused for a moment before asking, "Who is the head?"
"Save that question for later," e replied with an expression that suggested he was beyond help and waved for Sister Jiu to come in and bring Yuan An out.
Yuan An slept lightly, hearing the conversations outside the door. She knew her time was running out and had nothing left to say. With a long sigh, she allowed Sister Jiu to bind her hands and feet again, pushing her out of the room.
"Start with the small things; don't aim too high. Your elementary school teacher should have taught you that," E said coldly from inside the door before slamming it shut with a bang.
In the dark, silent corridor, Gaoyang's face alternated between shades of red and green as he tightly gripped the car keys, nearly piercing his skin. His resentful gaze shifted from the door to Yuan An.
Yuan An glanced at him, vaguely recalling the name but unable to remember where she had heard it.
"You look down on me too," Gaoyang sneered at her, his tone provocative.
Yuan An snorted coldly and turned her gaze away.
Inside Gaoyang's heart, rage roared. The Foreigner mocked him, the Blonde Woman ridiculed him, and even his damn captive looked down on him.
"Fine, fine," Gaoyang spat through clenched teeth, his resentment and jealousy igniting into a blaze directed at Yuan An as he grabbed her long hair and forcefully dragged her out of the corridor.
Comment 0 Comment Count