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墨書 Inktalez
Lin Feng wiped the fine beads of sweat from his forehead, the thrill of just having navigated through the Japanese Puppet Army's checkpoint still resonating in his heart. Without pausing, he hurried towards the rendezvous point at the teahouse. The streets grew narrower, with buildings on either side resembling hunched old men, teetering precariously under the shadow of war. As he neared the teahouse, Lin Feng suddenly slowed his pace, a strong sense of being watched prickling at his back. Alarm bells rang in his mind: something was amiss!
Years later, people would recall that afternoon when sunlight was devoured by gloom, and the air was thick with decay and fear. Lin Feng pretended to loiter casually at the entrance of the teahouse, but his peripheral vision was sharp as a needle, quietly scanning his surroundings. Sure enough, in the shadows of a street corner and between the eaves, he caught sight of a few barely noticeable glances—those were from Rijun Wei Anshao, lurking like a snake in the dark, flicking its tongue and waiting for prey.
If he rashly entered the teahouse for the meeting, it would be like walking into a trap, instantly exposing the organization’s secrets. Lin Feng’s heart raced like thunder, yet his expression remained calm. He furrowed his brow slightly and suddenly clutched his stomach, putting on an anxious and embarrassed look as he muttered, “Damn this stomach! Why is it acting up now?” With that, he hurriedly turned into a narrow alley beside the teahouse.
The alley was filled with a pungent stench; sewage flowed freely while moss covered the walls on either side, creating an impression of a forgotten corner of the world. Just as Lin Feng let out a sigh of relief, he heard a commotion ahead. Peering forward, he saw a ragged delivery boy entangled with two agents.
“Hey you! Sneaking around! Where’s this food supposed to go?” one agent growled as he grabbed the boy by his collar while the other rummaged through the vegetable basket, scattering fresh produce all over.
“I—I’m just delivering vegetables to the teahouse! I do this every day; I wouldn’t dare have any bad intentions!” The boy’s face turned pale as he stammered in fear.
Lin Feng’s mind raced; in an instant, a bold idea took shape. He strode forward quickly, adopting a thick local accent as he called out loudly, “Hey there! Why are you dawdling? The teahouse is waiting for these vegetables to be cooked! The boss lady is getting anxious!” As he spoke, he shot a knowing glance at the delivery boy and turned to bow and scrape before the agents. “Gentlemen, you may not know this, but our brother here isn’t very bright and doesn’t speak well. Please bear with him. These vegetables are indeed for the teahouse; we serve them every day and wouldn’t dare delay!”
The agents eyed Lin Feng suspiciously, their gazes shifting between him and the delivery boy. “And who are you?” one asked.
Lin Feng quickly pulled out a dirty rag from his pocket to wipe his sweat and smiled broadly. “Me? I’m just helping out in the back kitchen of this teahouse. I came out to check on these vegetables since they’ve been taking so long.” As he spoke, he bent down to pick up some scattered vegetables and neatly arranged them again. He even picked up a fresh radish and offered it to one of the agents. “Look at this radish! So fresh! The teahouse has prepared good food for you gentlemen; after all your hard work, you should have a taste!”
Hearing this, the agents’ expressions softened slightly as they scrutinized Lin Feng for a moment longer. Seeing his honest demeanor and sensing no threat from him—he exuded an air of ordinary folk—they finally released their grip. “Hmph! Hurry up then! If anything goes wrong, you’ll regret it.”
Lin Feng quickly agreed, taking over the vegetable basket which felt heavy on his shoulder but couldn’t weigh down his rising tension and excitement. With his head slightly bowed and steady steps, he blended in among several other delivery workers heading towards the back kitchen of the teahouse.
Inside the kitchen was hot and steamy; chefs worked bare-chested before roaring flames. As soon as Lin Feng stepped in, a burly cook shouted gruffly, “Why are you so late? The vegetables are waiting to be cooked!” Lin Feng hurriedly apologized while placing down the basket but quickly scanned his surroundings.
The back door of the kitchen led to a small courtyard where clothes were drying and clutter piled in corners. Lin Feng calculated that from here he could avoid being seen by any hidden sentries and navigate through to complete his mission inside the teahouse. Acting as if helping out was all he did, he busied himself in the kitchen for a while before quietly grabbing an empty vegetable basket and slipping into the backyard.
“Hey! Where do you think you’re going?” shouted the burly cook.
Without looking back, Lin Feng replied quickly, “I’m just checking if any vegetables were left behind; I’ll be right back.” With that said, he quickened his pace and slipped into the backyard. Sunlight filtered through dappled shadows cast by trees onto the ground as he took a deep breath to steady himself before cautiously making his way toward the interior of the teahouse. Each step was silent; at that moment, he was getting closer to his rendezvous point while danger lurked nearby. Lin Feng’s eyes shone with determination; he knew that countless hopes rested on his shoulders—he could not falter now.
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