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墨書 Inktalez
K walked closely along the wall to the corner, peering around to observe. The street had returned to silence, with no one in sight and only the sound of rain. K waved his hand, and Zhang Qiu and Lucia hurried over.
"Follow me."
K led the way, crossing the road at the fastest speed and crouching beside a building on the other side. Once Zhang Qiu and Lucia caught up, Lucia asked, "Where are we going?"
"First, we need to get out of here."
"But our car is over there." Lucia pointed to the parking space near the hotel where her rented silver pickup was parked.
"We can't drive anymore; cars are too conspicuous. We have to go on foot. On the road, we might encounter soldiers checking for anything suspicious. To avoid unnecessary trouble, let's just walk," K said with a slight smile. This was the lifestyle he was familiar with, one he hadn't experienced in a long time.
The three of them were soaked and stumbled into the bushes. K held his rifle at the front, with Zhang Qiu in the middle, holding Lucia's hand tightly as they followed K closely.
...
The soldiers searching Ematien Hotel quickly realized one person was missing. When they reported the situation to their superiors, the Captain of the Santania National Defense Force, wearing a red beret, became very irritated. He personally led two teams back along Ma Yuan Road to recheck all the buildings they had already searched. As more and more houses were checked without finding any trace of the missing soldier, the Captain's expression grew darker. At that moment, someone reported to him that during their search of Ematien Hotel, the missing soldier had been seen on the rooftop. The Captain valued this lead highly and immediately ordered a team to head there.
Ematien Hotel had just suffered an incident; inside it was a mess—sofas were moved around, blankets from guest rooms were thrown on the floor, and even the front desk had not escaped unscathed. Yellow shell casings remained scattered on the carpet. Guests were anxious; no matter how much the staff tried to reassure them, they couldn't calm down. The manager had no choice but to step in personally and exert considerable effort to persuade the guests back to their rooms. Just as he sat down to catch his breath, another group of soldiers arrived and began banging on doors.
Before the staff could open the door, fully armed soldiers burst in. The staff member who approached was shoved aside as a dark gun barrel was pressed against his head. Terrified, he froze in place while the manager sat dumbfounded on the sofa. Five soldiers headed straight for the stairs, thumping up them. The beams of their flashlights swept through the lobby as a burly Captain appeared, a cigarette dangling from his mouth as he squinted at those in the lobby. Noticing someone sitting on the sofa dressed unusually, he waved him over.
The manager stood up in panic and rushed over without hesitation, bowing respectfully. The Captain flicked off some ash from his cigarette and asked, "Are you in charge here?"
"Sir, I am the manager."
A strong light shone on the manager's face, blinding him.
"Do you have any riotous elements hidden here?"
"I dare not! It was our oversight; we didn't realize those two were rioters." The manager broke out in a cold sweat, having heard about the incident where a guest was taken away, thinking these soldiers were here for that matter.
"No, that's not what I'm talking about. You still have other riotous elements hidden here!"
"Sir, no, I wouldn't have the guts to do that." The manager, disregarding his composure, wiped the sweat from his forehead with his suit sleeve and pulled out a stack of money from his pocket, pressing it into the Captain's hand. "It's late at night, and you're working hard for the country. This is just a small token of appreciation; buy yourself a drink to quench your thirst."
The Captain took the money from the manager, glanced at it, and stuffed it into his pocket, the frost on his face slightly thawing.
"You wouldn't dare hide riotous elements. Let me tell you, those troublemakers have been tolerated by the king long enough; this time there will be a thorough reckoning. You should know who to help and who not to help!"
"Yes, yes, I understand! If I discover any riotous elements, I will report immediately!" The manager quickly assured him.
The Captain looked at the manager with satisfaction, but the next scene changed his expression. Two soldiers brought over a soaking wet person wearing only a thin shirt, water dripping down their body.
The Captain furrowed his brow; he recognized this person as one of his soldiers from the tattoos on his arms. This soldier had clearly been attacked—certainly by the rampant rioters. The Captain's anger flared up even more when the soldier lifted his head, revealing eyes that looked like bloody pulp. The Captain glared at the manager, who immediately collapsed to the ground, incoherent, a stream of yellow liquid flowing from between his legs.
The Captain looked at the injured soldier and shouted, "Tell me who did this!"
"Two men and one woman; they are... they are Asian."
The injured person was on the verge of fainting from excessive blood loss. The Captain waved his hand, and two soldiers carried him away. The Captain pointed at the manager, who was slumped on the ground, and angrily said, "You! Come here!"
The manager tried to stand up but found his legs too weak to support him. With a glance from the Captain, the two soldiers lifted the manager up. The Captain glared fiercely at him and shouted, "You are not being honest!"
"No, no, I wouldn't dare!"
The manager cried out with a hint of desperation. The Captain grabbed him and slammed him onto the counter, commanding, "Investigate! Find out who those three people are!"
"Yes, yes!" The manager's face was streaked with tears as he pointed at a nearby waiter and shouted, "Hurry, check it out!"
The registration records were retrieved and handed to the Captain. He murmured in confusion, "Chinese People, American..."
"Report!" A soldier rushed over and saluted.
"What is it?"
"We found this on the roof. Additionally, there were ropes tied by the building; that was their escape route."
The Captain did not look at the bundle of tattered cloth in the soldier's hand but instead picked up a book that had been completely soaked by rain. The pages were stuck together and could not be opened, but the Chinese characters on the hard cover were very clear—"A Brief History of Ukrainian Tractors."
The Captain slammed it down on the counter and shouted loudly, "I want a citywide manhunt! We must capture those three people."
Fuming, the Captain stormed out, and the soldiers dispersed quickly.
The frightened manager let out a sigh of relief, grateful to have escaped a disaster. The waiter hurried over to support the manager, who was too weak to stand on his own.
...
At dawn, Zhang Qiu, Lucia, and K were in the woods. Both Zhang Qiu and Lucia were exhausted from K's long trek and had suggested stopping several times before K finally agreed. Zhang Qiu and Lucia sat on a tree stump, gasping for breath, their bodies soaked with a mix of rainwater and sweat, shivering in the cold wind. K, however, seemed unfazed, still carrying his backpack and holding the AK-47 assault rifle they had confiscated. The disparity between both parties began to become apparent.
Zhang Qiu could no longer discern the direction and asked K, "Where are we now?"
"We're northwest of the palace, about seven or eight kilometers away."
"How do you know the distance?"
"Based on your walking speed, minus the time spent resting and the detours taken, I can come up with a rough estimate."
"Seven or eight kilometers? So we're still in a dangerous area?" Lucia looked around nervously.
"That's right. If we want to see the prince, we have to stay in the danger zone. But don't worry; they won't find us that easily," K said confidently.
"That's not enough; we need to keep going until we're one or two kilometers from the palace!"
"Are you kidding me?" Lucia stared wide-eyed at Zhang Qiu, as if she had heard a terrible joke. Going to the palace was like walking into a tiger's den.
Zhang Qiu smiled and said, "The more dangerous the place, the safer it is. They will only track us outward; they would never think we went back."
"I've started to appreciate you now," K said. "We need to get some clothes to change into. It would be strange if we didn't get caught looking like this."
Lucia peeked around and asked, "Is there anywhere nearby that sells clothes?"
"We can't buy them; it will leave clues."
"What should we do then? Are we going to steal?"
"Yes, that's exactly what we're going to do!"
"Steal?"
"That's right. If we just take a few pieces of clothing, people won't call the police. But if we go buy clothes looking like this, we'll definitely attract attention."
"K is right; stealing clothes is the only feasible option for now."
"But is it really okay for us to do this?"
"Of course not, which is why K should do it while we wait here," Zhang Qiu said, looking at K with a smile. "Right?"
K nodded; Zhang Qiu wasn't joking. Among the three of them, K was the most capable when it came to this kind of thing, making him the best choice for stealing clothes.
"You all wait for me here!"
K put down the Camouflage Bag and handed the AK-47 assault rifle to Zhang Qiu, advising, "If you encounter any unexpected situation, leave immediately. Don't fire unless absolutely necessary; they are trained soldiers, and you won't be able to take them on."
"And what about me!"
Lucia grabbed the rifle from Zhang Qiu's hands, holding it with the barrel resting on her shoulder. K and Zhang Qiu asked in unison, "You can shoot too?"
"Of course I can! Not just the AK, but also the 1911, Remington, and four rifles. I've tried them all. My dad is a gun enthusiast; he often takes me to the Shooting Range."
Lucia posed with the rifle, her wet hair cascading over her shoulders, with a few strands sticking to the corners of her mouth. In the soft morning light, it reflected a gentle glow.
Zhang Qiu smiled and sighed, realizing that this trip to Africa was far better than he had imagined. Living in a country like Tanzania, having another person who knows how to handle firearms adds an extra layer of safety.
K had already set off, disappearing around the corner. Zhang Qiu and Lucia stood back to back, holding their weapons at the ready. Dew from the leaves dripped onto their faces; Zhang Qiu stuck out his tongue to catch a drop of dew from his lips, feeling a refreshing coolness.
Before long, K returned with a pile of colorful clothes and stuffed them into Zhang Qiu's hands, saying, "Pick one that fits you and put it on."
"How ugly," Lucia commented candidly on the clothes K had stolen.
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