Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
K appeared indifferent, changing his clothes without a care. Zhang Qiu handed the clothes to Lucia and said with a smile, "Put these on. Wearing wet clothes can easily lead to a cold; don't be hard on your body."
Lucia eventually accepted the strange outfit, which had a distinct ethnic style that made everyone look peculiar. Zhang Qiu couldn't help but worry, "Dressing like this might draw more attention to us, right?"
"Do you pay attention to people around you who are dressed similarly? No, you don't," K replied. "Likewise, they won't notice you either. You might find it unappealing, but that's just an illusion; you're not used to this type of clothing. Once you get accustomed to it, it'll be fine."
"Are you used to this kind of clothing?"
"I have been trained."
Zhang Qiu was left speechless. He took out the Compressed Biscuits he had brought from K's Camouflage Bag and distributed them to Lucia and K, saying, "The clothes are changed; now let's eat. After eating, we continue our journey toward the palace!"
After a night of hunger, even the hard biscuits tasted like gourmet food. When Lucia finished her piece and asked for more, K stopped her, saying, "This is different from what's sold in stores; it's military supply, high in calories, so you can't eat too much at once."
"Then let's set off."
Zhang Qiu's suggestion was agreed upon by Lucia and K as the three of them proceeded along the road. Even the streets of the capital Bam were bumpy; after a night of heavy rain, water had pooled on the roads. As Zhang Qiu walked, he observed whether the local residents were like K and wouldn't notice them; he certainly didn't want to meet an untimely end before their mission even began.
"Look, are those people hiding from something?" Lucia asked.
Zhang Qiu also noticed that the local residents not only ignored them but appeared anxious as they hurried past. A police car whizzing by explained their concerns; wherever the police car went, residents hurriedly closed their doors and those on the roadside quickly moved aside. The police car's loudspeaker was broadcasting in two languages. Zhang Qiu could only catch the stern tone but couldn't grasp the overall meaning.
"What’s being broadcasted?"
Zhang Qiu asked Lucia, whose native language was English. She didn’t disappoint him and replied, "The police car is broadcasting a wanted notice. Essentially, it's advising local residents not to harbor rioters demonstrating in front of the palace. There’s also a long list of names that might be a wanted list."
"In just one night, the entire city has turned into chaos."
"Yes."
Zhang Qiu nodded; conflicts often erupt at certain points. Last night's events were merely a trigger; tensions had been building for too long. Uncle Agari had also mentioned that the existence of problems wasn't just about one or two issues but rather decades or even centuries of accumulated grievances.
They walked slowly, stopping occasionally, and swaggered into a restaurant for lunch. By late afternoon, the three finally arrived near the palace. Police had set up a cordon along the roadside, and only the red and blue lights flickered in the dark city. Behind the barricade, several large vehicles could be vaguely seen, accompanied by the sound of rushing water.
"What are they doing?" Lucia asked.
"Eliminating evidence."
"The bloodstains on the ground can be washed away, but the stains in the heart cannot," Zhang Qiu said slowly while gazing into the distance. The clear red and blue lights gradually blurred, and Uncle Agari's smile once again reflected in Zhang Qiu's mind.
The area around the palace was tightly sealed off, leaving Zhang Qiu and the others no choice but to leave. It was already dark, and where to stay at night remained a significant problem. Lucia asked, "Where will we stay tonight?"
"We'll stay at a hotel; we can't sleep on the streets," Zhang Qiu had already considered this.
"But is that safe?" Lucia expressed her concerns; the atmosphere of panic that permeated the entire city weighed heavily on everyone's hearts.
"There is no safe place left in this city. Last night everyone was drenched in rain, exhausted both physically and mentally. We need to rest well tonight. What worries me most isn't that someone might catch us; it's that someone might get sick. Illness is the most terrifying thing. Trust me, we'll stay at a hotel tonight."
Qiu Wan glanced at K, expecting him to voice an objection, but K said nothing.
Before entering the hotel, K dug out some black dirt from the roadside and smeared it on his face. With his darkened face, tall and sturdy build, along with his outfit, he looked just like a Santanian. K tossed a chunk of black dirt to Zhang Qiu and said, "Do it like me; cover your face in black."
"Is that really necessary?"
"Of course it is! Unless we don't plan to stay at a hotel. The soldier I scratched won't recognize us, but he has seen our faces and knows we are three foreigners. So we need to disguise ourselves. Accommodation isn't like eating; it takes time, and we will be staying here overnight, so it's better to be cautious. It's only because the entire city is without power that we can do this; if power is restored, we would really have to sleep on the streets tonight."
K patiently explained as Lucia looked at the lump of black mud with reluctance before nodding slightly. Zhang Qiu and Lucia helped each other smear their faces with black dirt until they looked like charcoal. K nodded in satisfaction and said, "Now it looks right."
Zhang Qiu laughed as he looked at Lucia's blackened face: "This counts as blending in with local customs."
As they walked down the street, many shops were closed for business. Zhang Qiu turned into a street-side hotel and found it to be a true representation of a hotel. The decor in the lobby was clearly not as good as Ematienni's; there were no swimming pools or anything like that. In the narrow lobby, a woman lazily leaned against the counter. When she saw them enter, she was initially startled but returned to her lazy demeanor after recognizing them and asked, "Accommodation?"
“Accommodation, book two rooms.”
“One of them is near the corridor,” K added.
The woman took the money and deposit without asking for identification, directly placing two keys with tags on the counter. “Go up from here, turn right at the first two rooms. There’s no electricity, no hot water, and the whole city is under curfew. You cannot go out at night.”
Zhang Qiu picked up the keys and went upstairs, with Lucia closely following. When they reached the corner of the stairs, K leaned down to take a look.
The hallway was pitch black, silent as if no one lived there. Zhang Qiu fumbled to unlock the door and entered the room. It was still Zhang Qiu and Lucia sharing one room, while K stayed in the one adjacent to the hallway.
“Boss didn’t notice us, did she?” Lucia asked after locking the door.
“No, with it being this quiet, I think she would prefer someone to stay here.”
As soon as Zhang Qiu finished speaking, there was a knock at the door. Zhang Qiu guessed it was K but still pulled out his gun from his waist and whispered, “Who is it?”
“It’s me.”
It was indeed K outside. Zhang Qiu opened the door, and K quickly stepped inside.
“I left two pieces of Compressed Biscuit here; if you get hungry before bed, have a little.”
K walked over to the bedside and placed the biscuits down. Zhang Qiu and Lucia both said, “Thank you.”
After K left, Zhang Qiu and Lucia washed their faces in the dark, worried that the flashlight might attract attention. They hurriedly finished washing up and collapsed onto the bed, pulling the blankets over themselves without even changing clothes. In the darkness, Zhang Qiu and Lucia sat in silence, occasionally exchanging a few words but mostly remaining quiet. After a long night of tossing and turning, they were both too exhausted. Soon enough, Zhang Qiu and Lucia fell into a deep sleep.
Zhang Qiu had never felt so comfortable sleeping; when he opened his eyes, sunlight streamed through the curtains onto him and Lucia. Lucia was still sleeping soundly, her pink nose slightly flushed, long eyelashes resting gently against her cheeks, and her golden hair flowing like a waterfall. Zhang Qiu couldn’t help but think of Jiang Xue, wondering what she was doing at that moment.
As it brightened up, Zhang Qiu finally had a chance to observe their room—a narrow bedroom with an ordinary white cotton quilt on the bed. Beneath the windowsill was a wooden table with peeling paint, and the bathroom door was ajar revealing a mirror with a crack running through it. Although it was also called an inn, the conditions here were worlds apart from those at Ematienni.
If it weren't for K knocking on the door, Zhang Qiu didn't know how much longer Lucia would have slept; it was clear that she was extremely tired. Zhang Qiu wasn't in much better shape either, feeling sore all over.
"Hey, how can a hotel in the city be like this? It's unbelievable that it's still operating!" Lucia rubbed her sleepy eyes and exclaimed as she looked around the room.
Zhang Qiu was used to it; he had stayed in even worse hotels while traveling with Chen Kun to save money. In Zhang Qiu's imagination, this was what Tanzania should look like. Places like Ematienni were almost dreamlike for a country that was very underdeveloped. Uncle Agari had once said that all the places that looked good belonged to the rich, while most people were suffering from hunger and cold.
K slapped a newspaper down on the bed and said, "You guys check this out!"
Zhang Qiu picked up the newspaper and looked at it with Lucia. When Zhang Qiu noticed that the date on the newspaper was today, he asked K, "Did you go out?"
"Yes," K nodded. "I knew you were all sleeping, so I didn't wake you. This newspaper has some news that's extremely important for us; pay attention to page B."
Zhang Qiu and Lucia hurriedly flipped to page B and immediately noticed the bold black headline in the upper left corner: 'Bam Experiences Large-Scale Riots, Hostile Forces Attempt to Split the Country, Prince Banan Dismissed by the King.' The accompanying image showed a burning armored vehicle, with text below describing it as set ablaze by rioters.
Seeing the news about Prince Banan being dismissed by the king made Zhang Qiu uneasy; his fears had come true. According to the article, the large-scale riots in Bam were related to a minority of cabinet ministers advocating for openness, with Prince Banan being at the forefront. The king harshly condemned the riotous behavior that caused severe losses and dismissed Prince Banan along with several cabinet ministers. Martial law was implemented in major cities, including the capital Bam, until the situation was fully under control. The king reiterated his stance, warning a minority not to always think about conspiracies while reaffirming the slogan that they were an unbreakable fortress.
Lucia read English quickly and became increasingly worried after finishing the article, especially concerned about Prince Banan's safety. "After Prince Banan is dismissed, nothing bad will happen to him, right?" Lucia asked.
Comment 0 Comment Count