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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Ninety-Four: Under Currents
In the underground garage of Minle Supermarket in Xiangshui River Town, Fushan County, a faint beam of flashlight flickered from a distance, echoing the sound of high heels clicking against the concrete floor.
The woman moved quickly, clutching a first-level notification she had received five minutes earlier under her arm. The flashlight swayed up and down with her arm movements, obscuring her face.
The parking lot was vast, and in the darkness, the neatly arranged shapes resembled not cars but enormous coffins. The woman's breathing quickened as she adjusted her glasses and hurried through the parking lot, entering the stairwell via a safety passage.
The supermarket was small, a four-story building. The sales area occupied only two floors, while the third and fourth housed a well-known insurance company. It wasn't the tallest building in town, but it was the only one with a double-decker underground garage.
Warm sunlight streamed through the glass windows, casting beams of light into the stairwell.
The woman turned off her flashlight and tiptoed up to the third floor. She pushed open the tightly shut safety door and squinted as she scanned the separated workstations until she spotted the person she was looking for.
This floor belonged to the Telemarketing Department of the insurance company. The entire space had been opened up, with light gray sound-absorbing carpet covering the floor. Workstations were arranged in two rows, leaving only a central aisle.
The building's ventilation system had failed; both sides' windows were partially open, allowing a gentle breeze to flow through.
There were two hundred workstations here, but fewer than fifty people were still working. These individuals occupied seats closest to the safety passage, all focused on their computers, typing away busily. On either side near the windows sat or leaned over a dozen burly men; some were dozing with their eyes closed, while others peered through binoculars at distant sights. No one paid attention to the woman entering; everyone was engrossed in their own tasks.
A fine sheen of sweat formed on her nose, and strands of hair at her temples clung damply to her cheeks. She had an East Asian face paired with deep-set Western eyes; her simple-framed glasses added an air of dignity. Her professional skirt suit hugged her curves closely, exuding an aura of competence and seriousness.
Standing next to a workstation was a middle-aged man with an Asian face, crew-cut hair, and strong facial features. He was of medium build and wore a high-neck wool sweater while holding a large tea jar. He turned to glance at the woman and offered an approving smile. "The power has been restored; thank you for your hard work."
"Headquarters' directive and correspondence from Jinzhong Experimental Center," she said as she handed over the envelope, glancing around before asking, "Where's the contact person?"
"Left last night. Everything is okay with the informant, and the timing has moved up. They should be arriving soon," the man said as he tore open the Cowhide Envelope stamped with a red seal. Inside were two folded sheets of paper. "What's wrong?"
"Just take a look," the woman replied, pulling over a swivel chair to sit down, her expression not looking good.
The man shot her a puzzled glance before unfolding the two sheets of paper, his expression shifting rapidly.
"When was this letter sent?" He frowned and pushed her chair toward the empty workstation beside her, sitting down across from her.
"It should be from last night. The unstable voltage caused an interruption in reception. What do you think?" The woman took the large Tea Jar from his hands, wrinkling her nose as a strange smell wafted into her nostrils. "What is this?"
"Coffee with Milk Powder," the man chuckled, his brow relaxing slightly. "Kenny hasn't returned yet; everything remains the same."
"But he has already been dismissed," the woman disagreed with his assessment. "We should follow Headquarters' orders."
"What about the center? You've seen the letter; the contact person is fake. We should be able to reach the Power Broker Informant by tomorrow morning at the latest. If we don't intercept it and something goes wrong, who will take responsibility?"
"Of course, it will be Kenny! Identity Verification is his Field Personnel!"
"As you said, he has already been dismissed." The man shrugged, echoing her words back at her. Seeing her flustered expression made him smile. "Until we hear back from Kenny himself, he is still the Asia Regional Head."
"And how will Headquarters respond to this?" The woman seemed to have anticipated this outcome and looked deflated.
"Respond? Why would they need to respond?" The man looked bewildered. "Our power supply can no longer handle it."
"What about Counterfeit? There has been no news from Kenny; it was his Special Agent who sent the letter. Our Field Personnel have already sent a batch for escorting, and the remaining ones need to protect this place."
"Shut down the generator." The man gazed out at the distant scenery, pondering for a moment before continuing, "Gather all supplies and head to the Experimental Base."
The woman was shocked: "You are AWOL!" "No, we have run out of power. It is written in the contact Regulations, and you can choose to move nearby." The man stood up, drank the coffee Milk Powder in one gulp, and shouted at her She winked and said, "I'm the person in charge here, listen to me." "As you wish." The woman sighed and asked, "How to deal with Counterfeit?" "Chase, of course you have to get her back." The man clapped his hands, called the strong man sleeping by the window, and called the names of two of them: "You two set off immediately, catch up with them and bring that Counterfeit back." The two named Field Personnel personnel clicked Head, quickly leave the workplace. "And you two..." The man touched his forehead and thought for a while, then appointed two more people and said, "Burn this place before leaving to make sure no traces are left." Field Personnel took the order and left, the woman She stared at him blankly, with her mouth open like a broken shoe: "You, how can you do this? What will the company do if it finds out? Ministry of Justice will summon you!" "Where to summon? Asia Regional Head is kenny , If he doesn’t say anything, who will invite someone?” The man picked his ears, turned back to the office area, and asked the busy men and women to stop their work: “I’ll give you one hour to carry your luggage and work documents. One hour. Then we gathered on the second floor of the garage." The working dogs looked at each other in confusion, but they did not hesitate and carried out the boss's order silently and orderly. "You guys, pack up all the boxes on the first floor of the garage and be on standby." The man leaned on the work station and waved his hand, dismissing the Field Personnel who was on standby. The woman stood there trembling, pointing at the man's nose, shocked and angry: "Hong Zhong!" "Tabula rasa." The man grinned and winked slyly: "What are your orders?" "I am Headquarters 特泽, your behavior is a blatant disregard for the company's regulations." The woman said a few serious words, and then her tone softened: "Lao Hong, it's okay if you wait for Kenny's reply, even if you don't intercept him, it's okay, but you absolutely can't. Abandon the liaison office. I know that you have a relationship with kenny, but the law does not tolerate mercy. There is a rumor in the board of directors that kenny has seriously violated disciplines. You will be dragged into the water." "The law is nothing more than human relations. Besides, company regulations are not laws, Establishment. "Hong Zhong is not the turn of a bunch of pseudo-politicians to make laws." Hong Zhong ignored the woman's words and lit a health incense stick on his own, saying: "Don't worry, the board of directors is the company, and Kenny also represents it." Company, it’s not a big deal, we all have the same goal.” “Why do you think so? There are troops from Establishment, it is said that they are tracking down a group of deserters and equipment. What if the fake contact person is an insider from Establishment? The Experimental Base in Jindi is very important, and there must be no direct contact with the Establishment!" The woman faintly noticed something in her heart, and her eyes looked strange.
"If he is an insider at the Establishment, then Kenny must have even more important information. Why would he need to contact us to reach the Establishment?" Hong Zhong said dismissively. "It's quite interesting that they still have time to chase after deserters. Has the logistics become so sufficient that they can afford to waste resources on bringing people back?"
"That's not the point... Hong Zhong, did you already know about Kenny's dismissal?" The woman narrowed her eyes and asked slowly, "Are you sure you want to go against the company's wishes?"
"Absolutely."
A confident voice came from behind the woman. She turned around to see Kenny standing at the office door with a composed smile on his face. Beside him, a Black man grinned widely, showing off his white teeth.
"You!" The woman glared at Hong Zhong. "Have you betrayed us?!"
"Calm down, sister. Don't use words you don't understand," Hong Zhong said as he patted her shoulder and opened his arms to welcome Kenny.
Furious, the woman realized that only the four of them remained in the office; all other staff had been dismissed by Hong Zhong. She glared at him, her teeth clenched as she spat out a few words: "What about your loyalty and respect for the company?"
"Calm down, sister. Don't use words I don't understand," Hong Zhong replied as he embraced Kenny warmly, then turned back with a smile. "Relax, there's no need to overreact. I'm still loyal to the company; I just don't acknowledge those foreigners as my boss."
Kenny smiled slightly at the woman and said, "The headquarters' special agents are spread across the globe to assist regional operations, not to waste time. Ms. Hua, everyone is working for the company; please don't overreact. Go prepare; we have thirty-five minutes until departure."
"You are one of them?" The woman took a few steps back, her face filled with shock.
"No, no, no, I'm still one of the company," Kenny shrugged and smiled. "I just have some disagreements with certain board members."
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