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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Three: A Mess
Shaoshan originally intended to return immediately, but he couldn't refuse Jiang He's insistence. He had no choice but to instruct his subordinates to help carry the bodies out of the cave, dig a large pit in front of the mound, and hastily bury them. In Shaoshan's mind, wasn't the Underground Bunker a ready-made grave? It even had plenty of gold and silver as burial goods. However, Jiang He was adamant and insisted on carrying the bodies himself. Shaoshan and Old Ma couldn't bear to watch and reluctantly lent a hand.
It wasn't that Jiang He was being overly sentimental; on one hand, the people from Daliugou were both enemies and friends, and it wouldn't be appropriate to leave their bodies exposed. On the other hand, Jiang He was trying to buy time to think of a strategy. After all, with such a major incident occurring, he needed to consider his next steps. There were no bodies of his own people at the scene, so he could only deduce that Song Yao and the others likely hadn't encountered any major issues before leaving. But where had they gone? Where could he find them? Moreover, he was not in a free position; Shaoshan and Old Ma were still somewhat accommodating towards him because they believed he knew An Zheng's whereabouts. Now that An Zheng had also disappeared, what kind of predicament would he face?
Jiang He's first thought was Nantang Township, wondering if Cheng Long and his group had captured them. However, after some consideration, he felt that was unlikely. He had only left Nantang with Shaoshan and the others two days ago, and Cheng Long had not been there when they arrived. It seemed Cheng Long wouldn't have anticipated this situation either. Furthermore, Cheng Long had moved all the explosives and killed all the men, women, and children in Daliugou; there was no reason for him to take Song Yao and Ming Junwei away.
In short, until all the bodies were buried, Jiang He couldn't come up with any leads.
"Let's go," Shaoshan said as he dropped the shovel and patted Jiang He, who was staring blankly at the mound. "De'er, it's another wasted trip. We need to report back to He Wei Guo."
"Shaoshan," Jiang He murmured as he turned to look at him. "Just let me go. Say I was shot dead while trying to escape."
"Stop talking nonsense and hurry up," Shaoshan dismissed him entirely and got into the vehicle without looking back.
"Where do you think you're going?" Old Ma chimed in with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, grinning as he approached. "Don't plan anything foolish; just come back with us honestly. You're out here in the wilderness—what can you do alone?"
"I'm not alone," Jiang He asserted confidently.
"Yeah, you have a dog and a cat," Old Ma chuckled as he pulled him into the vehicle. The Yellow Dog and Tabby Cat eagerly jumped up alongside them.
The convoy took its position with Shaoshan leading the way as they drove away from Daliugou, returning once more to the rural roads. The weather had turned gloomy since their arrival; in the distance along the field ridges, a few Zombies wandered about aimlessly, moving sluggishly with unsteady steps.
Jiang He sat in silence, smoking one cigarette after another, quickly emptying the pack. A cat and a dog curled up beside him, yawning contentedly, while Old Ma had no choice but to return to the passenger seat as the back was filled with the three of them.
“Jiang He, are you sure there are no people from your side over there?” Shaoshan seemed to be holding back a lot, engaging in a casual conversation.
“No, they should be fine,” Jiang He sighed. He had been pondering this matter but was at a loss for clues.
“Where do you think they might have gone?” Shaoshan appeared unfazed, perhaps because they were mentally prepared for anything.
“How would I know? Things have been so chaotic these past few days; I'm still trying to sort it all out.” Jiang He spoke truthfully. The wounds on his body ached and itched, making it impossible for him to concentrate.
“Don't worry; as long as they're alive, we can figure things out. I just checked; those people have been dead for no more than 48 hours. If your friend doesn’t have a car, they shouldn’t have gotten too far in two days,” Shaoshan glanced at him through the rearview mirror. Seeing his gloomy expression, he couldn’t help but sigh and asked, “Think about it—do you have any designated meeting points? Like where companions would regroup if they got separated?”
Jiang He felt a whirlwind of thoughts and irritation surged within him. “No, we’ve always—” Halfway through his sentence, Jiang He’s eyes brightened as he stopped speaking.
“Oh?” Shaoshan exchanged glances with Old Ma, both surprised. Shaoshan had asked casually but seemed to have hit upon something significant.
Jiang He swallowed hard. Surely not; he had only been away from the team for about five days. Even if something unexpected happened at the Air Raid Shelter, Ming Junwei and the others wouldn’t rush to the Launch Base immediately, would they? Did they not plan to wait for him or leave any message?
“What are you thinking about? Share it with us; we can help analyze it,” Old Ma said curiously, noting Jiang He’s fluctuating expressions and guessing something unusual was brewing.
“I need to think it over.” Jiang He rolled down the window to let the wind in; the sound of rushing air stirred the dog’s fur wildly.
Jiang He hesitated. After all, he was now leading them; whether or not to mention the Launch Base was still a dilemma. An Zheng himself didn’t know much about the Launch Base—what kind of place it was, which forces were involved, whether it was reliable… everything was shrouded in mystery. More importantly, he only knew the words ‘Jiuquan Launch Base,’ but that place was vast; how could he find it? Who knew if Ming Junwei and the others had gone there? Jiang He felt overwhelmed; he couldn’t connect all these events together. His current speculations were purely baseless guesses—just random thoughts without any solid foundation.
"You better think it over quickly. I estimate the next focus will still be on searching. If you have any leads, that would be great; if not... it could get tricky." Shaoshan scratched his head. He had previously thought Jiang He was a lucky charm, but now it seemed he was nothing but a jinx.
"By the way, aren't you going to investigate Cheng Long?" Jiang He suddenly remembered and pressed on, "I suspect he’s involved. I heard there’s a massive amount of explosives there. You took over his territory; he must want to retaliate against you."
"Don't worry about that. If he had the guts to mess with us, he wouldn't be hiding like a coward," Shaoshan replied dismissively, sneering, "Don't overestimate him; a killer without weapons is no threat."
"Heh." Jiang He shot him a glance, thinking to himself that he wasn't exactly innocent either—weren't the people from Gaoxian Town and Nantang Township also unarmed?
"One thing at a time." Shaoshan understood what he meant and chuckled, "Focus on what matters. He Wei Guo has a bad temper. If you can't provide any leads, you're likely to suffer."
"Do I owe you anything?" Jiang He spat, his frustration boiling over.
"Calm down, calm down." Old Ma quickly intervened, trying to mediate. "You need to understand what's important here."
"You’re all worthless!" Jiang He rubbed his temples and sighed. "Jiuquan is launching..."
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