Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 156: Kenny's Fifty Shades of Shadows
The pendulum on the wall ticked rhythmically, while the headless Black Behemoth dozed beneath it. With each breath, a translucent bubble formed and deflated, forming and deflating again. Suddenly, a hidden door opened, and Kenny adjusted his tie before striding out.
Outside was an empty workplace. Wu Wentao and Caroline, the golden duo, were fully armed, flanked by dozens of similarly styled tough men. An indescribable excitement lit up Wu Wentao's face as he clenched his hands tightly behind his back, turning them crimson from the pressure.
"Ready?" Kenny removed his gold-rimmed glasses and placed them into a well-crafted case, a charming smile blooming on his flushed face.
"All set. We can depart," Caroline replied, her golden hair tied back neatly. Her shiny forehead and tidy hairline gave her an imposing presence, while her sapphire blue eyes concealed an undeniable fervor.
Kenny nodded and had someone wake the still-sleeping Black Behemoth. He silently walked to the window, gazing out at the clear blue sky, feeling a mix of emotions. "When God closes a door, He opens a window for you, right? Caroline."
"Clearly so," Caroline replied with a modest smile, wholeheartedly agreeing with Kenny's words.
"Although we’ve had an unexpected breakthrough, we must not change our focus. We need to keep casting our net. That An Zheng—alive or dead, we must find him," Kenny said as he stared at his blurred reflection in the glass, lightly exhaling and tracing a few strokes with his finger.
Caroline looked puzzled and tentatively asked, "Is it really necessary?"
"Yes, very much so," Kenny responded firmly. After a moment's thought, he added, "It’s best if we can locate her—alive or dead—otherwise she will become a significant problem. RCA is completely finished; now we need to confront the Establishment directly. I will not allow An Zheng to appear in the Establishment's camp."
The former RCA Field Personnel remained silent, their indifferent faces displaying a 'do not approach' demeanor, showing little reaction to Big Boss's words.
"Understood. Leave this to me," Wu Wentao declared confidently as he patted his chest in front of Kenny. "If I can't find An Zheng, I'll bring my head to you."
"What would I want with your head?" Kenny chuckled and turned away. "You don't need to worry about this matter. As previously arranged, you are responsible for outer security while Caroline handles internal operations. Time is short; I can't wait for An Zheng to come knocking."
"Should we act ahead of schedule?" Caroline inquired.
"Maybe, if necessary, I'll let you know," Kenny said, his eyes twitching slightly as he caught a glimpse of a small group approaching from downstairs. The zombies on the street ignored them completely, brushing past without a second glance.
"Our vanguard has returned," Kenny said, pressing his lips together and smiling.
Before long, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from the stairwell, and the emergency exit door swung open. Seven men and women dressed in neat RCA Field Operations uniforms entered.
"How did it go?" Kenny walked over and patted the shoulder of the man at the front, looking quite pleased.
"All shut down, nothing unusual. Progress was fairly smooth," the man replied nonchalantly, glancing at the hand resting on his shoulder before quickly averting his gaze.
"I meant, how do you feel?" Kenny seemed unfazed by the man's cold demeanor as he moved on to assess the other six, his smile growing more pronounced.
"Same as before, energy drains quickly, but it's still within acceptable limits," the man huffed slightly annoyed. "Let's leave it at that; I don't want to end up a drug addict."
"Alright, no pressure. Besides, the new batch will be out soon," Kenny said, surveying the group before taking a deep breath and declaring loudly, "Everyone gear up and head back as fast as you can."
Caroline looked puzzled and asked, "Are we in a hurry?"
"Yeah," Kenny replied with interest, rolling his eyes playfully. "There's an exciting show happening over there that I don't want to miss."
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Whether it was exciting or not clearly depended on perspective; for Cao Liang and his team, the more immediate feeling was one of brutality. After all, what lay before them was a puddle of mangled flesh—nothing but the stench of blood.
The contrast between light and darkness was stark. After spending some time in a brightly lit cell, returning to the darkness made their eyes struggle to adjust. It felt like stepping into another world beyond the door; darkness completely separated the inside from outside, with not a glimmer of light seeping through. The anticipated thunderous assault never came; six people held their breath against the cold iron door behind them, striving to adapt to the surrounding darkness without daring to make a sound.
Cao Liang originally thought there was only a door separating them, but upon entering, he realized it was not the case. Behind the door lay a narrow passage about ten meters long, where one could not see their hand in front of their face. At the end stood another iron door, heavy and imposing. Pushing it open revealed an even darker space beyond, filled with faint, eerie sounds.
Once the iron door closed behind them, it could not be opened again, which made Cao Liang and the others feel uneasy. No wonder none of those who entered first managed to come back out. The door was heavy, yet it seemed to offer little soundproofing; at least it couldn't muffle the screams and roars that echoed through the darkness. Old Six led the way, and although they couldn't see each other's faces in the dark, they could tell from the frequency of his swallowing that he was also struggling to maintain his composure. Cao Liang stopped Old Six from pushing further into the darkness, silently gripping his arm and tracing the word "wait" in his palm.
The earlier group had acted without caution; within minutes they were consumed by roars. Cao Liang guessed they had rushed in without giving their eyes time to adjust, leading to a tragic fate. The six of them waited for about ten minutes, their eyes gradually adapting to the darkness until it no longer felt impenetrable. During this time, nothing happened; it was as if they had entered another dimension where even the air felt still.
Old Liu crouched down carefully and began to feel his way forward. Cao Liang and the others followed in a formation, ears perked for any sounds around them. They couldn't gauge how large the space was or what kind of passage lay ahead; they could only proceed slowly by touch, ready for any sudden changes.
After about five minutes of moving cautiously—less than a hundred meters—Old Six halted, signaling everyone to stop. He sensed something ahead and felt something warm and slippery beneath his feet, accompanied by a distinct odor.
Cao Liang and Song Yao positioned themselves on either side of Old Six, focusing intently on the darkness while Luci crouched down in the middle. Together with Old Six, Luci began to explore what lay on the ground. Though unable to see it, Luci recognized the familiar texture and smell—it was a piece of intestine.
Disgusted, Luci wiped his hands and lowered his voice as much as possible. "It might be from someone who came in before us—"
Before he could finish his sentence, a sudden roar erupted, cutting him off mid-word as something rushed through the darkness!
"Get down!" In that critical moment, Cao Liang forgot to keep quiet and shouted as he threw himself over the two women beside him, feeling a rush of air as something flew past just above his head.
Old Six was slightly slower to react but had been crouching low enough to avoid disaster. Before anyone could fully comprehend what was happening, another rush of wind swept by, bringing with it a pungent smell that invaded their nostrils. A shadowy figure lunged toward the tightly packed group of six.
Comment 0 Comment Count