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墨書 Inktalez
In the pitch-black shop, the sounds of varying breaths filled the air, some weak and others hurried. Luci sat quietly beside Ming Junwei, her beautiful eyes somewhat vacant as she stared blankly at the tightly closed roller shutter, lost in thought. A few young people who had stayed behind with her sat on either side of the door, gripping their steel guns, their faces painted to conceal their expressions, only the occasional sigh breaking the silence.
This was a kind of panic she hadn't felt in a long time, as if she had suddenly returned to that small house in the mountains from years ago. That day had been similar, with fierce winds rising and flames dancing.
However, looking back, there had been more anger than fear back then. In that small courtyard, there were many companions; they could rely on each other. Even when their home was destroyed, not a single person gave up hope. Those years stretched thousands of miles ahead, and what supported them was not some lofty ideal or unwavering willpower. Strangely enough, it was simply having various companions around that made the uncertainty about the future fade away.
There would always be someone to save everyone in times of turmoil; there would always be someone battered and bruised who would never easily give up.
Yet that person had fallen once again.
Luci's thoughts were complicated. Memories from three years ago flooded her mind, involuntarily reminding her of many people and events. The buried negative emotions spread silently, eroding her heart that had endured blood and tears without ever admitting defeat. She didn't know how much time had passed when she heard a faint sound beside her. Turning her head, she noticed Ming Junwei lying on the ground seemed to show signs of waking.
Luci's spirits lifted as she fought to dispel her negative state. She hurriedly leaned closer to Ming Junwei's mouth and took out a water bottle to feed him a little water.
Ming Junwei slowly regained consciousness, his remaining eye gradually opening. Everything around him was dark; through the haze, he could see a figure swaying before him.
"Brother Ming, how are you feeling? Is anything uncomfortable?" Luci asked softly, wanting to help him sit up but fearing it might aggravate his injuries.
Ming Junwei's mind was still somewhat muddled; his body felt numb as waves of pain began to wash over him. After a moment of silence, his thoughts gradually became clearer as memories of what happened before he lost consciousness replayed in his mind.
"Qixi... where are the others?" Ming Junwei's voice was weak. He had always been an ordinary man; after countless injuries over the years and prolonged drinking, his body was indeed failing him.
"I don't know," Luci replied honestly, informing him about the situation at the train station and explaining what had happened with Song Yao and Roundabout.
Ming Junwei listened quietly as she spoke until he suddenly let out a long sigh filled with infinite sorrow and said, "Qixi, I'm tired."
Luci was taken aback for a moment and didn't respond; it seemed she couldn't process it.
"I'm really tired." Ming Junwei closed his eyes without asking about casualties or the specifics regarding Roundabout. His words were filled with loneliness and desolation; it was an exhaustion that came from deep within.
"You can't rest yet." Luci felt a pang in her nose; for a moment, she thought she was being cruel. Ming Junwei had been tired for a long time; she knew that well. Since returning from Jiuquan, he had already shown signs of wanting to retreat. Yet he hadn’t because there were still several companions who needed him.
She didn't know what others thought, but in Luci's heart, from the first time she met Ming Junwei, she felt he was a man anyone could rely on. Unlike the compassionate Cao Liang or the reckless Chao Tianwang or the carefree Ginger River, every word and action of Ming Junwei was etched in her memory. This man whom everyone jokingly called Ming Daxia was just an ordinary person after all.
Back when she and Song Yao fell into an endless slumber, Ming Junwei dragged his battered body to pull himself together and built today's Roundabout camp brick by brick. Yet all of it had been destroyed now. What was even more despairing was that those who caused all this were still the same people who made them suffer three years ago.
As if bound by fate, there was no escape, no way to hide.
"Is there any wine?" Ming Junwei opened his eyes, and the Cyclops within sparkled with an unusual light.
The young man sitting at the door was taken aback by the question. Hesitating, he pulled out a small flask and handed it to Luci.
"Give me another sip." Ming Junwei licked his cracked lips and uttered the words Luci dreaded most: "If possible, take me to Mercy Garden."
Luci remained silent, unsure of how to respond. Her nose tinged with sorrow as tears streamed down her cheeks.
"What I can do, you and Yao Yao can do too. Xiao Wei, Little Bear can do it as well. Song Jiu and Jia Jia can too." Ming Junwei felt the wetness dripping down his face, slowly sliding to his lips. He tasted the saltiness.
"I've caused trouble for Xiao Jin; he just got back and ran into this." Ming Junwei forced a smile, saying, "I'm powerless now. Be careful on the road ahead."
"Xiao Ming, it's not time for such talk yet." Luci fought back her sadness, calling out the nickname they had given him during their carefree days. Wiping her tears, she said, "You need to lead us in rebuilding Roundabout; this is our home."
Ming Junwei closed his eyes and gently shook his head. "There hasn't been a home for a long time. Perhaps I was wrong; if I had taken you all out to sea back then, maybe everything would be different. But alas, I can't bear to part with those kids or this place."
Listening to these sorrowful words, Luci felt her heart ache. The one who never admitted defeat was truly weary. Although things were still uncertain, his heart had already ceased its struggle; he no longer wished to trek forward. Though reluctant to admit it, Luci understood him. The long road ahead was daunting; where was the end? Time and again reborn from flames, time and again collapsing into ruins—there was always a limit to what one could endure. Since they could not cast aside their emotional ties, they could never become as unyielding as stone.
"Don't put this burden on me; you know I'm timid too." Luci forced a smile, raising her wrist as her right hand gripped the dagger tightly. She whispered, "You always say it's not time yet; let's hold on just once more. We still have a chance."
Ming Junwei struggled to lift his hand and gently grasped Luci's delicate fingers around the hilt of the dagger. Shaking his head softly, he said, "Then give me a chance to choose—being human means living and dying alike."
Luci froze in place, her eyes misty with tears. The strength in her hand drained away as he wished; she nodded and released the dagger's hilt.
At the train station, in the waiting hall.
Luo Yu looked toward Liu Yan's trembling finger pointing at a location and lowered half of his body while murmuring, "Hold on."
"Go," Liu Yan's voice grew increasingly indistinct, yet the Cyclops within remained clear and calm.
Luo Yu stepped over the collapsed floorboards and swept his gaze across the chaotic hall until he spotted two figures. He could no longer remember how many times his heart had tightened today; emotions were nearly numb. Glancing at Song Yao and Luci—who had once been battered—wasn't what stood before him just a perfectly fine Living Person?
Liu Yan sighed weakly and wrote down the word "time."
Luo Yu understood his meaning; time was indeed pressing. But what could they do in such urgency? The Roundabout had also exploded, and the four teams were scattered. At this moment, no one knew what to do next. Just as the two were conversing in this bloody manner, a loud rumble suddenly echoed from the waiting room next door, accompanied by Fang Fei's scream, suggesting a second collapse had occurred.
Luo Yu's expression changed as he furrowed his brow and rushed over. It seemed there was another cave-in at the ticket check area of the waiting room, where several young people were frantically escaping to the side, coughing violently.
Fang Fei sat on the ground, staring blankly at the billowing smoke and dust. Luo Yu helped her up, but she didn’t even notice.
"What’s going on?" Luo Yu asked.
"I... I don’t know. It seems like there was another explosion below suddenly," Fang Fei replied, still shaken. She had been trying to check with a young man through a gap, attempting to move the stone slab that blocked the downward passage when suddenly there was a muffled sound, and the floor cracked. The young man standing above didn’t even have time to scream before he fell down without a sound.
The night wind poured in through the large hole overhead, scattering the smoke and dust that surged from the passageway.
Wu Wentao stood at the entrance of the passage, covered in dust and debris. He leaned on his rifle, shaking his head to dislodge the dust and lime from his hair. With a swift motion of his arm, he tossed the person he had been carrying onto the ground.
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