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墨書 Inktalez
Cold Moon hung high above Gobi Solitary City.
A secluded street lay beyond the high walls of the former Launch Base, flanked by two old, gray buildings. This was the site of the former command center's accommodation area, situated near the newly constructed headquarters. Two heavily guarded security fences divided the area, leaving only a discreet passage for entry and exit.
The old buildings had not been demolished; their location provided a protective embrace around the renovated Shanzhai Helen Kim Lake Palace. As the heart of operations, most of Kenny's core team gathered here, relying on the convenient transportation network to swiftly respond to any situation in or around Lonely City.
E led the return team through the city, leisurely wandering for an entire day before heading back as night approached. In contrast to the vibrant nightlife of the city center, this area appeared much more desolate. The Launch Tower and vertical testing facility loomed against the night sky, creating an intriguing juxtaposition with the two buildings. The dim lights flickering in the windows added a touch of mystery to the surroundings.
The team entered the old building through an internal passageway, finding no guard posts as expected. A group of Field Duty personnel seemed relaxed, as if they had returned home. E exchanged a few simple words before everyone dispersed, heading up and down stairs to their own private spaces.
E ascended to the third floor with Sister Jiu and Yuan An, passing through a dark corridor before opening an old security door located in the middle of the floor.
"You live here?" The sights and sounds from earlier had left Yuan An greatly shocked. She had assumed that someone with the identity of Blonde Woman would have a more luxurious residence, but instead found a modest home that bore no difference from a typical Stilt House on an island.
E smiled and nodded, crossing through a small living room and turning on all the lights inside and out. Standing in the center of the living room, she spread her arms: "Looks like you’re not too impressed with my place."
The layout of the old apartment was quite small—one room and one living area—with a bathroom at the entrance. The kitchen lacked any cooking utensils; instead, various firearms were neatly arranged on a stainless steel counter, resembling a small armory. The living room was extremely simple, featuring an ordinary sofa against one wall and a rug laid out in front of it. There was no dining table or TV stand; a wooden wardrobe stood in one corner with its door half-open, revealing several sets of field combat uniforms hanging inside. A laundry basket sat on the floor, overflowing with both clean and unwashed underwear.
The bedroom door was closed, so Yuan An could not see inside. However, judging by the kitchen and living room's condition, she could guess that there was likely just a bed inside—whether it had bedding was another question entirely.
"A temporary resting place," E shrugged her shoulders, seemingly unfazed by the girls' unusual gazes. After returning "home," she appeared to shift into another state of mind, casually shedding her dusty outerwear onto the floor before strolling into the bathroom to turn on an old water heater. She winked at both women: "Want to take a shower together?"
Yuan An glanced at the bathroom; it was mostly occupied by a sink and squat toilet, with a showerhead showing signs of rust. The white ceramic tiles on the walls were old and yellowed under dim lighting, making it seem unsuitable for three people to bathe together.
"This place..." Sister Jiu swallowed hard, disappointment evident in her eyes as she murmured, "is even worse than where we stay."
E paid no mind to their reactions as she removed her weapons and placed them in the kitchen. When she emerged again, she closed the sliding door behind her without locking it.
"If you want to shower, you can wait a bit. I don’t have any food or drinks here, so don’t think about anything else." At that moment, E embodied a miserly homeowner image—wearing just a tank top and sitting cross-legged on the sofa with her long legs exposed—she pointed toward the bedroom behind her: "You can sleep in there."
"How about you?" Sister Jiu asked.
"Of course, I'll sleep inside," e replied with a slight smile, waving at Yuan An. "Come here."
Yuan An hesitated for a moment before walking over. Ever since they got off the car, e had removed the shackles from her, treating her to food and shopping during the day without any sign of suspicion. It was unclear what e was planning.
At that moment, Sister Jiu's stomach growled, and her face flushed as she rushed into the bathroom.
"Do you have a lot of questions for me?" e invited Yuan An to sit beside her, an inexplicable smile on her face.
Yuan An didn't respond. Although she was shocked by what she had seen during the day, she wasn't particularly curious. When she was with Song Jiu and the others, she often heard them talk about their past experiences with rca. Remembering the strange entrance of Blonde Woman's former partner and looking at this Lonely City, it didn't seem like anything worth making a fuss over. After all, their boss was the one who had caused today's chaos; such actions weren't unimaginable.
"My mission is to bring you back. Tomorrow, I'll take you to the laboratory, and after that, I won't be involved in what happens next." e seemed uninterested in hearing her opinions and continued, "Before the handover, I want you to see this city so you can understand what it's really like here."
"I don't understand," Yuan An sighed softly, her tone filled with loneliness. "What does all of this have to do with us? What does your senseless killing have to do with us?"
"It doesn't matter," e shrugged nonchalantly. "Perhaps it's just that your luck isn't good enough."
Blonde Woman felt no guilt for her actions and couldn't be bothered to explain anything. As she had said herself, killing and arson were merely tasks to complete; no other justification was needed.
"Survival of the fittest, a natural law," e leaned back against the sofa, her fingers playing with Yuan An's long hair as she spoke softly. "You people who have survived until today should understand this principle."
Yuan An had no words in response; there was no common language between her and Blonde Woman. They were entirely from different worlds, and speaking would be pointless.
The living room fell into silence as both women pondered their thoughts, seemingly losing interest in conversation.
After a long while, a flicker of something inscrutable passed through e's eyes as she casually remarked, "The gun in the kitchen has no bullets; you don't need to think about it."
Yuan An's expression changed slightly, her gaze becoming somewhat unnatural as she turned away from Blonde Woman, ignoring her.
"I know what you're thinking, and I advise you not to do it," e said with a hint of sarcasm, teasingly adding, "Tonight might be your last chance for a peaceful sleep, so don't waste the opportunity."
"Why did you capture me?" Yuan An turned to look at the Blonde Woman, speaking calmly. "You mentioned the laboratory."
"It seems you don't know your own uniqueness," e raised an eyebrow and said, "Someone will tell you."
"What about Yinuo? Is she also one of those special people you mentioned?" Yuan An had held this question for a long time. She knew the Blonde Woman wouldn't tell her, perhaps she didn't even know who Yinuo was. Yet, Yuan An still asked, thinking of the girl who had brought her ginger tea on that cold rainy night, who had been missing for so long. Despite her own troubles, she wanted to try asking.
As expected, e's expression faltered slightly, puzzled. "Yinuo?"
"I know you were behind the attack on the Ancient City Ring Road," Yuan An continued, her resentment reigniting as she spoke of old grievances. Controlling her emotions, she gritted her teeth and said, "You destroyed the Roundabout, killed so many people, and took away our companions."
"Oh, that girl," e exclaimed cheerfully as if they were discussing a mutual friend rather than being confronted by a victim.
"I remember her; so her name is Yinuo," e said with a smile, clapping her hands. "She's still alive, but you probably won't have the chance to see her again."
"She's still alive?" Yuan An felt a jolt in her heart, unsure whether to feel joy or sorrow.
"Of course," e affirmed with a nod before suddenly changing the subject. "What is your relationship with Wu Wentao? Lovers?"
Yuan An was taken aback by the sudden question and replied casually, "No, just companions." As soon as the words left her mouth, she sensed something was off; she noticed the Blonde Woman's expression had clearly changed.
"When did he start hanging out with you?" e narrowed her eyes slightly, her tone turning cold.
Realizing she had misspoken and revealed too much, Yuan An fell silent.
e let out a cold laugh and shook her head as she stood up to put on her clothes. "It seems you're going to miss your last beautiful dream."
In the early hours of the morning, as the city's noise began to settle into silence, a Heavy Off-Road Vehicle drove out from the Old Command Center, passing through two barricades and slowly entering the heart of the Launch Base.
A few minutes later, the off-road vehicle stopped in front of Shanzhai Lake Palace. Dressed in athletic gear, E jumped out of the car, turned back to exchange a few words with the driver, and then ran toward the main entrance behind the garden's landscape.
The hall was already filled with the scent of incense, and old records played melodiously, their notes intertwining with the curling blue smoke, blending with the drapes to create an ethereal atmosphere.
E pushed open the intricately carved double doors. The hall was brightly lit, and two purebred Caucasian dogs lingered in the doorway. Upon seeing a stranger enter, they growled lowly, baring their fangs with fierce intent. E rolled her eyes; it had been a while since she last visited, and she hadn’t expected Kenny to still have the leisure to keep dogs.
The inner door was half-open, with delicate beaded curtains swaying in the warm light. Inside, a figure flickered; a man sat behind a rosewood table, meticulously twisting a Rubik's Cube, his expression focused as if he hadn’t noticed E standing at the door.
E frowned slightly and scanned the inner hall but didn’t see Su Lan. A bird she couldn’t name hopped around in a cage hanging on the wall. A thick stack of documents piled up on the rosewood table, and in the center lay an open metal box containing several test tubes filled with swirling liquid.
“Come in,” Kenny said without looking up, his full attention on his toy. His long fingers danced over it as he pieced together various colors. “Welcome home.”
E felt somewhat helpless as she pulled out a large chair and sat down. Watching him play so seriously made her mutter, “Have you become this bored?”
“Hmm,” Kenny lifted his eyelids slightly and smiled faintly. “Keeps my mind sharp.”
“I brought back the Antibody,” E had grown numb to her boss's changing preferences over the years. Skipping meaningless exchanges, she directly began her work report. “Should we send it to Professor Yang?”
“No need; just hand it over to the lab,” Kenny frowned slightly, staring at the Rubik's Cube he had completed one-third of. He looked somewhat dejected and thought for a long time before saying, “It's classified; don’t inform Professor Yang.”
“Alright.” Although she didn’t understand Kenny’s intentions, his word was law, so she complied. After a pause, she added, “Should we notify the research team to prepare for follow-up? If the Antibody does exist, should we start developing a Vaccine?”
“No need.” Kenny sounded irritated; having completed it once before, he seemed stuck on something this time as if he had forgotten a crucial step.
E felt anxious too; ever since Kenny found his new hobby, conversing with him had become increasingly time-consuming.
After a while, Kenny finally remembered what he had overlooked. A smile appeared on his face as his fingers began to fly over the cube again. He replied simultaneously, “If the Antibody exists, destroy it immediately. You’ll handle it personally.”
“Ah?” E was taken aback as if she hadn’t understood her boss’s words. She hesitated and asked, “Destroy it?”
"Yes, destroy it," Kenny nodded.
"But—"
"There are no buts. Just do it."
"Understood." E was puzzled; if they were going to destroy it, why go through the trouble of bringing it back from so far away?
"Is there anything else?" Kenny noticed his subordinate sitting still, and his tone grew impatient.
"Yes." E shot him a glare and said word by word, "I have news about Wu Wentao."
"What?" Kenny's hands froze, and he finally looked up, asking, "Where is he?"
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