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墨書 Inktalez
Yongshu Reef, the infirmary.
Song Jiu lay on the bed by the window, which was wide open. One arm dangled outside, surrounded by swirling smoke. Taking advantage of the footsteps in the hallway not getting closer, he quickly indulged in a smoke, pinching the burnt end of the cigarette against the wall to extinguish it. He loosened his fingers, and the butt fell down to the Green Belt below, disappearing from sight.
"Alright, it's me." Fang Fei leaned against the doorframe, looking helpless as she shut the door behind her. "I never realized you had such a strong craving for cigarettes."
"I'm going crazy being cooped up in here." Song Jiu plopped back onto the bed, gesturing at his hospital gown that faintly smelled of disinfectant. "See? I'm a patient now; I need some way to ease my anxiety."
Fang Fei rolled her eyes at him and replied curtly, "I really can't see where your anxiety is coming from. Seriously though, how have you been feeling these past few days?"
"Not much different." Song Jiu yawned and sighed. "Doctors come by to chat or give me medication, but after all this time, they still haven't figured out how to solve my problems."
"You seem pretty much the same." Fang Fei was quite curious; she had never seen Song Jiu during an episode. From his demeanor during the day, he appeared no different than usual.
The two chatted for a bit longer until a nurse entered for her rounds. She checked the dosage and left behind some medication, asking a few questions about his condition before leaving in a hurry with a blank expression.
"Do you really have to take so many every day?" Fang Fei was taken aback as she watched the nurse pour out dozens of pills from various bottles; it was quite unappetizing.
Song Jiu chuckled dryly and said helplessly, "Just think of it as candy. By the way, any news?"
"Yes." Fang Fei regained her serious demeanor, stood up to lock the door, and whispered, "I came today to tell you that the transfer has already begun."
"Huh?" Song Jiu paused in surprise. "So soon?"
"I just found out myself. I went back this morning, and Old Wu has already set off. It looks like he's part of the first batch being transferred by boat."
"Old Wu has left? What did he say?" Song Jiu's expression changed with concern.
"Didn't say, just asked about your situation." Fang Fei poured him a glass of water and helped sort the pills. "Your sister means to send a batch with the ship, while the rest stay behind to wait for you."
"What about Huihui?"
"Don't know. We don't have the initiative right now. The main focus is on transferring supplies and equipment first, heading to the island. Once the logistics are gathered, we will land directly. Old Wu told us not to rush and to wait for news." Fang Fei had been running back and forth these past few days, responsible for relaying messages, and she had learned quite a bit, but her doubts had also increased, especially regarding the transfer; the more she thought about it, the stranger it seemed.
After pondering for a moment, Fang Fei couldn't help but ask, "What exactly are you and Old Wu thinking? I don't understand."
"What is there not to understand?"
"Why rush to land when we have Antibodies? Why not just set up a lab on-site and wait until the Antibodies and Vaccine are developed before taking action? Also, we've already provided Antibodies; why do we need to get involved in this mess? Qixi says Yao Jinsong is a thorough warmonger. He has troops and weapons; if he wants to stir things up, let him. What do we have to do with it?"
"Didn't Yao Jinsong agree to set up a lab?" Song Jiu's eyes showed some hesitation as he frowned and asked, "Our island has a wind power generation system; the lab can be set up there. Of course, our people need to stay. Who said we had to go back to Land and work for them?"
"Old Wu said so." Fang Fei's expression changed slightly as she asked, "Did Old Wu not tell you?"
"You've been the one relaying information these past few days; how would I know?" Song Jiu shrugged, looking puzzled. Compared to The Establishment, their team was negligible. The only important bargaining chip they had was the Antibody. The agreement reached was clearly about providing Antibodies for Vaccine development; there was no mention of bringing in extra manpower.
"What's going on now? Our people have already set off." Song Jiu felt something was off and frowned. "What about my sister's friend? Have you seen her?"
"Old Wu has already left with the first batch of ships; everyone else is still here." Fang Fei steadied herself and said seriously, "Did you overlook something?"
"I need to go back once; how did they talk with Yao Jinsong that day?"
"I'm not sure either. How about this: you stay here for now, and I'll go ask your sister." Fang Fei reassured Song Jiu as they reached the door, hesitating before saying, " Jiu Jiu, are we being used?"
Song Jiu fell into silence upon hearing this. His sudden departure from the team left him unable to grasp the situation immediately. Fang Fei's confusion mirrored his own. After all, the purpose of providing the Antibody was to survive; if the Antibody could not ensure everyone's safety, then what was the point of following that reckless person with the surname Yao?
Wu Wentao and he had reached a consensus on this matter. Song Jiu trusted Wu Wentao, which is why he agreed to come here to recuperate. He thought Wu Wentao would stand firm, even if the deal fell through; they could simply pack up and leave. Did they really need to cling to someone else while risking their lives against Zombies? They had traveled through mountains and rivers to get here, not to return to the Land and wrestle with Zombies.
"By the way, don't rush off just yet." Song Jiu suddenly remembered something and hurriedly pulled over the pillow behind him, reaching under the cover to pull out a crumpled envelope.
"Huh?" Fang Fei paused, re-locking the door before walking back, frowning as he asked, "What's this?"
"Nata came by yesterday when you weren't here, and we couldn't talk." Song Jiu pouted and handed the envelope to Fang Fei. "This is what she gave me; it seems important. Can you help me see what it says? It wouldn't be a marriage consent form or something, would it?"
Fang Fei chuckled at his words, opened the envelope, and inside was a thin sheet of paper with two lines of elegant script written in flowing letters.
"What’s wrong?" Song Jiu felt a bit anxious as he noticed Fang Fei's previously cheerful expression suddenly freeze.
" Jiu Jiu," Fang Fei gasped, shaking the paper slightly as he hesitated. "Nata wants you to stay away from Yao Jinsong."
"What?" Song Jiu was taken aback.
"She wants you to focus on your recovery here and not get involved in Yao Jinsong's military actions. She also kindly reminded you to persuade us to leave this place." Fang Fei's mind felt a bit muddled; just moments ago, he had been discussing this with Song Jiu, only for Nata to give him a heads-up first.
"Can you find her?" Song Jiu took the letter and glanced at it; he recognized some words but not all.
"The people from The Establishment overseas are all in the main administrative building. I can't get in there," Fang Fei shook his head, his expression turning serious as he asked hesitantly, "What else did she say?"
"Nothing much. She didn't bring a translator, and since you weren't here, she left after sitting for a while. Oh, and she mentioned her child," Song Jiu said, his face showing some embarrassment. The more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed; Natalia was from The Establishment overseas and had appeared close to Yao Jinsong recently. Why would she send him such a warning out of nowhere?
"What do we do now? Old Wu has already left," Fang Fei vaguely sensed that things were getting complicated. In fact, since they arrived on the island, they had already lost control of the situation.
"Go back and give everyone a heads-up," Song Jiu frowned, trying to sort through his thoughts. Just a few days ago, everything was calm, and suddenly it felt like they were caught in a whirlpool. This feeling was truly unsettling.
"Do we need to prepare for anything?" Fang Fei asked tentatively.
Song Jiu nodded, then shook his head. After hesitating for a moment, he suddenly jumped off the bed and said seriously, "Go find Nata. You’re coming with me."
The sea surface was windy.
Three lift boats advanced rapidly in a triangular formation, their red hulls cutting through the sea surface, churning up waves as they sped along.
The military transport ships moved swiftly, their heavy cargo providing great stability. Equipped with conventional weapons, soldiers guarded the container holds, creating a solemn atmosphere from top to bottom.
Wu Wentao and Xiao Zhuang stood at the bow of the ship, facing the sea breeze with indifferent expressions.
"We're almost there," Xiao Zhuang said cheerfully, standing with his hands behind his back, exuding a sense of leadership.
Wu Wentao nodded silently, his gaze cold. As part of the first group to transfer to the island, he understood what his decision meant. The current situation had deviated significantly from initial expectations; dealing with this task was more challenging than he had imagined.
"The armed forces from Taiping Island will arrive a day later than us," Xiao Zhuang said, trying to make conversation. He felt somewhat intimidated by Wu Wentao; compared to this cold figure, he preferred to be with Fang Fei and her group of girls. Unfortunately, Yao Jinsong's orders were indisputable, so he had no choice but to follow along.
"What do you want to say?" Wu Wentao glanced at him and sneered. "No need to beat around the bush."
"Alright," Xiao Zhuang replied awkwardly, clearing his throat. "I just wanted to remind you that you have only one day to stabilize the situation on the island. The boss has a lot of confidence in you, but I'm a bit worried. You're not Fang Fei; will the residents on the island trust you?"
"You don't need to worry about that," Wu Wentao said dismissively, retracting his gaze. "Just focus on your own tasks."
"I'm looking out for you. If necessary, we can get things sorted before the armed forces from Taiping Island arrive," Xiao Zhuang said, sniffing as he leaned closer to Wu Wentao and whispered, "We are truly on the same side now; there's no need for you to treat me like this."
"I am me, you are you, we are in a cooperative relationship." Wu Wentao showed no mercy, a hint of sarcasm at the corner of his mouth as he coldly snorted, "Don't overstep." With that, he turned and left, leaving Xiao Zhuang with a carefree view of his back.
Xiao Zhuang stood frozen in place, staring at Wu Wentao's silhouette for a long time.
Returning to the cabin, Wu Wentao let out a deep sigh and lay down on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, his mind a tangled mess.
Three days ago, Yao Jinsong had met with him alone, with no third party present, and they talked for a long time. The specifics of this secret conversation were unknown to outsiders; in any case, after their lengthy discussion, the relocation plan was moved up. The first batch of supply ships quickly assembled, led by Wu Wentao and Xiao Zhuang. The armed forces that Xiao Zhuang mentioned on Taiping Island were actually the troops under Yao Jinsong's command. After the supply ships set sail, news reached Taiping Island, and the two teams would converge at the island.
Once the fleet arrived, they needed to quickly establish a future logistics support base on the island, including laboratories, all listed in the first batch of construction plans.
However, these tasks were not for Wu Wentao to handle; he had other missions that Xiao Zhuang was unaware of.
The destination of the armed forces on Taiping Island was not the island itself; they would not stay for long. After both sides joined forces, the Taiping Island troops would directly land under Wu Wentao's leadership. To be more precise, they would head straight for the Gobi Desert.
The reason was simple: Yao Jinsong had shown Wu Wentao another satellite image.
In the photo, a lonely city stood proudly in the wilderness, surrounded by zombies both inside and outside its walls.
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