Short, Light, Free - Chapter 149

I had expected for them to be asphyxiated but that did not happen.

There were about over 50 armed men outside the entrance.

I wasn’t sure how many had already entered.

My phone rang, jolting me out of my thoughts and onto the ground.

I heard gunshots from the other line.

“What’s going on?” Dahai shouted.

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“No idea! The door’s been bombed and over 50 armed soldiers are charging in now,” I reported.

“I see the soldiers you’re talking about. They’re plundering every room and leaving no man alive. They’re about to reach me,” Dahai responded.

“They’re not wearing any masks. Are they from the government or people from the real Blemish of Time?” I asked.

“Can you see their uniform? You should be able to see more clearly. Describe any logo you see!” Dahai ordered.

The commotion woke a portion of the villagers up and they came over with their flashlights to assess the situation.

Some ignorant villagers tried to speak and were immediately shot by the armed men.

The armed men approached the village and from the looks of it, I figured that they were going to take the whole village down.

I stood up and withdrew slightly, trying to catch a glimpse of their clothes.

There was a blood-red cross symbol on their uniforms.

“They have a red cross on their uniforms. What does it mean?” I asked over the phone.

“Remember the masks we wore at work? A green circle meant that things were alright and a red circle was a warning sign. A red cross probably means that they are the self-defense forces from Blemish of Time. They’re the exterminators we were afraid of.”

“There really are exterminators?” I asked in awe.

“Of course. I’m hiding something from you,” Dahai confessed.

“What is it?” I asked anxiously.

“Have you heard of the story of the immortality spring?” he asked.

“Drink the springwater and gain eternal life? Why are you talking about this now?” I questioned, confused.

“There had been such a legend running during the Age of Sail. People believed that this spring was in the Biminis…” Dahai started.

“Enough, why are you telling me this now?”

“Don’t you find it weird? You never met the real higher ups when you were working in Blemish of Time, did you?”

“What are you saying?”

“This story was shared with me by my leader when he was drunk once. He did not give me the details, though,” Dahai explained.

“Immortality spring? Blemish of Time? The poisonous grass? You think they’re connected?” I asked thoughtfully.

“I’m just speculating. This grass probably originated from the spring, absorbing the anti-aging minerals within the spring. A long period of contact is needed to ensure the effectiveness of the grass. These armed men are probably guards of the higher ups and can kill wantonly without putting masks on,” Dahai continued.

“So these people are really immortal?” I blurted out.

“I’m just guessing that they’re keeping a team of immortal armed forces. It sounds like something Blemish of Time would do, and they’re here to eliminate us.”

“So immortality is legitimate?” I clarified.

“Just a conjecture, but I think the higher-ups have the ability to leave Blemish of Time and live forever. Blemish of Time was just a tool for them to earn money, just as how our own version earns us profits. Of course, we are unable to reach their level and are earning much less.”

“How are things on your side?” I asked.

Gunshots were still ringing incessantly over the phone and explosions sounded from time to time.

“I need you to save me,” Dahai answered.

I started hearing shots from not far away as well. These armed men have made a move on the village.

“How do I save you? You can’t come out,” I stated.

“I told you I’m hiding something from you. I’ve invented a reverse protective suit. There’s a small space inside for me to keep sufficient nutrients and a blade of grass. It’ll be enough to sustain me. Give me a few more decades and I will be able to overcome the restriction of the grass,” Dahai said.

“What do I need to do?” I asked him.

“Activate the belts in the kiosk. I’ll go over to the end of the belt and give you a call. Switch it on and transport me out through the trash belt,” he instructed.

“Alright, but you only have 20 minutes. The gunmen are here in the village as well,” I warned.

“I’ll only need 10. I’m leaving now. Run if you don’t receive my call by then,” he finished.

I ran toward the kiosk, which was situated right in the center of the village.

The armed men were split into two waves, one into Blemish of Time and the other closing in on the village from all around.

I thought about escaping and forgetting it all because it was simply too difficult to get to the kiosk in that situation.

However, the idea of obtaining perfect immortality gave me courage.

I touched my wrinkled face with both hands and thought about all that had happened.

If I left for good, the place I had worked hard for over 30 years would be obliterated.

I would then lead a solitary but eternal life.

What would I get if I helped Dahai? His suit only had one blade of grass.

Or perhaps this blade was enough for us to make a comeback?

And given more time, can Dahai really unravel the secret behind perfect immortality?

I started sprinting toward the kiosk subconsciously.

The first thing I did upon entering was to shut all the windows and pull the screens down.

I then activated the conveyor belts and waited for Dahai’s call.

My heart was beating extremely fast that I could practically feel it all the way up in my throat.

I regretted not having set a secret code with Dahai and could only pray that his phone wouldn’t be robbed by a soldier.

As all kinds of thoughts ran through my mind, my satellite phone lit up.

I switched the conveyor belt on and picked up the phone.

“There are two guards behind me!” he yelled.

I raised my gun, held my breath, and took aim.

Each round took about 60 seconds to complete and every second was torture for me.

Seconds ticked by and Dahai finally appeared before me in the suit.

I pulled him up to a side and saw two shadows coming closer.

I pulled the trigger twice and Dahai slammed the emergency stop button as he gasped for breath.