As the footsteps gradually receded, Mr. Nelson and I, without prior arrangement, simultaneously sprang upwards. Clearly, we both had the same idea: to subdue the patrol when they returned!
We swiftly climbed up the rocks and soon reached a path. Rolling onto the road, we lay still by the roadside.
Looking ahead, the massive castle loomed in the darkness, with several window lights still shining brightly.
We had spent so much time, and all we could do was to arrive near the Moon God Society headquarters. What would happen next was unpredictable!
I whispered to Mr. Nelson, "Are we ready to attack the patrol we just encountered?"
Mr. Nelson immediately replied, "If possible, we'll impersonate them!"
I nodded, and we endured the bone-chilling wind in silence, waiting patiently.
Before long, we heard footsteps approaching again. Two figures gradually came into view, and soon, they walked past us.
Although Mr. Nelson was in his fifties, his agility was no less than that of younger men. Like black panthers, we pounced and immediately grabbed the necks of the two individuals.
With two thuds, the flashlights in their hands fell to the ground. They didn't even have time to utter a sound before we struck the back of their heads heavily, rendering them unconscious.
Without wasting any time, we quickly removed our wet clothes, exchanged them for the clothes of the two men, and then bound their hands and feet, stuffing them into the crevices of the rocks.
Then, we picked up the flashlights and moved forward.
Just as we turned the corner of the mountain, someone approached us and shouted, "Any discoveries?"
I replied sternly, "None!"
The person said, "Gather at the square! Hurry!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and walked away. Neither Mr. Nelson nor I knew where the square was, but in this situation, we couldn't ask the man.
We had no choice but to move forward. After a few turns, our questions were answered.
The square was on the right side of the castle-like building, a spacious area of about an acre. When we arrived, dozens of people were already there. We stood in a dark corner, keeping quiet.
Although some people were speaking, their voices were very low. After about three minutes, more people arrived, and then, suddenly, a window facing the square burst into light.
Then, the window opened, revealing a figure.
Instantly, everyone on the square fell silent. Mr. Nelson and I exchanged glances, not knowing what would happen next. We dared not raise our heads too high, fearing exposure. Peeking at the window, we could only see a tall dark figure since the person was standing close to the window, and the light was shining from behind them, making their face indistinguishable.
Shortly after the figure appeared, a low voice was heard, saying, "The remote infrared camera controlled by the radar has captured something emerging from the surface of the sea. It's a pair of human hands!"
The square erupted in commotion but quickly quieted down again.
Mr. Nelson and I were horrified!
We had never imagined that the equipment at the Moon God Society headquarters would be so sophisticated!
The figure continued, "Someone has intruded into our waters, and your patrols claim they have found nothing!"
At this point, most of the people in the square hung their heads in what seemed like shame. We also lowered our heads. I thought, the person speaking at the window could never have dreamed that his speech would be overheard by us!
After a brief pause, the figure said, "Now, go to the General Affairs Department to receive radiation detectors and continue searching for the intruders in our waters!" Mr. Nelson and I were both surprised because the person wanted these henchmen to collect radiation detectors to continue searching for us. What did that mean?
Had they placed some highly radioactive material in the nearby waters, and anyone swimming in the sea would be exposed to it?
After the person finished speaking, they withdrew, and the window closed, and the lights went out.
The people gathered in the square immediately dispersed, and Mr. Nelson gently touched me. We both walked away. We certainly didn't know where the "General Affairs Department" was, nor did we intend to collect any radiation detectors.
Because in the darkness, we could still conceal ourselves, but once in the light, our disguises could be easily exposed.
We left the square and followed the crowd, and as soon as we reached the corner of the wall, we immediately dodged around it. No one was on the other side of the wall, and it was apparent that no one had noticed us passing the corner.
I had been here once before, so I was somewhat familiar with the terrain.
Therefore, as soon as we turned the corner, I led the way. We tried to move quickly and quietly. Before long, we arrived at the side of a door.
I pushed the door, but it was locked. I took out the lily key and signaled Mr. Nelson to keep watch. Mr. Nelson vigilantly looked around. It took me only a minute to open the door. I gently pushed it open, and Mr. Nelson and I walked in together. As soon as we entered, both of us instinctively gripped the semi-automatic handguns.
After we entered the room, it was pitch black, and we couldn't see anything. Naturally, we didn't know what surprises awaited us. It wasn't until half a minute passed with no sound in the darkness that Nelson lit his flashlight.
The beam illuminated a large room filled with various items, most covered in thick dust. It appeared to be a storage room. We glanced at each other and instinctively shook hands to celebrate our good fortune. When we opened the door, we had no idea what kind of room it would be. If it had been a guard's rest room, our luck would have been terrible.
Now, it was an empty storage room, and our luck was indeed worth celebrating.
Together, we approached the other door of the room and listened carefully. Footsteps could be heard continuously outside, indicating it was likely a corridor.
I gently turned the doorknob, finding it locked. Using the lily key, I inserted it into the lock, which made a clicking sound. Nelson and I both stepped back.
However, no one seemed to notice the clicking sound. I turned the doorknob again, opening the door slightly to peek outside. It was indeed a corridor, with many people coming and going, most of them looking tense.
In such circumstances, we couldn't risk going out, so we had to wait in the dusty storage room.
After about half an hour, the footsteps gradually faded away. We were about to open the door to go find Fang Tianshi when suddenly, a harsh voice shouted, "Hirano and Uemura have been knocked out!"
Mr. Nelson and I couldn't help but shudder.
Someone outside asked, "How many intruders are there?"
The voice replied, "Two, one old and one young, one of them is a Westerner."
Then, a solemn voice said, "Search carefully. Once you catch them, throw them into the furnace and burn them to ashes immediately!"
As that voice spoke, the others fell silent.
From the solemnity of the voice, it seemed likely that person was one of the elders of the Moon God Society.
I almost couldn't resist opening the door to see who it was, but Mr. Nelson's caution stopped me.
The voice continued, "Keep a close watch on the man and woman. Don't let our plan be ruined!" Many voices responded, "Yes!"
Mr. Nelson whispered, "Abe, did you hear that? A man and a woman. Who's the woman?" I replied in a very low voice, "Kikuko Sasaki." Mr. Nelson said, "It could be her. Ah, if only we knew where they were!"
I said, "That's an easy thing. You don't have to stop me from taking risks."
Mr. Nelson made a disapproving sound, apparently not agreeing with me. I didn't argue with him anymore, just listened carefully to the sounds outside. The footsteps gradually dispersed. I gently opened the door again and peeked outside.
As I expected, many people had left, apparently tasked with closely monitoring the "man and woman." However, one tall figure remained.
The person had their back to me, so I couldn't see their face, but seeing their silhouette draped in a large red robe, I felt a sense of reverence. Of course, he was one of the elders of the Moon God Society!
I quickly pulled the door open and simultaneously ducked behind it, tapping on the door twice with my finger. Mr. Nelson seemed to understand my intention.
He hid in a spot where the corridor lights couldn't reach, then clenched his fist against the door. I smiled at him, then turned my head back to peek through the door crack.
As soon as the person heard the tapping, he turned around immediately!
He turned around, and the flickering lamp light from the corridor illuminated his face. I was almost shocked to the point of screaming! The person draped in the red robe was unmistakably Inoue Tsugio! In that moment, I believed my face must have been full of surprise. I almost forgot the steps I had planned! It wasn't until the person, also looking surprised, walked towards me that I snapped out of my shock.
I told myself: That person couldn't possibly be Inoue Tsugio, but he must be a member of the Inoue family.
It wasn't unusual for members of a family to resemble each other, so it wasn't worth making a fuss over.
Once I understood this, the person had already reached the door. He skillfully and quickly drew a pistol and shouted, "Who's inside?"
Mr. Nelson and I held our breath, not saying a word.
As a member of the Inoue family, he was certainly one of the leaders of the Moon God Society. If we could subdue him, it would be ideal. After he shouted, he stepped forward.
As soon as I saw him step forward, I leaped out, but before I could fully spring forward, he stepped back and shouted again, "Who's inside?"
Mr. Nelson and I exchanged glances, remaining silent.
He looked hesitant, but he was indeed a very shrewd person. He didn't step inside but instead leaned over to close the door.
At that moment, I was behind the door, thinking that if they managed to close the door, we would have no chance of capturing him!
Therefore, just as he grabbed the door handle and began to pull it shut, I shifted my body sideways and forcefully slammed my shoulder into the door.
With a loud "bang," the door slammed shut outward at lightning speed. Almost simultaneously, I heard the sound of the door knocking the person down!
Without waiting for the door to close, I reached out and pulled it open.
The person lay on the corridor floor, about to get up, but I had already rushed out.
As soon as the person reached for the pistol lying on the ground, my right foot swiftly stepped down hard on the back of their hand just as their fingers brushed against the grip!
The person grunted, and unexpectedly, his body flipped over. His legs extended, trapping my neck, and with a sudden force, he flipped me over, causing me to fall to the ground involuntarily.
I hadn't expected his agility to be so remarkable. After I fell, my head was still trapped between his legs, immobilized, but my hands were free to move. I struck his abdomen with a palm, causing him to grunt again. His legs loosened, and I took advantage, hitting his abdomen again with my head.
The impact caused him to jerk and yell in pain!
His cries echoed loudly in the calm corridor. Startled, I lifted him up by the chest and knocked him unconscious with a punch.
At both ends of the corridor, footsteps could be heard approaching. I dragged the person back to the storage room. As soon as we entered, Mr. Nelson tried to rush out.
I hurriedly said, "What are you doing?"
Nelson said, "You pick up his gun."
I pushed the unconscious person toward Nelson, ready to rush out and retrieve the gun, but it was too late. People had already appeared at both ends of the corridor.
Mr. Nelson quickly pulled me back and gently closed the door.
I peered through the keyhole and saw about four or five people rushing to the door.
They all looked very surprised. One said, "It seemed like Elder Inoue was shouting just now."
Another said, "Yes, but why did he suddenly disappear?"
Yet another said, "Could it be that Elder Inoue, being so venerable and achieving enlightenment, has ascended to the moon and become a moon god?"
Amidst the discussion, someone exclaimed, "Look, this is Elder Inoue's sidearm."
After a brief silence, someone said, "Elder Inoue has had an accident. We need to report this quickly!"
At this point, the unconscious Elder Inoue had already regained consciousness, but he didn't dare to make a sound because Mr. Nelson's gun was aimed at his heart.
Seeing those people hurry away, I approached Elder Inoue and said, "Mr. Inoue, you should know your situation." It was too dark to see his expression clearly, but his voice still sounded very proud as he said, "It's not me who needs to understand my situation, it's you!"
I laughed and said, "Indeed, we are in the tiger's den, but we've caught the tiger's head. Whose situation do you think needs to be considered?" Elder Inoue fell silent.
I listened as voices and footsteps approached from outside the corridor. Those people were obviously looking for Elder Inoue.
Perhaps because nobody had ever come to this storage room before, nobody thought to open the door and look inside. After a while of confusion, the people slowly dispersed, and I said, "Mr. Inoue, you can start asking questions now."
Instead of asking him questions first, I wanted him to ask me first to see if he knew our origins.
But Elder Inoue was very cunning and said, "What do I have to ask? What do you want?"
Mr. Nelson said sternly, "Abe, don't waste time."
I immediately said, "Mr. Inoue, for your own safety, you must answer two questions from us." Elder Inoue grunted, and I asked, "Where is Fang Tian, who you kidnapped to perform the flying act?"
Elder Inoue hesitated for a moment and said, "He is in the Elder's room on the third floor, receiving very favorable treatment." I immediately asked, "And where is Kikuko Sasaki?"
Elder Inoue angrily said, "No, she cannot come."
I was taken aback and asked, "What do you mean she cannot come?"
Elder Inoue said, "She is our chosen saint. At the upcoming gathering of believers, she will go to the sea to meet the sea god and convey our beliefs. As usual, she cannot see outsiders!"
I was extremely angry at Elder Inoue's words!
This was the 1960s, yet these animals were still using human lives to propagate their demonic practices, all to achieve their deceptive goals!
I remembered the death of Dr. Sasaki. Their foolish actions had caused the loss of one of the most outstanding medical scientists, and who knows how many more people they would harm. I couldn't contain my anger and slapped him twice, "crack, crack," across the face!
My slaps were heavy-handed, and Elder Inoue groaned. With his tongue out, he said, "Anyone who dares to touch the sacred body of an elder will have their arms broken."
After slapping him twice and letting out some of my anger, upon hearing his words, I became even more enraged and said:
"Since it's going to be broken anyway, I might as well give you a couple more slaps!"
After finishing my words, I slapped him twice more!
My second round of slaps was even heavier. I heard his teeth loosen, and my hands were splattered with hot blood. I wiped the blood from my hands onto his clothes and asked, "Where is Kikuko Sasaki?"
Elder Inoue relented and stopped mentioning anything about "sacred bodies." His speech became vague as he said, "She's in the Saint's Room on the top floor."
I asked, "Are there guards at these two places?"
Elder Inoue replied, "Naturally."
I said, "Well, as an elder of the Moon Society, you must have a way to help us enter these two rooms smoothly."
Elder Inoue said, "I have no way."
I coldly stated, "If I were to slap your face twice more, you would look very ugly."
Elder Inoue hesitated for a moment before saying, "I can give you the elder's token."
I asked, "With the elder's token, can we move freely?"
Elder Inoue replied, "Only the elder can question someone holding the elder's token."
I said, "Bring it quickly." Elder Inoue said, "It's hanging around my neck."
I reached for it and pulled out a golden chain from around his neck. At one end of the chain was a large pearl, shining silver-white, resembling a full moon. Next to the pearl were two small golden plates inscribed with some words, which were hard to make out in the darkness.
As soon as I got hold of the item, I nodded to Mr. Nelson. Mr. Nelson struck Elder Inoue's chin with his palm, knocking him unconscious.
Mr. Nelson laid Elder Inoue on the ground, took out a handkerchief and a small bottle, poured a few drops of liquid onto the handkerchief, and covered Elder Inoue's nose and mouth with it.
The liquid emitted a dizzying odor, almost making me faint too. Both of us quickly opened the door and left the storage room. There was no one in the corridor. I held Elder Inoue's token in my hand. While having his token made things easier, encountering elders from the Moon Society could still pose a threat.
We cautiously proceeded forward until we reached a door on the third floor. Two stout men stood guard, but they didn't move when I gestured for them to open the door. I brandished the token and demanded, "Why aren't you opening the door?"
A sly smile appeared on one of the stout men's faces.
I wasn't sure what was happening, but I knew something was wrong.
I immediately became more alert. The stout man said, "Only the elder has the key to this door because it's the elder's room. Didn't Elder Inoue give you the key when he invited you?"
I was dumbfounded by his words!
The two stout men looked at us, their smiles becoming more malicious.
In that instant, countless thoughts raced through my mind. I said immediately, "Well, Elder Inoue might have been in a hurry, so he forgot." As I spoke, I made a gesture to Mr. Nelson.
Before I could finish speaking, I lowered my body and rammed into one of the stout men's stomachs.
Simultaneously, Mr. Nelson understood my signal. He swiftly delivered a left hook to the other stout man's jaw!
Our surprise attacks were swift, and we both hit our targets. However, the two stout men were not ordinary individuals. The one I rammed into merely stepped back a step.
The one hit by Mr. Nelson's left hook didn't even flinch but grinned at Mr. Nelson!
Originally, we had planned to knock down these two men and then figure out how to open the door. But now, this plan obviously wouldn't work. The stout man I faced just stared at me without retaliating, while the other stout man, with the agility of a mountain, lunged at Mr. Nelson. Mr. Nelson dodged, and I shouted, "Finish them quickly!" I reached into my pocket.
As soon as I reached into my pocket, I grasped the semi-automatic pistol.
I'm not someone who enjoys killing, which is why I never carry modern weapons.
But the situation in front of me forced me to use the pistol because these two stout men were skilled, and Mr. Nelson was already in a difficult situation after dodging the attack. Moreover, since these two stout men were guards of the Moon Society, they must have committed numerous atrocities in the past, so we wouldn't feel guilty about it. As soon as I gripped the pistol, I heard a gunshot.
The gunshot was naturally Mr. Nelson after hearing my words.
I glanced at the stout man, seeing him clutching his chest, blood seeping through his fingers. His face betrayed disbelief as he stood there motionless.
As I looked at him, I also pulled the trigger on my pistol, almost simultaneously with Mr. Nelson.
I didn't need to check if I hit him because as soon as the gunshot sounded, I heard the other stout man fall to the ground!
I pulled out the pistol, fired at the door lock, kicked open the door, and said, "Nelson, go save Fang Tian. I'll guard the door!"
Three gunshots reverberated in the corridor. Three doors opened, and seven or eight people rushed towards us from both ends of the corridor.
In such a situation, relying on Elder Inoue's token as a talisman was no longer possible.
I fired five shots into the air, causing the advancing people to retreat. But immediately, there were gunshots fired back at me. I ducked into the Elder's room, closed the door immediately, and jumped aside. Before I could land, a volley of gunfire left seventeen or eighteen holes in the door. I turned around and saw Mr. Nelson holding Fang Tian's arm, standing by the window.
Seeing me, a faint smile appeared on Fang Tian's pale face as he said, "I knew you would come."
I immediately said, "Don't rejoice too soon, Nelson. Is there a way out of the window?"
As I said these words, the gunfire outside intensified, and I fired more than thirty shots outside.
The power of the automatic pistol caused strange cries to echo through the corridor. Mr. Nelson had already pushed open the window and looked outside, saying, "It's the sea out there."
I also stepped back to the window and said, "That's our only way out!"
Fang Tian glanced outside and exclaimed, "We're going down from here?" I nodded and said, "Yes, you can do it." Fang Tian placed one hand on the window frame, trembling, but time didn't allow us to hesitate any longer. I raised myself and flipped out the window.
Just as I flipped out the window, I heard the sound of a window opening in the neighboring room. I quickly pressed my body against the wall, supported myself with one hand, and fired several shots to the left and right!
At the windows on my left and right, people were hit and fell down.
When I looked down, I saw the two people flailing as they fell into the sea!
In my imagination, if one were to jump directly out of the window, they would surely land on the rocks and have their brains splattered. But those two people fell into the sea!
This gave me an insight that if we also leaped out of the window, we could fall into the sea!
That way, we wouldn't have to climb down to the ground and then jump into the sea by the cliffs.
In fact, it was almost impossible for us to climb down because almost all the windows in the entire castle had been opened. We had to try "skydiving"!
I quickly said, "Did you see that? When we jump out, relax your muscles, don't struggle, and we can jump into the sea like those two shot people!"
Fang Tian stuttered, "N... no... no..."
But before he could finish his sentence, I had already supported his waist and pushed him out of the window, shouting, "Relax your muscles!" Fang Tian's body fell downward, and I heard many cries of "skydiving" from the windows.
Mr. Nelson and I followed suit and leaped out!
Bullets whizzed past us, but fortunately, it was dark, otherwise, we would have fallen faster than the bullets!
At this moment, the risk we faced was twofold because we might collide with the rocks!
By a stroke of luck, the three of us managed to land in the sea one after another. Fang Tian tightly held my hand, looking completely terrified. I spat out seawater and said, "Let's swim away from here first, then find a way to avoid the sea mines."
Mr. Nelson led the way as we swam outward, with Fang Tian and I following behind. We swam about thirty yards and found a cave. Mr. Nelson looked back at me, and I said, "Let's swim into it!"
In less than five minutes, the three of us had swum into the cave. Mr. Nelson turned on his waterproof pocket flashlight, and in its faint glow, we saw that the cave was deep and the water was dark and cold. But the cave was high, with rocks for us to take shelter.
I estimated that even if the tide rose to its highest, we wouldn't be submerged by the seawater.
The three of us climbed onto the rocks with our soaked bodies, Fang Tian lay on the ground panting, and Mr. Nelson and I looked at each other and sighed. We checked our weapons because we knew that members of the Moon Society could come looking for us anytime!
They would surely find this cave, and they would definitely come in to inspect. If our weapons failed, we would have to surrender.
I took a deep breath and said, "Mr. Nelson, what do you think we should do?"
Mr. Nelson shrugged and said, "We can only wait. I hope they'll bring a speedboat in, then we might have a chance to seize one." I smiled bitterly and said, "Did you forget about the sea mines?"
Fang Tian raised his head. This advanced creature from Saturn was much less courageous than us. His face turned as blue as indigo, and he asked tremblingly, "Can't we escape?"
I said, "Do you have any secret weapons on you?"
Fang Tian said, "No, I only have scientific knowledge unknown to Earthlings." I sighed and said, "That's useless. We can only wait for an opportunity."
Mr. Nelson said, "If we can hide until the tide rises, maybe we'll have a chance. The sea mines rise with the tide, and there will definitely be gaps underwater where we can swim across."
I nodded, but then looked at Fang Tian suspiciously, wondering if he had the ability to swim for so long.
Suddenly, from deep inside the cave, came a sound of "grinding"!
Not to mention Fang Tian, even Mr. Nelson and I were taken aback by the sudden sound!
We thought that even if members of the Moon Society pursued us, they would surely come from outside, but we didn't expect such a sound to come from inside the cave.
I pulled Fang Tian and quickly flashed to the stone wall, trying to hide our bodies as much as possible.
The "grinding" sound continued intermittently for about ten minutes before stopping.
I kept my voice low and asked, "Nelson, do you hear that? What is that sound?" Mr. Nelson's thick eyebrows furrowed tightly together as he said, "Strange, it sounds like the sound of a pickaxe, but to operate a pickaxe, you need powerful electricity, so why can't we hear the sound of a generator?"
I said, "The power source must be brought down from the surface."
Mr. Nelson said, "Take a closer look. Are there any power lines at the entrance of the cave?"
At this moment, Fang Tian suddenly interjected, "The generator is installed underwater." Mr. Nelson and I both looked at him, and he pointed to the surface of the water, saying, "Look, the water in the cave is slightly trembling. This is the result of the generator vibrating underwater. From the speed of the ripples on the water surface, I can also infer that the generator is about seventy meters below the surface."
Mr. Nelson and I exchanged glances. At this moment, the "grinding" sound started again.
Mr. Nelson said, "The Moon Society must want to build some secret place inside the cave." I shook my head and said, "Listening to the sound of the pickaxe, there's only one, so it can't be a big project."
Nelson said, "Regardless of whether it's a big or small project, since there are people inside, let's go take a look."
I nodded, and the three of us walked forward in the cave. After about thirty steps, we had to wade through water, with the deepest part reaching waist level!