Near the sewer system, we managed to avoid the troops and police inspection hell.
Rahman had literally bribed one of the cops to let them through.
Aman grabbed a few boxes. "This is heavy," he muttered, slowly climbing down into the sewer, placing the box, then returning to the car to repeat the process.
"Just bear with it," Rahman said, cigarette hanging from his lips. "You've got a pair of arms, don't you?"
"Screw you... This is a pain in the ass. You just stay down there and watch me do all the damn work," Aman shot back, his voice tinged with irritation.
Rahman was already inside the sewer while Aman did the heavy lifting.
"Well, someone needs to guard down here and watch the entrance," Rahman replied with a grin, taking another puff.
After a while, the last crate was finally moved into the sewer. They were ready to relocate.
Aman turned to close the sewer.
"Oi! Not yet. Cover the damn car with the cloth," Rahman ordered.
Aman sighed, climbed out, went to the car, grabbed the cloth, and covered it carefully. Then he climbed back down into the sewer.
"Done! You happy now? Or should I do something else, boss?" Aman said with biting sarcasm.
Huh... He never remembered how much he hated being ordered around like this.
"Ahh, getting that car wasn't easy, you know," Rahman muttered. He took another long drag from his cigarette, then flicked the butt to the ground only to immediately pull out another one, light it, and inhale deeply.
He looked at Aman and offered one. "Wanna smoke? Since you're a smoker now?"
"No, I'm not that crazy. I literally learned to smoke today," Aman replied, a bit in awe. He was pretty sure Rahman had smoked a dozen already.
"Damn. I'm already a bad influence on a kid teaching him to smoke."
"I was the one who asked for it."
"Well, that's because I smoked in front of you. Now stop complaining. Let's move."
Aman just nodded.
The two of them each picked up a crate. The size was manageable long enough to sling over the shoulder but the weight made them constantly stop to readjust.
"How... Ahh... How do you keep walking like this? Even with a cigarette?" Aman asked Rahman between breaths.
Rahman was clearly stronger, yet still smoking like it was nothing.
"Ehh, I got used to it. Let's just say this isn't a cigarette it's a lung resistance training tool," Rahman joked.
They kept moving through the narrow sewer tunnel. Aman, despite the stench, was secretly in awe of the place. As someone from a small village in Kedah, the complexity of a functioning underground system like this seemed almost magical.
But this wasn't the time to marvel.
Rahman looked up at a ladder and grunted. "We're here. Let's just leave the crates. They'll pick them up themselves."
"Huh? What?" Aman blinked.
He was confused. "Wait, we're not going to meet them?"
"I'm not. If you want to, go ahead. I won't stop you."
Aman hesitated. "Actually... Never mind." He almost said something, but held it in.
Rahman looked at him. "Do you know why you're really here?"
Aman took a breath. Why was he here?
He'd been sent by the Major. Told to play the part of a spy. And Mei Lian... She was being used as leverage.
That was the problem.
"Actually... yeah. I'm starting to get confused how I ended up in all of this. Why didn't I just end up a normal civilian during the invasion? At first, I ran because that Jap soldier razed my village to the ground... and now I'm helping them?"
...
What?
None of this made any sense anymore.
He thought about it he'd just been doing whatever he was told.
Go to Kuala Lumpur. Play spy. Help the KMM.
But beyond that? Nothing.
Aman looked at Rahman, and suddenly, Rahman pulled a pistol and aimed it right at Aman's head.
Aman froze. The cold barrel pressed against his forehead.
It was Rahman.
"You know... I got your information because of a leak. One of the spies embedded in KMM. Those idiots... they give me a headache," Rahman muttered.
Aman's breath quickened. "Who are you?"
Rahman smiled darkly. "Let's just say I was something the British use to keep watch on all of you. Isn't that right, Carter?"
What?
That didn't make any sense.
Carter...
That name. A ghost.
"Well, nice to meet you again," a new voice said. Aman turned or tried to. A figure stepped out of the shadows.
Carter.
He smiled, casually patting Rahman on the back. "When Rahman said he found someone matching the description, I had a hunch. And look at that we meet again."
Aman's mind reeled. "I don't understand. How?"
"Well, let's not try to make it make sense. That would ruin the fun," Carter said.
He looked Aman dead in the eyes.
And then.
Darkness.
Aman collapsed, unconscious.