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墨書 Inktalez
"How did they end up here?" Lin Lu whispered, her voice filled with confusion and unease as she leaned forward slightly to get a better look.
"Shh!" Lin Xuemin gently pulled Lin Lu back, signaling her to keep quiet, his eyes urging her to continue observing.
Chen Xue and Li Xue had not noticed them and were quietly conversing as they walked in their direction. Li Xue held a dim oil lamp in her hand, the flickering light casting shadows on their faces.
"Are you sure they came this way?" Chen Xue's voice was low, but there was a sinister edge to it that sent chills down the spine.
"I saw them with my own eyes; they headed this way," Li Xue nodded vigorously, her tone slightly obsequious. "It looked like they were carrying something mysterious."
"Hmph, they must have found some clues!" Chen Xue's voice was filled with jealousy and greed. "We cannot let them succeed!"
As they drew closer, Lin Lu could clearly see the fierce glint in Chen Xue's eyes. Her heart raced, and she instinctively tightened her grip on her brother's arm.
Lin Xuemin gently patted Lin Lu's hand, signaling her to stay calm, then turned to Yan Liming, silently asking for his opinion.
Yan Liming said nothing but shook his head slightly, indicating that it wasn't the right time to act. His gaze remained fixed on Chen Xue and Li Xue, a subtle chill flickering in his deep-set eyes.
Chen Xue and Li Xue stopped in front of a large tree. It seemed they had discovered something and began searching carefully.
"Damn it, they won't find us, will they?" Lin Lu's heart raced as she nervously watched every move of Chen Xue and Li Xue, her palms sweaty.
"Don't worry; they won't find us," Lin Xuemin reassured her in a low voice, confidence lacing his tone.
"We need to find a way to get out of here," Yan Liming said quietly, his gaze shifting to the bushes behind Chen Xue and Li Xue. "That might provide us with some cover."
Lin Xuemin and Lin Lu followed Yan Liming's gaze and noticed that the dense bushes could effectively conceal them.
"Alright, let's sneak past while they're not paying attention," Lin Xuemin decided firmly in a hushed tone.
He signaled for Lin Lu and Yan Liming to follow closely behind him, then crouched down and slowly began to back away. They tried their best to tread lightly, making no sound.
The moonlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled shadows on the ground. Three people moved cautiously in the dim light, as if engaged in a silent stealth game.
“Wait!” Yan Liming suddenly reached out to stop Lin Xuemin, lowering his voice as he said, “Be careful of traps!”
Lin Xuemin looked at him in confusion, about to ask when he saw Yan Liming crouch down and push aside the dense bushes, revealing a hidden Vine Trap beneath. The vines were cleverly arranged among the shrubs; if touched carelessly, they would ensnare one's legs, rendering them immobile.
“The production team really put a lot of thought into this,” Lin Xuemin remarked, gazing at the trap with admiration.
“Fortunately, you spotted it in time; otherwise, we would have been in trouble,” Lin Lu said, patting her chest with lingering fear and looking gratefully at Yan Liming.
Yan Liming smiled faintly without speaking, simply getting up and continuing to move forward. He deftly avoided one trap after another, as if he knew this forest like the back of his hand.
Lin Xuemin and Lin Lu closely followed behind Yan Liming, not daring to relax for a moment.
Suddenly, Yan Liming stopped in his tracks. He spun around sharply, shielding Lin Lu behind him while swiftly grabbing a vine that hung down from a tree.
That vine was connected to a simple Animal Trap; if Yan Liming had not noticed it in time, Lin Lu would have been caught and suspended in mid-air.
Seeing this, Lin Xuemin immediately stepped forward to help. The two worked together to dismantle the Animal Trap.
“How did you know there was a trap here?” Lin Xuemin asked Yan Liming, his eyes filled with curiosity.
“Intuition,” Yan Liming replied calmly. “Let’s go; we need to leave here quickly. They will catch up to us soon.”
Lin Xuemin wanted to ask more but seeing that Yan Liming was unwilling to elaborate, he decided against it.
The three continued onward, but Lin Xuemin's gaze toward Yan Liming now held an additional hint of inquiry.
Lin Xuemin withdrew her gaze and lowered her voice to Lin Lu and Yan Liming, saying, "We need to change our plan. Chen Xue and Li Xue have likely noticed the traces we deliberately left behind."
Upon hearing this, Lin Lu furrowed her brows in concern and asked, "What should we do now? Should we continue deeper into the mountains?"
Yan Liming pondered for a moment before suggesting, "No, we should head back to that abandoned mine." He pointed to an inconspicuous mark on the map.
"The mine?" Lin Xuemin looked at the map with a troubled expression. "But that mine is marked as sealed on the map. Won't it be dangerous for us to go in?"
"Rather than sit here and wait for trouble, it's better to take a risk," Yan Liming said firmly. "Trust me, that mine might help us shake off their pursuit."
Lin Lu and Lin Xuemin exchanged glances, seeing determination in each other's eyes. The three of them then changed their course and headed toward the abandoned mine marked on the map.
...
Chen Xue and Li Xue followed the traces left by Lin Lu and the others until they reached a fork in the road.
"Sister Xue, look!" Li Xue exclaimed excitedly, pointing at the messy footprints on the ground. "They must have taken this path. Let's hurry and chase after them!"
However, Chen Xue was not as optimistic as Li Xue. She crouched down to carefully examine the footprints on the ground, her brow slightly furrowed.
"This doesn't feel right," Chen Xue stood up, her tone serious. "These footprints are too deliberate, as if they were intentionally left to mislead us."
Li Xue paused for a moment, confused. "Sister Xue, are you saying they're playing tricks on us?"
Chen Xue didn't respond. She looked around and her gaze landed on a tree trunk not far away. There, etched into the bark with a knife, was a small "X" symbol.
Chen Xue walked over and gently traced the symbol with her fingers, a cold smile creeping onto her lips.
"As I suspected, they are up to something," Chen Xue turned around, her eyes icy. "Let's go that way!"
...
After a difficult trek, Lin Lu and the others finally found the abandoned mine marked on the map.
The entrance to the mine was concealed by dense vines; without a careful look, one would never notice there was an opening here.
"This is it," Yan Liming said as he reached out to push aside the vines, revealing a dark entrance.
A chill and damp air rushed out to greet them, causing Lin Lu to shiver involuntarily.
"Do we really have to go in?" Lin Lu asked, looking at the pitch-black opening with unease.
"Don't worry, I'll protect you," Lin Xuemin said, taking Lin Lu's hand and giving her a reassuring look.
Yan Liming took out a powerful flashlight and was the first to enter the mine. Lin Xuemin and Lin Lu followed closely behind, and the three of them disappeared into the darkness.
...
Chen Xue and Li Xue followed the guidance of the "X" symbol and arrived at an open forest area.
"Sister Xue, there's nothing here?" Li Xue looked around in confusion and asked.
Chen Xue remained silent as she walked to the center of the clearing, her gaze searching for something on the ground.
Suddenly, it seemed she had discovered something, and her eyes lit up.
"I found it!" Chen Xue exclaimed excitedly, pointing at an inconspicuous footprint on the ground. "They must have left from here!"
Li Xue looked in the direction Chen Xue was pointing but saw nothing.
"Sister Xue, what are you talking about? There's nothing here!" Li Xue asked in bewilderment.
Ignoring Li Xue, Chen Xue walked straight towards the footprint, a confident smile appearing on her lips.
"Lin Lu, let's see where you think you're running this time!" Chen Xue thought to herself as she quickened her pace.
Chen Xue followed the footprints without noticing anything unusual beneath her feet.
"Ah!"
Chen Xue suddenly felt her footing give way, and she lost her balance, screaming as she fell.
"Xue Jie!" Li Xue heard Chen Xue's scream and hurriedly ran toward the sound, but she could not see Chen Xue anywhere—only an empty space.
"Xue Jie! Where are you?" Li Xue shouted in panic, but all she heard was her own echo reverberating through the desolate forest.
Gathering her courage, Li Xue approached the spot where Chen Xue had disappeared and discovered a hole covered by dead branches and leaves. The hole was deep and emanated a chilling aura.
Li Xue's face turned pale with fear; she couldn't bear to imagine what would happen if Chen Xue fell down. All she could do was cry out helplessly.
...
Deep within the mine, Lin Lu and others were setting traps.
"Brother, do you think Chen Xue and the others will fall for it?" Lin Lu asked while helping to move stones.
"Don't worry, I've carefully observed the terrain. As long as they follow the marks I've left, they will definitely fall into the trap," Lin Xuemin replied confidently.
"That's good to hear." Lin Lu sighed in relief. "This time we must teach them a lesson so they know we're not to be trifled with!"
"Mm." Lin Xuemin nodded, a glint of coldness flashing in his eyes.
Yan Liming watched the busy siblings from the side, hesitating to speak.
"What's wrong?" Lin Lu noticed Yan Liming's expression and asked.
"Nothing," Yan Liming shook his head. "I just feel like what we're doing might be a bit..."
"A bit what?" Lin Lu pressed on.
"Nothing, I was just saying it casually," Yan Liming didn't continue; he didn't want to dampen everyone's spirits.
Seeing that Yan Liming didn't want to talk, Lin Lu stopped asking. She turned to the depths of the cave and asked, "Brother, should we go further inside?"
"Yes, the map shows that there is an exit deep in the cave; we can leave from there," Lin Xuemin said as he picked up a powerful flashlight and walked deeper into the cave.
Lin Lu and Yan Liming followed behind, and the three continued to delve into the cave.
...
"Brother, look!" Lin Lu exclaimed, pointing ahead.
Lin Xuemin and Yan Liming looked in the direction Lin Lu was pointing and saw a glimmer of light deep within the cave.
The three quickened their pace towards the light.
As they got closer, the brightness intensified until they arrived at a massive cavern.
The cavern was filled with glowing moss, illuminating the entire space as if it were daytime.
"Wow! It's so beautiful!" Lin Lu couldn't help but exclaim.
"This is incredible!" Yan Liming was also stunned by the sight before them.
Only Lin Xuemin frowned, feeling that there was something eerie about this cave.
"Be careful, there might be danger here," Lin Xuemin warned.
"What danger?" Lin Lu asked.
Lin Xuemin did not answer. He walked to the center of the cave, carefully observing the surroundings.
Suddenly, he seemed to discover something, and his expression changed.
"What’s wrong?" Lin Lu noticed Lin Xuemin's demeanor and asked.
"Look!" Lin Xuemin pointed to the ground and said in a low voice.
Lin Lu and Yan Liming looked down and saw that the ground was covered with chaotic footprints. These footprints varied in size and depth, clearly not made by humans.
"What kind of footprints are these?" Yan Liming squatted down, shining his flashlight on the prints, his brow furrowing in concern.
Lin Xuemin shook his head, his expression serious. "I don't know, but they definitely don't belong to anything good." As he spoke, he scanned the cave's surroundings, vigilantly observing any changes in the environment.
The cave was very quiet; they could only hear their own breathing and heartbeats. A chill rose from Lin Lu's feet, and she instinctively moved closer to Lin Xuemin.
"Brother..." Lin Lu's voice trembled slightly.
"Don't be afraid, I'm here," Lin Xuemin said, patting Lin Lu's shoulder and offering a gentle reassurance. He turned to Yan Liming and asked in a serious tone, "Have you found anything?"
Yan Liming stood up and shook his head. "No, it's too quiet here, unnaturally quiet."
"We should leave here quickly," Lin Lu suggested anxiously.
Lin Xuemin nodded, about to speak when suddenly, a faint cry for help echoed from deep within the cave.
"Help... help..."
The three exchanged glances, seeing surprise and confusion reflected in each other's eyes.
"It sounds like someone is calling for help!" Lin Lu exclaimed.
"Let's go check it out!" Lin Xuemin decisively led the way toward the direction of the sound.
Lin Lu and Yan Liming followed closely behind as they navigated through a pile of rubble and arrived at a narrow passageway.
The cries for help were coming from deep within the passage.
"Sister Xue? Is that you?" Li Xue's voice came from deeper in the passage, tinged with a hint of sobbing.
"It's Li Xue's voice!" Lin Lu gasped. "How did she end up here?"
"Never mind that for now; let's go inside and see!" Lin Xuemin said as he bent down and crawled into the passage.
Lin Lu and Yan Liming followed him in.
The passage was narrow, allowing only one person to pass through, and the light was dim, forcing them to feel their way forward.
"Xue Jie, where are you?" Li Xue's voice grew closer.
"I'm here!" a weak voice responded.
Lin Xuemin quickened his pace and finally reached the end of the passage.
It opened into a more spacious cave, where Chen Xue was trapped under a large rock, unable to move. Her face was pale, and her forehead was covered in cold sweat.
Li Xue stood anxiously beside her, feeling helpless.
"Xue Jie, how are you?" Seeing Chen Xue's condition made Li Xue's eyes well up with tears.
"I'm fine, just my leg is pinned down, I can't move," Chen Xue said, enduring the pain.
"I'll help you!" Lin Xuemin declared as he stepped forward to try to lift the heavy rock.
"Wait!" Yan Liming suddenly called out to stop him. "That rock is too heavy; you can't move it alone. Let's all help!"
Lin Xuemin nodded, and the three of them worked together to finally lift the boulder off Chen Xue.
Chen Xue was free at last. She looked gratefully at Lin Lu and the others and said, "Thank you for saving me."
"No need to thank us; it was just a small effort," Lin Lu replied.
"Yeah, we just happened to pass by," Yan Liming added.
Only Lin Xuemin remained silent, vigilantly observing the surroundings.
"Strange, where did those footprints go?" Lin Xuemin muttered to himself.
"What footprints?" Chen Xue asked.
"Nothing," Lin Xuemin shook his head and said no more.
"We should hurry and leave this place; it's too dangerous here," Lin Lu suggested.
"Yeah, let's go," Chen Xue nodded in agreement.
So, the five of them retraced their steps, preparing to leave the eerie cave.
Just as they were about to exit the passage, a deafening roar suddenly echoed from deep within the cave, causing the entire cavern to tremble.
The five of them turned pale and instinctively looked back.
In the depths of the cave, a massive shadow slowly emerged...
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