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墨書 Inktalez
The waves were growing increasingly tumultuous, and Seven's focus sharpened.
Suddenly, a splash broke the surface, revealing a head bobbing up from the depths. As it swam closer, Seven rubbed his eyes and realized it was Third, who was desperately thrashing in the water while holding onto someone.
Reacting quickly, Seven dove into the water without bothering to remove his clothes, sending a spray of water high into the air.
In just a few movements, Seven reached Third's side. The situation looked dire; Third seemed exhausted. Taking First from Third's grasp, Seven immediately began swimming back. After a while, he noticed there was no commotion behind him. Turning around, he saw Third still in place, watching them without moving.
"Third, why aren't you coming?" Seven called out. Third wiped his face with one hand and replied weakly, "You need to get Big Brother to shore and take care of him. I still have some matters to resolve. If I don't show up after a while, you should find a way out of here. Don't linger too long."
With that, Third vanished back into the swirling waters. Seven shouted, "Third! The surface is calm now; there are no more splashes!" He called out several more times.
Reluctantly, he dragged First back toward the shore; First had also lost consciousness by this point.
Once on land, Seven was taken aback by First's injuries. First's legs were completely wrapped in a yellowing military jacket, and his face was devoid of color—likely due to excessive blood loss. As Seven turned First onto his back, he noticed a wide white bandage covering an injury on his back; he could faintly see the width and depth of the wound through the fabric, which was stained with blood. The soaking from the water had made First's injuries even more concerning.
Seven first helped First remove his soaked clothing before re-tending to his wounds. When he unwrapped the bandage, the sight was horrifying—especially on First's legs, where dozens of gaping wounds marred his flesh. There were also injuries on his back. Seven sprayed some alcohol on the wounds; First instinctively twitched in response. Then Seven tore off strips from his own pants to bandage First properly. After finishing everything, he sighed and wiped the sweat from his brow.
After a moment, First began to tremble uncontrollably, his lips quivering. "He can't be getting a fever," Seven thought anxiously as he searched for anything to start a fire.
His gaze wandered until it landed on a nearby pavilion. There was no other choice; with two severely injured individuals here, he couldn't afford to go far. Reluctantly, he decided to dismantle part of the pavilion again.
This time, Seven was careful and only took wood from a few seats without disturbing anything else. Once he managed to start a fire, he moved First closer and brought Second over as well. Out of the four who entered, two were gravely injured, and one had not returned.
Using his dagger, Seven poked at the flames while the clothes drying nearby gradually warmed up. First stopped trembling as the fire grew larger and brighter; however, as it began to dwindle down to glowing embers emitting smoke, Second stirred awake. Rubbing his eyes groggily and feeling sore all over, Second exclaimed in shock, "What the hell? How did we end up back here?"
Seven replied calmly, "No worries; I carried you back."
Second felt a sense of relief as he caught sight of First lying on the ground and immediately walked over, asking, "Big Brother, what happened?" Seven replied, "When Third saved First, Big Brother was injured like this."
Seven continued, "Big Brother will be fine." Second's heart sank a little as he examined First's injuries before feeling reassured. He then asked, "Where is Third?"
Seven said, "Third mentioned he had unfinished business and told us to wait here for him." Second grew anxious again and asked, "What is Third's condition right now?"
He was also injured and not in good shape. How could you let Third go off alone? Seven hurriedly explained, "They surfaced from the water. After I brought Big Brother to shore, Third dove back into the water. I couldn't stop him in time."
Second repeated, "You said they came up from the pond?" Seven nodded.
For a moment, Second was speechless, unsure of what to say. He began to worry about Third's safety. Seven reassured him, "Don't worry, Second, Third will be fine."
Second casually replied, "Who cares about him." It was an irrelevant response that made Seven stifle a laugh and cough a few times. The two fell into silence as the fire crackled softly in the darkness until it eventually went out. The dim light that remained barely illuminated their surroundings.
First was still unconscious, and there was no news from Third. Second ran off to gather some wood. He had some doubts about that pavilion, so he only collected a little. The flames reignited but soon turned to ashes again in a cycle until finally, First woke up.
As soon as First regained consciousness, he asked, "Where's Third? Is he okay?" Second and Seven gathered around him. After Seven recounted the events to First, he complained, "Third, how could you be so reckless!" He slammed his fist on the ground and asked, "Did Third leave any instructions?"
Seven replied, "Third told us to wait here for him. If he doesn't return after some time, we should leave first."
Second urged, "Big Brother, there's no need to worry. I'll go find Third, and I'll bring him back safely." But First, sternly reprimanded him, "Don't be foolish; we wait here as Third instructed."
Stopping in his tracks, Second sat down on the ground. First continued, "How long has it been since Third left?"
Seven answered, "We've burned several piles of wood already." After hearing this, First had a rough idea of the time that had passed.
"Third said to wait here; then we will wait," said First, feeling somewhat despondent.
The three fell silent once again. The waiting time was the most agonizing; they frequently glanced toward the pond, hoping for any sign of movement.
But it always disappointed them. The water in the pond lay still, like a stagnant pool, unable to stir even a little. Seven gave First a questioning look, and First calmly replied, "Let's keep waiting."
Second stared eagerly at the surface of the water. The surroundings grew quiet again, so quiet that they could almost hear each other's breathing. Time passed in segments. First slowly stood up, gazed intently at the water's surface, and finally sighed, saying, "Pack your things; we need to leave immediately." First's tone was crisp and decisive.
Second said, "What if we wait a bit longer?" First reiterated his previous words with more emphasis. Seven quickly gathered their belongings and glanced at the water again, as if sensing some movement. Straining his eyes, Seven finally confirmed, "There's something happening in the water!"
First and Second immediately turned their attention to the surface. The water began to churn violently, the waves growing larger. As expected, Third emerged from the depths, blood mingling with the water and staining the area around him red. Sensing danger, Second rushed to the water's edge, poised to jump in.
But Third shouted with all his strength from the water, "Second, don't come down!" Second ignored him; his brother was in trouble, and he couldn't just stand by. As he prepared to leap in, First grabbed Second's arm with all his might, beads of sweat forming on his forehead—he was gravely injured.
Third continued to struggle in the water, the area tainted by blood expanding further. Second paced anxiously back and forth. Finally, it seemed Third had shaken off something and began swimming toward the shore. However, exhaustion quickly set in; feeling weak, Third bit down hard on his own tongue to jolt himself awake.
Third swam faster toward the shore, blood trailing behind him. As he neared the bank, Second jumped into the water and pulled Third out. Seven came over to help as well. Second shouted, "Get Third onto my back!"
Third lay on Second's back and whispered faintly, "Run... run..." His voice gradually faded into a mere murmur. Second immediately took off toward the shore while Seven followed closely behind. Once they reached safety, Third continued to whisper urgently, "Don't stop... we have to leave here." Second pressed on while shouting, "Seven! Get our brother on your back! Hurry!"
Without hesitation, Seven lifted First onto his back before First could say anything. The four of them ran together; blood continued to flow from Third without stopping. They dashed into a cave in a panic and ran deep into darkness. After they left, a column of water shot up from the pond before receding as if unwilling to let go.
Seven carried First while following Second closely behind. Watching the blood drip continuously from Third's body, Seven said urgently, "We can't keep going like this; otherwise Third will die."
First added, "Put me down quickly; we need to tend to Third's wounds." Second halted cautiously and gently lowered Third from his back.
Third instinctively tightened his grip as First slowly pulled aside Third's tattered clothing. Blood gushed out like a broken dam surrounding him, flowing freely into the open air under the flickering light of a torch; it was as red as seductive roses. At that moment, only Second's pants remained relatively intact among them.
Second was not hesitant at all; he quickly rolled up his pant legs and bandaged Third's wounds. The bleeding gradually slowed down, but Third had several fatal wounds and some that exposed bone. Once everything was wrapped up, the group let out a sigh of relief. First said, "The injuries Third sustained are too severe. Whether he can wake up depends on him." The mood among them was somber. Seven remarked, "If Third wakes up on his own, he will definitely recover." No one responded to this.
First instructed, " Seven, check the surroundings. Second, keep an eye on Third."
Seven acknowledged and prepared to leave, but First hesitated for a moment and added, "I'll go with you."
With their roles assigned, this time Second did not argue about who would go first; their current situation was dire as they faced the trials of life and death.
Third remained in a deep sleep while Second stayed by his side, waiting. After Seven and First left, the area fell silent once more.
After a while, First and Seven returned. Seven spoke up, "The intersections here are all similar; trying to find a way out is simply 'difficult'." First frowned but remained silent.
Continuing, Seven said, "The terrain here is incredibly complex," and sighed heavily.
First asked, "Is there any chance of getting out?" At that moment, Seven uttered words that filled everyone with despair: "There may not even be an exit left for us here."
A heaviness settled in First's heart, yet he forced himself to pat Seven on the shoulder and said, "There will definitely be an exit. I believe in your abilities." When Seven met First's determined gaze, he nodded in agreement. First added, "Let's not tell Second about the situation here." Seven agreed.
Returning to their previous starting point, Second asked, "What did you find out?"
First replied, "Once Third recovers a bit more, we will leave this place."
A glimmer of hope flashed in Second's eyes as he cheerfully said, "Finally, we can leave this cursed place."
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