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墨書 Inktalez
The Ancient Script on the wall was arranged in three horizontal rows, but it wasn't carved; it was written in black ink.
Third stared at the words on the wall, recalling the translated phrase he had seen in the depths of the swamp: "Those not of my kin shall die." From the previously discovered Ancient Script, he could only recognize the word "kin," while the rest remained a mystery.
Suddenly, a thought flashed through Third's mind—was that a change in the text? It transformed into a large seal script. He rubbed his eyes vigorously, and the words returned to their original form. Was it just an illusion?
Approaching the wall, Third reached out to touch the writing. An odd occurrence happened; one of his hands sank into the wall. Startled, he quickly pulled his hand back.
At that moment, Second shouted, "Who is it?" and quickly ran outside. Seven followed suit. Third snapped back to reality and saw Seven's figure rushing out as well. Without hesitation, Wang Er Gou followed them. After they all disappeared, a figure returned to the ancient temple and erased the Ancient Script from the wall.
Second was running ahead. Due to the dense forest in the mountains, the figure that had appeared earlier vanished in a few swift movements. Cursing under his breath, Second stopped in his tracks. Seven caught up and asked, "Did you see what that person looked like, Second?"
"I couldn't tell if it was human or ghost."
The two who had stopped ahead suddenly realized something. They turned back and ran toward the temple. Meanwhile, Wang Er Gou, seeing Third rushing back, felt puzzled.
When they regrouped with Second and Seven, he asked, "Why did Brother Yu run back?" The other two quickly understood and dashed back without answering Wang Er Gou.
Still dazed, Wang Er Gou snapped back to attention when Second called out to him and immediately chased after them.
Upon reaching the ancient temple, they found it was too late. Third stood dazed in front of the wall, staring at the chaotic remnants of what had once been recognizable writing.
He touched the wall again, but the strange phenomenon of his hand sinking into it did not occur this time.
Looking at the wall, Seven said, "We must have fallen for a diversion tactic. There’s likely a secret here that shouldn’t be seen."
Third continued to gaze at the wall.
Wang Er Gou echoed Seven's sentiment: "Now we’ve lost our lead."
"Not necessarily," Third replied thoughtfully. "I discovered another clue within this ancient temple—one that he definitely did not destroy just now."
Everyone turned to look at Third, who quickly exchanged a knowing glance with Seven.
"Seven" felt reassured and asked, "Third, what clues have you discovered?" "Third" replied solemnly, "It's not the right time to discuss this. We are being watched; we will act tonight."
The other two looked at them, confused by their exchange. Just as "Second" was about to speak, "Third" casually made a shushing gesture. He added, "Everyone should rest now; we will move tonight."
Understanding the situation, they all sat down in the ancient temple to rest, eating their rations and drinking Mountain Spring Water.
Meanwhile, someone hiding in a corner of the temple quietly withdrew.
"Wang Er Gou" took a sip of Mountain Spring Water and said, "This spring water is quite strange; the more I drink, the more energized I feel." Among the four, "Wang Er Gou" was the oldest and had the weakest physical condition.
The others did not seem to notice any significant effects. "Second" remarked, " Er Gou, are you seeing things?" "Wang Er Gou" couldn't be sure if his feelings were real and fell silent.
However, "Third" quietly responded, "Brother Wang's feeling is not mistaken; this Mountain Spring Water contains a special energy that can invigorate one's spirit."
"I've felt something similar before; you all have too, just not as pronounced as Brother Wang," he continued.
"Seven" nodded and added, "It might be because Er Gou's physical condition is worse than ours, so he feels it more acutely." "Third" nodded in agreement.
"Second" said, "If what you say is true, then I should drink more." With that, he grabbed the water jug and started pouring it into his cup.
"Third" cautioned, "This water isn't beneficial in excess; just enough to replenish your energy is sufficient."
Hearing this warning, "Second" choked on his drink and exclaimed, "Why didn't you say that earlier?"
"Third" innocently replied, "You didn't give me a chance to say it!"
With a slight blush on his face, "Second" muttered to himself, "That's true." Seeing "Second's" flustered expression, "Seven" chuckled a few times, prompting an annoyed retort from "Second." Time passed in this manner.
As night approached, "Third" had already laid out the mission plan. Tonight, they must capture that bastard. "Second" said with resentment.
During the day, everything that "Third" had said was merely a cover to draw out the person who had been obstructing them earlier so they could seize him when the opportunity arose.
Now, the most significant clue that "Third" mentioned was about capturing that person tonight.
That night, everyone held their breath, shining flashlights as they searched the temple. They created a false impression, making those hidden in the shadows believe they had uncovered the secrets of this place.
Suddenly, Second shouted deliberately, "Here!"
A shadow was cast on the wall, resembling a ghostly figure, clawing and flailing. The sudden appearance startled several of them.
Second reacted quickly and fired a few shots at the ghostly figure, but to his surprise, it dodged. With a shriek, Second ran away as the dark shadow lunged at him.
Damn it, there’s a ghost! Second shouted. Sure enough, after a moment, the ghostly figure emitted a terrifying sound, like the howling wind passing through a narrow alley at night.
The others were drawn in by Second's cries. Third fired several shots at the shadow, but it evaded them as well. Taking advantage of a brief moment to catch his breath, Second escaped to the top of the Altar.
The eerie shadow seemed enraged, but the flashlights of the group could not consistently capture its position; it vanished into the darkness in an instant.
Now we are in the light while the enemy lurks in the dark.
Second stood atop the Altar, scanning his surroundings with his flashlight. He dared not make a sound, gripping his weapon tightly and ready for anything.
Second called out, "Is everyone okay?" After receiving affirmative responses, he felt a bit more at ease. "Everyone gather around the Altar, so we can keep an eye on each other."
Hearing his voice, they cautiously moved toward the Altar. Just as they were about to regroup, the shadow reappeared and lunged at Second. Caught off guard while speaking, he was suddenly engulfed by the shadow with a scream.
Seeing Second lifted into the air sent everyone rushing over in panic. They heard several gunshots before the shadow vanished again.
Second fell to the ground, his flashlight broken. The others feared he was hurt and quickly surrounded him. To their relief, he rolled over and exclaimed, "Damn it! If that’s a ghost, I’ll turn you into Swiss cheese!"
Seeing Second still full of spirit reassured them.
They all moved up to the Altar. Second said, "Damn it, that was really a ghost. I saw its face clearly just now; it scared half my life away."
Seven asked uncertainly, "Is it really a ghost, Second?"
With conviction, Second replied, "No doubt about it. I saw its features clearly; it didn’t even have a face. I shot at it several times and didn’t see any blood."
Seven felt a twinge of panic at Second's cryptic words.
Wang Er Gou unconsciously tightened his grip on his firearm, cursing, "Damn it, could we really be facing a ghost?"
Now only three flashlights remained lit. The shadow had vanished again. If it were to suddenly reappear, they feared they wouldn't be able to react in time. Third suggested, "Let's back up against each other! Be careful of its ambush."
However, after a long while, the shadow still did not show itself. Just when everyone thought it wouldn’t appear, a gust of wind swept through, and the shadow reemerged.
This time it was different; it floated towards them like a ghost, moving slowly. The group instinctively opened fire at the shadow, but it did not stop and continued to drift closer.
Damn it, Seven truly began to believe in ghosts now; was his scientific worldview about to be overturned? Even Third felt a flicker of doubt. Suddenly, he shouted, "Are you human or ghost?" The abruptness of his voice startled everyone, even causing the shadow to pause momentarily.
In an instant, Third saw through the ruse and said, "It's not a ghost; we need to capture it quickly."
The shadow seemed to understand Third's intent. It hesitated and stopped mid-air. Soon, the group positioned themselves beneath the shadow, ready to fire.
But at that moment, Third noticed something peculiar: the flashlight beam passed through the shadow and illuminated the beams of an ancient temple above. Seven's heart sank as if he had fallen into an icy abyss.
He murmured, "This really is a ghost."
Third realized it too. "Damn it, could we really have encountered a ghost?" Now standing beneath the shadow, they dared not make any sudden movements.
"This is truly like lambs walking into a tiger's den," Second remarked.
What puzzled them was that the shadow remained still; they stood frozen in place.
It seemed that saying "If the enemy doesn't move, I won't move" had come true as the four stood in a standoff with the shadow.
"Looks like this is the end for us," Wang Er Gou said.
Minutes passed in silence as they remained motionless. Suddenly, Third sensed something was off. He took a few steps back and noticed that the shadow above them began to disperse. Gradually, Third distanced himself from the group, and part of the shadow vanished.
Then they saw that Second's flashlight had somehow turned on while lying on the ground, casting their shadows upward.
After explaining the situation, they realized it was just a false alarm and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. "I thought I was going to meet the King of Hell today! Damn it, I actually scared myself. What a shame," Second said.
The group separated again, and Second picked up the flashlight. "Wang Er Gou, I'll go find some firewood outside," he said, and Seven, feeling it might not be safe, decided to go with him.
Once they returned with the firewood, they lit a fire and turned off the flashlight. While the flashlight was useful, it didn't last long.
As the fire grew larger, its light illuminated an increasingly wide area. "Damn it! I scared myself," Second exclaimed, then added, "But that shadow we saw earlier was definitely a ghost."
"Second, it really didn't have any facial features!" Third interjected.
Second confirmed this. "Wang Er Gou suggested, "Could it be a Wandering Ghost? One that wasn't guided to the afterlife during its lifetime and whose soul hasn't entered the King of Hell's hall yet?"
Listening to this, Second seemed to think it might actually be true.
"Today's mission has failed; we didn't catch anyone but ended up provoking a ghost." It seemed like their leads were about to run dry again.
Third stood up to check if there were any strange shadows left in the ancient temple.
He walked up to the Altar and recalled how Second had fired several shots at the shadow before being swept into the air and falling down. Why had it only targeted Second from the beginning? Since the shadow appeared, it had only attacked him. Third voiced this confusion, and they all realized that what had happened earlier was indeed as he described.
Second also came to this realization and said, "So that means, damn it, it really only targeted me!"
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