Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
I sat in the middle of the second row with Xiao Guolin and Liu Squad Leader, the atmosphere tense and oppressive. We needed to determine the last known location of Song Guilong. There was no time to figure this out back at Bunker One; we had to do it now. We continuously cross-checked the positions with the soldier who had seen Song Guilong, and finally reached a consensus on where he had last been seen and the direction he was heading.
Xiao Guolin and I exchanged a silent glance. Based on this location and direction, it seemed most likely that Song Guilong was headed towards the Excavation Pit where the ruins were discovered. Both of us were filled with questions; I simply couldn't fathom what he intended to retrieve.
Xiao Guolin sat by the window, facing the direction of the approaching Black Sandstorm. We had been focused on verifying various pieces of information, our minds intensely concentrated, momentarily forgetting our fear of the Sandstorm. But when I looked towards Xiao Guolin, the scene outside his window made my heart skip a beat. I didn't need to experience the dangers of the Sandstorm firsthand; just seeing this was enough.
The Black Sandstorm appeared to be still far away, its presence not yet felt, but the dark line at the edge had transformed into a low wall, as black as ink—straight and contrasting sharply with the ground's color, creating a clear boundary like an ink-soaked brushstroke across the earth. The air was deathly silent, without a hint of wind; the dust kicked up by our vehicle hung in the air like a yellow dragon that refused to dissipate.
The wind pouring in through the car window lashed against my face like a whip. A scorching whip, with hot air that did nothing to raise my body temperature. I felt a layer of sweat forming on my skin—cold sweat, just like my heart felt cold. Those who have worked in the desert for long periods rarely sweat; I hadn't perspired for nearly half a month. This was my body’s way of self-regulating to retain moisture. Now, I was sweating, and an inexplicable fear settled over me.
Without needing to look in a mirror, I knew how pale my face must be. Xiao Guolin didn’t turn to look outside; his expression remained neutral as he gazed at me. "I'm going; this Black Sandstorm is quite severe."
"How long will it take to get there?" My voice wavered slightly as I asked.
"It's hard to say. But that's not what's important; what matters is how much time we take," Xiao Guolin replied without turning around, calm but devoid of his usual lighthearted tone. "What we can control is our time; it is not under our control."
His words translated in my mind as: Understood.
I knew that today's decision was impulsive and beyond my capabilities. Yet, given my nature, if I could start over from scratch, I would still make the same choice. I found it difficult to watch my teammates in danger and remain indifferent. I referred to this trait of mine as an excess of responsibility.
The vehicle sped through the desert. As we burst through the Camouflage Net, we spotted two soldiers from the Guard Company waiting for us. They had already received orders from One Commander, with Li Squad Leader in charge on-site.
The two soldiers quickly reported their search findings to Li Squad Leader. This guard unit consisted of six members who had already searched various locations: the Archaeology team's base, Engineer's base, dining hall and its associated warehouses, Guard Company's base, and command center—all without any discoveries. Currently, four soldiers from Guard Company were searching separately at Materials Scientist's base and construction site, power station, Lifting System control room, on-site supply depot, and vehicle team base. They had agreed that any discoveries would be reported by gunfire. The two soldiers waited here for Li Squad Leader's instructions.
As they spoke, Li Squad Leader did not stop for a moment. He got off the vehicle and headed straight towards the last known location of Song Guilong. Upon arrival, a soldier pointed in the direction where Song Guilong had gone, and we instinctively split up to run towards the three Excavation Pits in that direction.
Xiao Guolin and I formed a team and arrived at one of the Excavation Pits. Although it was deep, it was clear at a glance that aside from a few tools left behind from the construction, there was no one in sight. The low walls on one side of the Excavation Pit obstructed some visibility, but they were not enough to hide a person. To be safe, Xiao Guolin and I called out Song Guilong's name as we circled around the Excavation Pit, only to give up in disappointment after finding nothing.
The other two Excavation Pits were even cleaner, with no obstructions at all. As soon as we regrouped, we immediately split into teams to search the remaining Test Pits. The distance between the Test Pits was considerable, and we tirelessly ran from one Test Pit to another until we had searched them all. When we finally reconvened at the designated location, fatigue washed over us—a fatigue of the heart. When four soldiers from the Guard Company completed their search of the designated target and returned empty-handed, Li Squad Leader dejectedly reported the results back to headquarters.
After a few seconds of silence, a hoarse voice came through the Walkie-Talkie from One Commander: "Come back; retreat to Bunker One immediately."
Two off-road vehicles burst out from under the Camouflage Net and sped towards the Yadan Landform Group. The Guard Company's vehicle led the way while ours followed closely behind in the swirling dust. No one on board spoke; I felt an intense pressure building inside me, as if I might go mad from this oppressive silence.
Not long after leaving the Camouflage Net, the lead off-road vehicle suddenly shook violently before rolling over sideways and tumbling far across the sandy ground. Li Squad Leader slammed on the brakes, and all four doors flew open simultaneously as everyone jumped out of the vehicle and ran towards the overturned car.
I was seated in the middle and could not get out quickly enough to pass others. By the time I jumped down, everyone else had already run ahead. I followed closely behind for a few steps when Xiao Guolin suddenly stopped. Thinking he could not go on any longer, I rushed over to support him. However, Xiao Guolin ignored me; he looked up for a moment and muttered something nonsensical: "I can't run anymore."
The faster soldiers had already reached the scene of the overturned vehicle and were dragging people out from inside. Frustrated, I shouted at Xiao Guolin, "Everyone else has made it over; why can't you?"
It was Li Squad Leader who answered me instead. He too had stopped abruptly like Xiao Guolin. But rather than looking around, he raised his arms with his hands extended out to his sides, fingers slightly spread apart. He maintained this stillness similar to Xiao Guolin's state. His response—perhaps more to himself—was simply: "I can't run anymore."
I felt an overwhelming shock at this shared sentiment between these two individuals from different realms. My first instinct was that something was wrong with both of them.
Xiao Guolin pulled his gaze back from the void and looked at me with a smile that was more painful than tears. "There's wind; can you feel it?"
Yes, a breeze brushed against my face, cool and refreshing.
"This is not the wind of the desert. This wind comes from hell." Xiao Guolin's tone was calm, yet colder than the wind itself.
Comment 0 Comment Count