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墨書 Inktalez
Due to the cramped space in the Sealed Chamber, it was difficult to stretch out, but it was easy to climb and grab onto the back of the chair or other objects, allowing us to secure our bodies comfortably. Xiao Guolin and I leaned our heads together at the porthole and turned on the penlight.
A beam from the Flashlight shot straight out into the endless darkness. My heart tightened instantly.
The Flashlight trembled slightly in Xiao Guolin's hand, revealing his own nervousness. As I directed the light sideways, a mottled Brick Wall appeared before us. For some reason, I let out a sigh of relief, as if having a reference point allowed me to relax. In hindsight, I realized that my relief stemmed from not seeing anything terrifying, but this was only temporary; what you are meant to see will eventually appear before you, and such fateful things are inescapable and unavoidable.
Before us stood a massive Azure Brick Wall, constructed from bricks that resembled those of a city wall, much larger than modern construction bricks—wider than the length of contemporary bricks. The wall was built with flat bricks laid outward in a staggered pattern, indicating just how thick it was. As I shone the Flashlight up along the Brick Wall, its brightness gradually dimmed, failing to reach the top. Following the darkness above, I turned the light downwards and illuminated another side of the Brick Wall. The two sides were extremely close together; I felt they were even narrower than the diameter of an Escape Pod.
As I slowly illuminated this side of the Brick Wall, I noticed several distinct boundary lines running down from above. Then the Flashlight shone onto the Ground. The distant Ground was unclear, but the nearby Ground was almost within reach—no more than two meters away—allowing for a clear view.
The Ground was littered with debris: broken metal scraps, splintered wood, remnants of wooden furniture, stones, and sand. These must have fallen along with the Escape Pod. The sections of Ground not covered by debris revealed a smooth Azure Stone Floor. It was smooth yet uneven, with noticeable Erosion Marks on the Azure Stone Floor.
Xiao Guolin and I looked at each other and almost simultaneously exclaimed, "Drainage Ditch!?"
This was a remarkable discovery that could mean salvation. No matter how deep we were buried underground or how long this Drainage Ditch had been abandoned, both ends of the drainage pipe offered hope for escape. Most importantly, there might be air.
We had no time to marvel at this near-miraculous engineering feat by the Ancients. After carefully examining our visible surroundings once more, we decided that I would take this risk.
We had no answers regarding how deep we were underground, how long this Drainage Ditch had existed, or whether there were toxic gases present. Any extraordinary action would be a gamble and could potentially be fatal. Likewise, we didn't have time to wait; regardless of what conditions other Sealed Chambers faced, oxygen supplies were limited—no one could last until rescue arrived. Someone had to take this risk.
I took a deep breath; this might be my last breath of oxygen. I tried to relax and savor it before removing my Breathing Mask.
The air was very dry with a pungent smell reminiscent of quicklime; as it entered my lungs, it felt refreshing yet stimulating—as if my lungs had been scrubbed clean. I muttered under my breath in frustration, "It doesn't smell like a Drainage Channel; why does it have the scent of a morgue?"
Xiao Guolin heard this and quickly grabbed the Breathing Mask, pressing it onto my face. I caught his hand, saying, "I won't die; it's just too smelly and a bit irritating to my lungs."
Without hesitation, Xiao Guolin pulled out a thick mask from the emergency kit and handed it to me. I accepted it without refusal. In truth, our eyes had been exposed to the air without any severe reactions; I estimated that there wouldn't be any overly irritating gases here. My main concern was whether there was enough oxygen to sustain life. Now that I knew the air quality could support survival, I was ready to execute my plan.
I was willing to take the risk of testing the air quality here, not only because I felt somewhat assured but also because I had another thought in mind. I wanted to take advantage of the fact that no one had left the Sealed Chamber yet to go to the opposite Sealed Chamber and ask Cao Mingzhe what Li Squad Leader had said during the five minutes of communication before the other Sealed Chambers were closed. The communication system between Sealed Chambers could disconnect other chambers, meaning that people within the same chamber couldn't hide communication information.
I turned to Xiao Guolin and said, "Xiao Team, I'm going to check out another Sealed Chamber. You take care of this one." I gestured towards the soldier lying down.
"Be careful; I'll handle things here," Xiao Guolin replied, unaware of my intentions, his face filled with concern. His physical condition wasn't good enough to support any strenuous activity.
I nodded and reached up to grab the hatch door of the Sealed Chamber. I quickly turned the handwheel and lowered the hatch while peering inside; my hands and shoulders were now outside the Sealed Chamber.
The transition chamber was pitch black; clearly, its lighting had malfunctioned. However, as I looked at the hatch above me, my heart sank, feeling darker than the transition chamber itself.
The hatch across from me opened inward, revealing light inside. The narrow space was fully visible, but one person was missing—Song Guilong. I considered every possible scenario and even prepared myself for the worst outcome, but this situation exceeded my expectations. With a flashlight in hand, I shone it around the transition chamber; both ends of the doors were open, exposing dark spaces beyond. Doubting my own eyes, I had no choice but to make an unbelievable judgment: Song Guilong had left alone.
I didn't rush into the opposite Sealed Chamber; instead, I shouted desperately into the dark Drainage Ditch, "Song Guilong! Where are you? Why did you do this?" At that moment, I began to genuinely believe and contemplate Li Squad Leader's judgment. His questioning of Song Guilong before the incident wasn't unfounded. My voice echoed through the empty Drainage Ditch, but unfortunately, it wasn't met with Song Guilong's response.
I had no reason to wait any longer; in the opposite chamber above me were still two people who needed my help, and I couldn't determine which direction Song Guilong had gone. Running out aimlessly would not only waste precious time for rescuing the injured but could also put myself in danger. I refrained from making that impulsive and foolish choice; instead, I grasped the edge of the hatch leading into the opposite chamber and squeezed through.
The situation inside was even worse—truly shocking. The uppermost part of this Sealed Chamber was now deeply dented where a massive impact had occurred. Liu Squad Leader sat there; behind him was another chamber position that had been significantly crushed inward at his side where he sat. The dent was at his shoulder level, which appeared severely injured—the entire shoulder had collapsed. The side near the dent showed signs of trauma as well; his head was bleeding profusely with thick blood covering half his shirt. Fortunately, the blood on his wound had already coagulated into a thick scab; otherwise, he would have been finished by now.
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