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墨書 Inktalez
Following the flashlight's beam, I noticed a dark shadow on the smooth ground ahead, closely aligned with the vertical embankment beneath the road.
I widened my eyes and squinted, trying various angles to get a better look, and finally discerned that it was the shape of a boat. I turned to Liu Squad Leader and mouthed, "I can't see clearly. I'm going to take a closer look."
Liu Squad Leader responded with a nod, mouthing back, "Let's go together."
Xu Xinming nodded as well. He seemed oblivious to the danger, his expression one of excitement and eagerness.
Regardless of whether he was unaware of the danger or simply bold, I had no intention of letting him come with me. I believed that both traits were flaws when handling dangerous situations or addressing issues that required careful resolution.
I pointed at Liu Squad Leader, then at myself, extending two fingers forward. Then I pointed at him and mouthed, "You handle the lighting."
My message was clear, and Xu Xinming understood immediately, nodding in agreement.
I then mouthed to him: "Stay close but keep your distance."
With that, I crept along the embankment toward the shadowy shape of the boat. Liu Squad Leader followed closely behind me, maintaining a step's distance. As the shadow became clearer and I could distinctly make out the bow of the boat, I paused and nodded back at Liu Squad Leader: "It's a boat."
Liu Squad Leader displayed a nonchalant expression: "I see it. Let's go up."
I gently pulled back the gun's bolt and crouched as I approached the bow. The boat was positioned along the embankment; facing it, I realized it wasn't large—the raised part of the bow was lower than my height. I could see clearly that there were no protruding objects or canopy on it. Once near the hull, I stepped aside slightly to let Xu Xinming shine the flashlight on it. Upon seeing it clearly, I let out a sigh of relief.
When Zhao Squad Leader and Xu Xinming first came here, they had been so startled by the sight of this boat from afar that they chose to bypass it without getting close for a proper look.
This was actually an abandoned ship. The hull was decayed and riddled with holes, through which the interior of the cabin could be seen. For safety's sake, I called over Xu Xinming and had him carefully check everything with a flashlight.
Once he gave me the all-clear, I signaled to Zhao Squad Leader and the others who were following at a distance: the danger had passed.
The wood of this ship was very sturdy and thick; the keel was made of large square timbers, and the planks were two fingers thick. Given that such solid wood had decayed to this extent, it was clear that this ship had been abandoned for a long time.
Zhao Squad Leader approached and looked at the situation, his expression slightly embarrassed. "At that time, I was focused on finding water and didn't want to complicate things, so I didn't come closer to take a look. Further ahead is a pavement, quite large, it seems like an underground lake," he explained.
No one called him out on his earlier cowardice as we walked around the wooden ship and headed downwards. Soon, the flashlight illuminated the pavement ahead, its flickering light revealing the cold dampness in the air.
Before us lay a massive pavement; even with the flashlight set to its farthest reach, I couldn't see its end. The pavement was enormous, with slight waves lapping against the shore. I leaned in closer and noticed there was no foul smell coming from the water. We filled all our containers and retreated back to the wooden ship.
We needed a plan, and it quickly became clear that we all agreed on this point. Zhao Squad Leader's authority and control had diminished significantly; any decision now required Xiao Guolin's approval, while Xiao Guolin's ability to act relied heavily on my input. Therefore, any decision needed to be collectively discussed before passing.
Finding Song Guilong and understanding our surroundings was a desire shared by most of our group of six, so discussions quickly centered around this overarching premise.
Due to limited light sources, only one team could conduct the search at a time, and it had to include someone from the archaeology team—namely me. The discussion then turned to who would accompany me. Zhao Squad Leader preferred that Xu Xinming join me, but I immediately realized his intention: he wanted to reclaim my gun.
The only reason I still held onto my weapon was that Liu Squad Leader's injuries were severe enough that having it would be a burden for him, and I had been staying close by his side. As long as either of those conditions changed, Zhao Squad Leader would not hesitate to take back my firearm; I had no doubt about that.
Since the moment Liu Squad Leader took up the gun, I felt an overwhelming sense of distrust towards him. The conversation with Li Squad Leader, along with the five minutes of closed communication in other cabins, lingered in my mind, constantly troubling me. There was no way I would hand over the gun to him; that was a non-negotiable point for me.
I quickly shifted the topic to something that would capture Zhao Squad Leader's attention: "Before we search this space, we need to send someone to deliver water to the injured."
My words immediately changed the direction of our discussion. Based on the time elapsed, the soldiers left behind in the Escape Pod were nearing a critical point where their drinking water would run out. If we didn’t send water back in time, while they wouldn’t die of thirst, the despair could lead them to make poor judgments. If they decided not to wait any longer and scattered in search of water, or worse, fought over it due to desperation, it would be irreparable.
In this regard, Zhao Squad Leader had a strong sense of responsibility. He quickly abandoned his initial thoughts and arranged for personnel to return with water and news. The only candidates for this task were Xu Xinming or himself. He was worried about our comrades at the rescue pod, but he was even more concerned about us here—especially with a gun that shouldn’t belong to me in my hands, which kept him on edge. Analyzing the situation, it became clear that Xu Xinming was the only choice for returning with water.
Sure enough, Xu Xinming was soon confirmed as the one to go. The lighting equipment posed a significant problem; the Powerful Flashlight was connected to a shoulder-mounted Walkie-Talkie. Carrying such a bulky setup made it difficult to climb through any cracks, let alone carry a sufficient amount of water.
After thinking for a moment, I stood up and walked over to the damaged ship. I kicked hard at the decaying hull, and a piece of wood splintered off. Grabbing hold of the broken plank with both hands, I pulled forcefully outward. With a loud crack, I managed to break off a plank over a meter long.
Xiao Guolin suddenly jumped up. "Zhang Jianqiang! Do you know what you're doing? Do you have any idea how valuable this ship is archaeologically? You're destroying thousands of years of cultural relics!"
Xiao Guolin displayed an unusual level of agitation as he angrily grabbed my collar—specifically where my sleeping bag was cinched around my neck. I understood his anger, but I cared more about whether we could survive this ordeal. To me, life held far greater value than cultural relics—my life or anyone else's life mattered more than anything else.
What surprised me was Cao Mingzhe's reaction. As Xiao Guolin jumped up and roared, Cao Mingzhe sprang into action even more nimbly. He didn't roar or make any sound; he simply launched an attack on me.
He had no training in this regard, and his movements were clumsy and brutal as he charged at me with his fists raised.
Seeing the crazed expression on Cao Mingzhe's face, I quickly broke free from Xiao Guolin and dodged to the side. Zhao Squad Leader acted swiftly, rushing in from the side to grab hold of Cao Mingzhe. Upon seeing Cao Mingzhe's condition, Xiao Guolin had no choice but to temporarily let go of me and go over to calm him down.
I looked at Cao Mingzhe with lingering fear, thinking to myself: This guy has really become Xiao Guolin's dog.
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