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墨書 Inktalez
We sat side by side on the Embankment, facing the dark expanse of the Pavement, our feet dangling over the edge. Behind us, a Flashlight beam cut through the darkness between us, illuminating the endless Pavement. The light reflected off the surface, creating shimmering spots like stars twinkling in the night sky. Yet, at that moment, I felt no sense of beauty; instead, it struck me as eerie, mysterious, or grand—just not beautiful. Perhaps my mood at the time was to blame.
The silence was terrifying; even the gentle lapping of water against the Embankment sounded unnaturally loud. Liu Squad Leader and I silently chewed on our rations, clearly hearing each other’s crunching and swallowing. There was no communication between us unless passing the water bottle could be considered a form of exchange. We both freely indulged in our own thoughts, allowing time to slip away in silence.
After about twenty minutes, Liu Squad Leader suddenly exclaimed, “What is that?”
I strained to look into the distance where a massive creature appeared in the Flashlight’s beam. It resembled a gigantic water snake, with a cylindrical body as thick as an adult's arm, rising straight out of the Pavement. Its height above the water exceeded five meters, tapering sharply near its head and twisting with remarkable agility.
In an instant, I jumped up and quickly grabbed my Walkie-Talkie, adjusting the light to its maximum setting. The creature became clear in an instant. My movement seemed to startle it; as the light brightened suddenly, it vanished without a sound, just as abruptly as it had appeared.
I continued to scan for it with the Flashlight when Liu Squad Leader shouted, “Get down!” and lunged toward me.
It was so sudden that I had no idea what was happening. Facing the Pavement, Liu Squad Leader pushed me sideways to the ground. My first instinct wasn’t to consider any danger but to protect my Walkie-Talkie. This device was crucial for us; its communication capabilities and powerful illumination were our greatest assurance for survival and rescue. In that split second of falling, I twisted my body to land heavily on the ground. To protect my Powerful Flashlight, I raised it with one hand to prevent it from hitting the ground. However, since I couldn’t use both hands simultaneously, I lost control of my body as I fell and was propelled toward the embankment.
Desperately gripping the edge of the Embankment with one hand, I tried to control my sliding inertia. Yet the force pushing me toward the Pavement didn’t dissipate; as I slid toward the water below while trying to regain control, my Walkie-Talkie was pulled by inertia along with me toward the Pavement. A wave of true despair washed over me—I thought I would fall into the water in a daze.
Just then, a hand grabbed mine holding the Powerful Flashlight and yanked me back with great force. “Turn off the Flashlight,” came Liu Squad Leader’s urgent voice.
I fumbled to switch off the Flashlight and pressed myself against the Cave Wall on the ground. It had been so chaotic that I wasn’t sure what had happened; all I knew was that Liu Squad Leader had nearly pushed me into the water before pulling me back up—what on earth was going on? Besides my heart pounding like a drum, everything around us was as silent as a grave. I wanted to shout out in frustration and ask Liu Squad Leader what was happening; I even wanted to directly ask him if he had lost his mind!
Liu Squad Leader was right behind me; his heavy breathing filled with fear made my own heart race with anxiety, preventing me from acting rashly. Suddenly, I felt water trickling down from above; half of my body pressed against the Cave Wall became damp. I instinctively looked up; in that ink-black space above us, nothing was visible except for a faint glow emitted by my Dial—there wasn’t a hint of light anywhere else in this space. Under that dim glow, I could at least see that what flowed down from the Cave Wall was water, which offered me a slight sense of relief.
But just then, a piercing sound like a whistle filled the air, causing my heart to race again. The wind swept over my head, and under the glow of the Dial, I saw a shadow dart past me, striking the Cave Wall like a whip with a sharp crack. Instantly, I thought of that creature lurking underwater, and my legs went weak.
I nudged the Liu Squad Leader in front of me, signaling him to crawl back and not wait here to die. He slowly began to rise, appearing cautious. I urged him from behind, nearly ready to pull out my baton and give him a nudge. The shadow behind us continued to lash against the Cave Wall, its shrill howls and whip-like strikes making my anxiety soar.
After crawling for more than ten minutes, covering just over a hundred meters, Liu Squad Leader suddenly stopped. I slowly crawled past him and leaned in close to whisper, "Are you just going to wait here to die? Keep moving."
Liu Squad Leader replied, "You go ahead; I'm slow."
His words came out slowly, almost syllable by syllable. I could tell from his voice that his old injury had flared up again. This was my biggest concern; his shoulder injury would hinder his mobility, and the head injury could cost him his life.
I asked directly, "Is it your shoulder or your head?"
"Shoulder," Liu Squad Leader's voice was weak.
"Then you won't die. We need to get out of here quickly. Climb onto my back," I urged him quickly; I didn't want to die here.
I thought I might be the first person with experience in both climbing while carrying someone and crawling with someone on my back. I can say with confidence that crawling while carrying someone is much harder. After crawling for about five hundred meters, I finally couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed onto the ground. The sound of the whip-like strikes behind us gradually faded away. I helped Liu Squad Leader lean against the Cave Wall to sit up; his left shoulder had visibly sunk again, and the support brace on it had shattered into pieces.
Still feeling uneasy, I asked, "How's your head?"
He tugged at his helmet strap. "No problem."
"Did you see what that thing was?" I leaned beside him and asked.
"No. I only saw something thinner than what it exposed on the Pavement curling toward us. Maybe it's its tail."
"Thank you for saving my life." I said this sincerely.
"Consider it even then. I don't want to owe anyone a life," Liu Squad Leader replied with a painful cough.
"Can you still hold on? Is it a big problem to walk back?"
His silence told me everything. I realized his injuries were worse than I had imagined. If this man couldn't stand, the pain he was enduring was far beyond ordinary. I steeled myself and made a decision that I considered quite despicable. I took out a syringe of Morphine, laid Dial under the fluorescent light, and leaned close to his face without saying a word.
I saw Liu Squad Leader's eyes flicker for a moment, but his face showed only pain. I knew he was on the edge of compromise and needed me to give him a push.
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