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墨書 Inktalez
I mimicked his tone and said, “Immortal Board, that’s so spicy it kills me.”
Medic's eyes lit up, but as soon as he caught my teasing gaze, he quickly looked away and pretended to be nonchalant.
After a hearty meal, everyone began to struggle to keep their eyes open by the warm fire. I held on for a while but eventually succumbed to sleep, feeling relaxed.
This time, my sleep was short, and I was the first to wake up. Xiao Guolin was watching the fire while the others slept in various positions. I wanted to take this opportunity to ask Xiao Guolin some questions, but after thinking it over, I decided against it. I couldn't be sure if anyone was pretending to sleep, and my heightened tension during this period had made me increasingly suspicious; I didn't know who to trust. I thought it would be better to find a moment alone to voice my concerns.
However, I wasn't idle. I set the helmet pot back up and pulled out a large piece of fish fat from my backpack, tossing it into the helmet pot to render oil. Although the fish fat could also be used directly as fuel, raw oil is hard to ignite due to its moisture content and heavy weight. Considering that the next search could be extremely lengthy, reducing weight became a significant issue.
The fat quickly released the unique aroma of frying meat as the fish oil was slowly rendered out, causing the fat layer to shrink and crisp up. With great patience, I scooped out the dry residue that had no oil left and added more of the thick fat layer into the helmet pot. I carefully controlled the flames so they wouldn't ignite the oil inside.
Zhao Squad Leader came down this time with a large amount of textiles. What caught my eye most were the brown and hemp fibers they had taken from Sealed Chamber Seats. These materials have a low ignition point but burn poorly; a single flame quickly turns them to ash, which is why we didn't use them for torches while hunting. However, when combined with oil, they make excellent torches. They absorb oil well, allowing for smaller torch heads that can burn for a long time. Additionally, their low ignition point means they can be quickly lit when needed.
As the oil in the helmet pot increased, I began adding brown and hemp fibers into the boiling oil. The Hemp Fiber absorbed oil strongly, and high temperatures enhanced this property even further. Once the helmet pot was nearly full of Hemp Fiber, I took it off the fire to let it cool down on its own. Then I set another helmet on the fire to start rendering a second batch of oil. This process was tedious and cumbersome; after rendering two batches of oil and soaking a large amount of Hemp Fiber, I finally began making torches.
I tightly wrapped the oil-soaked Hemp Fiber around one end of each torch; the oil was securely absorbed by the fibers and wouldn’t leak out despite how tightly I wound it. In total, I made thirteen torches, and by then everyone had woken up and was silently watching me work, maintaining a collective silence without interference.
It wasn't until I finished wrapping the last torch and clapped my hands in satisfaction that Zhao Squad Leader spoke up: “Let’s assign some people for searching.”
He didn’t linger on whether or not to search for Song Guilong, seemingly influenced by my insistence; he realized that persuading or commanding me wouldn’t change my decision, so he opted for compromise instead. If his orders were ineffective, his authority would falter in front of his soldiers; naturally, in front of me and Liu Squad Leader, his authority had already diminished.
For those assigned to search above us, he designated four people: Xu Xinming, Xiao Guolin, Cao Mingzhe, and an injured soldier. I was surprised he didn’t include himself in that search team since his enthusiasm for finding an escape route far outweighed his interest in locating Song Guilong. However, I kept my thoughts to myself; as long as it didn’t interfere with my plans, it didn’t matter who participated in searching for Song Guilong.
Below this layer, I, Squad Leader Liu, and the warrior Hu Aiguo, who had just hunted together, were responsible for the search. He was in charge of coordinating in the center. Here, we could communicate with the search teams above and below using walkie-talkies.
Xu Xinming and another warrior would not object to Zhao Squad Leader's arrangements, but Xiao Guolin and Cao Mingzhe immediately expressed their opposition. They clearly stated that they wanted to search in the lower space.
Cao Mingzhe was the most resolute. His attitude indicated a close relationship with Song Guilong. During this unexpected incident—being trapped in the Drainage Ditch—Cao Mingzhe had been in a semi-conscious state, indifferent to everything except matters concerning Song Guilong. Even when we initially went out to find water, it was only because he insisted that we brought him along; it was likely that his purpose then was also to look for Song Guilong.
Xiao Guolin's reasoning was simple; he stated that the Archaeology team could not be separated any further.
Xiao Guolin's words were calm and light, yet they carried more weight than Cao Mingzhe's agitated remarks, making them more persuasive to Zhao Squad Leader. Zhao Squad Leader immediately fell into deep thought.
After a while, Zhao Squad Leader made a decision, addressing Xu Xinming: "You and Meng Fei will search on the upper layer. Brother Qiang will provide you with a sketch shortly, indicating the main direction for your search." He then turned to Liu Squad Leader and the other warrior: "Liu Squad Leader, you, Hu Aiguo, and I will accompany the Archaeology team to search this layer."
I was taken aback by Zhao Squad Leader's arrangement; it concentrated most of our forces on this layer. This did not align with his original intention. Furthermore, searching this layer would still proceed along the Cave Wall or along the open shore; having more personnel wouldn’t significantly enhance our efforts. Unless we split into two groups for searching—something neither Xiao Guolin nor Zhao Squad Leader would agree to—I personally did not support splitting up either, especially given the presence of unknown creatures in the water.
Hesitantly, I said to Zhao Squad Leader, "Isn't it unnecessary to have so many people in this layer?"
Zhao Squad Leader smiled wryly and glanced at Xiao Guolin and Cao Mingzhe: "We not only need to search here but also ensure we come back alive. This space poses significant dangers; I can't help but worry."
Upon hearing this, I realized he was concerned about Xiao Guolin and Cao Mingzhe's safety. However, upon reflection, his concern was not unfounded. After regaining mobility in my right hand, I could protect myself and cooperate with my teammates. Xiao Guolin and Cao Mingzhe lacked such abilities; they had not undergone military or paramilitary training and were physically less capable. If we encountered the Water Monster as we had before, they would need protection, which would greatly reduce the search team's combat effectiveness. Thus, it made sense for Zhao Squad Leader to increase our numbers.
With no objections raised, we began discussing details. Moments later, I started pointing out on my sketch to Xu Xinming a passage that might lead toward the Yadan Landform Group. All of our compressed food was given to Xu Xinming for the warriors on the upper layer. We processed fish into jerky for food. Water was no longer an issue; everyone just needed to fill their canteens.
The current problem was ammunition. We were running low on bullets.
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