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墨書 Inktalez
I stood frozen for a moment, finally realizing that the voice belonged to Zhao Squad Leader. His voice trembled with fear, strained as he shouted. I didn't run; after all the effort I had put into finding Xiao Guolin and Cao Mingzhe, I could face whatever danger lay ahead with calmness. With a click, I chambered a round.
The flames drew closer, and only Zhao Squad Leader remained under the torchlight.
“Where are Xiao Guolin and Cao Mingzhe?” I shouted as I approached him.
“Don’t come any closer, run back!” Zhao Squad Leader yelled in terror. “I haven’t seen Captain Xiao or the others.”
I glared at the empty passage behind him and shouted angrily, “Why are you running? There’s nothing behind us. Xiao Guolin and Cao Mingzhe are just ahead!”
In an instant, Zhao Squad Leader dashed toward me. I glanced at him and felt a jolt of fear. He was wearing a robe made from a sleeping bag like mine, but his arms and legs were exposed. His visible skin was a gruesome mess; in some places, flesh was torn away, revealing gaping wounds where it seemed the flesh had been gouged out, blood pooling around him.
My stomach twisted violently; if there had been anything in it, I would have surely vomited. The sight was horrifying.
I looked into his terrified, vacant eyes and asked, “What happened?”
Zhao Squad Leader staggered over, glancing back before turning to me. “It’s truly a nightmare; they’re coming. Didn’t you hear?”
Fear should heighten one’s senses, but I genuinely hadn’t heard anything. Confused, I shook my head. “You need to bandage yourself quickly; otherwise, you’ll bleed to death.”
Zhao Squad Leader nodded painfully and tore a strip from his sleeping bag to wrap around the largest wound. “Hu and Liu Squad Leader didn’t come with you, right?”
I replied, “They were slower and stayed behind.”
"We don't have time to linger. We must inform Liu Squad Leader and Hu Aiguo to retreat," Zhao Squad Leader said, gesturing for me to tie the bandage around his wound.
I quickly secured the bandage and asked, "What happened?"
As soon as I spoke, a sound resembling metal grinding against metal or sandpaper scraping against metal filled my ears. In an instant, the corridor behind Zhao Squad Leader began to writhe as if it were alive. I was left stunned and speechless.
Zhao Squad Leader didn't turn around but looked at me. "Is this what you wanted to see more closely?"
I remained silent. My legs felt paralyzed, and my brain struggled to command my body, even though I desperately wanted to escape as quickly as possible.
A swarm of black beetles surged forward like a tide, crawling all over the walls of the corridor. The ground was covered with them, drawn in by the bloodstains that seemed to attract them immensely. These beetles were black and glimmered with a metallic sheen, each about fifteen centimeters long and as wide as a palm. With their obvious arthropod features, they resembled gigantic Tide Worms, but the sound they made as they rubbed against each other was horrifying, making them seem less like insects and more like a horde of armored monsters.
Zhao Squad Leader's face lost all color, contorting into a grimace. "Do you see clearly now? If you don't want to become their dinner, then run!" He pushed me forcefully.
It was only under Zhao Squad Leader's push that I finally moved my feet and numbly followed him as we ran. After passing two branches, we encountered Hu Aiguo and Liu Squad Leader coming toward us. Seeing them, especially Hu Aiguo's staggering steps, sent chills down my spine. If we could maintain this speed, we might escape the swarm of bugs, but Hu Aiguo wouldn't make it; he definitely couldn't outrun those creatures.
With no time to explain, I immediately hoisted Hu Aiguo onto my back and followed Zhao Squad Leader as we fled. Carrying Hu Aiguo was hardly faster than if he had run himself; before long, the chilling sound of "scratching" drew closer behind us.
The moment that sound emerged, I felt Hu Aiguo stiffen on my back. I quickly realized that this was the source of his terror, leaving me with little hope of finding Xiao Guolin and Cao Mingzhe. Compared to Hu Aiguo, Liu Squad Leader's reaction was even more intense; he emitted a series of staccato sounds like Morse code from his throat. If it weren't for his fear of me, he would have likely abandoned us in an instant and vanished into the dark corridor.
I understood what he feared. To prevent him from losing control, I shouted at him urgently: "Liu Squad Leader, there's a swarm of bugs behind us! If you can navigate the route clearly, help Zhao Squad Leader proceed according to plan."
His spatial imagination and recognition skills were undoubtedly superior to mine and Zhao Squad Leader's when his mind was clear. Letting him lead would minimize any chance of getting lost and might even allow us to take a shortcut in the right direction.
Liu Squad Leader listened to me and muttered a curse before running over to Zhao Squad Leader, shouting, "Don't go back the way you came! Turn right at the next intersection and head straight ahead. Two right turns and then a left."
I was already so frightened by the Swarm behind me that my mind had short-circuited; I couldn't imagine how he had instantly figured out the direction. However, I still trusted his judgment in a normal state. To my surprise, Liu Squad Leader quickly returned, grabbing a stone and rushing past me. I shouted in panic, "You don't have to rush to your death like that!" Just then, I heard the sound of the stone being thrown. It sounded just as I expected—like it had hit metal armor. Liu Squad Leader cursed under his breath while catching up to me, asking, "Brother Qiang, you’re knowledgeable; what the hell is that thing? We can't even kill it with a whole group attacking."
Carrying Hu Aiguo on my back had already exhausted me to the point of feeling like a dead dog; I had no strength left to explain, and I didn't even know what those bugs were. I gasped out, "I don't know what that thing is either. Just help me carry Hu Aiguo and don't provoke them!" Upon hearing this, Liu Squad Leader immediately ran to my right side and draped his left arm over Hu Aiguo's shoulder. As I ran, I quickly lowered Hu Aiguo down and moved to his left side. Hu Aiguo instinctively wrapped his arms around both Liu Squad Leader and me, allowing us to support him as we ran.
I was worried that Hu Aiguo might hurt Liu Squad Leader's right shoulder, so while running, I reminded him, "Hold onto his neck; don’t touch his shoulder." "Got it," Hu Aiguo panted heavily. This series of actions would be easy for someone with normal reflexes; even for an injured person, it wouldn't be too difficult. However, Hu Aiguo had just regained consciousness from severe hypothermia without any recovery training. His mobility was lacking, and even his body coordination was off. This series of movements was extremely challenging for him—almost equivalent to Li Shuang's team doing three laps.
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