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墨書 Inktalez
A person desperately fleeing for their life and another desperately chasing after them—who runs faster? Generally speaking, the one escaping would be quicker. Of course, there are exceptions when someone has an unfair advantage.
These creatures definitely had that advantage. I was running with all my might, yet the horrifying sounds behind me grew closer and closer. My left hand gripped the cold barrel of my gun, ready to turn and strike at any moment. Holding onto the icy weapon felt like clutching a block of ice.
At that moment, I heard a crisp "crack" from behind me. Although I was curious, I simply didn't have the energy to look back; in fact, I was more worried about being so startled by whatever was behind me that I wouldn't be able to move. I sensed Liu Squad Leader glance back briefly before muttering a curse under his breath: "Damn."
I asked him, "What is it?"
"I can't see clearly."
"Then why are you cursing?"
"You'd curse too if you saw it. Just don't look back; they're right behind us."
"Damn, am I that cowardly?" I cursed back, but still didn't dare to turn around for a glance.
Zhao Squad Leader seemed to have regained some strength; his movements were less stiff, and he was picking up speed—almost shaking us off. I worried that if we encountered any branches on the way, we wouldn't be able to keep up with him at this pace.
I shouted, "Zhao Squad Leader, slow down! Wait for us!"
Zhao Squad Leader turned to look at us, frowning slightly. His face was still pale, but his expression had softened from a grimace to a strange smile. He slowed his pace but showed no intention of helping us; he simply continued leading the way alone.
Another sharp crack echoed from behind us. What was that sound? It stood out amidst the chaotic noise behind me, indicating it was significant and very different from the sounds made by the creatures. My curiosity got the better of me, and I couldn't help but glance back.
The Swarm was only a step behind us. The cave walls were covered with a thick layer of black insects, and as they moved rapidly, the entire cave seemed to come alive, writhing and lunging toward me. My scalp tingled, and my legs felt weak; I really shouldn’t have looked back.
In such a situation, fear was the only thing I could see.
Hu Aiguo nervously fixated on the torch ahead, his legs moving mechanically alongside mine.
“Something seems to have fallen,” Liu Squad Leader suddenly said.
I shuddered and asked, “Where?”
“The sound from earlier,” Liu Squad Leader continued. “It sounded like something fell.”
I relaxed a bit; this guy had a way of speaking that was all over the place.
After running for a while longer, the clattering sound behind us grew more frequent. I abandoned my curiosity, worried that it might get me killed. Liu Squad Leader kept an eye on the changes behind us and finally stated with certainty, “The sound is from insects falling from the ceiling.”
What was going on? I was puzzled. It couldn’t be that they couldn’t hold on; the most likely explanation was that it was caused by low temperatures. The temperature of the cave walls was far lower than that of the air. Were these insects afraid of the cold? That would definitely be good news.
Excitedly, I asked Liu Squad Leader, “What’s the surface temperature right now?”
“My feet are frozen stiff; how would I know?” Liu Squad Leader replied irritably.
Ignoring his annoyance, I calculated silently. From their current behavior, these insects were not cold-resistant. They must have a threshold for enduring low temperatures; if they approached or exceeded this threshold, they would retreat. Otherwise, they would freeze to death or enter a state of hibernation. Based on their inability to crawl on the ceiling, it seemed they were nearing this threshold. Even if the temperature in this passage didn’t continue to drop, staying at this temperature for too long would render these insects incapable of attacking.
Now it’s a matter of who can hold out the longest, and I’m quite confident about it. Finally, I have the confidence to defeat these bugs.
Seeing my confident expression, Liu Squad Leader seemed to read my thoughts and said, "I won’t last until then."
He was running barefoot on the ground, losing body heat quickly. I shot him a disdainful look, implying, "You could borrow someone else's shoes."
A pair of resentful eyes and a pair of bright eyes turned toward me simultaneously.
Then Liu Squad Leader's bright eyes looked at Hu Aiguo. The meaning was clear; if it weren't for the Swarm relentlessly pursuing us from behind, I felt Liu Squad Leader would have acted immediately. Hu Aiguo was currently in an absolute passive position and at a disadvantage, needing assistance just to move. The key was that he was almost entirely relying on me and Liu Squad Leader to support him; his legs were indeed unable to exert any strength. Compared to Liu Squad Leader, his feet didn’t need to touch the hard ground; they just needed to stay warm, which made things easier to solve. Hu Aiguo stopped looking at me and turned his gaze toward Zhao Squad Leader, shouting loudly, "I have hypothermia; you can't treat me like this."
"Stop shouting; at this temperature, we'll all have hypothermia soon," Liu Squad Leader scoffed. He was right; in this environment without any heat replenishment, we would soon enter a state of hypothermia. But we had no choice; compared to dying at the hands of the bugs, hypothermia was nothing.
As we continued on our way, the sound of clattering began to grow more frequent behind us, while the Swarm's speed decreased. I didn’t need to look back; I could tell from the piercing sounds emitted by the Swarm. However, the Swarm did not stop hunting us and continued to pursue us closely from behind. At that moment, I noticed that the ground began to show a slight incline, which I estimated based on our running efficiency. Even as our stamina approached exhaustion, our speed hadn’t continued to decrease; the angle must be slight enough that it was hard to feel underfoot. I thought that although this design of the passageway was difficult to understand, there must be a reason for it. While I was still lost in thought trying to find an answer to this question, I suddenly heard the sound of a hollow iron ball rolling behind us—loudly clattering against the hard ground. I immediately felt alarmed; what kind of trap was this? Looking back revealed nothing; the Swarm had already been left far behind, and I could only hear the sound. However, the sound of the iron ball rolling was not only loud but also fast, gradually approaching us. I noticed Liu Squad Leader also turning his head to look back, while Hu Aiguo in between wore a face full of despair as he stared ahead.
"Can you see anything? What is it?" I asked Liu Squad Leader nervously.
"With a torch this far away, how can I see?" Liu Squad Leader complained. When I looked again, Zhao Squad Leader had run far ahead again. What was he doing? When you can’t run anymore, I still know how to give you a push; now that your legs are fine, you don’t care about anyone else? Just as I angrily shouted "Zhao Squad Leader," I felt something hit my heel.
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