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墨書 Inktalez
As for the return passage, we had discussed our doubts about whether there would be a boat. The focus at that time was on how to deal with the Giant Millipede occupying the passage, fearing that even if we went back, we would be caught between two swarms of insects, which could leave us utterly destroyed. However, Liu Squad Leader quickly offered a perspective.
"Have you considered another possibility?" After filling his stomach, Liu Squad Leader appeared more spirited. "The temperature difference between this place and the passage is the key factor preventing these two types of insects from coexisting. In other words, each of these insects is the Overlord of its own space; when they enter each other's territory, their combat effectiveness diminishes sharply, or they may even lose their fighting ability and become food for the other. At least from what we've seen so far, those Ironclad Pillbug have completely lost their combat effectiveness once they left the passage."
Listening to his analysis, I also felt there might be some truth to it. However, I still had strong reservations about returning to the passage and putting myself back among the insects. If there was any other way, I wouldn't support this choice. But now I had no options left; to save Xiao Guolin and Cao Mingzhe, we had to go into the relatively warmer passage.
Now with two more seriously injured members, our burden had increased significantly. Without needing any orders or assignments, I picked up Xiao Guolin, and Zhao Squad Leader instinctively took on Cao Mingzhe. Hu Aiguo, now a lightly injured member, was supported by Liu Squad Leader as he followed behind Zhao Squad Leader and me.
After walking a few steps, Hu Aiguo realized something—he was still barefoot. But no one would stop for this reason, which was critical for him. He had no choice but to follow behind me, untie Xiao Guolin's shoelaces, take off his shoes, and put them on while walking. I ignored him and just asked him to wrap up Xiao Guolin's feet to prevent them from freezing.
The torch was still in Zhao Squad Leader's hand; carrying anything extra would be a significant burden. I decided to pass this burden onto him so he wouldn't abandon us. Even so, I had to push myself to keep up with his pace.
I noticed the torch dimming further and felt anxious. We needed to reach the cave entrance before the torch burned out; otherwise, the gathering Giant Millipede would tear us apart in an instant. We were currently retracing our steps along the water's edge. The diminishing light of the torch wasn't something only I could see; Liu Squad Leader at the back must have felt it more acutely as the path beneath him grew darker.
At that moment, Liu Squad Leader called out to Zhao Squad Leader, pointing in a direction and instructing him to run straight ahead—the cave entrance was in that direction and wouldn't be too far off. We all trusted Liu Squad Leader's sense of direction and ran toward it.
After running for a while, I confirmed that we were on the right track because there were many Giant Millipede accompanying us along the way. We could only adopt a tight formation and strike back against any attackers that came close. Along the way, several Giant Millipede were ignited by Zhao Squad Leader, creating quite a spectacular scene.
The flames reached their peak at the cave entrance. When we arrived at the entrance, spherical Tide Worm were still rolling outward while dense clusters of Giant Millipede surrounded the area near the entrance like a thick congregation of pilgrims, sending chills down my spine. Just as my hands and feet turned icy and my body tingled with fear, Zhao Squad Leader charged forward with the torch raised high. I initially wanted to follow him into madness but was instantly pushed back by the roaring flames.
There were too many Giant Millipede around the cave entrance; once one was ignited, there was nowhere for its kin to hide. Almost instantly, the area around the entrance transformed into a Fire Sea. Zhao Squad Leader jumped out while dodging flames, with smoke rising from his back where he carried Cao Mingzhe. I felt like I was going insane; waves of heat hit me hard as I couldn't take a step forward—I could only watch as a figure shrouded in black smoke leaped toward me. I worried that by the time Zhao Squad Leader jumped over here, he would have already cooked Cao Mingzhe alive.
When this cloud of black smoke reached a bearable temperature, both Liu Squad Leader and I lunged forward simultaneously, using everything we could find to cool them down—including our limited water supply. Surprisingly, Cao Mingzhe wasn't as badly scorched as I had imagined; it seemed like most of the smoke was emanating from Zhao Squad Leader. After dropping Cao Mingzhe onto the ground, Zhao Squad Leader suddenly jumped backward.
Behind him was the Fire Sea, the temperature unbearable for us, yet Zhao Squad Leader seemed unfazed. With his back turned to the raging flames, the firelight cast a towering shadow of him, and an eerie writhing expression appeared on his face—one I had seen before. It was not a normal facial expression; it was as if something beneath his skin was struggling, as if a demon wanted to leap out from within him.
He took another step back, and since emerging from the Fire Sea, he had been exhibiting this strange mannerism, seemingly losing the ability to walk normally. At that moment, his sleeping bag began to burn under the relentless heat, emitting thick black smoke. Our sleeping bags were made of flame-retardant materials; they would produce black smoke when exposed to high temperatures but were difficult to ignite. The black smoke lasted only a moment before the sleeping bag finally caught fire, and in an instant, flames engulfed Zhao Squad Leader. This all happened so quickly that it caught everyone off guard; it wasn't until Zhao Squad Leader was swallowed by the Fire Sea that we reacted. No one truly understood what was happening; we could only witness this horrifying reality. I wanted to scream, but the heat of the flames kept me at bay. I could feel my hair and beard singeing, mingling with the acrid smell of burning Giant Millipedes around me. The stench and heat pierced my lungs, making me feel as if I might explode. It felt like I was inhaling explosives instead of air.
Hu Aiguo went mad with desperation, wanting to rush in; after all, Zhao Squad Leader was his platoon leader. I didn't have strong feelings for Zhao Squad Leader; this was our first encounter. Previously, the Guard Company had only operated on the outskirts of projects and in Commander’s areas, with no direct interaction with us. There was certainly no respect involved. Liu Squad Leader had even less regard for him and looked down on him somewhat. However, it was clear that his soldiers held deep feelings and respect for him; this was evident from the two soldiers I knew well. Liu Squad Leader prevented Hu Aiguo from throwing his life away; just as Hu Aiguo lunged forward, Liu Squad Leader slapped him down. Immediately afterward, Liu Squad Leader pinned Hu Aiguo down with his left arm tightly around his neck. Hu Aiguo's body hadn't fully recovered yet, and this move rendered him unable to get up. He could only lie on the ground, crying out in despair—a sound that was unbearable to hear.
In the midst of this chaos, Xiao Guolin suddenly spoke up from my back; I didn’t even know when he had regained consciousness. "What happened to him?!" As he spoke, one of Xiao Guolin's trembling hands reached out toward my ear. Following that hand led me to a scene I would never forget—one that still haunts my nightmares.
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