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墨書 Inktalez
Before me lay an incredibly deep space of white light. The depth was not due to the space being a narrow corridor, but rather because every part of this space extended infinitely. For instance, when I looked in a certain direction, I could see everything clearly, even distant objects that I knew were far away. The most terrifying aspect was that my line of sight seemed endless; the principles of perspective lost their effect at that moment. Everything, regardless of distance, appeared as it truly was, as if it were right before my eyes. Yet, I could still clearly understand the spatial relationship between these objects and myself. At that moment, I felt like a god, or at least possessed a god's perspective.
The white light flickered and vanished, and the scenes before my eyes transformed like a kaleidoscope—sometimes deep mountains and vast marshes, sometimes towering skyscrapers, sometimes endless azure waves, and sometimes desolate sands of the Gobi Desert. Each scene felt so real yet so surreal that I instantly became lost within them, as if I had entered one of these visions and could not extricate myself.
When I focused my gaze once more, a square-faced soldier appeared before me. His face loomed down from above, illuminated by a glaring fluorescent light overhead. My brain spun in an instant; my vision blurred and lost focus. I could not accept or comprehend this scene and did not want to return from the divine perspective to that of a mere mortal, feeling the weight of someone looking down upon me. My consciousness began to fade.
When I opened my eyes again, three faces appeared before me. I recognized only one: One Commander.
A voice that was out of my line of sight busily reported, "Blood pressure normal, heart rate normal, white blood cell count stabilizing; heart and kidney functions are returning to normal," followed by a long string of more technical medical terms.
I forced my mouth open but could only produce muffled sounds from my throat. Panic surged within me as I felt the veins in my forehead throbbing.
One Commander leaned down and said, "They are all here; they are alive. Zhang Xinkuo, take care and rest well..."
I couldn't hear what he said next. A sense of relief washed over me mixed with a bewildering confusion as I drifted into sleep.
Now I knew I was in a special care unit at a hospital in the Xinjiang Military Region. Finally able to move after fifteen days in the hospital, I also learned that four others had been rescued alongside me—five of us in total. However, only Liu Squad Leader and I remained in this hospital; the other three had been transferred elsewhere due to their serious conditions.
Upon receiving this news, I immediately went to visit Liu Squad Leader in his ward. His skull was sunken in, his right shoulder fractured, and he suffered from frostbite on his feet—he had paid a heavy price for his injuries, some requiring multiple surgeries. He still lay in bed when I visited. We didn't want to exhaust each other's energy too much; we exchanged a few words of sympathy before parting ways back to our own rooms. Little did I know that this meeting would be our last.
We were both alive. Yet even among the living, there can be final farewells. Shortly after my transfer to another facility—strictly speaking, isolation—I remained unaware of the reasons behind it.
I found myself confined in a military medical office under isolation. Aside from enduring subpar treatment conditions, I faced endless interrogations. The questions were nearly identical each time: inquiries about what had happened after I fell into the Underground Passage.
"How did you escape? Who saved you?" Fatty suddenly interrupted my memories with his question.
"For me, it's a mystery. I never had the chance to know the details before I was isolated and detained. In the following two years, I lost my freedom and had no right to ask questions. I don't know how others were treated, but I imagine it wasn't good. Xiao Guolin being sent to work in the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau is one example. As for me, I was dismissed from my position, leaving JD and the work environment I once knew and loved."
Fatty furrowed his brow and thought for a moment. "I can roughly guess why you were detained."
"Don't make things up," I replied irritably. "I've pondered this for years without any clues; how could an outsider like you possibly understand?"
"That may not be the case," Fatty said thoughtfully. "I don't know much about your profession, but I suspect your isolation and detention have nothing to do with your experiences. It was likely one of your actions that violated a taboo."
The long hours of sleepless recollection had dulled my brain. After straining to consider his words, I finally understood what Bai Ta meant. I thought I knew what he was referring to—it must be about the gun incident. However, I had already explained this matter to Commander, and I believed my explanation was reasonable and convincing.
So, I waved my hand at Fatty. "You're oversimplifying this. I've already explained it. The gun was given to me by Liu Squad Leader on his own accord, and he was indeed injured at the time, making it unsuitable for him to carry heavy loads. This wouldn't be a reason for my detention."
"You’re the one simplifying things," Fatty shook his head. "The person ultimately responsible for the gun being in your hands is Liu Squad Leader, not you. They certainly wouldn’t detain you for that reason. But when you shot Zhao Squad Leader, there’s no way anyone could absolve you of that. In fact, it could make things worse."
"He was already dead at that point," I exclaimed. "Everyone present can testify to that."
"The problem is their testimonies would be hard to accept. Such matters require medical proof—do you have any? Or is there a doctor among you? Only then would their testimony hold weight." After a pause, Fatty continued, "Even if someone could prove Zhao Squad Leader was dead, you still had no right to shoot at his body. Shooting at a comrade's corpse is a serious offense in the military; it would go to court-martial."
I was stunned. I had never considered that this incident could lead to such severe consequences. When they kept questioning me in the barracks, there were too many questions; I nearly broke down under the pressure of mechanically answering seemingly identical inquiries while both my mind and body felt numb, unable to analyze the focus or bias of the questions. Now that I tried to recall it, it seemed even more impossible.
In truth, I instinctively avoided this issue; I really didn't want to relive that scene. However, after Fatty's reminder, it became clear that this incident might indeed be the reason for my isolation and dismissal. I let out a long sigh as an indescribable feeling rose within me.
It was already past midnight when I moved Fatty to another room. I lay in bed with the window slightly open, the autumn chill drifting in. As I felt the gentle breeze, I found an unusual sense of relief in finally being able to express the secrets that had been weighing on my heart for far too long.
My mind was likely still in a state of extreme excitement, lingering in that mysterious passage, while my body had already slipped into sleep. This was perhaps the deepest and most carefree sleep I had experienced in recent years; I finally felt relaxed.
Time flies for those who write. A new week is upon us. Let's work together to embrace this new beginning. Thank you all for your support.
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