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墨書 Inktalez
This was a completely unfamiliar path. There should be no road; I had to carve one out with my Machete. I activated a Glow Stick, as the penetrating power of a Flashlight wouldn't be very effective in this thick fog. The Glow Stick provided a more practical all-around illumination. Most importantly, it could guide those behind me.
My speed not only couldn't increase, but I also had to exert effort to control the force of my descent. The road on this hillside was unclear, and the Glow Stick's brightness could only illuminate what was directly in front of me. If I lost speed even slightly, I could easily roll down the mountain. Vines and branches occasionally whipped against me; I used one arm holding the Glow Stick to shield my head while desperately swinging the Machete with the other hand to clear a path. Before long, I was exhausted; for some reason, descending the mountain drained my energy rapidly.
At that moment, a rough roar came from behind me, and two Lao Mountain People rushed ahead of me. They held their Glow Sticks high and skillfully cut through the branches and vines blocking our way. With them sharing the workload, I felt somewhat relaxed; all I needed to do was ensure I didn't tumble down the mountain. However, the roaring from behind did not cease; a series of incomprehensible words were shouted in an extremely angry tone. I could tell it was Ah Xiang's voice; I could even guess why he was so furious—he must have been enraged about the equipment left on the mountain. In his eyes, the lives of these two Mountain Folk were far less valuable than that equipment.
I imagined these two Lao Mountain People must have tried to explain themselves, surely telling him that abandoning the equipment was my idea. Ah Xiang was still roaring, likely expressing his dissatisfaction with me. I ignored his dog-like howls; this stretch of road was challenging enough without having the energy or inclination to argue with him.
Amidst the roars, Ah Xiang and A San dashed past me. It seemed that the Lao People's pace in clearing the path displeased them, prompting them to charge ahead of me. Under Ah Xiang's and A San's direct threat, the two Lao Mountain People quickened their pace even more, which resulted in me struggling to keep up with them. They could leap and dash freely through this forest filled with branches and vines; as someone raised in the North, I truly couldn't compete.
I was the first to start running down the mountain but had now become the last one; this gap frustrated me immensely. Suddenly, it occurred to me that I shouldn't be in last place—Jack hadn't passed me yet. As I ran, I glanced back and saw a Glow Stick swaying about ten meters behind me, moving slower than I was.
Fuming, I stopped and shouted back, "Jack, hurry up!"
The response came as a cacophony of rustling sounds—not from above but from both sides. It seemed that this swarm of insects was about to surround us. Looking back at Jack, his speed hadn’t increased at all; however, his Glow Stick was shaking violently as if beckoning me over. Cursing under my breath, I ran back up the mountain. This guy might be injured; otherwise, given his physical condition, he shouldn't be lagging behind me like this. If he were seriously hurt, it could endanger both our lives.
The two of us quickly met each other on our paths. In the dim light of the Glow Stick, I saw Jack awkwardly running down the mountain with strange movements. His hands were held close to his chest as if cradling that Glow Stick; without swinging his arms for balance, he stumbled after just a couple of steps. It became clear to me that he had injured one arm. This realization eased my worries somewhat; at least it was just his arm—if it had been his leg, I wouldn't have been able to carry him past those encroaching insects.
Seeing me approach, Jack excitedly shouted, "Zhang! Come help me!"
I hurried forward a couple of steps before suddenly yelling, "What the hell do you have in your hands?"
The lights from our two Glow Sticks crossed paths and illuminated Jack’s situation clearly—his hands weren’t injured but were gripping something tightly. That thing was about a foot long and resembled an arthropod—like a large lobster. It was alive, its legs thrashing desperately against his grip. I nearly fainted from anger; at such a critical moment for survival, he still had time to mess around with something else—did he really not fear death?
Jack suddenly thrust something in front of my eyes. "Look, this thing is chasing us. Have you ever seen anything like it?"
I got a clear look at it; it was a Giant Scorpion. This must be the Scorpion King. Jack held the scorpion by its back with one hand and gripped its tail stinger with the other, presenting it right in front of me.
I nearly jumped back in fright and shouted, "What the hell is that? Get rid of it! If we don't hurry up and run, we won't escape. Can't you hear the sounds around us? We're about to be surrounded!"
Upon hearing this, Jack became anxious as well. "Help me out here; I want to put it in your backpack. I went through a lot of trouble to catch a live one, and I don't want it to go to waste."
I was almost furious at his suggestion; was he planning to use me as a test subject? Just looking at that creature sent chills down my spine. There was no way I would let him stuff it into my backpack. But I didn't have time to argue with him. I quickly pulled out my gun and fired a shot at the scorpion's head. The bullet barely grazed Jack's fingers before piercing the scorpion's brain. With the sound of the gunshot and Jack's scream, the scorpion's head along with one of its large pincers shattered and flew off.
Without looking back, I ran down the mountain. The rustling sounds from both sides of the forest grew increasingly intense, and I felt that at any moment a massive scorpion could appear before me. The glow from the Glow Stick ahead had already vanished, leaving me to navigate by the traces of cut branches and vines. However, the terrifying sounds around me ignited an extraordinary potential within me, and I practically sprinted down the path. Behind me came Jack's roars, footsteps, and the crashing of trees; all I could focus on was escaping. If possible, what I wanted most right now was to teach Jack a lesson. I was truly scared—having a teammate like him was like having a pig on my side.
I kept running until I reached the riverbank, where I finally spotted two faint lights from the Glow Sticks held by Lao Mountain People. They had already entered the marshland and were moving toward a thicket that I was trying to assess. Without pausing for even a moment, I dashed into the marsh; they were already quite far ahead, and if I hesitated even slightly, I might not catch up with them. Being alone in this environment would be extremely dangerous.
Soon after, I heard Jack crashing into the marsh behind me. He had stopped cursing loudly; it seemed that running through the jungle had taken its toll on him as well. After taking a few steps in the water, the light from the Glow Stick ahead suddenly disappeared—I had lost them after all. Cursing under my breath, I turned back to check on Jack; I couldn't leave him behind.
I saw Jack standing in the water, one hand raised high with a Glow Stick facing toward the riverbank, frozen as if possessed.
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