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墨書 Inktalez
The smell of grilled meat wafted from Buasong beside me, while another Lao Person was perched on a nearby tree branch, emitting terrified cries and preparing to leap into the water.
Perhaps I was too focused on the white light of the flare illuminating the pavement to notice the strange occurrences around us, but after the Lao Person issued a clear warning, I sensed something was amiss. The rustling sounds surrounding us intensified noticeably.
I immediately directed my flashlight back toward our path, and the beam revealed red shapes advancing toward us. It seemed that the white light from the flare had become a rallying signal for the Snake Swarm, which was approaching us at a frenzied pace.
Buasong also illuminated his flashlight, and in his line of sight, a swarm of Crimson Snakes appeared. The assault had begun.
I didn’t panic like that Lao Person or act like an idiot about to jump down. The tree we were in had dense foliage, with many vines coiling around its branches. I quickly bit down on the flashlight, grabbed one of the vines beneath me, and flipped off the branch. At that moment, my feet dangled in mid-air with nothing to support me; I could see the water below. I spread my arms and swung through the vines like a gibbon, swiftly landing on another branch.
In that instant, my body’s agility reached an extraordinary level, leaving even Buasong behind.
The other Lao Person only realized that jumping was not a viable escape method after Buasong and I activated our invincible mode. He shouted as he tried to catch up with us.
Buasong and I reached the pavement above in succession, each grabbing hold of a branch while the One-Eyed Beast's light swept across the pavement. Our goal was clear: we were searching for something to perch on. Time was running out; if we didn’t find a larger piece of wood soon, we would have no choice but to risk going into the water.
There were many pieces of dead wood two to three meters long floating in the water, often seen drifting past from under the trees. However, such wood had little resistance against whirlpools; to survive, we needed to find a long log with enough buoyancy to navigate through them.
Our luck was extraordinary; soon I spotted a massive piece of dead wood. Although it was somewhat distant, it seemed possible to swim over to it. All three of us jumped into the water simultaneously and swam toward the log.
The current here was exceptionally swift; I had to exert all my strength just to maintain my balance and avoid being pulled under by sudden whirlpools. In this struggle against the current, neither of the two Lao People had any advantage; their speed matched mine, while the Giant Log moved faster than any of us. The swirling waters had no effect on it.
As that enormous log swept past upstream, it seemed ready to drift away from me at any moment. I disregarded whether I could maintain my balance and paddled desperately in the direction of the current. But this did not close the distance between me and the log; instead, my body lost control and was pulled beneath the surface.
The water was dim and murky, and the One-Eyed Beast in my mouth reflected the swirling Dry Branch and fallen leaves that were caught in the current, but it couldn't illuminate the depths below; the water here was deeper than I could imagine. Fortunately, although there were many whirlpools, they weren't very strong, and I managed to stabilize myself and easily float back up to the Pavement. At that moment, I saw a person lying on the wood.
I quickly lifted my head and used the light from the One-Eyed Beast in my mouth to signal my location. Just then, I felt something snagging on my shirt. I reached up and grabbed a rope. As I was pulled onto the wood, I saw that the person on it was Buasong. He had hooked me with a rope that had a hook on one end.
As he unhooked me from my clothes, I noticed that his hook was cleverly designed; once it caught something, the three prongs would close inward under pressure, making it nearly impossible to slip off. The downside was that it took some time to unhook it.
While I couldn't help Buasong, I wasn't without tasks of my own; the other Lao People was not on the wood, and I needed to find him quickly. The One-Eyed Beast Flashlight in our hands not only helped us locate this large piece of wood but also allowed me to signal for help and pinpoint our location. However, the other Lao People wasn't so fortunate; he likely had a Glow Stick in hand, but its light was diffuse and hazy, unlike the direct beam from the One-Eyed Beast, which could clearly convey information.
Moreover, the range of the Glow Stick's light was far less than that of the One-Eyed Beast. If we couldn't find him soon, he would drift too far away for us to locate him again.
This piece of wood was thick and not severely rotted; it should withstand significant currents and waves. To improve my visibility, I climbed onto the wood and positioned myself backward to look behind. This sturdy log ignored the whirlpools as it drifted swiftly; there was no way for Lao People to catch up with it.
Even though I was perched atop the wood, my vantage point still left much to be desired; in fact, it was even worse than when I had been perched on a tree branch earlier. The Pavement and sky were pitch black; only areas illuminated by the light from the One-Eyed Beast were visible before me, while everything outside that circle remained dark as ink. The surface of the Pavement was littered with Dry Branch, decaying wood, and constantly churning waves. Distinguishing a person bobbing up and down among these visible objects would be incredibly difficult; I had to concentrate all my energy.
After unhooking me, Buasong joined in the search. He shared my assessment as he directed his flashlight backward as well. Soon enough, one of my worries was confirmed: there was no light from a Glow Stick within our line of sight. My initial concern had been that during his escape, Lao People might have lost his Glow Stick. Of course, there remained another possibility—that he had drifted too far away for its light to reach us. Regardless of which reason it might be, both indicated we were unlikely to find him.
When our beams from the One-Eyed Beast crossed paths again, both our hearts sank. Initially, we had coordinated well by splitting up from the center to search outward; now that our lights met again, it meant we had already searched this visible area twice. I couldn't believe that after such a long time had passed, he still had any chance of survival—at least finding him seemed impossible now.
I convinced myself that he must have found another opportunity for escape; all I could do was give up because at that moment, the whirlpool beneath us made the log unstable and began to sway violently. We were nearing the center of the whirlpool.
The whirlpool wouldn't affect the Giant Log, which could simply roll over it without concern; however, at the center of this waterway lay a massive whirlpool capable of throwing this log into chaos. While I couldn't see a giant vortex capable of swallowing it whole, I did see several smaller whirlpools strong enough to tear it apart. If we entered such a large whirlpool, the consequences would be dire; we were powerless to change anything but had to remain alert and ready for a desperate fight at any moment. Sometimes life is about fighting for survival.
But when I turned around, I saw a faint glimmer of light in the distance.
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