Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
I witnessed a scene that opened my mind to a new way of moving forward.
Two Lao People were facing each other, seemingly tied together with a rope. The two individuals, bound as one, extended their four hands alternately to pull the rope and advance, moving so swiftly that the water seemed to lift them off the pavement. They were almost surfing on the pavement, and each bounce caused the rope to shake violently, making me worry that the next jolt would snap it.
However, I soon found myself worrying about something far more pressing. The beam from the One-Eyed Beast Flashlight not only illuminated the two Lao People but also revealed something behind them—a massive snake head.
The giant python, which I had blinded in one eye, was closely following the two Lao People. Its speed was greater, and it seemed poised to catch up with them at any moment, ready to swallow them whole. I desperately opened my mouth to shout, shaking the flashlight frantically, but this wouldn’t help the two Lao People at all. I figured they were aware of the danger behind them; their frantic movements made that clear. Yet I felt utterly powerless.
Suddenly, the python raised its head high. It was now so close to the two Lao People that it was within striking distance. The thought of watching two living beings being devoured by this monstrous snake drove me nearly insane. My moral compass hadn’t reached a point of viewing all beings as equal, but I still believed that among our kind, there should be no distinction between rich and poor. I couldn’t bear the thought of them dying right before my eyes. What was even harder to endure was my own helplessness.
My voice had failed me; my mouth hung open as I stared with reddened eyes. I felt like I was breaking down. The strength and vitality within me vanished in an instant, and the value of life faded away at that moment.
Then suddenly—
A series of crisp gunshots pierced through the deafening sound of rushing water into my ears. It was the familiar sound of an AK-47, a terrifying sound associated with death. Yet at this moment, it sounded so melodious to me.
I couldn’t stand the thought of the two Lao People meeting their end in the jaws of the python, but I didn’t move the light from the One-Eyed Beast; I wanted to give them one last glimmer of hope.
Yes, hope had arrived.
In the bright beam of the One-Eyed Beast, I saw blood splatter as bullets struck accurately and densely against the python's head, taking a chunk out of it. The snake’s head fell like a piece of wood into the water, its massive body convulsing and twisting before vanishing into the dark depths below.
Everything happened so quickly that my heart felt like it was on a roller coaster. I didn't shift the light from the One-Eyed Beast to look for the source of the gunfire. My mind was still clear; Fatty had a 16, and Ah Xiang held an AK-47. Aside from that, we had no other rifles. As for A San's Micro Submachine Gun, its effectiveness was not much better than my 9mm; it just had a faster firing rate, with no advantages in range or penetration.
Only an assault rifle could so decisively kill a giant python, with bullets piercing its scales like cutting through tofu, taking off half its head. I was too familiar with the sound of an AK-47. I could confirm it was the sound of an AK-47, and it had to be Ah Xiang who fired it. Only they, the Vietnamese, could handle an AK-47 with such precision; I doubted even professional Russian soldiers could master this skill under automatic fire conditions. The bullet impacts were concentrated and precise.
Anyone who has used an AK-47 knows that this rifle is highly accurate in single-shot mode and has a long range, making it usable as a sniper rifle. However, its automatic fire leaves much to be desired due to excessive recoil and muzzle rise. Bullets often stray far from the target.
Bullets whizzed past the heads of two Lao People, and the blood and brain matter splattered from the giant python onto them, further exciting them. The two of them quickly crawled up beside me, their eyes filled with gratitude and admiration. It felt like they were looking at a god.
I didn’t explain anything; my hands couldn’t grip the rope properly as my body continued to slide backward, leaving no energy for explanations. I handed the rope in my hand to them while hugging them tightly, biting down on the One-Eyed Beast flashlight to signal them to keep moving forward. Just holding up their weight with one rope made me feel anxious; in my current state, there was no hope of getting back onto the wood by myself. I needed their strength to increase the rope's load capacity. Two ropes should be enough to support all three of us.
The rope tying the two Lao People together was Buasong's hook rope, tied hastily without considering comfort; the hook dug directly into their flesh. Buasong was very practical; the hook embedded in one Lao Person meant I had to hold onto the rope binding them together to keep both secure. When I grabbed the rope, that Lao Person turned to me gratefully and flashed a smile. When I looked down in response, I saw that the hook had torn a piece of flesh from him—perhaps it was my doing. He muttered something in Lao; I guessed it wasn’t gratitude.
With their combined efforts, we quickly caught up to the wooden structure ahead. At this point, I finally had time to turn my head in another direction. A bright white light had appeared there at some point, glaringly intense. I recognized it as the light from One-Eyed Beast—Ah Xiang must be there. The light was now very close to us, about thirty meters away.
I only glanced over there; however, I didn’t shine the flashlight toward it. The ropes on the Lao People were troublesome; they were tied hastily and difficult to untie now. I couldn’t manage Buasong’s hook, so I just illuminated him with my flashlight, hoping he would move faster. I hadn’t yet assessed our surroundings around the wood, but during this brief moment, none of us could sit still on it; we risked being thrown into the air at any moment due to its violent shaking. The environment around us must have been perilous.
The more frantic we became, the more mistakes we made. Buasong clearly sensed danger approaching; his trembling hands failed to grasp the rope several times. At that moment, my eyes were suddenly drawn to several bright and flickering lights coming from Ah Xiang’s direction.
They were waving flashlights in front of my face as if trying to grab my attention. Reluctantly, I raised my head to look over there. The One-Eyed Beast's light was blinding; it seemed he had adjusted the beam size too wide—what I saw was just a blinding expanse of white light—and not just one flashlight shining on me but multiple beams from different flashlights. With one hand holding Buasong’s flashlight and the other trying to grip onto the wood, I couldn’t even shield myself from that glaring light; all I could do was squint and curse under my breath.
Ah Xiang seemed to understand what I said; he quickly moved the flashlight away from my face so that I could finally open my eyes and see clearly across. However, when I looked over there, I froze in shock: three beams of One-Eyed Beast light were aimed at me! Were they both using three flashlights? That seemed impossible—they were clearly also on some piece of wood in the water; even if their water flow wasn’t as chaotic as ours, they couldn’t leisurely operate one flashlight in each hand just to blind me! Were they messing with me?
(To Be Continued...)
.
Comment 0 Comment Count