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墨書 Inktalez
Despite Jack not chewing, merely swallowing the whole worm, the foul odor emanating from it still filled his mouth and clung to his body. He sat by the campfire, gulping down water until his complexion returned to normal. It seemed he was also unaccustomed to the taste.
A San, who understood Chinese, followed Jack back to the campfire. However, he appeared indifferent to the smell of the worm, with brown juice from the crushed worm in his mouth and a flavor that directly stimulated the brain.
"Mr. Zhang, is there anything else here?" A San asked me.
I shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe there is. I don't believe these worms are the Overlord of this space. If they are, then congratulations to everyone; although this stuff is hard to eat, our safety would be guaranteed. They won't pose a threat to us."
A San's eyes darted around. He turned his head to look at the surroundings, resembling a thief.
Buasong was the last to return; he still had to feed Fumi and was covered in a stench of decay. I forced him to wash himself by the river; otherwise, sitting or walking together with him would be enough to make anyone nauseous.
With food in their stomachs, their strength quickly recovered. After drinking some water, they prepared to continue downstream toward the Underground River. I tightened my belt; my loose belly was nearly pressing against my spine, and even with the belt fastened at the last hole, it still felt loose.
Seeing my weak state, Jack took the lead without me contesting him. I reminded him to keep an eye on the surroundings and to use the One-Eyed Beast Flashlight for illumination if uncertain situations arose. I sensed we had entered a dangerous environment.
Jack nodded. "I know. However, we only have two spare Glow Sticks left; soon we might only be able to rely on the Flashlight for light."
With that, Jack set off ahead.
Our Glow Sticks were designed for outdoor use, providing high brightness and long illumination time—each lasting over 48 hours. I hadn't asked Jack about the time, but his comment surprised me; we had been in here for nearly ninety hours. Once these two Glow Sticks were used up, we would no longer be able to afford the luxury of using two for illumination; we needed to conserve our lighting tools.
Our team formed a straight line, moving vertically. I pushed A San to the front to follow Jack while I took care of Lao People at the back. Jack frequently turned on the One-Eyed Beast Flashlight for illumination; whenever he couldn't determine what the dark mass ahead was, he would use the flashlight. We kept our distance close enough so that the person at the front didn't have to shout for everyone to hear.
I suspected there might be other things lurking here, which made A San extremely nervous. He trailed behind Jack but didn't stay too close, preferring to tread carefully in the dim light. He often glanced back at me, seemingly with higher expectations of my performance.
I knew he was unhappy about being pushed behind Jack because before I moved him, he had emphasized, "I am your person."
However, seeing him poised to turn and run at any moment made it hard for me to agree with his claim. He seemed more like Liu Squad Leader, ready to explode and dash off at any time. Back when Liu Squad Leader acted like that, I felt capable and responsible for bringing him back. But now, if A San were to lose control, I planned to let him go.
I couldn't manage two Lao People while also keeping an eye on him. Besides, I might not be able to stop him; I worried that if he did lash out, he could strike me uncontrollably. The likelihood of me being defeated or even injured by him felt quite high.
As we moved further downstream along the riverbed, the space around us expanded. Jack's flashlight no longer reached the cave's edges. Yet, the other creatures I had sensed did not appear; it was eerily quiet. We maintained a certain distance from the Underground River, and even its sounds were faint. The loudest noises I could hear were our footsteps and my stomach growling.
Despite the silence, my mood remained anything but relaxed; instead of feeling complacent due to the quietness, I grew increasingly tense and anxious. From behind, I kept lowering my voice to remind Jack to slow down and pay attention to what was above us.
The cave ceiling wasn't excessively high; the One-Eyed Beast Flashlight could illuminate it. However, numerous icicle-like stalactites hung down, obscuring our view of the ceiling entirely. It felt like we were surrounded by a suspended stone forest hiding beasts that preyed on the unwary.
I admitted that my reminders had caused Jack to become tense and impatient. Finally, he snapped back at me, "If you think you can do better, then come up front and stop acting like an old woman directing from behind."
I recognized that my anxiety had prompted those words and that I couldn't possibly do better; I certainly lacked the energy to lead from the front. I pressed my hands down towards Jack in a gesture of quieting and calming him, whispering, "You're doing great. It's just that I have a bad feeling; make sure you observe carefully before moving forward. Don't hold back on the flashlight."
Jack was already holding a Glow Stick in one hand and the One-Eyed Beast Flashlight in the other. After hearing my words, he clicked on the flashlight and slowly swept it across our path ahead. Even though I was slightly behind him, I could see clearly that there were only dense stalactites and stone columns—nothing large enough to obstruct our way.
Jack waved the One-Eyed Beast Flashlight at me and shouted, "See? I'm looking very closely; stop making trouble for me, okay? I've had enough of your cowardly nagging."
Jack was the first to lose his composure and explode in anger. I certainly wouldn't let him insult me like that, and there was no way I would lose in a verbal sparring match. I glared at him, and the air between us seemed to thicken. I imagined that the Vietnamese and Lao people would think that at any moment, Jack and I would charge at each other like two bulls.
But instead, I was contemplating how to deliver a single line that would leave Jack speechless. Physical confrontation? Impossible, especially after hearing from A San about Jack's incredible combat skills; that thought was completely dismissed. Honestly, even if Jack's fighting ability were subpar, there was still no chance of us coming to blows. It felt like we had a relationship built on mutual use and reliance.
Just as our gazes were about to spark in the air, a weak voice suddenly reached my ears. "What is that?"
It was A San's voice. Although it sounded diminished, it was still clear enough for me to hear. He must have been positioned between Jack and me; the glow sticks in our hands illuminated a small circle around us, but beyond two meters, the light faded significantly. The glow sticks served more as directional indicators than actual sources of light; using them for illumination was a last resort. I couldn't see A San between us, but I was certain he had been here just moments ago.
A beam of light shot from Jack's hand as he directed the One-Eyed Beast Flashlight towards the space between us.
I saw A San crouched on the ground, cradling his head like a prisoner under interrogation, though his eyes were fixed on the ceiling of the cave. (To Be Continued...)
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