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墨書 Inktalez
The water in the flask was still icy cold as I struggled to pry Jack's mouth open and pour the water into him.
At that moment, Jack's reactions were sluggish and weak. Even though he somewhat cooperated with me to swallow the water, the speed at which it filled his stomach was still slow. Fortunately, his numbed nerves meant that his biting strength was also weak; otherwise, I would have lost several fingers by now. His teeth unconsciously chewed as if what I was pouring down his throat wasn't water but solid food.
Finally, I managed to get the entire flask of water into his stomach. I tried to induce vomiting, but he still showed no strong reaction and couldn't expel the contents of his stomach.
When the second flask of icy Underground River water was poured into him, I pressed his round belly against my leg once more. At last, his distended stomach could no longer bear the burden, and some of its contents were forced out.
There was blood; what he vomited was a light red color, sour and bitter, a hundred times worse than the vomit of a drunken man. The stench nearly overwhelmed me, but my spirits soared—I knew I might be saving him.
The icy Underground River water continued to flow into Jack's stomach and was repeatedly expelled. The ground around us became a mess of vomit, the pungent odor filling the air around the campfire. At that moment, I noticed something interesting: that group of bats could no longer tolerate the smell and vanished first.
Perhaps due to the large amounts of cold water being poured in, Jack's body temperature had dropped significantly. Even bringing him closer to the campfire didn't alleviate this symptom; he needed hot water to raise his temperature. Additionally, I needed to give him a few anti-inflammatory and detoxifying pills.
My first aid kit contained several types of antivenom for the unique poisonous snakes of the Northern Panjiang Mountain Area. I doubted it would work on this creature's venom, so broad-spectrum antidotes and anti-inflammatory medication would be more effective.
The time spent waiting for the water to boil felt like torture. Ever since encountering the bats, my nerves and body had been in a state of high tension while my stomach protested against me. My focus had been entirely on Jack just moments ago, allowing me to temporarily forget everything else. But now that things had calmed down, fatigue and sleepiness surged over me.
I looked at Jack lying on the ground with shallow breaths and couldn't help but envy him; being able to close my eyes for even a moment felt like a luxury. With fatigue and hunger hitting me simultaneously, my eyelids felt as heavy as lead. I knew that if I sat here for just a few more minutes, I would inevitably fall asleep. That would be deadly.
I stood up unsteadily, needing to find something to occupy myself or I would fall asleep at any moment.
Soon enough, I found a task. I dragged a Giant Bat over to the campfire. Jack quickly fired off three rounds from his magazine, not only scaring off the swarm of Bats but also delivering a significant blow to them. As I turned beside the fire, I spotted the massive corpse of the Bat.
The Bat's body was black, not the shiny kind, but rather a dull black with a hint of gray. Using myself as a reference, I noticed a stark contrast. In the firelight, the Giant Bat's corpse appeared a muted black, like an old piece of black cloth, while my own body—clothed and bare skin alike—reflected the glow of the campfire.
This particular Bat had terrible luck; it had been shot through the head by a bullet, and green blood oozed from its body. It wasn't particularly large, measuring just over half a meter long—about the size of a medium dog. However, its wingspan was impressive. With one wing spread out over a meter, its total wingspan in flight must have been around three meters wide. Among its kind, this Bat was likely one of the larger ones; I hadn’t seen any bigger in the swarm.
Staring at this ugly and terrifying creature, I found myself salivating. Hunger was driving me mad.
After some thought, I realized that Jack wouldn’t wake up anytime soon, let alone be able to move. If I didn’t want to starve to death, my options were either to eat worms or this Bat. Of course, if Jack were to wake up, he wouldn’t have any issues with food; although he might be reluctant to eat worms, he could manage it. As for me, eating worms was as unbearable as consuming poison. I hoped this Bat was non-toxic.
With that in mind, I drew my knife and sliced open the Bat's belly. Inside its stomach, I found worms.
I sighed in relief and cleaned the Giant Bat before placing it on the fire.
It fed on worms; its food was non-toxic, so it should be safe to eat as well. Although its green blood looked frightening and might be poisonous, as long as I drained it out, any toxicity would naturally dissipate—much like pufferfish.
Of course, this mainly stemmed from my aversion to eating worms. As long as there was something else to eat—even if it came with some risk—I would never choose worms.
The campfire blazed brightly, and there were plenty of wood shavings around me to keep feeding it. Soon enough, the aroma of roasting meat filled the air.
I skewered the cleaned Bat on the bayonet of my AK-47 and slowly turned it over the flames. The bloodless Bat meat took on a faint green hue and sizzled under the heat until it became golden brown and dripped with fat, making the flames burn even brighter and the scent even more enticing.
The aroma of grilled meat stimulated my senses, momentarily making me forget my fatigue and drowsiness. My saliva flowed like rainwater dripping from the eaves, pooling at my feet. At this moment, even though I knew the Bat Meat was toxic, nothing could stop me from devouring it.
I licked my lips and swallowed a mouthful of saliva that was about to overflow, muttering to myself, "It would be even better with a bit of cumin."
I thought of the Sichuan Medic who always carried a bottle of seasonings. I wondered if he was doing well, still showing off with his collection of spice bottles. No matter where he went, he would always be popular.
All I had here was a pinch of salt. I was already quite satisfied; with such fragrant grilled meat and a sprinkle of salt, what more could I want? This was a hundred times better than eating earthworms, despite the slight risk involved.
I cut off a piece of the golden-brown Bat Meat, sprinkled a bit of salt on it, and held it under my nose to inhale the aroma. Saliva pooled in my mouth and dripped onto the meat.
I glanced at Jack, who was still unconscious. "May your god bless me. If I die, no one will care for you unless your god is willing to babysit."
With that thought, I eagerly stuffed the enticing piece of meat, glistening with my saliva, into my mouth.
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