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墨書 Inktalez
Finally, some readers have received the reward, and it feels a bit comforting to give the reward to subscribed readers.
I pointed the One-Eyed Beast Flashlight towards the sound of water. I heard a hissing sound near my ear, and without turning around, I could see Jack stretching his neck, looking in the direction of the flashlight. It seemed that the sound of water was quite clear, and Jack had heard it too.
This direction was slightly off from where I had identified the Underground River, but not by much; it was within an acceptable margin of error. However, at the end of the beam from the One-Eyed Beast Flashlight, I saw no water, not even the Wood Chip Dam that should be along the bank of the Underground River.
Jack appeared to be even more anxious than I was.
"The sound of water. Tap tap tap, what's going on? Tap tap tap," Jack stammered, his teeth chattering.
It seemed that Severe Pain hadn't dulled his thinking ability; it only affected his speech and movement. I wished it were the other way around.
I shook my head. "I know what's going on. Let's go take a look."
Just as I was about to step forward, Jack suddenly gripped my shoulder tightly, as if trying to remind me of something. I turned my head slightly.
"Something's not right, tap tap tap. Leave me here, tap tap tap. You, tap tap tap, carry me, tap tap tap. You can't run fast," he said in a hurried tone.
It was quite touching for him to say that, yet somehow it sounded funny.
Still, I felt moved and raised my hand to pat his head. "Are you afraid of dying?"
Jack's head shrank back, and he disdainfully let out a sound, "Tch. Tch-tch-tch."
I chuckled lightly. "Want a smoke?"
A hand eagerly reached out in front of me. It seemed he had been holding back for quite some time.
I lit a cigarette for him.
It was indeed strange. We had walked downstream of the Underground River for quite a while without hearing any sound of water, not even by the riverbank. The flow of the Underground River was so slow that it was barely perceptible, resembling more of an underground lake.
However, at this moment, the sound of water was like the roaring current rushing upstream, crashing against the banks, and it should have been even louder. I couldn't see the water, and the source of the Ming Shui sound was still quite far from me.
I was curious; my worry and fear took a backseat. Given my current state, I couldn't afford to carry Jack around; if I encountered any danger alone, I wouldn't be able to escape. Yet we had to follow the sound of water.
We needed to go on. If we didn't drink some water soon, we would die of thirst.
After walking for a short distance, the sound of water became thunderous, truly possessing the momentum of a thousand galloping horses. If I hadn't become familiar with the unique sound of water flowing in the Underground Cavern as it struck rocks, I would have thought it was not the sound of water but rather a massive cavalry charge.
"Water." Jack's vantage point was higher than mine as he pointed in a direction and shouted loudly.
I felt almost crushed under his weight; each step forward required me to catch my breath. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that at the end of the One-Eyed Beast Flashlight's beam, there was a glimmer reflecting off the water.
I barely mustered the last bit of strength to reach the edge of the Underground River. After setting Jack down, I hurried to fetch some water. My throat felt like it was on fire. Fortunately, the humidity in this place was high; otherwise, I would have collapsed long ago without a single drop to drink.
The aluminum water bottle was light yet sturdy. After countless bumps and scrapes along the way, it had only a few dents. The water was icy cold, and I didn't dare to hold the filled bottle with my hands. The temperature felt like it could pierce through to my bones.
I estimated the water temperature was close to freezing, which was vastly different from the air temperature. I was only wearing Jack's jacket. I felt cold, but it wasn't unbearable. I guessed the air temperature was around 8 degrees Celsius, give or take a little. I didn't check the temperature display on Jack's watch to confirm my estimate because I had confidence in my judgment.
The low temperature of the water was a problem; drinking it would accelerate our loss of body heat. However, there was nothing here to start a fire, and Jack and I could only manage to drink a little. We had no choice; between dying of thirst and freezing to death, we chose the latter.
The cold water made me feel as if I had fallen into an ice cellar, and the chill seemed to originate from within me. I could even feel my stomach cramping from the shock of the icy water. The heat generated by my body struggled to counteract the cold of the water in such a short time. At that moment, hunger surged up, replacing thirst as our most pressing concern.
Jack wasn't in any better shape than I was; he hugged his shoulders with both hands, his body trembling slightly. But there was no food around; finding a worm now seemed impossible.
Jack and I rested by the edge of the Underground River. The river was so close that I could almost reach out and touch it, yet I couldn't see any movement in its waters. Its surface lay still like a mirror.
We could still hear the sound of water, echoing downstream from the Underground River. It felt close now; I could sense the humidity rising sharply around us.
"It looks like we're going to be hungry; there's no food here," I shrugged at Jack.
Jack, still hugging his shoulders with both arms, shivered slightly. "Then let's not stay here any longer. Let's head somewhere else and see if we can find something. Like over by the sound of the water; maybe we'll discover something there."
I knew this was Jack's curiosity getting the better of him, and I wanted to see it too. The source of such a large sound must be spectacular. But I truly didn't have the strength to carry him anymore; my legs felt weak. I had anticipated this state of mine—once I set him down, I wouldn't have the energy to lift him again.
Jack sat on the ground, unable to lie down or lean against anything due to his back. He had to keep his body straight to avoid straining his wound, sitting upright like a vigilant meerkat.
I sat across from him, exhausted, unsure of what to do. I had no intention of abandoning him, but in my current state, I couldn't continue carrying him. It seemed I would have to leave him here for now.
As if sensing my dilemma, Jack trembled and said, "I can walk; you don't need to carry me. Just help me a bit."
That solved the problem. As long as I didn't have to carry him, even supporting or guiding him was manageable for me. With that issue resolved, there was no reason to waste time here; finding food sooner would be our hope for survival.
I helped Jack up, and we set off downstream along the Underground River. Soon enough, we reached the source of the sound.
Just as I had expected, the Underground River had widened into a lake at this point. At the far end of the lake stood a massive dam that seemed to stretch endlessly. This dam was lower than the banks of the Underground River, allowing water to flow over it. The sound came from the other side of the dam, where it appeared that lake water spilled over and flowed into an even deeper area beyond, creating a thunderous noise.
I stood on the riverbank, with the dam just over two meters below my feet. The lake water flowed over the dam to a height of one palm, rushing quickly yet silently to the other side. This dam was not only long enough to be out of sight, but also very wide; the One-Eyed Beast Flashlight couldn't illuminate the opposite bank.
I focused intently on the surface of the dam.
Jack seemed a bit anxious. "Let's move forward and take a look over there. I want to know where the water is going."
I didn't budge. The water above the dam was clear and shallow, and under the beam of the One-Eyed Beast Flashlight, I could see the surface of the dam distinctly.
A familiar feeling washed over me, and suddenly I felt a chill run down my spine. Yes, I should have some recollection of it.
(To Be Continued...)
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