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墨書 Inktalez
I released Jack, throwing my backpack and the Micro Submachine Gun onto the ground. I said, "Wait for me," and then jumped down.
The height of just over two meters was no obstacle for me. With a splash, I landed on the dam, sending up a huge spray of water. The surface was flat but not slippery, unlike the usual waterlogged bridges that become treacherous due to algae growth.
The water wasn't deep, but it was icy cold, and my feet quickly lost feeling. From here, I could see more clearly and feel the flow of the water distinctly.
Jack shouted anxiously from above, "Are you crazy? Don't leave me here alone! Get me down there!"
Jack couldn't come down by himself. I thought he wasn't really worried about being left alone on the shore; he just wanted to come down to see what was going on. I had no idea what awaited below, so there was no way I would bring a burden with me.
This place gave me a strong sense of familiarity mixed with terror. There were things I needed to confirm that weren't suitable for Jack to accompany me.
Ignoring Jack, I walked towards the underground lake on the dam's side and pointed the One-Eyed Beast Flashlight straight down into the lake. The dam plunged almost directly into the water, which was so clear that even the flashlight couldn't reach the bottom.
I turned around and walked toward the other side of the dam—not sideways but following the flow of water to find the source of the sound.
At that moment, I noticed Jack had lit a Glow Stick. It seemed he realized he couldn't change my mind and had resigned himself to waiting up there.
The width of the dam exceeded my expectations; after walking for a while, I no longer thought of it as a dam. It resembled a square submerged in water. If there were no water above, it would be strikingly similar to a scene I had once witnessed: the same low temperature and a massive underground lake on one side. I wondered if there would be an opening if I walked across to the other side; if so, it would truly feel like a return to a familiar place.
Indeed, purely from its structural shape, this location was identical to the space where Giant Millipedes gathered in Lop Nur underground. The difference was that here, the air temperature wasn't as low, and water had flooded over the dam. Yet this still made me draw parallels between the two places; I believed they must be connected in some way.
At Lop Nur, I had not reached the other side; I only saw the side where it received water. Today, I wanted to see the other side and wondered where the water flowed. Whether it was Lop Nur or here, water seemed to be the focal point of all patterns.
My feet quickly lost sensation, forcing me to quicken my pace. I needed to reach the source of the sound of water before I froze completely; this place was likely the other side of the Dam. I kept a visible distance from the shore under the flashlight's beam, so if I couldn't hold on any longer, I would have a chance to crawl ashore and rest.
However, my will was relatively strong, and before freezing completely, I made it to the other side of the dam. This side had a slight slope, and the flow of water over the Dam accelerated as I cautiously approached its edge. Fortunately, the ground remained firm; otherwise, it would have been difficult for me to reach this point.
The water over the dam cascaded down like a massive curtain. Due to the small volume of water, this side of the dam appeared straight as if cut by a knife. As soon as the water rushed out of the Dam, it failed to form a complete surface and scattered into countless droplets that fell down. Overall, it resembled an endless curtain of water.
The sound of water came from beneath this curtain. It didn't sound like water falling into another body; rather, it resembled water splashing against rocks.
I did not lean over to look down because I stopped just one meter away from the Dam. Here, I felt a bone-chilling cold. Right in front of me, at the end of the dam, this cold air surged forth, colder than the underground lake water and definitely below freezing. I suspected that the curtain of water hanging from the dam would turn into ice mid-air. Standing here, I was almost frozen and truly lacked the strength to take another step forward.
I adjusted my flashlight to high beam. The flashlight shone straight ahead like a drop of water merging into ink; instantly, the boundless darkness absorbed this light. It seemed that the flashlight only illuminated about ten meters ahead; all I could see was this narrow beam of light before being engulfed by darkness.
My heart involuntarily trembled with an impulse to step forward and see what lay ahead. It was too strange—was it that the darkness was too deep or that something was wrong with my flashlight? How could it possibly only project a beam about ten meters long?
I quickly swung the flashlight towards the riverbank, and suddenly the towering bank appeared under its beam.
With a dazed expression, I pointed the One-Eyed Beast Flashlight at the opposite side of the dam once more. The unbelievable situation unfolded again. Where did the light go? Or was it that the light could not penetrate the darkness before me?
I stared at the beam of light, which barely reached ten meters, feeling a bit disoriented and numb. I knew this was due to my low body temperature, but what lay before me was not an illusion. I couldn't stay here any longer; otherwise, I wouldn't be able to find my way back.
I quickly shook the flashlight downward, but unfortunately, it still didn't extend any further. The transparent beam only reached about ten meters, and beyond that was pitch black. I didn't want to waste any more time here and turned to walk towards the shore.
Although there was a two-meter drop from the dam to the riverbank, it wasn't straight down; there were many protrusions to grab onto. Normally, this would pose no difficulty for me, but today was different. My stiff limbs made it nearly impossible to climb up without exhausting all my strength.
Jack was clearly still angry with me. When he saw me scramble up onto the bank, he stood up furiously. However, he quickly noticed something was off with me and walked over, swaying slightly. "You look terrible."
I gritted my teeth and remained silent, shivering all over from the cold. I worried that if I opened my mouth, my trembling teeth would bite my uncontrollable tongue.
Seeing that I wouldn't speak, Jack grabbed me and asked, "What's wrong? No, wait—why are you so cold? You're like a block of ice."
I shakily extended a finger and pointed at the water.
"I know the water is chilly," Jack replied, "but you're colder than it."
I felt like I was about to freeze to death while this guy continued to make jokes. If I were colder than the water, I would have been dead long ago. Frustrated, I wanted to give him the middle finger to express my dissatisfaction, but my shaking hands couldn't even raise that finger. I just hoped it wouldn't affect my other functions.
"I'm saying that your body temperature shouldn't drop this quickly in the water. What happened to you?"
I shook him off. I had no mind to discuss anything else in my current state.
I hurriedly sat down, took off my shoes, and began rubbing my feet vigorously with both hands. If I didn't increase blood circulation quickly, the nerves in my toes would freeze up soon. Seeing this, Jack quickly knelt beside me and started rubbing my other foot with all his strength.
In fact, my two feet were the cleanest parts of our bodies, the only places without any odor. That was because only my feet had been washed in the water.
(To Be Continued...)
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