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墨書 Inktalez
I wanted to drag it up to the dam before it sank. The surface of the dam was lower than the pavement, and while its body was still soft from death, it was possible to pull it up. The water on the dam flowed toward the other side, where there would be no life, regardless of what else was there. I found it hard to believe that any life could exist in such extreme cold; even if it did, it could only survive in the unfathomable depths below the dam. Therefore, the water carrying the smell of blood flowing to the other side should be safe for us.
Once I reached the dam, I saw clearly that it was a massive fish. The most terrifying part was its mouth, which was large enough to swallow me whole. It wasn't that the fish was so big that I couldn't see its head or tail; rather, its proportions were severely distorted, with a head that took up nearly half of its body, resembling a catfish.
I didn't have time to observe it closely; I pulled with all my strength to drag it onto the dam. The hardest part was getting its head onto the dam; its head was both the largest and heaviest part and had already begun to sink. This was the most challenging segment, and I even took the risk of reaching into its mouth. Once I managed to get its head up, it became easier; using the current, I dragged this giant creature to the middle of the dam.
At this point, I was not only exhausted but completely soaked. I quickly stripped off my clothes; wearing wet clothes was colder than being naked. As I opened up the fish's belly, a strong stench hit me, but I ignored it and dove in. What attracted me was its warmth.
Before its temperature dropped too much, I cut off a large piece of its subcutaneous fat—a sizable chunk of lard that was definitely high-calorie food. However, I didn't plan to use it as food; I intended to use it as fuel to start a fire.
I crawled up onto the riverbank, startling Jack. Although he could see me busy below, he couldn't tell exactly what I was doing.
The sight of my blood made him pause as he asked, "Are you hurt?"
I shook my head. With a flashlight clenched in my mouth and one end of a rope tied to a large piece of fish oil, I needed to hurry and pull it up. I couldn't spare a moment to talk.
Seeing the piece of fish oil hanging from me, Jack leaned over and took a bite. "High-calorie stuff! With this, we won't freeze or starve."
I worried he might eat too much and get sick, so I quickly told him there was plenty more down below; this piece was meant for starting a fire.
As soon as Jack heard this, he said, "I'll start the fire. You get more up here so we can roast some."
I nodded after catching my breath. He treated me like an errand boy without giving me a moment to rest.
I jumped back down and cut a chunk of meat from the fish's back—about ten pounds—tied it with rope, and pulled it back up. My body temperature was dropping quickly; I didn't dare linger below. When I came back up, Jack had already started a fire.
It wasn't possible to ignite lard directly; Jack used his shrunk shirt as kindling instead. The fire produced an unpleasant smell—not from the fish oil but from his old shirt. However, compared to freezing to death, this little odor was bearable.
With fire, roasted fish meat, and hot water, Jack and I gradually regained our humanity. We even washed our stinky clothes once; finally free from that foul odor.
The fire pit was very close to the riverbank; however, below us wasn't an underground lake but rather a dam. Jack and I sat facing each other on the ground with the fire between us. I faced toward where the underground lake would be. In another underground lake, I'd encountered something far more terrifying and had suffered greatly from it; that memory still haunted me. Here, I remained cautious about any movements from below.
After filling our stomachs, I didn't feel particularly sleepy—just somewhat lethargic both mentally and physically. While roasting our clothes by the fire, Jack and I began discussing our next course of action in a casual manner.
Without a doubt, crossing the river was our top priority, though it would be more accurate to say we needed to cross the lake.
From the appearance of the Flood Barrier, it was clear that this was the end of the Underground River. The other side of the Flood Barrier led directly to the opposite bank. Wading through the water to reach the other side would be much easier than swimming across. The pressure I felt about wading over was something Jack could not imagine; I feared that if I reached the other side and saw an opening, I might faint from sheer terror.
Yet, I knew I had to go over, even if there were great dangers waiting for us. Such is fate.
I couldn't shake off thoughts of the two Lao People; their chances of survival were already slim, and Jack and I had officially acknowledged this. When I suggested we search for the Lao People and Vietnamese on the other side of the Underground River, Jack did not object.
In fact, there was another crucial reason we had to go to the other side: it seemed there was no way out on this side. We needed to take a chance on what lay beyond the Underground River.
Fish oil burned slowly and produced almost no smoke, resembling a giant smokeless candle. I asked Jack to roast the leftover fish over the fire until it dried out; it could be considered a method of dehydration. Then I went down once more and cut a larger piece of fish and some fish oil.
We needed to prepare some food, not just for ourselves but also in case we found the Lao People and Vietnamese alive; this food could save their lives.
The fish was cut into strips and skewered with the bayonet of my AK-47 before being roasted over the fire, cooking quickly. The enticing aroma filled our surroundings.
I thought that if danger were imminent, something should have attacked us by now. The light from the fire and the smell of food would attract nearby predators. Jack realized this too; while we took turns roasting fish, one of us always held the Micro Submachine Gun, vigilantly watching our surroundings.
Fortunately, danger did not come; instead, a deep drowsiness settled over me. Before all the fish was fully cooked, my grip on the AK-47 loosened, causing a half-burnt piece of fish on the bayonet to fall into the fish oil below, igniting instantly and sending flames soaring over a meter high.
The sudden fire jolted me awake from my half-dreaming state. Looking at the ruined skewer of roasted fish with a hint of regret, I shrugged slightly and said, "At this rate, we won't last long. Let's take turns sleeping; once we cross the river, we might not have time to rest."
"Okay, you sleep first then; I can hold out for a bit longer. Is two hours enough?"
I nodded. "Wake me in two hours; otherwise, I'll sleep until pigs fly."
As I spoke, I turned onto my side and lay down. Curling up with the bright flames from the fish oil before me felt quite comforting. Almost as soon as my head hit my backpack, I slipped into unconsciousness.
When I was awakened, I remained in that position, indicating how deeply I had slept. Groggily sitting up, I noticed a jacket draped over me—Jack must have covered me with it.
I gave him a friendly smile and rubbed my eyes. "How long did I sleep?"
"You slept for two hours; it took me half an hour to wake you up—so a total of two and a half hours. But I didn’t wake you up roughly," Jack said with a smirk.
I dared not linger on the topic, playing dumb. "Then you should rest for a bit. I feel much better."
Jack shook his head. "I can't sleep. You're fine, so let's just get going."
It was then that I noticed Jack's pale complexion; it seemed the pain was still tormenting him. I glanced at the backpack, indicating that there were still anesthetics and painkillers inside.
Jack hesitated for a moment. "I can hold on... I'm just worried that if I fall asleep, I won't wake up."
My heart sank. "Has the wound worsened?"
Jack shrugged. "At least it's not getting better. Let's go; I believe I can hold on until we find a way out."
I nodded and silently stood up.
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