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墨書 Inktalez
When I woke up, my whole body ached, probably from maintaining the same sleeping position all night. I opened my eyes and saw that Fatty was not in the room, while Vietnamese was sleeping soundly.
I got up and twisted my neck and waist with force, the stiff joints cracking loudly. I walked over to A San and kicked him lightly. "Stop sleeping, get up and eat."
Vietnamese opened his eyes, and I noticed they were red.
"Brother Qiang, let me sleep a little longer. I didn't close my eyes all night."
I was speechless. He must have had a tough night.
Xiao Ting also hadn’t slept well. In their room, it seemed only Jack had managed to sleep peacefully; the two Lao People had bloodshot eyes, and Fumi looked like he had lost weight overnight. His face, which had hardly any flesh to begin with, now appeared gaunt and covered in stubble. It seemed he had endured the most hardship throughout the night.
In the Hakka People's room, there was a stove in the middle where Xiao Ting had cooked a pot of porridge, filling the entire room with a rich aroma of rice.
"Where's Fatty?" I asked Xiao Ting. Not seeing him in either room made me worry.
"He went out for a walk."
I nodded, knowing what he had gone out to do. However, it was still early, and the people in the village probably hadn't woken up yet. If he wanted to find someone from outside in the village, it would be better to wait until it was light out. Who knew where he had wandered off to?
I wasn't too worried about him getting into trouble. The village wasn't large; how much commotion could there be for something to happen? I figured the entire village would hear it.
Fumi's broken leg had no visible wounds, and Dr. Tang had applied a layer of ointment on it. Just like his case, they didn't have very effective painkillers. It wasn't until noon that Fumi's leg started to feel better, allowing him to finally close his eyes and sleep.
Fatty returned just before dark. It wasn't just me; I thought everyone was anxious, including the Vietnamese, because he was currently our strongest asset. If he didn't come back, it would introduce more variables.
After eating something, Fatty called me into another room and spread a piece of paper on the table. He mouthed to me, "I drew a map of this village. Take a look."
I nodded silently. "Thank you for your hard work." I knew this task was difficult; it required climbing many heights and walking a long way.
"Tch." Fatty scoffed dismissively. "You're getting more and more hypocritical."
I shot him an exasperated glance and leaned over the map. My eyes involuntarily glanced out the window. Ever since last night when we speculated about the Hakka people having abnormal vision, I felt insecure about everything I did, as if I were exposed under the glaring sun.
Perhaps my movements resembled those of a thief, prompting Fatty to irritably remark, "If she can see you, there's no way you can hide. Stop being so timid, like a turtle withdrawing into its shell."
"Damn it. Do I really look that pathetic?" I retorted angrily. Then I mouthed to him, "Stay alert. Prepare for both scenarios; first and foremost, we need to keep them guessing with our voices. Hopefully, they don't have x-ray vision. If they do, all our efforts will be in vain." With that, I lowered my head and focused on the map.
First of all, I want the map of Fatty to be very standard. It is a standard military map. The highlands and depressions are clearly marked and have a simple scale. The center of this image is our exit from the Underground Cavern. In this way, Hakka People’s Village should be built around this. However, there is only one residential area drawn on the map. This is the hill we currently live on. On the south side of the hill, there are rows of Bamboo Houses built against the mountain. There was a mark on the top of the hill that I didn't recognize. I pointed to the mark and asked Fatty: 'What is this?' ' 'Starting Point of Zip Line. The top of the mountain is the starting point of Zip Line, which goes north and connects to another hill. But that hill is no longer in Village. The overall height of this Village is higher than the swamp. It should have been built up by them over countless years. It looks like an isolated island in the swamp. Village is surrounded by swampland. In addition to passing Zip Line, you can only leave by wading through the water. It seems that they didn't lie to us on this point, or they decided to take advantage of us. 'The map drawn by Fatty is detailed but incomplete. The Village where Hakka People live is generally in the shape of a north-south oval, with the entrance to Underground Passage as the dividing line. To the north, which is the residential area of Hakka People, Fatty has drawn a detailed Map, but the south side is blank. When I pointed my finger at the blank space, Fatty shrugged: 'There's not enough time, I can't cover the entire Village in one go. We'll run over there tomorrow. If everything goes well, we'll finish the map in one more run. 'Of course I can't complain about him. Once he can complete such a large workload, he has superhuman efficiency. On the contrary, I am more worried that he will not be safe outside alone. Although his fighting ability is off the charts, I still feel uneasy about working alone in this crisis-ridden environment.
"Why don't you take A San or Buasong with you? If something comes up, at least you'll have someone to help out," Fatty suggested.
After thinking for a moment, Fatty replied, "Alright, but you mustn't leave. With just the two of us going out, we don't have many people here who can move around. If we split up any further, those lurking in the shadows will definitely come after us."
I nodded. "Okay, who are you planning to take with you?"
"Vietnamese," Fatty said without hesitation. "I can't leave him at home; he might be more reliable by my side."
I had a feeling Fatty would want A San. I couldn't help but glance sympathetically in the direction of his bedding.
"You've seen the landlord, right? What do you think of him?" I asked suddenly, realizing that despite staying here for two days, I hadn't actually met the landlord. It struck me as odd; I hadn't even heard any noise from him.
The Bamboo House embodied the architectural features of the ethnic minorities in Yunnan and Guizhou. The first floor was open and unoccupied, completely bare and well-ventilated. The second floor had three rooms: the landlord lived in the first room upstairs, while Fatty and I occupied the middle room, and Xiao Ting along with two injured individuals stayed at the other end.
In our two days here, we had passed by the landlord's door three times, one of which was a frantic rush when we were putting out a fire. However, our side was filled with injuries and disabilities; those who could still move were busy taking care of the injured and were too afraid to disperse. Yet the landlord was just an old man; he should have made some noise or gone out to bask in the sun at least. Was it possible that he was too old to move? Or had he simply passed away?
I could only shake my head. "Don't see him, and you didn't hear a sound. Could he be in a dead house?"
Fatty shook his head. "I took some rice from his place today; he's still alive. I can't see through this old guy. Even if he were on the brink of death, I'd believe it. But if he can outlive me, I’d believe that too."
I was stunned for a moment. "Fatty, you didn't skip your medication today, did you? Don't stop taking it."
Fatty let out a cold laugh. "Don't push me. Tomorrow, I'll meet the landlord. When I come back, tell me your thoughts. Then you'll know who really needs the medication."
(To Be Continued...)
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