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墨書 Inktalez
Lao sat cross-legged in a corner, his pale, gaunt face hidden beneath a hooded robe. His dim eyes squinted slightly at the blinding white light but did not flinch away. It seemed that the light from the One-Eyed Beast did not affect him much.
"I'm going home with you," Lao's hoarse voice immediately drew Fatty's ire.
"Genius is going home with you. Why bring along a half-dead person? Isn't there enough trouble already?"
Fatty's latter remark was directed at Tang Yumo, but she ignored him. Standing beside Lao, she patted his shoulder and looked at me. Suddenly, she said, "Get ready to open the door. After shooting the arrows, step back quickly to give them space for a second round of attack. If necessary, throw Fire Oil Bombs; we need to rush out swiftly."
I was taken aback, completely stunned. Tang Yumo's words were clearly not meant for me, but her second round of attack was definitely intended for us. I still hadn't grasped the situation—weren't we here to find specimens? How had we suddenly ended up in a fight? Who were we even fighting? Wasn't this entrance supposed to be safe? I hadn't heard that Fatty and the others had fought their way in last time. The last time, Tang Yumo and her two Hakka companions hadn’t even armed themselves. What had changed so drastically this time?
I stared blankly for a few seconds before finally speaking up.
"Stop, stop, stop! What do you mean? What’s out there? Who are you planning to fight? Don’t drag us into this! We came to help you find specimens, not to be your muscle."
Tang Yumo suddenly flashed me a sly smile. "You should be one of us; we're family. Open the door!"
With the words "Open the door," Tang Yumo drew back the bow towards the entrance. A Hakka person quickly stepped back as they knocked off the bolt. The bow was fully drawn, with an arrow aimed at the iron door leading to the underground cavern.
The Hakka person had brought a few flashlights when they descended. I noticed them, but they were not as bright as our One-Eyed Beast Flashlight; they were quite ordinary, probably lacking even waterproof features. The Hakka people did not take out their flashlights, seemingly aware that someone would provide illumination for them.
Indeed, they were not mistaken. At the moment the bolt sounded, three beams from the One-Eyed Beast Flashlight illuminated the iron door. Whether out of curiosity or fear, our attention inevitably focused on that door. I was very curious about what dangers awaited us outside.
Surprisingly, no one attempted to open the door. This iron door swung inward and was secured by a thick wooden bolt. Removing the bolt would allow the door to open inward, revealing whatever lay within the Underground Cavern. Yet, the Hakka people merely stared nervously at the iron door, as if expecting it to open on its own.
With a loud bang, the heavy iron door was slammed open like a block of wood, crashing against the stone wall with a deafening sound. Under the blinding light of the flashlights, an ugly face appeared at the entrance. I recognized this creature immediately; in the Underground Cavern, Jack and I had been pursued by them in a desperate situation. Jack even killed one with his bare hands, but he was severely injured in the process.
Yes, it was the Long-Tailed Monster. I used to refer to them as Blood-Eyed Monsters, but it seemed I would have to change that name because this ugly creature's eyes were not blood-colored but blue—like two enormous glowing bulbs.
The light from the One-Eyed Beast Flashlight and the monster's bulb-like eyes met at such close range. The flashlight's brightness clearly overwhelmed it, causing the monster to become momentarily blinded and emit a piercing scream.
The Hakka people did not hesitate; at the moment the monster appeared, four arrows shot forth almost directly into its forehead.
With a thud, the monster flew back as if struck by an arrow. It did not howl; it must have been killed instantly.
As soon as those four arrows were released, Tang Yumo and three other Hakka people retreated simultaneously. Their anticipated second wave had yet to appear when a rope-like tail, as thick as a wrist and gray in color, suddenly slithered in from the entrance and swiftly wrapped around one of the Hakka people, pulling them toward the cave's exterior.
Although we had already torn our relationship with the Hakka People and were now enemies, in the face of a more terrifying and common foe, we had to join forces and it was necessary to minimize our own casualties.
However, the situation on the ground changed too quickly for me to react. The Hakka People had already been dragged to the cave entrance, seemingly about to vanish in an instant.
The sound of a sword being drawn and the slash that severed the Long-Tailed came almost simultaneously.
It was Tang Yumo who made the move. This was something I hadn't anticipated. It seemed that this woman, whom I found quite formidable, was finally revealing her true self.
As the Long-Tailed was cut down, a painful roar echoed from outside the cave. The Hakka People rolled on the ground twice, shaking off the tail that had entangled them, and scrambled to their feet, pressing against the wall as they swiftly drew a second arrow.
There was no time for the Hakka People to react. Before they could nock their arrow, a monstrous creature had already charged halfway into the stone chamber. Its claw-like front limbs scraped deep grooves into the rocky ground, as if it would burst in at any moment and tear us apart.
I reflexively raised my gun. The sound that followed was a series of deafening shots from an AK-47.
Fatty wielded the AK-47, flames erupting from the muzzle as he stepped forward while crouching low. The entrance was tight; I had to squat to get through, and Fatty could only squeeze through by following suit. However, it seemed there was a reason for this design; at least this kind of monster couldn't charge in two at a time.
Fatty finally knelt on one leg at the cave entrance, nearly pressing the muzzle against the creature's head. A single magazine emptied into its skull, turning it into a mass of pulpy flesh.
Fatty quickly swapped out magazines and kicked the corpse blocking the entrance out of the way. He bit down on One-Eyed Beast Flashlight's head as he peered outside. His bulk effectively blocked everyone's view of the entrance. But sound could not be obstructed, and I heard an even louder noise.
"Damn."
First came Fatty's furious curse, followed by the amplified echo of gunfire reverberating through the Underground Cavern.
The gunfire ceased as abruptly as it had started. With that silence came Fatty, seemingly hurled back into the stone chamber as if struck by a Hummer.
I don't know what he saw outside the cave entrance or what hit him, but I do know that with his build, there aren't many things that could knock him off his feet. At least, the vehicles that used to race down the streets a few years ago wouldn't be able to do it; if one of those hit him, who knows who would be hurt worse?
What worries me more is the injury on his back. If he crashed directly into a rock, the wounds on his back would surely split open completely. If he were incapacitated, we would have to carry over two hundred pounds of flesh wherever we went.
So without thinking twice, I rushed over to Fatty and embraced him. I underestimated Fatty's weight and the force of whatever hit him; or perhaps I overestimated my own strength.
I managed to grab hold of Fatty, but I couldn't stop him from being propelled backward. We collided against the wall behind us. (To Be Continued...)
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