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墨書 Inktalez
I have experienced this feeling before, but this time it was more intense, almost like a clear message appearing in my mind: danger.
I think everyone sensed something unusual; it was evident from their expressions and actions.
Tang Yumo's face was tense, as if the knife had slipped and fallen into the cabin, but that wasn't the case. The Straight Blade hadn't yet landed in the cabin when she grabbed an oar, plunging it swiftly into the water, sending up a spray.
I could only quickly coordinate with her rowing movements; otherwise, the boat would capsize and spin under the single oar's stroke.
I saw Jack's lips move; under the firelight, he must have mouthed a curse. Then he crouched slightly and quickly loaded a bullet into the Empty Magazine.
“Damn it, what the hell is that sound? This is insane.”
Fatty's curse echoed behind me. He was probably the only one who hadn’t encountered this bizarre sound that went straight to the brain.
I worried he might suffer because of it, even though I wasn't sure what the Giant Bat would do next. I shouted to warn him, “It’s the ultrasonic waves from the Giant Bat; maybe the signal is too strong. Be careful; they might launch a new attack.”
“How could that be? Are you kidding? They flew away.”
“Damn, they really are gone!” I looked up. Within sight, those continuously visible and elusive Giant Bats had vanished. It seemed that the sound that had penetrated my mind signaled a retreat; the Bat swarm had collectively withdrawn at that command.
“Don’t stop,” Tang Yumo shouted in my ear.
I did not stop rowing, but my movements had clearly slowed down and lost some strength. I didn't think we had escaped danger; rather, I felt that the Giant Bat had retreated too suddenly, leaving me a bit surprised and bewildered.
I certainly didn't believe they would let us go easily, as evidenced by the Long-Tailed Monster's attitude. However, I thought the group attack from the Giant Bat would come to an end, and what would follow would be sporadic assaults and ambushes, much like the Long-Tailed Monster.
Yet, Tang Yumo's rowing frequency and strength showed no signs of weakening, nor did it increase. I estimated that this was her limit; from her heaving chest and flushed face, it was clear she had no strength left to quicken her pace.
To prevent the boat from tipping over, I had no choice but to exert more force with my hands, swinging my arms to get the boat back on course. The boat sped downstream like a motorboat. I could even feel the wind rushing past me.
The wind became increasingly apparent, but my expression grew more serious. I sensed that the wind was not entirely coming from the front of the boat; it was also coming from one side—a crosswind. This caught me off guard and left me in disbelief.
I had experience adventuring in the Underground Cavern. I knew that there was almost no airflow in the Underground Cavern; if there was any, it was just a little in the narrow areas upstream of the Underground River. Once you reached downstream in the Underground River, especially in this place, the air felt as solid as cheese. There would absolutely be no natural wind.
But now, not only did I feel air movement, but the wind was also growing stronger. My hair and clothes fluttered wildly in this increasingly fierce wind.
I realized that this wind must have been artificially created. And it had to be the work of the Giant Bat. While I was curious about how they managed to do this, I understood that they weren't creating this wind to cool us off; they were sending us to our doom.
"Row together! They want to capsize the boat!" I shouted at Fatty, who was still in a daze.
"Isn't this a bit too much? It's like it's come to life."
Fatty, despite his words, was not idle. He inserted a torch into a hollow at the stern of the boat, with the blade of his Straight Blade knife biting into his mouth. He then fished out a paddle from the bottom of the boat, which was pressed against the side, and knelt on one leg on the crisp wood shavings to start rowing.
With Fatty, this bull-like figure, joining in, the speed of the boat increased significantly. Although it wasn't immediately visible, the difference was palpable; the wind blowing from the front was stronger than that from the side.
Jack did not put down his task; he continued to load bullets into Empty Magazine. Facing the direction of the crosswind, both of his knees were planted on the wooden shavings of the boat's bottom, right in front of him was a backpack filled with weapons.
Fatty's backpack contained many 16-round magazines and bullets, but it seemed that most of them had been emptied during that last round of firing. Jack filled one magazine and tucked it into his belt. I estimated that all magazines could be filled enough to circle around his waist. However, at that moment, only half a circle was inserted into his belt.
I certainly wasn't just shouting for Fatty to row; this required teamwork. Any one person throwing a tantrum could jeopardize everyone. Jack remained still, focused on loading bullets, merely lifting his eyelids to glance at me before quickly returning to his work.
Jack's gaze remained calm, but I could sense an underlying tension. He didn't explain or even respond to me; even that fleeting glance held no information. His intense focus on loading bullets suggested either he knew what dangers lay ahead or he believed something even more terrifying was about to happen.
Fortunately, Fatty didn't act foolishly; he didn't take out his frustration on Jack for not participating in rowing and didn't complain at all.
Tang Yumo and I focused on our respective sides with our paddles. Fatty maintained a rowing rhythm that matched ours, but his strength far exceeded that of Tang Yumo and me. No matter which side he helped row, it would unbalance our efforts and cause the boat to lose its sense of direction, risking capsizing.
However, with Fatty using one paddle on each side and alternating between them, this issue was resolved. Still, it made me anxious.
His paddles continuously flew over our heads from one side to the other and then back again. I worried that if he wasn't careful, one of his paddles might accidentally strike my head.
But this was just an initial concern, and soon it became unimportant. As the paddle flew from one side to the other, it splashed a large amount of river water, the icy water pouring down on me and Tang Yumo. The water flowed down my neck and soaked into my clothes, instantly cooling my already heated body. Even the sweat clinging to my skin turned cold.
Now, neither Tang Yumo nor I dared to take a moment's rest; we could only paddle harder, burning ourselves to generate more body heat.
At this point in the Underground Cavern, the air temperature was extremely low. The wind blowing towards us and from the sides stole away our body heat, making our already soaked bodies feel even colder and stiffer.
I could even feel my clothes hardening, the hem freezing. I could barely sense how cold the water splashed from Fatty's paddle onto me had become; the temperature of my drenched clothes was already lower than that of the Underground River.
Suddenly, the sound of bullets ceased. Like a signal, my numb and stiff body suddenly felt the wind blowing fiercely from the side. (To Be Continued...)
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