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墨書 Inktalez
Jack was the first to jump up. He was the most eager to reach the end of the Underground River, and at the same time, he was probably annoyed by the sight of Fatty across the campfire.
Tang Yumo followed closely behind Jack, taking the second position.
Fatty was at the back, pushed there by me. He was loaded with all sorts of gear, and if anything fell off, it would be a problem. A Flare would be bad enough, blinding anyone nearby, but if a Melon Grenade dropped, there would be no time to react. Whoever was behind him would be in trouble.
Fatty grumbled from the back, “Qiangzi, you’re getting more inconsiderate. You just leave me behind like this. If something happens, can you live with yourself?”
I immediately retorted, “If something happens back there, it’s your own fault. If you were in front and dropped something on me, I’d be blown up too. Can you live with that?”
“Damn it, are you even planning to listen for sounds?”
“No plans, but I’ve mentally prepared myself.”
“Then I’ll stick close to you so you can hear me.”
“Seriously, how’s that injury on your back? After all this jostling, your wound didn’t reopen, did it?”
“I’m fine. You should know me better than that.”
“Exactly because I know you so well that I’m asking. Honestly, I’m quite prepared.”
After a moment of silence, Fatty’s voice came from behind.
“I can hold on for a while longer.”
"Dammit. Don't try to be a hero later. If something goes wrong, Jack and I will take the lead. Don't get yourself into trouble."
After a moment of frustration, I couldn't help but grumble, "With your attitude, challenging Jack is just ridiculous. You're really American Guy, and your IQ is a hard limit."
"Can you blame me? He started it first. There's a sense of national pride involved! And don't talk to me about IQ; just because you've studied for a few more years doesn't mean you're smarter. If you disagree, I'll just have to teach you a lesson."
Up ahead, Jack and Tang Yumo were silent, their footsteps barely making a sound. In the quiet space, only the voices of Fatty and I could be heard.
As we bantered back and forth, we quickly reached the end of the Underground River. It was faster than expected, taking only three and a half hours. However, the hurried march had drained us of too much energy. Looking at the long water barrier ahead, we were too exhausted to feel anything but fatigue as we collapsed onto the ground, panting like dogs.
"Don't light a fire or make any noise. Let's eat something before we head down," I said to Fatty, though it was meant for everyone; Fatty was just my main concern since he tended to make noise.
The One-Eyed Beast Flashlight was turned off, and the four of us gathered around two Glow Sticks to eat. The eerie green light from the Glow Sticks cast strange shadows on our faces, making us look like zombies from a horror movie.
In the pitch-black silence of the Underground River, we sat together without making a sound as we ate.
Occasionally glancing up at this unsettling scene made me quickly lower my head again. It was just too creepy.
The water on the Flood Barrier was as cold as ever. The moment I stepped on it, it sucked all the warmth from my feet, leaving my body that had been hot from rushing suddenly icy.
Fatty was the only one unprepared for this. When he jumped down, water splashed all over him. He couldn't help but curse, "Damn it, why is it so cold?"
I gestured for him to be quiet and lowered my voice, "Hey, Fat Brother, keep it down; don’t attract any ghosts."
Fatty bared his teeth and held the Glow Stick in front of his face. With his lips, he mouthed: 'This temperature could freeze someone to death. Is Heimanluo a cold-blooded creature?'
I leaned forward slightly so my face was illuminated by the Glow Stick, mouthing back: 'How would I know? That thing probably has thick skin like you and can withstand the cold.'
Fatty's eyes widened again upon hearing this. I immediately turned around, signaling Jack to head towards Heimanluo's lair.
As we reached the middle of the Flood Barrier, Jack climbed ashore and asked me, "Which way should we go?"
I pointed upstream along the Underground River. "Maybe the Black Giant hasn't returned yet. Let's take this opportunity to retrieve the Specimen. No need to take detours."
Jack and I had speculated about the terrain here, but it was just speculation. Even though we had been here last time, we hadn't had the time or inclination to observe closely. We weren't even very clear about the terrain where we boarded the boat; we were too focused on running away back then.
However, Tang Yumo was familiar with this terrain, and she had introduced it to us before.
According to Tang Yumo's explanation, there was a stone wall that followed the flow of the Underground River, positioned roughly in the middle of it. At the end of the Underground River, this stone wall divided it into two halves. This stone wall seemed to support this space; of course, it wasn't a creation of the Hakka People but rather a work of nature. The Hakka People merely made clever use of natural forces and provided some refinement.
This stone wall was extremely thick and extended far upstream along the Underground River, easily giving one the impression of having reached the opposite bank. Jack and I had experienced this misunderstanding before.
However, this illusion could be easily dispelled; as long as one walked along this stone wall from either end, they would eventually find themselves in a space identical to that on the other side of the wall. In other words, even if we walked towards the Dam while following this stone wall, we would discover its endpoint and could bypass it to reach the other side.
Theoretically, we had walked upstream along the Underground River from the other side of the stone wall last time, which meant our backpack was naturally left behind on that side. However, according to Tang Yumo's judgment, the location where we lost our backpack should have crossed over the stone wall that divided the Underground River. This meant that no matter which side of the stone wall we walked from towards the Underground River, we would inevitably arrive at the spot where we initially lost our backpack.
Since we had to go back to retrieve the Specimen—at least to take a look at it—taking a detour seemed pointless. Moreover, we were pressed for time; we needed to get to the Specimen before Heimanluo returned.
As for whether the Specimen was still there, Tang Yumo was confident: given such a significant change in the Underground Cavern, that Specimen must still be there. Furthermore, Heimanluo had some reservations about that thing; if it sensed its presence, it would try to avoid it. This meant that it was highly likely that the Specimen remained in its original location.
Jack shrugged and was the first to walk upstream along the stone wall towards the Underground River. Fatty glanced thoughtfully at the other side of the Dam; in reality, the Flood Barrier was quite wide, and even with the One-Eyed Beast Flashlight set to its farthest beam, we couldn’t see across.
However, we could hear sounds—the rumbling of water accompanied us, attracting some while instilling fear in others. Clearly, Fatty belonged to the type whose curiosity overcame his fear.
Taking advantage of Fatty ’s hesitation, I shook him off and caught up with Jack. The four of us lit up two Glow Sticks, forcing us to pair up as we moved forward. I teamed up with Jack, leaving Fatty with Tang Yumo. This way, no matter how anxious Fatty became, he would have to wait for Tang Yumo; after all, she wasn’t as strong physically and couldn’t keep pace with Jack and me. I felt more at ease leaving Fatty behind.
If we encountered danger, Jack and I would assess the situation carefully; even if it meant fighting hard, we would always leave ourselves an escape route. Fatty was different—when he panicked, he would definitely act recklessly. Although the information he had just shared with me was vague, I knew him too well; if he could hold on for a while longer, it was only because he was forcing himself. He was stubborn like that.
In this situation, if he pushed himself further, it would be a death sentence.
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