Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Monday. Another Monday.
"Dammit. I can't rely on American Guy. Good thing we didn't run ahead of him, or we'd be the targets."
Fatty wasn't shocked by Jack shooting at Tang Yumo. His tone seemed more puzzled about shooting at someone ahead than anything else. He probably still had thoughts of covering for Tang Yumo and Jack.
But I was different. I had no intention or determination to use someone else's life as a shield; that went against my principles. Moreover, from what I knew about Jack, he wasn't that kind of person either. If he would abandon a teammate, I believed there were certain circumstances under which he might, but I didn't think he could bring himself to shoot a teammate just to get ahead.
I couldn't afford to focus on the path anymore and directed the One-Eyed Beast Flashlight towards Jack as well. With both Flashlights illuminating the area, Jack's figure and stance became clearer. I could even see his finger slowly tightening on the trigger.
"Jack! Don't!" I shouted as I ran.
I didn't know what was wrong with Jack, but I absolutely couldn't believe this was his intention. In that moment, I suspected he had been infected by the Zombie Fungus, that his actions were no longer driven by self-awareness but controlled by the Zombie Fungus or some other consciousness.
But I couldn't let this happen. Some things, once done, cannot be changed or regretted; not only can the outcome not be altered, but the shadows formed in one's heart and the pressure caused will accompany a person for life. It could even change a person's character and worldview.
Amidst my shouting, I ran recklessly, jumped onto a stone as large as a Millstone, stepped on it, and leaped over a stalactite taller than a person. Soon, I left Fatty behind.
My voice was loud enough to probably make Jack's eardrums uncomfortable. I saw him shake his head; his gun-holding posture remained unchanged. His body and shoulders stayed perfectly still, but his face turned one hundred eighty degrees backward.
Jack's bizarre action nearly caused me to lose my balance while leaping over the stalactite, almost impaling myself on it. But when I landed, my legs gave way, and with a thud, I fell to the ground.
At this moment, what left me weak in the knees was not just Jack's bizarre action of turning his head, but also the face that was directly facing me. It was no longer a normal human face. I couldn't even be sure if it was a human face at all.
I remembered that Jack had a thick layer of facial hair typical of an unrefined Caucasian man. At this moment, the hair on his face was plastered against his skin, and I could tell it was dampened by sweat.
After sprinting this distance, even though the temperature in the Underground Cavern was as cold as an ice cellar, I was still sweating profusely. But compared to Jack, the sweat on my face was minimal. Fatty was similar; despite panting like a bull, he wasn't drenched in sweat either.
At that moment, Jack looked as if he had just emerged from water, with sweat soaking his facial hair and beard, trickling down his chin like a stream.
His face was gray, completely different from the rosy complexion he usually had. It resembled more the skin tone of the Long-Tailed Monster. What truly sent chills down my spine wasn't just these changes but his expression. Under the beams of two One-Eyed Beast Flashlights, his expression was terrifying and ferocious.
Jack's blue eyes, which had once captivated me, now appeared greenish and emitted a dim glow. However, instead of constricting under the glaring light of the One-Eyed Beast Flashlights, his pupils were dilated. In those wide-open eyes, I saw no whites at all.
On his grayish-white face, the muscles twisted and writhed horizontally like ripples, as if countless insects were crawling beneath his skin. This reminded me of Li Squad Leader, who had shown similar symptoms when his body was hollowed out and invaded by bugs.
Indeed, Jack was biting down on one of the One-Eyed Beast Flashlights. As our flashlights illuminated his face, his flashlight shone aimlessly into the air, as if his head turning was merely an instinctive reaction to sound rather than a conscious decision to look at someone.
Moreover, he was chewing on the One-Eyed Beast with his mouth. To me, it seemed he wasn't using it for illumination but rather consuming it, chewing it up as if he were eating the One-Eyed Beast Flashlight.
However, this horrifying scene vanished in an instant. Just like he couldn't see me and Fatty, Jack's ferocious face made two rapid 180-degree turns in less than a second.
"Shit, a ghost! You scared the hell out of me!"
As I fell to the ground, Fatty rushed up from behind, exclaiming loudly. In truth, I was the one who was scared out of my wits. I almost wet myself.
No matter what, I had to stop Jack from making a mistake, even if it meant hurting him in the process. I jumped up and drew my gun from my waist. Of course, I wouldn't kill Jack; I was confident in my marksmanship. I could disarm him without seriously injuring him and put an end to this tragedy.
"Damn it, what the hell? Is Tang Yumo going crazy too?!"
Just as I chambered a bullet, I heard Fatty's shout.
I had already aimed the muzzle at Jack's hand that was on the trigger. My One-Eyed Beast Flashlight was clenched in my mouth, allowing me to stabilize my grip with both hands for better accuracy.
Fatty's shout suddenly made me tense up; my finger twitched on the trigger, nearly firing the bullet.
I quickly moved the muzzle away and shouted at Fatty, "What’s going on? Can you stop freaking out? Are you trying to stab me in the back?"
"Am I that despicable? Look over there."
Fatty pointed his One-Eyed Beast Flashlight away from Jack and shone it in another direction.
In that direction, a torch flickered; it must be Tang Yumo, running ahead. But after just two seconds of looking, I found myself echoing Fatty's earlier words.
"Damn."
The torch flickered closer to us instead of moving away. The flashlight couldn't reach that far; all I could see was the approaching flame but not the person holding it. Yet a sudden question arose in my mind: Was the person under that torch Tang Yumo?
My gaze toward Jack shifted. Perhaps this was all a misunderstanding between us.
He was in front of us, closer to the torch, making it easier for him to notice something unusual about it. It seemed he had either spotted Tang Yumo or sensed danger as the torch moved back, prompting him to stop and draw his automatic rifle just in case.
But what was going on with his complexion and the expression on his face? And those lifeless eyes of his. I wanted to believe this was a misunderstanding, but I trusted my own eyes more.
I gripped my gun with one hand while holding the One-Eyed Beast Flashlight in my left, cautiously approaching Jack from the side.
Perhaps influenced by my tense demeanor, Fatty drew his sharpened Straight Blade and followed closely behind me, exuding a murderous intent as he advanced toward Jack.
Jack remained as still as a stone statue, allowing my Flashlight to move from his back to his side.
The moment my Flashlight illuminated his eyes, suddenly, the One-Eyed Beast Flashlight in Jack's mouth seemed to be bitten through at last, falling to the ground with a clatter.
(To Be Continued...)
Comment 0 Comment Count