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墨書 Inktalez
“His torch was swallowed by another space. My understanding is that it was swallowed by a dog. Do you think that’s possible? The dog is hiding underground.”
I shook my head, watching Tang Yumo probe the torch down again. “There’s no need to test it anymore. If we don’t go down, we won’t find any results.”
“No, look at the rope.”
I looked down, and the rope hanging into the abyss was still there, but it was no longer taut. I reached out and pulled on the rope, but it was empty.
“ Fatty!” I shouted into the abyss.
“ Fatty!” another voice cried out, even more terrified than mine. The sound was so loud it felt like it would burst my eardrums.
I didn’t expect Tang Yumo to care so much about Fatty, to act so irrationally. In that moment, I even felt a twinge of jealousy towards Fatty from both of them, as if they were two people having an affair. That’s why I looked at Tang Yumo, who was screaming piercingly, in shock.
But what I saw was an even more horrifying scene.
Tang Yumo let go of the torch in her hand and fell downward as if shot. Her body was limp, like a sack without bones. What horrified me was that she fell toward the abyss, right past me, with a whoosh. She plummeted downward at free-fall speed.
There was no time to think; instinctively, I reached out my hand toward her.
Fortunately, I caught one of her hands. Unfortunately, my body was leaning too far forward; when I grabbed Tang Yumo, I completely lost my balance and was pulled down by her falling weight.
Luckily, I managed to stay calm; I was very close to the rope. As my body fell, I shoved the One-Eyed Beast Flashlight into my mouth and grabbed onto the climbing rope.
Though I had hold of the rope, the speed of our descent showed no signs of slowing. One hand could not bear the weight of two people or stop the acceleration that resulted from it. The moment I grabbed the rope, I felt the skin on my palm being scraped away, as if I were holding not a rope but a knife or a flame.
Severe Pain made me break out in a sweat, only to be instantly frozen by the surrounding cold. My body felt as if it were wrapped in a thin layer of ice. I bit down on the One-Eyed Beast Flashlight, unable to release a roar that might alleviate some of the pain. I felt as though I might snap the flashlight in half.
I struggled between holding on and letting go. Severe Pain made me think of giving up. The length of this rope could never reach the bottom of the abyss; even if I endured the pain and held on, as long as I couldn't stop myself and Tang Yumo, the outcome would ultimately be the same. Letting go of the rope would mean falling into the abyss. The only difference would be when I let go.
But if I let go now, what would be the point of holding onto Tang Yumo? Just to drag myself down with her? I had to hold on until the very last moment, no matter whether it ended in hope or despair!
I looked down. Tang Yumo was clearly unconscious. I couldn't imagine how much Fatty's fall would impact her, causing her to collapse and faint. I always thought I was the one who cared most about Fatty, but it seemed I was mistaken; Fatty's charm was so great that it captivated both women in our group.
I thought Tang Yumo was fortunate because she would die without pain. Although she had just cried out for Fatty, she wouldn't have to face a more bloody and terrifying scene.
However, as I looked up at what should have been a bloody hand on the climbing rope, my perspective changed.
In that instant, what caught my eye wasn't the climbing rope or my hand but a larger target—a familiar round, chubby face. This face appeared at the end of the climbing rope, abruptly suspended above the abyss.
Tang Yumo's lost torch lay on the ground beneath that face, its light illuminating it clearly. I knew that the figure wearing Fatty's mask wasn't actually Fatty because that chubby face remained expressionless, staring into my eyes as I fell toward the abyss with nothing but coldness. It was that damned cold-blooded Heimanluo.
At that moment, I understood why Tang Yumo had panicked and fainted. She wasn't overwhelmed by Fatty's death; rather, she was struck down by Fatty's life. It was no wonder—she didn't know about Heimanluo transforming into Fatty, and seeing someone suddenly appear before her who was falling into the abyss caused her tightly wound nerves to finally snap.
I stared blankly at that chubby face above me, even forgetting about the Severe Pain radiating from my hand.
Of course, Heimanluo had won. It had annihilated those who intruded into its territory in another way. But I wanted to convey with my gaze that we had come this far, despite paying the highest price.
Suddenly, Fatty's lips moved, producing a sound. This time I not only heard it clearly but also read his lips well enough to understand that he said one word: "Wait."
Wait for what?
I furiously spat out the One-Eyed Beast Flashlight from my mouth and mouthed back at him: 'No, don't come down. I'd rather die than be with you.'
I didn't have the strength to shout those words; all my remaining energy went into spitting out the One-Eyed Beast Flashlight. My grip on the rope grew weaker and weaker. This feeling was different from earlier when Severe Pain made me consider giving up; now it stemmed from a deep sense of despair and helplessness. What good would stopping do? There was no way out above.
Then came a sudden rush.
The end of the rope slipped from my hand. Tang Yumo and I plummeted downward at free fall speed, the icy wind cutting through my exposed skin like a knife. My body began to stiffen as we descended into the abyss. I thought that by the moment we hit the ground, I would already be a corpse.
Yet instinctively, I did one thing: I wrapped my arms around Tang Yumo and adjusted our falling position so that my back faced downwards, giving her a glimmer of hope for survival. My eyes remained fixed on the chubby face above me, worried it might jump down after us. Even in death, I did not want it to accompany me.
Suddenly, there was no sound, but I felt pressure on my back. At the same time, that chubby face vanished from my view. We must have landed. Death didn’t seem so terrifying after all; there was hardly any pain.
But then confusion set in. I could feel that I was not dead; the pressure on my back still existed, but it felt as if I had fallen onto a springy net or membrane, and I sensed that I was still descending. It wasn’t dark before me; there was some light—dim and gray—but I couldn’t see anything clearly.
My mind was clear, realizing this might be my only chance for survival. If such strength could support both Tang Yumo and me, then this net or membrane must be quite resilient. Grasping it could at least address the most urgent issue of staying alive.
I held Tang Yumo tightly with one arm while reaching down with the other.
It was empty. There was nothing beneath me where the pressure on my back had been.
(To Be Continued...)
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