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墨書 Inktalez
"Do you have a premonition?" I stared into Jack's eyes.
"Yes. I've warned you, we are lost."
"Isn't that the same as being lost?" Fatty was annoyed by Jack's choice of words, dismissing his claim of being lost.
"There is an essential difference between the two." Jack responded to Fatty's dissatisfaction while keeping his gaze on me. "We are lost. Do you have a deeper understanding of that statement now?"
Like lovers, Jack and I locked eyes. However, I didn't feel embarrassed; my mind was racing at high speed, and there were no tangible objects in my field of vision.
Using my right shoulder as a pivot, I imagined drawing a circle in the air. "Are we circling around it?"
Jack nodded. "I had this suspicion when we threw the flare for the second time. After the first flare, I was almost convinced of it. We need to keep going, just to determine the range and area of this circle. Yes, we've been circling around it. It's a deadlock."
Fatty was displeased that I agreed with Jack's viewpoint, but he couldn't come up with any strong counterarguments. Frustrated, he stood up and began pacing around us in circles, gesturing wildly as if searching for reasons to refute Jack.
Aside from Fatty, the three of us sat on the ground, staring at the double-arrow marker. No one spoke. Fatty waved his arms and glow stick, moving erratically around us; the glow stick's light cast our faces in a zombie-like pallor one moment and plunged us into darkness the next. The lighting was erratic, making the scene increasingly bizarre.
The heavy and lethal blow left me without even the strength to stand; there was no need to move forward either. The straight path had turned into a circle; continuing would only lead us in circles. Fatty's constant movement and the flickering light made my thoughts chaotic, preventing me from concentrating.
"How can you be sure we're circling around it and not the other way around?" Suddenly, Fatty's voice broke the silence. "Could it not be outside the circle?"
I looked at him with doubt. I thought Fatty's reasoning was quite outlandish; his intelligence rivaled that of a giraffe.
No one answered Fatty's question; perhaps they felt responding would lower their own intelligence. But I knew Fatty wouldn't let it go unanswered; he would persist until he got a response, possibly even throwing a fit over it.
I steeled myself and cleared my throat. "Fat Brother. Isn't it obvious? We've thrown three flares from different positions and directions, and visually, the distance to that protrusion hasn't changed. The circle we're tracing is quite large; if the protrusion isn't at the center of this circle we're circling, its size and clarity would show significant variation."
"With your intelligence, you wouldn't be me." Upon receiving my response, Fatty didn't show any gratitude; instead, he vented his frustration.
I immediately lowered my head. It was just you and me.
"Don't try to reason with this situation based on common sense. As soon as we came out of the passage, we saw that Protrusion, and we have been moving towards it ever since. But have you seen the passage we entered or that endless mountain wall? Just because we can return to where we marked doesn't mean we've made a complete circle."
Fatty gestured, using a Glow Stick to draw a twisted, irregular closed shape in front of him.
"Maybe this is the route we're taking, and that Protrusion is an illusion. Its purpose is to lead us astray."
I was once again struck down by Fatty's absurdity; his reasoning clearly aimed to plunge us into deeper despair.
"That possibility does exist." To my surprise, Jack didn't criticize Fatty's foolishness. "But right now, we need to find a way out based on more systematic possibilities, which means believing we're moving in a circle. If our path lacks order, the best way to break the deadlock is for the four of us to split up. We should head in four different directions; at least that increases our chances of finding the Eternal Gate or an exit."
I shook my head. "I disagree with splitting up."
It was needless to ask; Fatty would certainly not agree to separate from me, and as for getting rid of Jack and Tang Yumo, I thought he wouldn't object.
"Alright then, let me share my thoughts." Jack pulled a magazine from my backpack and drew a circle on the ground, marking an 'X' at its center. He pointed at the 'X': "We're heading towards this point but are actually circling around it. We need a tangent line to exit this circle; our ultimate goal remains the Protrusion, but it cannot be our reference point. The tangent I've calculated is here."
Instead of drawing the tangent on the circle, Jack pointed his right hand in a certain direction. That direction was not where we had been heading all along but formed an angle of nearly forty degrees with the Protrusion.
"To execute this plan, we need someone with a strong sense of direction to lead. Along the way, try not to re-establish our direction; you know that confirming direction can often lead to deeper misguidance." Jack finished and silently nodded at me.
I had always been confident in my sense of direction, but this time, turning a straight line into a circle had left me feeling greatly frustrated. Under Jack's trusting gaze, I felt somewhat ashamed.
"Will following this tangent lead us to our target?" I asked, pointing at the tangent Jack had identified.
Jack shook his head. "The circle we're traversing is too large; of course, if it is indeed a circle. I can only guess its diameter and based on that guess draw this tangent. I don't expect to reach the Protrusion directly; the best outcome would be another larger circle. On a larger circle, we could see the Protrusion more clearly. If this experiment succeeds, I believe I can reach the Protrusion."
"And if it fails?" Fatty patiently listened to Jack until now; his questioning didn't surprise me at all.
"Even if it fails, the worst outcome would still be what we're experiencing now. I don't think there could be anything worse."
Fatty The two big eyes rolled, but there were no words. I know that it is because he can't find a reason to refute, and he has no better idea. Otherwise, he will never be a quiet Fatty. "This is the new Starting Point." I pointed to the circle Jack drew on the Ground. "In order to avoid duplication of previous marks and make it easier to distinguish, let's use new marks to make marks. Let's use Jack's circle. Leave a mark for a thousand steps, count inside the circle, and use arrows outside to indicate the direction." Jack thought for a while: "That's a good idea. If I do this from the beginning, my tangent will be more accurate." "Let's go, I don't think anyone is in the mood to rest." I stood up and shouldered my backpack. I am actually worried about my sense of direction. I have to take steps and take action before I completely lose my confidence, which will reduce the impact of negative emotions on my self-confidence. "Follow me, I'll take you to explore the unknown." I winked at Fatty who looked unhappy. Fatty did not respond to me, but turned back and took a deep look at the circle on the ground. (To Be Continued...)
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