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墨書 Inktalez
I couldn't just lie there and wait to die. I forced myself to stand up, swinging the torch at the bugs around me while shouting, "Everyone gather around me, light that damn Flame Thrower!"
The first to respond was Liu Squad Leader. His face was pale as he limped over to my side. When I saw that the Flame Thrower he was supposed to be carrying was missing, I cursed loudly, "Where the hell is the Flame Thrower?"
Liu Squad Leader replied with a white face, "It broke. Just like your Walkie-Talkie, right? You dropped it too."
I glared at him and shouted, "Then don't just stand there! Molotov cocktails, signal flares—whatever you have, light it up!"
I felt a bit guilty; the Walkie-Talkie wasn't broken; I had thrown it away. Was I stupid? Carrying dozens of pounds of gear while plummeting to the ground only increased my chances of dying. To keep the Landing Craft balanced at that moment, I had tossed the Walkie-Talkie aside.
I waved at Jack and yelled, "American Guy, get over here quickly! You've got bugs crawling all over your back!"
Jack had already stood up and was unsteadily searching through the wreckage of the Landing Craft. He came over with a soldier draped over one shoulder and I recognized it was a warrior along with that European Physicist.
Soon everyone gathered around me; every able-bodied person lit their torches or held signal flares. We huddled together like a porcupine, using the torches and Phosphorus Fire as our spines.
The only one I noticed missing was the soldier who had fallen hard. One of the warriors went to check on him but found he was already gone—his brain matter had spilled out.
But soon enough, that soldier's body disappeared from our sight. The swarming Mosquitoes blocked our view and our escape.
"Light a Flare and see what’s going on here!"
The noise of the mosquitoes was so loud that even when talking to the person next to me, I had to shout.
"Brother Qiang, I've broken my arm," Vietnamese A San squeezed in beside me.
"It's fine," I turned to him. "As long as you can still run, that's all that matters. Stay close to me; we might have to make a run for it soon."
"But what if my leg is broken?" Liu Squad Leader suddenly became anxious upon hearing this.
"That's even better; you can cover us."
"Damn!" Liu Squad Leader cursed and pressed a flare on the signal gun.
'Bang!'
A flare shot up into the sky, and for a moment, a bright white light illuminated above us.
What first caught my eye was the insect cloud pressing down from above, dense and impenetrable, like a solid sheet of lead. There were so many of them that I could no longer distinguish their grayish-white forms; all I could see was an astonishingly thick and dense slate-gray mass approaching us.
Compared to the swarm high above, the mosquitoes around us seemed like scattered soldiers, with a density and number that made it worth attempting to break through.
However, I couldn't see an escape route; I couldn't find a direction to break through. The number and density of mosquitoes around us were relatively small compared to the swarm above, but there were still enough to obscure our vision and prevent us from seeing clearly—at least not far ahead.
I could see that this area was vast, definitely larger than the space behind Hakka People Dam. Although I couldn't make out distant scenes, within the range illuminated by the flare, there were no tall objects. In other words, I couldn't see the boundaries of this space.
"Over there," Liu Squad Leader suddenly shouted. "There's a hole over there."
I followed Liu Squad Leader's pointing finger and looked toward the edge of the flare's light; there indeed seemed to be a silver-gray glimmer at the end.
“Radar Man!” I shouted, only to realize that this name existed solely in my imagination. The Hakka person with hearing abilities wouldn’t know I was calling him.
“Sister Tang, have the person you called check what that bright spot over there is!”
“He’s not here!”
“Damn it!”
I was on the verge of losing my mind. Although we had just landed, given the current situation, without a gathering of people, we would definitely be overwhelmed by the surrounding Giant Mosquitoes.
Moreover, aside from our circle, which burned like a fireball, there was no other light around us. The scattered Landing Crafts could provide no protection for anyone. Those who were not by my side would never reach me.
“Count your people and see who else is missing!”
As soon as I finished shouting, Tang Yumo called out, “We’re just one person short. Everyone else is here.”
Liu Squad Leader also shouted, “We’re missing one person.”
Jack said, “European is still alive.”
“Captain Cao is missing!”
Hearing A San’s exclamation nearly made me collapse to the ground.
Cao Mingzhe was a very low-key person. Even though he was the leader of this Expedition Team, he rarely issued commands; instead, it was I, the outsider, who had been taking on his responsibilities.
But that didn’t mean he wasn’t important. On the contrary, his abilities were our guarantee for survival.
I had no idea what dangers awaited us next. If we ultimately couldn't escape from the Eternal Gate, our only option would be to retrace our steps. I estimated that aside from Cao Mingzhe, no one else could climb up the Dam from here.
Although I hadn't seen the edges of this space, the area behind the Hakka People and the Dam served as a reference point for me. That straight, endless mountain wall was something I believed I couldn't scale.
"Old Cao!" I shouted toward the wreckage of the Landing Craft, which was still faintly visible in the distance.
I knew there would be no response; I was merely venting my frustration. I also understood that we couldn't afford to wait here. Regardless of whether that distant light was an exit, we had to move toward it. Staying put was tantamount to waiting for death.
The flare's light lasted only a short while, and darkness quickly enveloped the space again.
"We have to get out of here!" Jack and Tang Yumo shouted in unison.
"I know!" I yelled back, turning my face toward Jack. "Throw a Molotov cocktail; I'm going to clear the way."
Jack looked at me in surprise. "I don't have anything like that. All I've got in my pack is rope."
Damn it. I had forgotten about that. Fatty held a grudge against Jack and hadn't prepared any weapons for him.
I rummaged through my backpack and pulled out a Molotov cocktail, then handed Jack the handgun.
"Make your shots count; we don't have many Molotovs left. Liu Caozi, fire another flare."
"Damn." Liu Squad Leader grumbled at being called that while loading bullets into the signal gun.
"Brother Qiang, I don't have any gear either." A San's eyes widened as he looked at the handgun in Jack's hand.
"Weren't you supposed to be useless with your hands?"
"I injured one arm, but my right hand is fine."
"That's good. Hold on to the torch tightly and don't drop it."
"I..."
I only have one arm left; why are you adding to my troubles? Besides, I don't have any extra to give you.
With a loud 'bang,' I shouted as I threw the flare into the sky.
With a 'pop,' the flare was shot down. This marksmanship is better than mine!
(To Be Continued.)
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