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墨書 Inktalez
I jumped up suddenly, unable to believe my eyes. I stared intently at the target, stepping closer to the Flashlight.
What I saw was an embedded door handle, somewhat resembling a car door handle. However, in this seamless Metal Passage, devoid of any protrusions or indentations, the embedded handle stood out too much. If it wasn't a door, I truly didn't know what else it could be.
Taking a deep breath, I walked over and picked up the One-Eyed Beast Flashlight from the ground. As the light from the One-Eyed Beast Flashlight illuminated the target, I confirmed with a slight dizziness that it was indeed a door.
Compared to this Metal Passage, the door was quite large. It was a double door that swung open to both sides, with a gap running from the Ceiling down to the Ground between the two embedded handles.
The width of each door was astonishing; one door was about two and a half meters wide. I spread my arms wide, but I couldn't reach either side.
The embedded handles had no decorations. I reached in and felt a groove suitable for applying force to one side. I pulled gently, but the door didn't budge.
It must be because the metal door is very heavy.
However, after ten minutes, I no longer thought so. After exhausting all my strength and trying various methods without being able to open the door, I finally gave up on brute force.
The gap was just a thin line; if it weren't for the two conspicuous handles, I might have overlooked it entirely and certainly wouldn't have thought it was a door gap. The two doors were too tightly sealed; even under the light of the One-Eyed Beast Flashlight, only a line appeared in between.
I drew my dagger and tried to insert it into the gap. The tip of the dagger could feel the opening but couldn't penetrate even slightly.
As the dagger slid along the gap, I noticed signs of oxidation flaking off at the seam. It wasn't caused by my dagger; there were signs in places where my dagger hadn't touched, and they were quite obvious—like something everyone had done together.
I thought for a moment that it must have been Xiao Ting and Tang Yumo who had been ahead of me. Tang Yumo had a Hakka Straight Knife with her; they must have discovered this door and fiddled with it for a while without success.
It seemed my luck wasn't any better than theirs. My tools were certainly not as effective as Tang Yumo's Hakka Straight Knife. Nevertheless, I didn't give up and decided to wait here for those behind me; perhaps with two or more people’s strength, we could open this door.
Before long, Jack and the stretcher team arrived with A San. The group worked together for a while, but there were no signs of the door opening.
As more footsteps approached from behind, I had no choice but to give up.
"Let's go. It seems there's no way to open it."
Jack nodded helplessly. "Let's go. If there's no way out of here, we'll just be trapped if we go in."
I felt like we were the foxes who couldn't reach the grapes.
"Why are you still standing there?!" Liu Squad Leader shouted from a distance. "The bugs are catching up! We don't have many incendiary bombs left. What are you two dawdling for?!"
He ran over and, upon seeing the door, was shocked when he realized it couldn't be opened. "Brother Qiang, you can't open it either?"
I broke into a cold sweat at his words. It seemed like I was expected to be a universal key that could unlock any door.
There was no time to bicker with Liu Squad Leader; I could hear the buzzing sound of Giant Mosquitoes approaching. The sheer number of them made the sound feel less like insects and more like a squadron of dive-bombers from a World War II film.
"How many incendiary bombs do we have left?" I asked Liu Squad Leader.
He rummaged through his backpack. "Only three left."
"Give them to me. I'll hold them off from the back. You take the injured and run ahead. Remember, if you encounter Branch, make sure to see the markings before you run. Do you remember my markings?"
Liu Squad Leader nodded. "Got it."
"Then go, as fast as you can."
Liu Squad Leader hesitated for a moment before handing me the incendiary bombs. He nodded to the stretcher team and Jack. "Run with me."
I was somewhat surprised to see A San still standing next to me. He wasn't someone lacking in awareness; at a time like this, even if I told him to stay back, he would find all sorts of excuses to escape first. Besides, I hadn't singled him out by name, so by my understanding of him, he should have been the first to bolt.
However, since he didn't rush ahead with Liu Squad Leader, I wouldn't chase him away. After all, I still needed information about Fatty and his group from him.
I watched as Liu Squad Leader and the others gradually moved farther away with their flashlight beams. I glanced at the few people beside me.
I, A San, and a warrior were the only ones unscathed. A-Yong had an injured arm; judging by how it was moving, it seemed to be broken.
I turned to the warrior. "Do you have a splint in your pack?"
The warrior nodded.
"Good, then we'll wait here for those damned mosquitoes. You give it to him." I pointed at A-Yong. "Put on the splint so his injury doesn't worsen."
The warrior looked back in the direction we came from and nodded. "Alright."
Applying a splint would at least stabilize the fracture, preventing further injury and alleviating pain. Otherwise, with him in such agony, he wouldn't be much help in a fight.
I pulled out a pack of cigarettes and handed one to A San. "Why didn't you go with Liu Squad Leader? I didn't insist you stay."
"But you didn't let me go with them," A San replied with a grin as he took the cigarette.
Seeing his nonchalant expression made me curious. "Aren't you afraid of dying?"
"Depends on you; I'm not someone who fears death, alright?"
I chuckled. This guy had thick skin.
The increasingly close buzzing sound was irritating, reminiscent of the discomfort caused by the ultrasonic waves emitted by Giant Bats in the Underground Cavern of the Hakka People.
My One-Eyed Beast Flashlight was on high beam, illuminating the path ahead as I waited for the moment to throw the Molotov cocktail in my hand.
The Giant Mosquitoes were not flying fast in this corridor, and I was confident I could shake them off. Of course, A San and another warrior would be fine too. I thought this was also the main reason A San hadn’t followed Liu Squad Leader and the others to escape.
However, the heavily injured would definitely not outrun these flying pests. Even Liu Squad Leader might not be able to escape them. I had to buy them as much time as possible to live.
When I saw the mosquitoes appear in my line of sight, it felt as if the outside Mosquitoes were flooding into this Metal Passage, densely packed and threatening to burst it apart like a torrent rushing towards me.
No wonder Liu Squad Leader and the others were reluctant to hold their ground at the back; the psychological pressure was just too great. As I watched this wave surge towards me, I felt my scalp tingle and my throat dry, overwhelmed by an urge to turn and flee.
I took a deep breath, twisted open the cap of the Molotov cocktail, and with a 'pop', removed the safety. Bending slightly, I swung my arm and hurled the cocktail towards the Ground.
The Molotov cocktail bounced on the metal surface, making a clanging sound as it rolled towards the approaching Mosquitoes. Meanwhile, I lit the torch in my hand.
“Prepare for battle, warriors.” (To Be Continued.)
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