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墨書 Inktalez
Under the blinding white light, the Upright Monsters flailed about like headless flies, completely chaotic, some crashing against the low stone pillars and platforms of the Ground with loud thuds.
This was a vast space, though limited in height; the light from the Flare could not reach the far side of this area but illuminated its ceiling. It was a gently arched dome, clearly marked by human craftsmanship, with smooth curves.
The Ground was also processed to be flat yet not entirely smooth, allowing the Upright Monsters to dart across it with ease. Scattered across the Ground were some stone pillars and platforms of unknown purpose, which at that moment became obstacles for the dazed Upright Monsters.
I also spotted Xiao Guolin; he had already run quite far, nearly out of the range illuminated by the Flare. Clearly, he was chasing a Monster. However, at the moment the Flare lit up, his voice cut through the cacophony of curses and shrieks with startling clarity.
"Leave no survivors!"
This was a life-and-death moment. If my opponent were human, I would feel psychological pressure and burden; I would hesitate, as I had an aversion to self-harm among humans.
But for these Upright Monsters dwelling underground, I felt no such burden and had no time to mourn them. The instant my Muzzle allowed me to clearly see my target, flames erupted forth.
My mind and actions were clear and synchronized; each short burst accurately struck an Upright Monster in the head. Like a sniper in the movie Saving Private Ryan, I muttered a phrase each time I took one down.
Of course, I wasn't a Christian; my mutterings were spontaneous—part prayer, part curse. I prayed or cursed not only for the fallen warriors but also for every living person. Killing an Upright Monster could save one or even multiple teammates.
The brightness of the Flare was sufficient, but unfortunately, its duration was too short. Just before it extinguished, I could only confirm that I had taken down all the Upright Monsters in sight. However, I couldn't be sure if every single one had been killed.
Leave no survivors! I didn't know Xiao Guolin's intent behind those words, but for my own safety, I wouldn't allow any breathing Upright Monsters to remain around us.
"Follow me to finish them off," I said to Jack beside me.
Jack nodded, pulling out his handgun and disengaging the safety.
I shouted again to A San, "San Er, you and A-Yong team up. Go over there and conduct a fan-shaped search. No matter what, give them a full magazine and make sure not a single one escapes."
"Got it."
I heard A San respond. The two flashlights moved away from the cave entrance, advancing forward to search.
"Liu Squad Leader, cover us."
Liu Squad Leader grunted heavily in response.
I ignored him and led Jack forward to search. The area we were covering wasn't large; we stayed within the range of Liu Squad Leader's flashlight beam. But that was enough; the Upright Monsters were concentrated near the cave entrance, and when the flare lit up, there were no shadows of Upright Monsters further away.
Every time I found an Upright Monster lying on the ground, I didn't hesitate to unload a round into it, ensuring none were left breathing. Strangely, there was no movement from the other group. It was as if A San and A-Yong hadn't discovered any Upright Monster corpses on their side.
When Jack and I returned to the cave entrance, A San and A-Yong were already back. Looking at the Hakka Straight Knife in A-Yong's hand, I understood—they were the real ones finishing off the monsters. The blade was covered in blood.
Wiping out the Upright Monsters didn't bring us any excitement; instead, it felt heavy with the loss of a warrior. The atmosphere turned particularly strange and complex.
Liu Squad Leader was in low spirits; the casualty rate among our warriors was too high, absolutely beyond his threshold. It could be said that during this expedition into Lop Nur underground, his concern for warrior casualties surpassed that of the Expedition Team members. Last time, however, his attitude had been quite the opposite.
Strangely, he didn't mention the gun. A San had obtained an automatic rifle from the Death Warrior, using it to snipe the Upright Monsters, and then went out to search for more kills. When he returned to the cave entrance, Liu Squad Leader surprisingly did not ask him to hand over the weapon.
Since he didn’t bring it up, neither A San nor I would mention it. I took out a few Glow Sticks, lit them up, and scattered them about ten meters away from the cave entrance.
The light from the One-Eyed Beast Flashlight could reach far, but it was directional. We didn’t have enough batteries to keep all the Flashlights illuminating the surroundings continuously. Although the Glow Stick's light was weak, it served as a minimal warning signal.
Loading bullets into the Empty Magazine became the most urgent task for everyone armed, and Xiao Ting came over to help me. No one knew when the next battle would begin.
Suddenly, A San shouted in one direction, “Who?!”
With A San's shout, two One-Eyed Beast Flashlights and two tactical Flashlights lit up simultaneously, and the sound of three automatic rifles being cocked echoed around us.
“It’s me.”
Xiao Guolin's deep male voice seemed not to be shouted loudly, yet it clearly reached each of our ears.
In the light of the Flashlights, Xiao Guolin appeared before us like a fierce beast. The reason we recognized him was that he was wearing a pair of pants we were familiar with; aside from that, there was nothing else we recognized about him. Not even his face.
He looked like someone who had been soaked in blood or had just crawled out of a blood pool. His face and body were drenched in blood, not just smeared with it. He left a trail of bloody footprints behind him as he walked.
His left arm and shoulder had an unnatural droop, while his right arm hung limply at his side, gripping a black long knife. He walked quickly, but his arms did not swing; his movements were mechanical and strange.
“Old Xiao, are you hurt?” I called out.
He could already see the obvious wounds on his chest and abdomen. There was a long gash on his chest, with flesh spilling out on both sides. It seemed he had been stabbed in the stomach, and his belt was pulled tight, but blood was still gushing out from beneath it.
Xiao Guolin walked up to us and looked at Jack. "I saw you performing surgery on someone else. You really are a Master's in Medicine from Duke University. Please take care of my wounds. I have only one request: make it quick."
Jack frowned. "No problem, superficial wounds are easy to handle. We still have Hemostatic Gel. Your abdominal wound needs stitching, but we are out of anesthetics."
"I don't need any," Xiao Guolin replied without a second thought. "Hemostatic Gel? What is that?"
It was normal for Xiao Guolin not to know about Hemostatic Gel since it had only recently come onto the market. Jack briefly explained its features to him.
"Alright then, just treat the wound on my back first. Use that Hemostatic Gel of yours."
With that, Xiao Guolin turned around. I glanced at him, and the flesh at the corner of his mouth couldn't help but twitch.
(To Be Continued)
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