Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Tears streamed down my face in an instant. Whether it was exhaustion, grievance, or some other emotion, I suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to vent, to cry my heart out.
It was Fatty ’s voice. As I heard it, Fatty stepped out from the shadows of the corridor.
Without a second thought, I rushed over and gave him a firm hug. I heard a muffled grunt escape from Fatty.
In that moment, something felt off. I pushed him away to take a look, and my heart sank.
One of Fatty ’s arms was missing.
It was his right arm, severed at the shoulder. Under the light of the One-Eyed Beast Flashlight, I could see it had been cut off by a sharp blade. The bandaging was simple, revealing a clean cut.
His clothes were stained with blood, tattered and more avant-garde than Sharp Guy's coat, exuding a hip-hop vibe.
Yet he hadn’t fallen apart; he still carried his backpack on his back and held a Hakka Straight Knife in his left hand, which was also smeared with blood. However, the knife was broken—its tip had been sheared off at an angle, losing about a third of its length.
I looked up and saw Fatty ’s round face had turned elongated. Perhaps it was the pain that tormented him or the relentless battles that drained his strength and fat reserves. I could even see his cheekbones now.
What remained unchanged were his eyes; they were still round and seemed even larger than before. And there was still that rebellious spirit.
Despite his pale complexion resembling that of a sheet of paper, Fatty managed to pull off a nonchalant smile. “Don’t waste your tears on me; I can’t stand sappy stuff.”
With that, Fatty released the broken knife from his grip and extended his left arm to give me a hug.
I cried as I patted his back and asked, “What happened to your arm?”
I felt Fatty ’s body stiffen for a moment before he weakly pushed me away and took a deep breath. “It’s just so damn weird.”
Da Zhang was watching the box while we stood guard at the cave entrance. Suddenly, a hole appeared where the box had been placed; Da Zhang pushed the box aside but ended up falling into the hole.
When I ran over, he hadn’t completely fallen yet. I grabbed hold of his hand.
Da Zhang wasn't that heavy; it shouldn't have been impossible for me to pull him out. However, the situation felt strange, as if he suddenly weighed a thousand pounds. Not only could I not pull him up, but I was also being dragged down into the pit.
Even more bizarre was how the originally large hole seemed to be shrinking, like a mouth slowly closing.
It wasn't until my entire arm was caught and Ground writhed as if it wanted to swallow me whole that I realized there was no way to save Da Zhang. With this knife, I severed my own arm.
Fatty pointed at the broken knife on Ground and continued, “Da Zhang once broke his arm to save me. I returned that arm to him. Unfortunately, I couldn't save him.”
I looked at Fatty's severed arm, feeling a wave of pain and unease wash over me. He must have given it his all; he didn't leave any room for himself with his right hand.
Seeing my expression, Fatty laughed carelessly. “I’m not even that sad; why are you looking so glum? This doesn’t affect my happiness. I don’t need my right hand for certain activities anymore. Besides, I have a wife now. Heh, you know what I mean.”
Hearing this made my heart sink. What had to come would come. I truly didn’t know how to face Fatty ’s anger.
Fatty didn’t notice my unease, and his mood hadn’t soured despite losing an arm; in fact, he seemed to harbor less hostility towards Jack and even nodded at him.
It wasn’t until Tang Yumo and A-Yong ran out of the passage and the sound of footsteps faded that Fatty ’s expression turned fierce.
“Where is Xiao Ting?!” Fatty glared at me.
“Gangzi…” The moment I uttered those two words, my throat tightened.
Fatty could see the tension in my face as his jaw clenched.
I recounted the events to Fatty, especially the part about Xiao Ting’s disappearance and Song Guilong’s comments on it. I feared that Fatty might lose control. I specifically pointed out that Jack had done everything he could to prevent Xiao Ting from entering the black hole. It was me who hadn’t done enough; I had promised to take care of Xiao Ting. If there was any dissatisfaction or anger, it should be directed at me.
Fatty ’s chest heaved violently for a moment. The fire in his eyes did not diminish. I saw his gaze gradually regain its rationality, but I knew his anger hadn’t lessened one bit.
From his backpack, Fatty pulled out a folded piece of A4 paper, unfolded it, and said to me, “This is a map I drew based on Xiao Guolin’s description. From where you entered the Metal Passage, follow the right side of the mountain wall, and you’ll reach the place he marked. The map indicates dangerous areas; if you're lucky, you might make it out.”
"How about you?" I asked immediately.
"I'm going to find Xiao Ting. No matter what, I have to rescue her. You all go ahead; I'll catch up with you once I find her. The map is already in my head, so don't worry, I won't get lost."
I handed the map to Jack. "Don't rest; let's move right away. Remember to take the injured warriors with you. Promise me you'll get them out."
Jack looked at me. "Have you... made up your mind?"
I nodded lightly. "Yes."
I truly felt at ease. After running all this way, there had always been a weight in my heart, various concerns suffocating me. Worrying about facing Fatty, worrying about my teammates' survival, worrying about the countless dangers along the way...
But once I made up my mind, my mood lightened.
"What do you mean?" Fatty asked coldly.
"I'm going with you to find Xiao Ting." I patted Fatty's shoulder. "I lost her, so I should bring her back. Besides, you don't know the way. Stop dawdling and let's go."
Fatty didn't move or say anything; he just stared at me blankly for a while...
Suddenly, I saw Fatty's shoulders slump down as if someone had pulled out his tendons and discarded his soul. He seemed to lose all his strength.
His eyes closed weakly, as if he were meditating deeply. It took quite a while before he opened them again.
"We're going back; let's leave this damned place."
"What about Xiao Ting? Aren't you going to look for her?"
"Since Song Guilong is so certain, going back would be pointless. Maybe it really is like he said—destroying this place will allow her soul to find peace; that might be her destination. It could be her best ending."
I nodded silently, fully aware that going back to find Xiao Ting would be a futile effort. I had traversed the area around the black hole countless times; if I could have brought her back, I would have done so long ago. The reality was that none of us could enter that black hole, let alone retrieve Xiao Ting.
After a moment of silence, I asked Fatty, "Who did you give the box to? Xiao Guolin?"
"Yes," Fatty replied weakly.
"Do you... trust him?"
Fatty nodded. "I blew up the spare battery. When I left, there was only one bar of power left. By now, it’s impossible to delay the explosion any longer. I didn’t enter this passage to find you because I was worried about not having enough time to return. Let’s go; talking here is just wasting our lives."
I nodded and signaled for Jack and the Hakka People to go ahead. As for me, I drew the Black Longsword from my back and handed it to Fatty.
"I knew you would like it."
Fatty looked at me, then down at the Black Longsword. A strange light flickered in his eyes.
(To Be Continued)
Comment 0 Comment Count