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墨書 Inktalez
Mai Lao looked at everyone and said, "How about this? I'll go down to test the water depth. If it's shallow, we can move some stones. I noticed there are quite a few large rocks around here; we can create a path."
"What if the water is deep?" Jiao Ba asked coldly.
"Then we'll have to think of another way. For now, we can only take a gamble," Mai Lao replied. After finishing his sentence, he went to find a relatively long branch, but to test it properly, someone had to go down to the riverbank.
I also found a branch and waved to Mai Lao, saying, "I'll go down with you to take a look."
The two of us slowly walked down the slope. When we reached the edge of the ditch, I noticed that the calm surface of the water seemed to change slightly, with very faint ripples appearing before it quickly settled again.
"Mai Lao, there's something moving in the river," I stopped in my tracks, hesitant to go any closer.
"Yes, I see it too. Be careful," he said as he cautiously moved toward the riverbank, and I followed him step by step.
When we reached the river's edge, nothing unusual happened. Mai Lao used the long branch to test the water depth, and what we discovered shocked us both: the water was incredibly deep, far deeper than I had imagined.
The branch in Mai Lao's hand was nearly ten meters long, yet once it entered the water, it couldn't reach the bottom at all. The same was true for my branch, which quickly turned black in the murky water. I hurriedly tossed my branch into the river.
"The water is too deep; we can't feel the bottom at all," I said. This was bad news; crossing the river would be a challenge. I had a strange feeling about this water; when the branch was submerged, it felt sticky, almost like swampy ground.
"What are we going to do now?" Mai Lao rubbed his forehead and stood by the riverbank staring blankly at the water. All our plans had been thrown into disarray; we were at a standstill.
I looked down at the dark river before me; no matter how I looked at it, it felt unsettling. Logically, my reflection should be visible in the water, but what I saw didn't resemble me much at all—just a blurry black shape.
Just as I was intently staring at the surface of the river, suddenly it began to ripple again. This time, however, the ripples were faster and more intense than before.
The surface of the calm river rippled unpredictably, layer upon layer, like waves. “Mai Lao, what... what’s happening?” I asked, staring at the water.
“There’s a change; we need to hurry back.”
Just as Mai Lao finished speaking, suddenly, a black, withered hand reached out from the water. It emerged so close to my feet that it was directly aimed at my calf.
The distance was too short; before I could react, the black hand was almost grasping my leg. In that moment, I forgot to dodge, my whole body felt as if it had been electrocuted, and I was so frightened that my hair nearly stood on end.
At that critical moment, a force pulled me back. “Be careful.” Mai Lao yanked me aside, and we both hurriedly scrambled a few steps up. My movements were so clumsy it was as if I were a dog trying to climb a tree; I felt utterly humiliated.
When I reached the middle of the slope, I stopped to catch my breath, gasping heavily as cold sweat began to trickle down my forehead. The sensation of pain in my temples returned, as if my veins were throbbing.
I hadn’t yet recovered from the fear of what had just happened. How could a black hand suddenly appear in the river? What kind of ditch was this? I could hardly imagine it.
Thank goodness Mai Lao was beside me; if he hadn’t been quick enough, that hand would have surely dragged me into the river. At that point, even if I didn’t want to die, I wouldn’t have had a choice.
Suddenly, strange sounds reached my ears—wretched wails. Yes, they were agonizing cries, the kind humans emit when they are tortured and on the brink of death.
The sounds seemed to come from the river surface. I turned my head to look again, and when I saw what was happening on the water's surface, my mind went blank. The scene before me was something I would never forget—a horrifying sight that no one could endure.
Countless faces appeared on the river surface; they were all black, identical in color to the water itself. They had no eyes or noses—only mouths emitting unbearable wails. The pain in those cries felt like something out of a legendary hell.
Numerous black hands reached out from the water, trying to grasp anything around them. Now I understood why nothing grew by the riverbank—it was because of these black hands. They were groping along the bank back and forth; no, it seemed they were trying to climb up, as if they wanted to escape.
They struggled painfully in the water, but no matter how hard they fought, they remained submerged in the black depths. Their sorrowful wails echoed through the entire jungle, shaking the very heavens with their mournful cries.
I tightly covered my ears with both hands, but the sound seemed to possess a magical quality, penetrating through my palms straight to my eardrums. It was utterly ineffective; I opened my mouth wide, as if I could also feel that kind of pain.
Mai Lao's face also showed some discomfort, but this old man seemed to be tougher than I was. He merely furrowed his brows, his whole body appearing somewhat stiff.
This scene lasted for several minutes, during which those black faces and hands slowly sank back to the riverbed. Only then did the surface of the river begin to regain its calmness, eventually becoming as smooth as a mirror, without a ripple, as if nothing had ever happened—quiet as death itself.
I kept staring at the river's surface, my mind still replaying the earlier scene. What on earth was going on? Why did those faces and hands appear on the water? Everything was too terrifying; just thinking about it made my scalp tingle. I was still in shock from the experience.
Mai Lao glanced at me and said, "Are you scared?"
I dumbly nodded, unable to utter a single word. I wasn't just scared; I felt like I was about to be completely stunned. What other terrifying things could this mysterious deserted island hold?
I couldn't even begin to imagine it because it was beyond anything my mind could comprehend.
Mai Lao patted my shoulder and said, "Stop dawdling; let's go up."
I nodded blankly. The two of us climbed back up the slope. When I reached the top and saw everyone's expressions, I nearly burst out laughing. Except for Jiao Ba and Changshan, everyone else looked pale with fear, as if they had lost their souls and were slumped against the trees.
Especially Big Guy; he sat under a tree with sweat pouring down his forehead, his eyes wide with terror. Clearly, he had been deeply frightened—more so than Jenny and Li Xin. Despite his imposing stature, he was actually the most timid among us.
Though Jiao Ba and Changshan weren't quite as bad off, they weren't doing much better either. Both wore serious expressions, their faces devoid of any emotional change, resembling lifeless shells.
Suddenly, I realized something: Changshan's personality sometimes resembled Jiao Ba's very closely. While Jiao Ba could be lewd and talkative at times, when he calmed down, he became an entirely different person—impossible for anyone to read his thoughts.
Changshan was similar; his calmness was frightening. Recently, he had shown many unexpected insights and thoughts that made me regard him more highly. This man could either be a friend or an enemy—both roles were mutually exclusive.
"Is everyone alright?" Mai Lao looked around at the group, his face pale. No one had expected that sudden incident to bring such serious consequences.
Mantou glanced up at him and replied stiffly, "For now, we're fine, but who knows what will happen next? I think we might die here."
"Don't say such nonsense; it's not that bad yet. Everyone, stay alert. We've faced worse storms before; this is just a minor issue," I said, forcing myself to sound confident. Although I was scared too, I couldn't let panic set in. If I panicked, at least half the people would follow suit.
"Minor issue? Loyalty and Righteousness, do you not understand? Those people in the river were probably drowned while trying to cross. They could very well be water ghosts, and if we try to cross the river, they'll drag us down as substitutes," Big Guy chimed in, directly attributing the situation to water ghosts.
"Stop talking nonsense! There aren't that many water ghosts. Can you not scare yourself like that? You're making me anxious," Li Xin suddenly stood up and began pacing back and forth. She usually remained calm, but anyone would find it hard to accept what had just happened.
Jenny tugged at her sleeve and said, "Li Xin, stop moving around; you're making my head spin."
After sitting down, Li Xin asked, "Mai Lao, do you know what's going on? Why are there so many faces in that river? It's simply too bizarre." Her tone was slow, as if she were trying to ease her own tension.
"I... I don't know. I really don't know. Just like you, my mind is blank right now. I can't explain what just happened," Mai Lao rubbed his eyes wearily. Not just him; no one could clearly explain why.
"It's a curse. Those people are cursed; they're trapped underwater and can never escape. Their painful struggles are an attempt to break free from this curse, but unfortunately, it's impossible—they've long lost their souls," Changshan said suddenly in a low voice.
Here we go again with this damn curse. "Changshan, what do you mean by that? Last time you said that red bug was brought by a curse, and now you're saying the souls of those in the ditch are cursed too. I'm getting confused here—how real is this curse?" I truly didn't understand how he came by this information, but it certainly didn't seem like he was just making it up.
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