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墨書 Inktalez
"Do they seem afraid to come over?" I asked Mai Lao while staring at the Corpse in front of me.
"Yeah, it's similar to those red 'bugs' we encountered before. Could there be some secret here as well?" Changshan glanced at me and whispered.
"I don't know; I can't see any secrets here. Not just on this mountaintop, but throughout this desolate area, there's nothing but barren land and strong winds."
"The reason these Corpse won't approach us must be significant. They wouldn't just do it for no reason. We should take a closer look; maybe we can find a way to escape," Mai Lao said, noticeably calmer this time. The fact that the Corpse dared not come near at least ensured our safety for the moment.
"What else is there to look at? This is a dead end; there's nowhere else to go," Mantou said, panic evident on his face as he broke into a sweat.
"I'll go check it out," Jiao Ba declared and started walking forward.
I quickly grabbed him and said, "Are you crazy? You'll get yourself killed! Since they won't come over, let's just wait here. I refuse to believe this group of Corpse can stay on this mountaintop forever."
Jiao Ba glanced at the blood-red sky and replied, "This sky won't disappear anytime soon. As long as the color remains, these Corpse won't leave. Their transformation into corpses is closely linked to this crimson sky."
"Then we just wait for the sky to change before leaving," I suggested.
Jiao Ba shook his head gently. "It's not that simple. If it were just a day or two, that would be one thing, but what if it lasts ten days or more? We'd be done for. This Demon Island is too unusual; many things can't wait."
At that moment, Jiao Ba was calmer than ever. There must be a reason for his composure. "Alright, just be careful."
He nodded and leaned in close to whisper in my ear, "Keep an eye on everyone; don't let them out of your sight."
I was taken aback and squinted at him. "Do you know something?"
"Just remember what I said. Wait for me here while I go check on those Corpse." Before I could respond, Jiao Ba turned and walked toward the group of Corpse.
“Isn't it too risky to do this, Jiao Ba? We shouldn't let him go,” Jenny said with a hint of worry as Jiao Ba walked away.
“Let him go. Jiao Ba has his own methods,” Mai Lao replied calmly, glancing at me.
Jiao Ba approached the group of Corpses and stopped. The Corpses, like rabid dogs, clawed and snapped at him but dared not come closer, as if some invisible force was holding them back.
Jiao Ba remained remarkably calm. Even when facing the Corpses, he showed no fear. This was the skill of a tomb raider; he might fear fighting or killing, but he was unafraid of these reanimated Corpses—something we could not manage.
After standing there for about half a minute, Jiao Ba began to step backward slowly. Each step was deliberate, and he stomped the ground with his foot as if checking something. After retreating seven or eight steps, he suddenly stopped and crouched down, gently tapping the ground with his fist.
“What is he doing? Has he lost his mind? What a lunatic,” Mantou scoffed, thinking Jiao Ba had gone crazy.
“I don't think so. Jiao Ba is usually quite clever; he's not just acting foolishly. I believe...”
Suddenly, there was a loud rumble. Before Big Guy could finish his sentence, the ground where Jiao Ba stood collapsed entirely. He fell into the pit that formed in the middle of the mountaintop, creating a hole about two meters deep.
“Oh no, Lao Ba!” I reacted first and rushed over. I leaned over the edge of the pit and shouted loudly, “Lao Ba! Where are you?”
The sudden collapse kicked up a cloud of dust that made me cough violently. I quickly crawled back and waited for the dust to settle a bit before leaning down again to call out, “Lao Ba! Can you hear me?”
The pit was pitch black, seemingly bottomless. I could even hear my own echo, reminiscent of a deep well.
“Lao Ba! Where are you?” Seeing that Jiao Ba didn’t respond, I shouted again. If this hole truly was bottomless, then Jiao Ba would be in serious trouble; falling down could easily kill him.
At that moment, Mai Lao and the others arrived. No one could believe their eyes; there was such a large hole at the peak of the mountain.
When Changshan saw the deep pit, his eyes lit up as he exclaimed, “Could this... be another exit?”
“It's very possible. Turn on the flashlight and let's take a look inside.”
As soon as Mai Lao finished speaking, a voice echoed from the cave below. "Brother Yi, cough cough~~, I'm fine, I'm down here."
I quickly turned on the flashlight and shone it down. Sure enough, Jiao Ba was in the cave, but he wasn't at the entrance; instead, he was hanging on the edge about five meters down, gripping the ledge tightly with both hands.
It seemed that when he fell earlier, he had managed to save himself in a moment of quick thinking. Otherwise, if he had fallen all the way down, he could have been crushed by the collapsing stones or at least severely injured.
"You have to hold on! I'm coming down to get you," I said, preparing to descend personally to rescue him.
"Brother Yi, you don't need to come down. Just lower the rope! There seems to be a path down here, but I don't know where it leads. I need to check it out. Hurry up; I can't hold on much longer," Jiao Ba shouted up, his voice trembling slightly.
I quickly lowered the rope and instructed Big Guy and the others to hold it steady from above. I planned to lower Jiao Ba slowly. As I shone the flashlight below, Jiao Ba grabbed onto the rope and was gradually lowered down.
A few minutes later, I heard Jiao Ba's voice from below. "Brother Yi, there really is a path down here! Maybe we can get out!" His voice sounded like it was a good distance away; it seemed he had reached the bottom of the cave.
"Wait there and don't move! We're coming down," I shouted back towards the cave entrance before turning to the others. "There’s a way down; we need to go for it. Regardless of whether we can leave or not, we have to try."
"I think it's feasible; this really is a glimmer of hope! Who would have thought there was a passageway at the top of this mountain?" Changshan's face regained some color, easing his tension.
Jenny said excitedly, "So... does that mean we can leave? Jiao Ba is truly something else! Li Xin, we can go now!" She grabbed Li Xin's arm, her face beaming with excitement.
"Whether we can leave is another matter entirely; right now, it's just given us hope," Li Xin replied coldly, showing no signs of joy.
Mai Lao then said, "Well, that's all we can do for now. Shunzi, find a place to tie off the rope securely; everyone get ready to go down."
"Got it! I'll do that right away," Shunzi replied as he moved to find a spot at the edge of the cliff to secure the rope. Once it was firmly tied, we began taking turns descending into the cave.
Meanwhile, the corpses around us continued to linger in place. Ever since the cave entrance had been opened, their howls had grown even more frenzied as they surged forward but were unable to cross over. It seemed they wanted to stop us from going down, but all their efforts were in vain.
One by one, we climbed down using the rope. After each person landed safely at the bottom of the cave, the next would follow until everyone was accounted for. This method ensured safety as well; it took us about an hour for everyone to reach the bottom safely.
I was the last to descend, and only after I reached the bottom did I realize that we were at least ten meters below the mountain peak. The temperature here was very low, a kind of damp chill that made everyone feel uncomfortable and somewhat oppressed.
"Is everyone alright?" Mai Lao shone his flashlight around, confirming that each of us was present.
"We're fine, all safely down," Lao Ba replied. "But how did you know there was a cave up here?" I had been curious about how Jiao Ba had thought there would be an entrance.
"It was because of those corpses. They wouldn't dare approach the peak, which means there's something they fear here. Also, due to the curse, they can't get close. Those corpses are from the Ming Dynasty; this might be related to their past lives. Perhaps they are guarding something, so I guessed there might be a path here," Jiao Ba said casually.
"Impressive! To think you could figure out there would be an entrance beneath the peak—I'm genuinely impressed," Changshan said, giving Jiao Ba a thumbs-up, though I couldn't tell if he meant it sincerely or if there was another implication.
"Xiao Ba is indeed remarkable; even I wouldn't have thought of that," Mai Lao added, patting Jiao Ba's arm with a sincere tone.
"But how did that large group of Qing Dynasty corpses end up on this small island? How could people from two different dynasties coexist on one island?" Big Guy scratched his head, looking puzzled.
"I'm not sure; we need to investigate further. However, one thing is certain: this must be related to that catastrophic war—a great battle where everyone here perished on this small island," Jiao Ba replied calmly.
"Alright, let's not dwell on that for now. There's a path ahead; we should hurry and see where it leads," I said as I shone my flashlight forward. I had noticed this path when I descended into the cave.
In front of this cavern, leading to another peak, was a wide road similar to a tunnel, wide enough for two people to walk side by side. However, it was pitch black inside; nothing could be seen. The light from the flashlight penetrated into the darkness but was quickly swallowed up. No one knew how long the path ahead truly was...
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