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墨書 Inktalez
Jiang He left the room without a sound, as if he had never been there. Death is an undeniable reality for every individual; it is merely the timing that varies, with some lives being longer than others. Yet, for reasons unknown to him, Jiang He felt a sense of confusion that even he couldn't comprehend.
At that moment, the villagers were out in large numbers searching for Qiuju Niu. However, the darkness was thick, and the dense forest made it a daunting task to find Qiuju Niu in such a vast mountain range. In the distance, flickering lights appeared as Jiang He walked alone along the village path, intending to meet up with the project team.
After walking for a while, Jiang He suddenly heard a sound coming from behind him—a rustling noise that required careful listening to discern.
Something was following Jiang He.
He did not stop his pace but merely slowed down. From the faint sounds, he discerned that it was the noise of something scraping against the ground. Something was quietly trailing behind him, and if it weren't for Jiang He's sharper hearing compared to others, he would have easily overlooked such subtle sounds.
Yet that thing continued to follow him at a leisurely pace.
What could it be? The sound grew louder, indicating that whatever it was was getting closer, seemingly just behind him now.
Without time to think further, Jiang He abruptly turned around. What met his eyes were two green triangular points of light. In the hazy moonlight, he realized these glowing triangles were a pair of eyes. The creature that had been following him all this time was a wolf.
Jiang He had heard from the villagers that wolves roamed these mountains, but he also knew that most wolves would not actively descend to attack humans. The flashlight hung loosely in his hand, casting a beam on the ground as he slightly bent his body and stood still.
The wolf remained motionless as well, its glowing green eyes fixed on Jiang He without blinking.
The distance between them was only two meters; at such close range, the wolf could leap forward in an instant. Jiang He could even smell the foul odor emanating from the wolf—a stench so repulsive it made him want to gag. The wolf opened its mouth, drool pooling on the ground. In its eyes, Jiang He was nothing more than a feast.
Jiang He quickly assessed his situation. If this wolf decided to attack him, he had no confidence in his ability to fend off this apex predator.
Yet at this moment, all he could do was rapidly search his mind for ways to deal with a wild wolf.
He soon arrived at a grim conclusion: if this wolf launched an attack, he would be utterly defenseless. Still hunched over, he began to slowly back away. When facing a beast like a wolf, panic is the worst response; these animals can sense their prey's fear.
As Jiang He retreated slowly, the wolf also edged closer—an inevitable confrontation seemed unavoidable.
After several tense seconds of stalemate, the wolf suddenly leaped forward, lunging at Jiang He. Reacting quickly, Jiang He stepped back and swung the flashlight he had been holding at the wolf. The flashlight struck the wolf but caused no real damage; propelled by momentum, the wolf continued its charge toward him.
In the blink of an eye, the wolf had already pinned Jiang He to the ground. Jiang He roughly estimated that the wolf was at least one meter sixty in length and weighed over fifty kilograms. In an instant, it had knocked him down. The wolf's crimson tongue, hot and dripping with saliva, splattered onto Jiang He's face. A foul stench emanated from the wolf's mouth, a putrid odor that seemed to rise from its stomach.
Jiang He clutched the Evil Wolf's neck tightly, trying to fend off its attack.
But Jiang He was no match for the strength of the wolf. The Evil Wolf shook its head violently, attempting to break free from Jiang He's grip. The muscles in Jiang He's arms bulged as if they were about to burst. Within moments, he felt utterly exhausted.
The wolf's claws dug into the ground as it struggled. With a powerful shake of its head, it broke free from Jiang He's hold. Almost immediately, the Evil Wolf lunged at Jiang He again. In less than a few seconds, its sharp teeth could pierce Jiang He's throat; within ten seconds, he would bleed out and die. After his death, the Evil Wolf would drag away his corpse and devour it.
Time was running out; Jiang He had no way to escape. In a fleeting moment, he extended his left hand.
In that brief instant, his brain sent him a command.
Jiang He's mind analyzed what would happen next: if he extended his left hand, the Evil Wolf's teeth would bite into his arm before piercing his throat, buying him several precious seconds of survival. Once the Evil Wolf severed his arm, it would then go for his neck.
In other words, Jiang He knew he wouldn't survive this encounter.
Just as he had anticipated, he felt a sharp pain in his arm as the Evil Wolf's teeth sank into it; it felt as if his arm were being torn apart.
He understood that within half a minute, he would be consumed by the wolf.
Jiang He closed his eyes, preparing to meet death.
But at that moment, distant footsteps echoed through the air, accompanied by flickering lights approaching rapidly. From the shouts of several people nearby, Jiang He recognized that these were members of the project team.
The Evil Wolf had not yet bitten through Jiang He's arm when it too noticed the approaching figures. It lifted its head, blood mixed with saliva dripping onto Jiang He's face, releasing an unbearable stench. After a brief moment of hesitation, the Evil Wolf decisively abandoned its attack on Jiang He and turned to flee, quickly disappearing into the vast darkness of night.
Jiang He had survived.
"Are you okay?" Yuan Jun and Wang Chao were among the first to rush over.
With the beam of the flashlight illuminating the area, Jiang He raised his left arm, blood streaming down in a steady flow.
Jiang He moved his arm slightly and said, "It hasn't hit the bone; it's just pierced through the skin and fat. There's no danger to my life."
Xu Yiman observed from a distance and confirmed that Jiang He was indeed telling the truth. Once she was certain that Jiang He was not in any life-threatening situation, she quickly approached him. Gently lifting Jiang He's arm, she examined it for a moment before saying, "The wound is quite deep, but it hasn't reached the bone. We need to wash it with clean water immediately and then bandage it."
Wang Chao looked at the paw prints left by the wolf on the ground and slowly spoke, "Why would a wolf come to this place?"
Xu Yiman disregarded this concern and said sternly, "Let's head back and clean up first."
As they walked towards Er Dan's house, Jiang He recounted what had just happened. When they heard about the woman who had committed suicide, everyone fell silent. Perhaps she didn't have to die; perhaps she could have been saved, but it was all too late now.
Jiang He noticed that Old Shao had remained silent throughout.
Xu Yiman held Jiang He's arm under cold water, and the murky blood gradually turned clear as the distinct wound became visible before her eyes. There was no iodine or alcohol at Er Dan's house, so Xu Yiman had no choice but to use white liquor to disinfect Jiang He's wound. However, the alcohol content in white liquor was much higher than that of medical alcohol, making its disinfecting effect less effective. Given the village's poor conditions, this was likely their only option.
Gently pouring the white liquor over Jiang He's wound, Xu Yiman observed his expression but found that he didn't even furrow his brow; it seemed he felt no pain at all.
"Doesn't it hurt?" Xu Yiman asked while gently wiping the area.
"It hurts, but not that much," Jiang He replied.
Jiang He looked at his wound from where the wolf had bitten him and quietly exerted some strength; his muscles could still contract. The injury wasn't particularly severe, although this action would only result in tearing the wound further and causing more bleeding.
Xu Yiman shot him an exasperated glance and said, "How am I supposed to clean your wound if you keep doing that?"
Jiang He replied calmly, "The wound isn't serious; it won't affect my normal activities. Bandaging it will greatly reduce the chance of infection. The incubation period for tetanus can last for years but averages around seven to eight days. Rabies can also have an incubation period of several years but usually manifests within three months. By then, we will definitely be back in the city, so there's no need to worry about me having an outbreak here in the village. I won't affect anyone."
Everyone listened in stunned silence as Jiang He added, "Right, Xu Yiman?"
Xu Yiman was still tending to Jiang He's wounds when she heard him ask about her. She paused her work and replied, somewhat angrily, "You are indeed fine, but I must remind you that given the conditions in the village, there is likely no tetanus or rabies vaccine available. Although the incubation periods for these two viruses are relatively long, as you said, it is merely a probability. Both of these viruses can manifest within twenty-four hours. In other words, if you were to show symptoms in the village without any emergency measures, the mortality rate for tetanus ranges from 0% to 40%, while rabies almost always results in death."
Jiang He did not understand; everyone was worried not about how he would affect future work but about his own well-being. Yet this simple reasoning seemed lost on him, which was part of why Xu Yiman felt frustrated.
"Therefore," Xu Yiman said seriously as she looked at Jiang He, "setting aside the journey back, we should hurry back now."
Jiang He shook his head, watching Xu Yiman bandage him. "My chances of dying are below forty percent, so there's no need to worry. Besides, even if we wanted to leave right now, the villagers wouldn't allow it."
"If you aren't afraid of dying, what else do we have?" Xu Yiman said while continuing to wrap his wounds.
Inside, Xu Yiman felt conflicted. She thought Jiang He was being too rational; this rationality made him seem like a cold robot. Yet he always made choices that were most beneficial for solving cases. At the same time, it frightened her that someone who could calculate their own life in terms of probability might also disregard the lives of others.
"But how could a wolf come into the village?" Wang Chao asked from his position on the bed, staring at the bloodied gauze on the table. "Aren't the hunters in the village supposed to hunt wolves?"
Jiang He shook his head and revealed a shocking truth that left everyone stunned.
"That wasn't a wolf," Jiang He said.
"Not a wolf?" Everyone looked puzzled and confused.
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