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墨書 Inktalez
"I'm sorry, I'm late today."
"Two big men shouldn't get into any trouble, right?" said Second.
Third remained silent, quickening his pace towards the two men. A gentle breeze blew, but ahead was eerily quiet.
As they got closer, Third could clearly see the figure of the person waiting outside. He stood still, showing no reaction.
"Hey, kid," Second called out, but there was still no response.
"This is bad; something's wrong," Third muttered under his breath. He hurried forward, taking a few strides until he stood in front of the unmoving figure.
The flashlight was tightly gripped in the man's hand, its beam cutting through the air and shining into the distance.
Third illuminated the area with his flashlight and took a few steps back, with Second following suit. He directed the light from the man's feet upwards but found no visible injuries. Second approached and patted the man's shoulder.
That pat was like the last straw for a camel; the man collapsed straight down. Second was caught off guard by this sudden incident and failed to catch him. In their line of sight, he fell to the ground, his head wedged between two trees.
Second's outstretched hands couldn't retract in time, and a hint of terror crossed his face.
Third stepped forward. When the light hit the man's face, both Second and Third felt a chill run through them. The man's expression was completely twisted; his face pale, eyes vacant, mouth agape as if he hadn't even had time to scream before dying.
"He died of fright," Third said. Second inhaled sharply and replied, "What kind of monster could do this?"
"There’s another one," Third stated and continued moving forward. A flashlight lay on the ground, but the person was nowhere to be seen. However, remnants of his bodily fluids remained at the scene. Second covered his nose.
Third shone the flashlight around and vaguely noticed bloodstains on the grass and foliage. He crouched down, picked up some grass with his hand, and sniffed it to determine its scent—confirming it was human blood. It must have belonged to the man who had just died.
The flashlight beam moved slowly, footsteps following closely behind. The blood trail showed no signs of stopping. With each step, Third lifted their foot, moving cautiously, aware that the source might still be nearby.
Turning back to Second, Third said, “Second, stay here. I’ll check over there.”
Second covered their nose and spoke indistinctly. Just as they were about to lower their hand to speak clearly, Third had already vanished from sight.
The night was a natural barrier, leaving only two solitary beams of light pointing in the same direction. Second glanced at the lifeless body on the ground and pried the flashlight from its hand. The light fell on the dead person's face, and Second stared intently, feeling increasingly uneasy. A chill crept up from beneath their clothing, making their neck tingle. They wondered to themselves how this person had died.
At that moment, a hand suddenly patted Second on the shoulder. Their heart leaped into their throat, nerves taut and unyielding. The sudden touch made Second feel as if their forehead was drenched in sweat, and they struggled to catch their breath.
However, Second was not easily frightened. They spun around quickly and threw a backfist in response. This punch drew on all of Second's strength but met only air, the wind from the punch rippling through the space behind them.
Their shirt was soaked with sweat now. After missing the punch, Third lost momentum and was pushed back a few steps by inertia, nearly losing their balance. Though tension gripped Second's heart, they remained composed.
As they stepped back, Second used the momentum to pivot and regain their footing.
Looking behind them at the empty space, they noticed another hand gripping a flashlight, causing its surface to slightly indent inward.
Just as Second thought they could relax, they quickly realized that someone might be behind them again and immediately turned back. The flashlight swayed dramatically with the movement until the light stabilized.
They discovered a figure crouching down. Without thinking, Second pulled out their gun and fired twice. The figure rolled away just in time and called out, “It’s me.”
Upon hearing that voice, Third paused for a moment before realizing what had happened and slowly lowered their gun. Although she rarely spoke, her voice was melodious enough for Second to recognize it immediately.
With the tension easing, Third couldn’t help but take deep breaths. Shaking their head to clear it, Second finally recognized who had approached: it was Xin Shui Su.
Even though Second felt a bit intimidated by her, he couldn't help but curse, "Damn it, are you human or ghost? Please give me a heads-up next time you show up."
Xin Shui Su, however, paid no attention to Second's outburst and continued examining the corpse, placing her finger on the person's neck.
Second was still talking when Xin Shui Su looked up at him; he immediately shut his mouth, surprised by his own instinctive reaction.
Xin Shui Su calmly asked, "Which way did he go?" Second pointed ahead, and she immediately took off in pursuit.
Suddenly realizing she didn't have a flashlight, Second called out but received no response. She vanished into the night like a specter.
Second watched as the rustling grass and trees came to a standstill, swallowing back the words that almost escaped her lips.
The gunshot from earlier had drawn attention; two crows screeched and flew away. The first to arrive was Seven, followed closely by Wang Er Gou. Seven had a half-peeled egg shell still in his mouth.
As he halted and saw Second standing there unharmed, his anxious heart settled. "Second, where did the gunshot come from?" he asked while scanning the area with a burning stick.
Seven had rushed over upon hearing the gunfire without grabbing a flashlight, wielding a flaming piece of wood instead. He had run so fast that the stick had gone out and was now emitting thick smoke, leaving his face covered in soot.
Wang Er Gou arrived with a flashlight in hand. As Seven stood there, a gentle breeze blew by, reigniting the stick.
"It was me who fired," Second replied.
Seven stepped closer to take a look at Second and asked, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," she assured him.
With that, Seven's worries were completely alleviated. Suddenly, he noticed Third was missing. He quickly asked, "Where's Third?"
"Everything's fine," said Second, glancing into the darkness.
Wang Er Gou stepped forward and suddenly shouted, "There's a person lying over there." His sudden exclamation immediately drew Seven's attention.
Second whispered, "That person is already dead."
Wang Er Gou and Seven walked over. Seven examined the body and said, "The corpse still has warmth; they died not long ago." He looked at the person's face and gasped in shock.
It was clear that the person had died from fright. Doubts began to creep into Seven's mind as he caught a whiff of a foul odor. "Why does it smell so bad? A corpse shouldn't decompose this quickly."
Wang Er Gou stood up and glanced around, pointing ahead. Following the light, Seven took another look at the body on the ground. He suddenly felt nauseous and gagged a couple of times before standing up.
Gradually, members of the archaeological team arrived. Upon seeing the dead person on the ground, they couldn't help but cover their mouths with their hands and leaned against tree trunks to vomit.
The blood had completely drained from the person's face, combined with their eerie and terrifying expression, along with the stench.
Though they felt sorrowful, their bodies reacted naturally, leading them to vomit. Some of the young women had already started crying, murmuring, "How could someone die?" Their emotions were unstable.
A suffocating atmosphere of terror began to spread, enveloping the group.
The three from Second had seen their fair share of storms and felt that a death was not such a big deal. However, they usually lived in the city and had never witnessed life and death firsthand. Seeing a living being pass away right before their eyes was indeed a significant shock.
Second looked at the group; beams of light suddenly illuminated the area. It was hard for Second to see these people clearly. Sighing, he said, "You all should head back! We'll take care of things here!"
Yet these people remained unwilling to leave. If they found out that another person was missing without a trace, it could lead to even worse consequences.
So Second concealed this information.
The members of the archaeological team were slow to leave, and finally, a responsible young man stepped forward to persuade them to go back.
Second stood in place, watching these people, as their scattered conversations reached his ears. How could he have died? We only came to learn. Will I be next? As their voices faded into the distance, it finally quieted down.
Second stood firm. Seven crouched down again to examine the corpse, hoping to find some clues, but discovered nothing.
The only evidence of his death was the twisted expression of terror on his face. Everyone felt puzzled about what could scare a perfectly healthy person to death without making a sound.
After the archaeological team retreated, the night was eerily quiet; the three strange figures made not a single sound. Seven examined carefully.
The smoke from the wooden stick had transformed into wisps drifting away. Seven's face was barely visible, with only his eyes spinning like wheels.
Seven moved forward while Wang Er Gou held the flashlight for him. Suddenly, Seven spotted bloodstains and asked, " Second, is there another body here?"
Second nodded in response.
Why was there no body here? Second explained, "There wasn't one when we arrived; we only found bloodstains." Seven said, "Did Third chase after him?"
Second confirmed that he did. Following the bloodstains, Seven crossed several tree trunks and patches of grass. Suddenly, he called out upon discovering something next to the bloodstains...
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