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墨書 Inktalez
Raymond and the remaining mercenaries silently carried the stretcher, on which a soldier lay unconscious from mental collapse. Their footsteps gradually faded away, echoing in the cave until the sound diminished completely into the darkness.
Only Jonas and Isabella remained, and the dead silence of the cave seemed to swallow all sound, leaving behind a suffocating quiet. Jonas took a deep breath, as if suppressing the pressure within him. He glanced down at Isabella, his expression complex yet helpless. Everything had come to this point; there was no turning back.
Jonas drew his pistol from his waist, quickly checking it before handing it along with two magazines to Isabella. His hands were steady and swift, showcasing years of battlefield experience. "Can you use this?" His tone carried a hint of jest, attempting to lighten the tense atmosphere.
Isabella accepted the pistol, calmly assessing the heavy weapon. Her fingers glided lightly over the metal surface, her gaze resolute without a trace of hesitation. She looked up and offered a slight smile; though it was somewhat forced, her response was firm. "Don't underestimate me, Jonas."
Jonas was taken aback by her determined gaze and smiled slightly in surprise. "I'm not underestimating you; I just worry you might be more accustomed to a scalpel than this."
Isabella shook her head slightly, picking up the pistol and skillfully checking the magazine. Her tone was calm yet resolute. "This isn't my first time handling a gun, but I hope I won't have to use it." She glanced down at the weapon in her hand as if reinforcing her own resolve. "It's just... damn it, we have to complete the mission."
Jonas observed Isabella's actions and could see from her grip on the weapon and her expression that she had made up her mind. He knew that no matter how dangerous things became or how bizarre the situation turned, she would not give up.
"Then let's go," Jonas sighed, his eyes reflecting a mix of resignation and determination. He understood that the path ahead could be perilous, with death lurking nearby. Yet there was no turning back now; they could only face whatever lay ahead.
Jonas and Isabella moved slowly through the dark cave, their footsteps echoing on the stone steps as if each step took them deeper into an unknown abyss. The surrounding walls felt as though they might crush them at any moment, filling the narrow passage with an oppressive sense of dread. Jonas held his gun firmly, remaining vigilant while the beam of his flashlight flickered in the darkness ahead. Occasionally, he glanced sideways at Isabella, seemingly trying to glean some insight from her expression.
Finally, Jonas whispered, "Isabella, tell me—why are you so insistent on continuing? We've already suffered heavy losses..."
Isabella did not pause in her steps; her face remained calm. Her voice was chillingly composed as if stating an unchangeable fact. "I don't have much time left, Jonas." She tilted her head slightly and gently pointed to her forehead with her finger, her gaze sweeping over his face with an air of finality.
Upon hearing this, Jonas felt a shock despite having suspected it for some time. Slowing his pace slightly, he turned to look at her. "You mean... those things have already entered your body?"
Isabella's response showed no hint of emotional fluctuation. "Yes. I don't know how much time is left, but they have already taken root in my mind. I feel them, hissing like venomous snakes, constantly whispering in my heart."
Jonas furrowed his brow and took a deep breath. "How do you feel now?"
Isabella did not answer immediately. Her gaze appeared somewhat vacant, as if she were struggling, before she calmly said, "It feels like I can still control it, but their whispers are becoming clearer, as if something is burrowing and writhing in my mind..." Her voice suddenly dropped, suppressing the fear within her. "But I can't let them win. As long as I find the secret of the Super Cell, I still have a chance. Like I said, I can't stop now, Jonas."
Her words echoed in the narrow, confined space, her voice cold yet imbued with an unwavering determination. Jonas remained silent for a moment, looking at her profile, feeling a stir within him but unable to deny his admiration for her resilience. Even as her body was being eroded by some dark force, Isabella maintained a thread of clarity and relentlessly pursued her goal.
"You are stronger than anyone I've ever seen..." Jonas murmured, his voice tinged with helpless respect.
Isabella's lips curled slightly into a faint smile, one that held a touch of resignation and a hint of self-mockery. She gazed into the darkness ahead and lightly chuckled, speaking calmly, "If I start to lose control, Jonas, you know what to do. Shoot me in the head; don't hesitate."
Her words reverberated through the narrow cave, chillingly authoritative. However, at that moment, Jonas couldn't help but hesitate. His hand holding the gun trembled slightly; although Isabella smiled, that smile felt like a fragile facade hiding her inner fear and pressure.
Jonas's mind involuntarily drifted back to past battlefields where those harrowing moments flashed before him. In the midst of war, when a teammate was gravely injured and could no longer be saved, survival instinct and pain forced them to plead with Jonas for "release." He remembered standing before that teammate with his gun aimed at their forehead; despair and pleading filled their eyes. In the instant the gun fired, their suffering ceased abruptly amidst a spray of blood—a twisted mercy that brought them final peace.
"This isn't the first time..." Jonas murmured to himself, his lips trembling slightly. Killing a teammate was not new to him; he should have been accustomed to it by now. Yet when Isabella casually uttered those words, he felt an unusual weight settle upon him. She remained calm and even smiled while discussing her own death; this resoluteness made it impossible for Jonas not to waver.
"Jonas?" Isabella turned her head to look at him, her eyes carrying a hint of amusement yet also an undeniable firmness. "You know what to do, right?"
Jonas took a deep breath as his expression grew serious. He did not answer but nodded instead; his gaze swept over her face while somewhere deep inside him, a hardened defense was gradually crumbling. Even though he had become accustomed to the brutality of war, that faint flicker of hesitation still lingered in his heart.
"If it really comes to that..." Jonas said softly, gripping his gun tightly, "I will."
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