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墨書 Inktalez
The most dangerous situation now is with the injured soldier in the Sealed Chamber. According to the Medic's examination, this warrior already had an injury—a fractured upper arm. The arm injury prevented him from taking protective action when he was in danger. Current assessments indicate a broken rib, which has punctured his lung, causing a pneumothorax and hemothorax. His condition is critical, and he needs a drainage tube inserted as soon as possible. Additionally, his inflammation is severe, and we need to focus on the Anti-inflammatory Medication for him.
With Li Squad Leader sacrificed, Zhao Squad Leader has become the highest commander here. He immediately convened a meeting with Xiao Team and Liu Squad Leader.
I leaned against the Brick Wall, my body and mind exhausted, and I dozed off. In my dream, I saw Song Guilong running through a Dark Passage with a Micro Submachine Gun in hand, being chased by a Headless Man. Unable to outrun him, Song Guilong turned around and fired; bullets hit the Headless Man with a "Puff" sound, flesh tearing away as Intestines spilled out from the bullet holes. Yet the Headless Man seemed unfazed, loudly declaring, "Fool! I'm already dead; can you kill me again?" It was Li Lianzhang's voice.
At that moment, Song Guilong noticed me and turned his gun towards me, firing. I ran desperately; the dark passage seemed endless, filled only with my heavy breathing and pounding footsteps.
Suddenly, the person chasing me transformed into the headless Li Squad Leader. It felt like I had become the target of everyone’s pursuit. Li Squad Leader shouted while chasing me, "I will get you! You are an uncertain factor; if I kill you, everything will be under my control."
Hearing this made no sense to me at all. However, Li Squad Leader's speed increased unnaturally fast; it was as if he were no longer human. His hands quickly grasped my neck.
I woke up in a cold sweat from the nightmare to see Xiao Guolin's face; he was the one who shook me awake from my bad dream. "You had a nightmare," he said.
I wiped my sweat away, and the smell of blood evaporated along with it. Holding back my nausea, I asked him, "How long did I sleep?"
"Not long—just over an hour," he replied while checking his watch. "We need to move."
"What happened?" Even though I had just awakened from a nightmare, I quickly realized something was wrong.
"We need to find out where Song Guilong ran from so we can prepare ourselves. This area still belongs to the Ancient Ruins Area; we need to join the Search Team. Are you okay with that?" Xiao Guolin's tone was somewhat tense.
This underground Drainage Ditch appeared to be a straight passage based on what we knew; Song Guilong could only have exited from either end. The Archaeology team would work with the soldiers to search for Song Guilong, which meant at least two people would need to search each end. Cao Mingzhe's condition clearly wasn't suitable for a mission, leaving just me and Xiao Guolin for the search. Regardless of whether I wanted to go or not, if I could go, I had to go; Xiao Guolin's concerns seemed unnecessary.
"I have no problem. When do we leave?"
Xiao Guolin, seeing my eagerness, quickly regained his spirits and looked pleased. "Squad Leader Zhao is distributing weapons and tasks. We’ll be leaving soon. Which side do you want to search?"
Without hesitation, I pointed in the direction of our operational area. "This way." I really didn't want to pass through the transition chamber, even if the bloodstains had been wiped clean.
Xiao Guolin nodded and gave me a pat on the back. "Get ready." He then walked over to Squad Leader Zhao, seemingly to discuss specific tasks.
Now I finally had time to carefully observe my surroundings. This passage, which Xiao Guolin and I had designated as the Drainage Ditch, was about two point seven to two point eight meters wide and less than two point five meters high, with an arched ceiling. The sturdy Azure Brick Wall had only a thin layer of oxidation on its surface, which was both good news and a source of confusion for me.
The presence of oxygen indicated the formation of an oxidation layer, which was certainly good news. However, the thickness of that layer was off.
In the early stages of archaeology, we often relied on experience to date cultural relics or sites. It wasn't always accurate; it depended entirely on individual experience. Some could get very close to the truth of history. My strength lay in having traveled extensively and accumulated enough experience. Based on the thickness of the oxidation layer on the Brick Wall, this Drainage Ditch could not be as old as the Ground site; in fact, it must be much younger—at least over a thousand years old. Yet, the two Azure Brick Walls were identical in structure. Over such a long period, there should have been some changes in construction materials, which did not align with historical development patterns. According to my judgment, that was impossible.
The stone slabs of the Drainage Ditch were quarried from the same place as those at the surface site; you could tell from their texture. Judging by the signs of erosion, this Drainage Ditch had once served a significant purpose and had been used frequently. The slabs should have been thick and tightly laid; given the weight of the Escape Pod crashing down, they surprisingly hadn't shattered.
I couldn't imagine what kind of force had embedded the Escape Pod into this passageway. The diameter of the Escape Pod was slightly larger than that of the passage; where it made contact with the Brick Wall, some bricks had deformed, and debris was scattered around it. The acrid smell I initially detected came from this brick dust. At present, it seemed as if the Escape Pod was wedged into the passage like a gate, sealing off the transition Hatch and disconnecting this passage from here.
At that moment, a soldier approached me and saluted. "Professor Zhang, my name is Xu Xinming. I'll be following your lead."
I felt a surge of excitement; after so many years as just an instructor, being addressed as professor was truly gratifying. My vanity was greatly satisfied as I nodded in acknowledgment. "Alright, let's go."
I walked ahead like a beggar with my weak flashlight while the soldier followed closely behind me with his weapon at the ready. After walking for a short distance, I turned back to see nothing but darkness behind me, causing me to instinctively tighten the ragged cloth around me.
The passageway was narrow, but the flashlight was too dim to illuminate both sides at once. The drainage system's corridors couldn't possibly be just a straight line; they must connect with other passages. If we missed a turn, we could easily get lost inside. I couldn't take that risk, so I quickly called over a soldier. We walked side by side, tied together with a rope, each using our wall-side hand to feel along the wall as we moved, ensuring we wouldn't miss any branches.
My method proved effective, though it slowed us down. However, compared to the risk of getting lost, this was acceptable.
The Azure Stone Floor was quite clean, with little dust, and even with the flashlight, it was clear there were no obvious footprints. In addition to searching for clues about Song Guilong, we had the task of familiarizing ourselves with this section of the corridor. So, after confirming that Song Guilong hadn't escaped from this side, we continued to feel our way forward.
At that moment, a new doubt arose in my mind.
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