Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
I saw that Xiao Guolin had returned to normal, and I quickly reported the situation regarding my search with Liu Squad Leader. My description of the enormous Aquatic Creature piqued Xiao Guolin's interest, and he even entertained the thought of witnessing such a spectacle. However, the immense danger involved quickly dispelled that notion.
With a fire going and hot water available, fatigue washed over us like a tide as we decided to take turns sleeping. Liu Squad Leader sat facing the water source, his face still pale despite the warmth.
"You all sleep; I can't," Liu Squad Leader said calmly.
I understood what was going on, but there was nothing I could do; no one could help him now. On the way back, he had injected another dose of Morphine, and now its effects had worn off. The pain tormented him so much that he couldn't sleep; if he did fall asleep now, it would likely be a state of coma.
I was still drying my clothes when Xiao Guolin and Cao Mingzhe had already fallen asleep. Zhao Squad Leader returned with a pile of wood, sat for a moment, and leaned against the wood to sleep. As I finished drying my clothes and prepared to rest for a while, I heard a rustling sound. After carefully discerning the direction of the noise, I realized it came from the crack, and soon after, Xu Xinming's excited voice rang out: "Zhao Squad Leader, I'm back!"
In the vast silence of the environment, his voice was particularly loud. However, Zhao Squad Leader and the other two were too exhausted and affected by hypothermia; none of them woke from their slumber.
Moments later, two figures appeared in my line of sight—Xu Xinming and Medic. Xu Xinming's face was noticeably swollen, his eyes even more so; it seemed he hadn't rested at all during his journey back. The moment I saw him, I thought about my own condition, which was probably similar to his. Medic looked much better; it seemed he had at least managed to rest.
When Liu Squad Leader saw Medic approaching, he instinctively stood up. Medic also looked first at Liu Squad Leader; it seemed his main purpose for coming down was to check on this severely injured soldier. However, contrary to Liu Squad Leader's condition, Medic let out a sigh of relief upon seeing Liu Squad Leader's collapsed left shoulder.
Xu Xinming cast a sorrowful glance at Zhao Squad Leader before laying him flat and sitting beside him to keep watch over his squad leader. I forced myself to speak to Medic: "Liu Squad Leader's left shoulder has been injured again; can you take a look and see if you can do something about it?"
Medic immediately examined Liu Squad Leader's left shoulder and skull injury before saying, "There's nothing major here; the shoulder needs to be reset. However, I only have one dose of Morphine left. Applying a splint will be very painful; should we use it now or…"
"Use it now," Liu Squad Leader interrupted him before he could finish.
The ones capable of making decisions were either asleep or in a stupor. I knew very well that Liu Squad Leader was on the verge of breaking down from pain, so I made the decision for him: "Use it up; without pain relief, it's going to be hard for him to hold on."
The Medic understood better than I did the torment this injury was causing Liu Squad Leader. After receiving approval from both of us, he quickly injected Liu Squad Leader with our last dose of Morphine. Once the pain subsided, securing the splint became much easier. I watched as the Medic skillfully bandaged Liu Squad Leader's shoulder, and my eyelids grew heavy, eventually succumbing to a deep sleep.
It was a dreamless slumber, and I was awakened by a dry throat. Everyone was awake, and the ample rest had left me feeling energized. I glanced around the campfire; Zhao Squad Leader and Xu Xinming were absent. However, Liu Squad Leader quickly informed me that Zhao Squad Leader and Xu Xinming had gone back to retrieve some supplies.
During the process of transferring everyone from the Escape Pod to the reservoir space, we had limited supplies due to the presence of injured personnel; we only took essentials. Among these was a fixed lighting system equipped with batteries. This bulky item accounted for more than half of the total weight of our transferred supplies. Fortunately, the injured who required chest surgery could still move with assistance; otherwise, during their first transfer, they would have had to carry that cumbersome lighting system themselves.
Xu Xinming had broken the penlight on the way here, and when turned on, it only emitted a flickering light without sustained illumination. This forced them to dismantle a heavy fixed lighting system just to reach this location. As a result, many supplies were left near the Escape Pod, and Zhao Squad Leader led all able-bodied warriors back to transport those items.
Liu Squad Leader spoke coherently, indicating that he had returned to his usual self. The Medic sat beside me dozing off; he had become the least alert among us. Zhao Squad Leader's absence did not hinder our discussion about our next action plan. I began by detailing my search process with Liu Squad Leader in a more specific and organized manner. As we planned our subsequent actions, we encountered some differences in opinion.
The consensus was to split our personnel into two search groups. One group would continue searching here with the primary goal of locating Song Guilong—something both Liu Squad Leader and I insisted upon, which Xiao Guolin did not oppose. The secondary objective would be to look for traces of civilization and signs of life. The other group would operate in the upper level space, focusing their search in the direction leading towards the Yadan Landform Group, aiming to find an exit and establish contact with the Ground Command Center.
The disagreement arose regarding lighting. The group operating in the upper space would need to carry the most powerful shoulder-mounted Walkie-Talkie since they were tasked with contacting Ground. This meant that the Powerful Flashlight would have to be with their group. This decision had already been established before Zhao Squad Leader left; it did not require my approval.
The penlight was already weak in illumination, and now it was at risk of failing at any moment; thus, torches became our only source of light for searching water sources. The large and ferocious Aquatic Creatures lurking in the water would attack any light source, and our torches were not only difficult to ignite but also could not provide lasting illumination. This severely restricted our movements and even sentenced our actions to failure.
I proposed a bold idea: eliminating this Aquatic Creature. Doing so would not only eliminate a potential threat but also resolve the issue of our ineffective torches.
We knew that animals surviving in cold environments tend to have thick layers of fat. The main reason our torches were failing to perform effectively was due to their lack of oil that could burn for an extended period.
However, my suggestion faced unanimous opposition from everyone except for the Medic. The Medic did not voice his dissent but remained silent instead; he was aware of his standing within this group, and under these circumstances, his input would not carry weight.
I could understand Xiao Guolin's opposition; he likely aimed to protect this unknown species. My disdain for Liu Squad Leader's attitude was palpable; his fear was purely irrational. I had clearly told him it wasn't a water ghost, yet I couldn't dispel even a fraction of his fear.
.
Comment 0 Comment Count