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墨書 Inktalez
Suddenly, I felt a change in the Pavement. I couldn't see it clearly; it was just a feeling. In that situation, even the slightest movement could drive me insane. I shouted hoarsely, "Flashlight, shine over there! Pavement!"
Perhaps Liu Squad Leader was more focused than I was. Just as my voice faded, the Flashlight turned toward the Pavement. The Powerful Flashlight was set to its brightest setting, illuminating far and wide. A thick object, about the size of a barrel, rushed toward us along the Pavement—not swimming, but like a torpedo launched at high speed. I couldn't tell how long it was; its end was still hidden in the darkness.
Without hesitation, I snapped out of my daze. My finger squeezed the trigger, and a tongue of flame shot toward that massive thing. The recoil was slight, almost negligible, and the bullet struck true.
At the same time I fired, Zhao Squad Leader and two other soldiers also opened fire, indicating their reactions were quicker than mine. Four tongues of flame blasted into that creature, nearly tearing it apart. Especially from the two automatic rifles, the concentrated bullets hit it with a very distinct sound; it felt like we were about to pierce and break it.
In just a few seconds, all four guns fell silent. No one held back on ammunition; they had fired off all their bullets in the shortest time possible. Then came the rapid sound of magazine changes. Just as I heard an Empty Magazine hit the ground, one automatic rifle fired again. This time only that one gun discharged bullets in a random spray, likely searching for where that thing had gone.
The Pavement was pitch black; even under the Powerful Flashlight's beam, it remained so because the environment here was too dark. Even though the real environment underwater was colorful, what we saw was still black—like ink. I couldn't determine how much blood that thing had lost by looking at the water's color; the smell of gunpowder in the air masked any other scents. The Pavement felt desolate, as if what had just happened was merely an illusion.
The Flashlight swept back and forth near the shore, several Muzzles following its light. There was nothing there; perhaps it had been killed.
Zhao Squad Leader shouted, "Brother Qiang, cover us while everyone else backs up with their gear."
Damn it. I felt like crying. Cover? I was holding a fire poker; I couldn't even change magazines with one hand.
Perhaps because I had detected the enemy situation in time, Zhao Squad Leader seemed to have gained confidence in me and assigned this task to me. There was no time to explain; I widened my eyes and stared at the Pavement—if anything happened now, I'd have to rely on my voice.
Several soldiers quickly strapped on heavy backpacks modified for rescue gear; even Liu Squad Leader added another pack behind his Walkie-Talkie. It was then that Zhao Squad Leader called out to me, "Brother Qiang, this is for you."
I looked over to see Xu Xinming and another soldier ready for action with their Muzzles aimed at the Pavement, taking over my watch duty. I breathed a sigh of relief and wondered what good thing he had for me. When I went over to check, it turned out to be a large backpack.
My face turned pale instantly. Normally, carrying this weight wouldn't be too much of a strain for me, but with my right shoulder dislocated, there was no way I could manage this heavy backpack. All I could do was run, and the pain in my right arm was becoming unbearable.
Seeing my grim expression, Zhao Squad Leader quickly noticed my right arm hanging limply by my side. If it weren't for the dim light here, it would have been obvious at a glance that something was wrong with my arm. It wasn't just hanging naturally; it looked as if something was weighing it down, making it appear unnaturally elongated—almost as if it were stretching out like Liu Bei's. Zhao Squad Leader's face grew even more serious as he asked nervously, "Is it broken?"
I couldn't tell if he was genuinely concerned for me or worried about having another injured person to carry. Shaking my head, I replied, "No, it's dislocated."
Zhao Squad Leader let out a sigh of relief and grabbed my right arm firmly. "Hang in there; it'll be over in a moment."
I gasped in fear, "Are you sure? Don't use me as a test subject!"
Without responding to my protest, Zhao Squad Leader proceeded to act. The moment he moved my dislocated arm, a sharp pain shot through me, and when he applied force, I felt like I might faint from the agony. I couldn't help but shout, "Are you trying to kill me?!"
It really only took a moment. Zhao Squad Leader instructed me, "Move it around a bit; we don't want it to be set incorrectly."
Despite the excruciating pain, I found I could move my arm again. Gritting my teeth, I tested it: "It seems like it's not set wrong."
"That's good," Liu Squad Leader said before lifting the backpack onto my back.
There was no escaping the need to exert myself. I muttered under my breath and hoisted the backpack up.
Liu Squad Leader had already rushed to the front, ready to make a quick getaway. Just as I secured the backpack on my back, Zhao Squad Leader shouted, "Retreat!"
The backpack was heavy—probably around a hundred pounds—making it hard for me to stand upright. But there was no time to adjust my mindset or posture; Liu Squad Leader moved quickly ahead, with Xu Xinming and another soldier closely following him. Zhao Squad Leader took up the rear of our group and kept urging me from behind. It felt like he was a shepherd dog barking at me constantly, ready to pounce and bite at any moment.
Out of fear of danger, I changed the magazine in my gun as I walked. My movements were clumsy and slow. Zhao Squad Leader, holding the only torch still burning, suddenly remembered how dangerous it was to ask me to cover him and scolded me directly, "You should have changed your magazine earlier; this is irresponsible!"
It was the first time he had spoken to me so sternly. Although I had my faults in this matter, the situation at that moment left no room for explanation; time was too tight, and the scene was too chaotic. I wasn't one to admit defeat easily, so I was about to retort when he shouted ahead, "Liu Squad Leader, can you slow down? Do you want to leave us all behind?!"
For some reason, Zhao Squad Leader's anger flared up suddenly.
I looked up and saw that Flashlight had already gone quite far. The path ahead was dim due to the weak light from the torch, making it hard to see and risking a misstep at any moment. Flashlight stopped amidst Zhao Squad Leader's shouting and turned back toward us, clarifying the road ahead. I dared not hesitate; if I fell behind without any light, it could mean death in just a few minutes.
Holding my breath, I quickened my pace. Running was out of the question with such heavy gear weighing me down. Just as I was about to catch up with Xu Xinming and another soldier, Xu Xinming suddenly raised his gun, and a burst of fire shot out towards me without warning. I collapsed to the ground, my legs giving way under the weight of over a hundred pounds on my back.
The gunfire did not stop because I had fallen; if anything, it became more intense. I was momentarily stunned but quickly realized that the muzzle's target was not me but something behind me. A chill ran down my spine.
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