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墨書 Inktalez
The tension remained palpable as we pressed on, with time slipping away from us. We were racing against the clock.
From my analysis, as time passed, our hope of finding Xiao Guolin and his team would diminish. I didn't believe that they would come to the same conclusion as I had regarding the design of the Hexagon passage in such a short time. Even less did I think they would calm down, stop, and analyze their situation. I had little hope that they wouldn't scatter. However, as long as they remained frantic and reckless, they would only become more lost. It was not guaranteed that they would move further away from us, but without understanding the design of the passage, they could end up anywhere; still, the likelihood of them straying farther from us was high.
We continued our search without rest, thoroughly combing through the second level. At this point, fatigue hit me hard; I hadn't closed my eyes for over ten hours and had been in a constant state of heightened tension. It was becoming increasingly difficult to carry on. We decided to enter the third level and take a break to replenish our energy and hydration.
According to my calculations, each outward expansion added six branches that needed searching. We couldn't afford to slow down; we also needed to ration our food and water wisely. The torches were only to be lit at the entrances of branches when necessary for marking. If we couldn't find Xiao Guolin or any clues left by them before we ran out of stamina, we would have no choice but to wait at our last known location for them to find us—or for death to catch up with us. That would be a tremendous tragedy.
"Here!" came Zhao Squad Leader's voice from the other end of the cave wall, sounding weak.
I was equally exhausted. Taking a few steps into the branch, I flicked my lighter and ignited a torch.
After being in darkness for so long, my eyes were momentarily blinded by the flame, instinctively trying to avoid its light. Yet this time, none of us blinked. The ground of the passage wasn't particularly smooth or even, but there was nothing around; finding a sizable stone was difficult. So if something appeared on the ground—especially something large—it would be immediately noticeable.
Now, right in the middle of the branch stood a boot.
I didn't need a second glance to recognize it as one I had thrown toward the ceiling of the branch. It now stood there as if deliberately placed, solitary in its position.
In that moment, time froze. Every hair on my body stood on end; adrenaline surged through me, and my breath quickened while my throat felt dry. I could clearly hear the heavy, rapid breathing of the other two like bellows beside me.
It truly was just a moment; in the next instant, I heard Liu Squad Leader let out a piercing scream and dash down one of the passages.
A thought echoed in my mind: it's over.
No matter how grave the mistake of Liu Squad Leader was, I could not just watch him run into the darkness alone. In that moment, I felt a sense of helplessness wash over me, nearly breaking down, though I managed to keep my composure.
"Chase!" I shouted, following Liu Squad Leader's figure as he dashed ahead. Behind me, I could hear Zhao Squad Leader's military boots striking the stone ground.
Although Liu Squad Leader had only a few seconds head start, he quickly vanished from sight. I could only gauge his position by the sound of his footsteps. The three of us were close together; I could clearly hear the footsteps in front and behind me, while mine made no sound at all since I was barefoot.
Walking barefoot wasn't too much of an issue; the passageway was uneven but not filled with large obstacles. Running was a different story. With each landing, my feet bore the full weight of my body, and since only the soles touched the ground, even the slightest protrusion caused unbearable pain. Yet, I dared not slow down. I could distinctly hear Liu Squad Leader's footsteps and accurately determine his location from the sound. Zhao Squad Leader behind me was at a disadvantage; he was farther from Liu Squad Leader and although he could hear the sounds, he wouldn't be able to make accurate judgments if he encountered a branch.
I gritted my teeth and kept running behind him, unable to let up, needing to guide Zhao Squad Leader in the right direction.
Liu Squad Leader was moving fast, almost desperately. He couldn't see the path ahead; there would be no danger on straight sections of the passage, but running like this at a branch would be akin to suicide. My initial plan was to reach the next branch before him, catch up to him, and restrain him to prevent him from getting himself killed and dragging us down with him. However, after running for a while, I realized this task was more difficult than expected; his speed was too great for me to keep up.
I had no choice but to shout at him and curse him from behind. It was as if he didn't hear me at all—he neither responded nor slowed down. After several shouts, I found myself out of breath and decided to abandon calling out altogether, focusing instead on chasing after him.
Soon enough, I sensed we were nearing the next branch and began shouting again, warning him about it so he wouldn’t crash into anything. The anticipated sound of impact never came. I had no time to observe the cave walls on either side; I could only follow that sound of footsteps. To make matters worse, the torches flickered in the wind, making it impossible for me to determine whether I had passed a branch or where it might be located. As I ran, I called out to Zhao Squad Leader: "Can you hear anything indicating we've passed a branch?"
"I can only hear my heartbeat," Zhao Squad Leader's response deepened my despair.
I knew we could only catch up when Liu Squad Leader ran out of energy or crashed into a wall. The Engineer's stamina was impressive; he kept running without showing any signs of slowing down.
My prayers were not in vain. Just as I felt I might lose pace and nearly give up, a loud "thud" echoed ahead. Instantly recognizing it as Liu Squad Leader hitting a wall, I sprinted towards it only to find he had already collapsed.
It was a branch point; this time luck was not on his side as he crashed directly into the dividing wall of the branch, blood covering his face. I dropped onto the ground in exhaustion, gasping for air. Despite Liu Squad Leader’s bloodied state before me, I lacked even the strength to check if he was alive or dead.
Zhao Squad Leader finally ran over after a while. The first thing he did was kick the unconscious Liu Squad Leader, then lay down on the ground, panting heavily. I really had no strength left; otherwise, I would have kicked him first. It was infuriating.
After a few minutes, I took off Liu Squad Leader's helmet and checked his skull injury. Fortunately, the helmet had saved his life; this impact hadn't harmed his old skull injury. The blood on his face was from a new wound, and it seemed like his nasal bone was broken, with a gash on his face. I gave him some simple treatment and helped him sit up against the wall.
I thought for a moment and decided that this couldn't go on; I had to find a way to control him.
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