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墨書 Inktalez
"Don't touch me like that," Zhao Squad Leader suddenly said.
I began to understand what was happening. At that moment, Hu Aiguo spoke up, "Zhao Squad Leader, what are you doing?"
"I'm just trying to warm you up," Zhao Squad Leader replied loudly.
"Is that really necessary? Where's your clothing?"
"Do I have any clothes? If I had clothes, why the hell would I be naked?"
I could see that if this continued, a fight would break out. I quickly explained the situation to Hu Aiguo and immediately asked him, "What happened? Where are Xiao Guolin and Cao Mingzhe? Why did you separate?"
Hu Aiguo looked confused for a moment, his expression shifting to one of pain, then suddenly turning to fear. I hurriedly asked, "What exactly happened?"
Hu Aiguo turned his head towards me, his eyes once again filled with confusion. "I can't remember."
"If you can't remember, why do you have such a vivid expression?!" I shouted in frustration.
"I just feel really scared, like we encountered something terrifying. But what it was, I really can't recall," Hu Aiguo said, sounding guilty.
In fact, compared to Hu Aiguo, Zhao Squad Leader was in a more awkward position. Seeing that Hu Aiguo had finally regained some consciousness, he quickly helped him out of the sleeping bag. Hu Aiguo still needed to rest and observe for a while before he could move. The torch couldn't be kept lit indefinitely; after confirming that Hu Aiguo was temporarily out of danger, I extinguished it.
Hu Aiguo lay flat between the three of us as we sat around him in silence. I was contemplating one thing, and I suspected they were thinking about the same issue: we were running out of food.
The fish and meat in Zhao Squad Leader's bag had dwindled to the point where we could count them quickly. If we hadn't encountered Hu Aiguo, this little bit of food might have sustained us for a while longer. However, at this moment, it could only be provided to the one who needed it most. Even if we didn't eat and only drank water, we could last three to five days. But if Hu Aiguo didn't replenish his energy soon, he would likely slip back into hypothermic unconsciousness. Once his condition deteriorated repeatedly, there would be no saving him.
Whether out of responsibility or guilt, or even just to finally get news about Xiao Guolin and Cao Mingzhe from him—or perhaps even information about a new water source—I supported prioritizing food for Hu Aiguo. However, I wasn't sure how others felt about it. I thought Zhao Squad Leader would share my viewpoint since Hu Aiguo was his soldier; his strong sense of responsibility seemed unlikely to abandon a comrade in need. As for Liu Squad Leader, I found it hard to read him now; his thoughts and actions seemed strange and less predictable than before. But as long as Zhao Squad Leader and I were on the same page, Liu Squad Leader's attitude wouldn't matter much.
It was Hu Aiguo who broke the stalemate as he lay on the ground weakly asking, "Is there anything to eat? I'm so hungry."
The response came from someone’s stomach making a series of rumbling noises. Judging by the direction, it seemed to be Liu Squad Leader.
After a moment of silence, Zhao Squad Leader finally spoke up: "Yes."
Then I heard a rustling sound, followed by the loud noise of chewing, so clear that I could even hear the sound of food being swallowed. I couldn't help but swallow as well, and what I heard was three distinct "gulp" sounds, the other two coming from Zhao Squad Leader and Liu Squad Leader.
After a while, the noise stopped. Hu Aiguo said, "I'm still not full."
Zhao Squad Leader replied, "That's it; that was our last bit of food. If we can't find more food or a way out soon, we'll have to survive on water alone."
Hu Aiguo seemed to understand our dire situation from this statement and wisely chose not to speak further.
In the darkness, Liu Squad Leader said hopefully, "There might still be some scraps left in the bag."
"Here, take a look for yourself," Zhao Squad Leader said, and I heard the sound of the food bag flying past me.
After a moment, Liu Squad Leader lamented, "It's completely empty; not even a scrap left."
After sitting for a while, I thought it would be better to sleep in order to conserve energy as much as possible. I lay down next to Hu Aiguo and patted him on the shoulder. "Try not to move too much while lying down. If you can sleep, do so. If not, think about Xiao Guolin and Cao Mingzhe's whereabouts; consider what you all might have encountered. I'm right here next to you; just call me if you need anything."
Hu Aiguo didn't respond but called out instead, "Zhao Squad Leader."
Zhao Squad Leader ignored him and turned to me. "Brother Qiang, have you laid down?"
I replied with a soft "yes," "Lying down uses less energy; let's try to get some sleep. Hopefully, when we wake up, things will have changed for the better. At least Hu can get up and move around."
As soon as I finished speaking, I heard Zhao Squad Leader lie down as well. Then from Hu Aiguo's side came Zhao Squad Leader's voice again: "Hu, just do what Brother Qiang said; I'm going to sleep for a bit too."
Only Liu Squad Leader remained silent; it seemed he couldn't fall asleep or had dozed off leaning against the Cave Wall.
This sleep was quite difficult; several times I woke up from hunger pangs, my dreams revolving around food. Each time I woke up hungry felt like another blow to my spirit. I knew this process would continue for some time until my body began to consume its own fat for energy. Allowing this process to happen while I slept would reduce some mental stress, so despite the pain each time I woke up, I persisted in curling up on the ground to sleep.
Finally, I sensed movement from Hu Aiguo beside me. Since I wasn't in deep sleep, I could feel his earlier movements as he shifted positions. However, those were just adjustments; I didn't pay much attention. This time was different—he was clearly trying to sit up and was moving quite a bit.
I stayed silent and quietly observed his actions. After a while, he actually managed to sit up. It seemed he leaned against Liu Squad Leader because I heard the faint sound of Liu Squad Leader's helmet brushing against the Cave Wall; he must have been making room for Hu Aiguo to have a place to lean against.
It was clear that Squad Leader Zhao had also woken up and, like me, was taking a wait-and-see approach. It wasn't until Hu Aiguo settled himself and let out a long breath that Zhao spoke up, "Hu Aiguo, report your current condition."
"Yes," Hu Aiguo replied, his voice gaining some strength. "My stamina has recovered a bit, I have no major external injuries, and I can stand up. However, I still can't walk independently for now."
This was an expected outcome, but he was being overly optimistic. I estimated that as long as we couldn't get out in the short term and he couldn't receive treatment soon, it wouldn't be as simple as just not being able to walk independently for a while. Of course, I couldn't bring him down at this moment, so I remained silent.
Zhao continued, "Do you remember anything? Where are Xiao Guolin and Cao Mingzhe?"
"We got separated," Hu Aiguo answered immediately.
He had regained his memory?! This was the best news so far!
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