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墨書 Inktalez
The sleeping bag of Zhao Squad Leader burned to ashes like a butterfly, swept up into the sky by the heat waves of the flames. Zhao Squad Leader stood bare before a pile of Giant Millipedes, the fire pit only a step away from him, flames licking around his body. His skin glowed red in the firelight, yet it did not char or blacken. His face appeared even more grotesque and terrifying in the flickering light, as if making a grimace, with the flesh on his face writhing continuously. But I knew that was not the case. At that moment, his bare body revealed the same unsettling movement in his chest and abdomen. Just as I had initially imagined, a devil seemed to be trying to break free from within him.
Only his eyes made me feel he was still Zhao Squad Leader; however, they were now filled with pain and struggle. I sensed he was battling the devil inside him, making some kind of decision. Suddenly, one of Zhao Squad Leader's hands lifted slowly, gripping a handgun. As the muzzle pressed against his chin, I realized he was not making a decision; that decision had already been made at some point along the way. He was fighting for control over his own body, each movement an agonizing effort, pushing himself to the limit.
I knew what he intended to do. I screamed "No" with all my might, but astonishingly, that voice only echoed in my mind. I did not want to hide my fear and despair, my cowardice and helplessness; I lacked the courage to watch Zhao Squad Leader pull the trigger before me. All of this was contained in that single shout. But at that moment, I lost my voice; my mouth opened wide, straining with effort, yet no sound emerged.
The heat waves burned my eyes red; the air I inhaled felt like it would ignite me from within. Nothing compared to the despair I felt at that moment.
Zhao Squad Leader had already pressed the gun against his chin, and there was an expression of pride akin to a victor in his eyes.
With a bang, as the gun fired, Zhao Squad Leader's head jerked back slightly, a bullet and a mass of dark blood bursting from the top of his head. My body jolted with the sound of gunfire as if that bullet had struck me.
After the gunshot, Zhao Squad Leader did not fall. That shot seemed to awaken or stir something within him; suddenly, his belly swelled as if inflated, ballooning like a pregnant woman about to give birth. At this moment, fear overwhelmed all other emotions; I knew something would emerge from that drum-like belly. This fear surpassed even that of the Giant Millipedes or Ironclad Pillbugs and even eclipsed my dread of the bizarre events at Branch. Because it was right before me; it was about to break free.
I watched helplessly as Zhao Squad Leader's skin stretched thin like paper over his belly, something writhing inside. Aside from the crackling flames, this Underworld seemed stunned by what unfolded before me, daring not to make a sound; even Hu Aiguo stood silent and dazed at this scene.
With a pop sound, contrary to expectations of an explosion, a small hole opened in Zhao Squad Leader's belly as if pierced by a spear from within. However, what emerged was not a spear tip but rather a worm—a tiny Ironclad Pillbug no larger than my thumb—crawling out covered in Zhao Squad Leader's blood and bodily fluids, quickly climbing up his body. Following this, countless holes erupted across Zhao Squad Leader's form as Ironclad Pillbugs surged forth.
Seeing this scene made my body tremble involuntarily; even facing unbearable flames sent chills down my spine. But this was just the beginning.
Zhao Squad Leader remained standing; his expression was grotesque and horrifying. I could hardly believe he was still alive and conscious. Just then, another round of gunfire erupted—a continuous barrage—five bullets piercing through Zhao Squad Leader's head. Yet this only caused his body to sway violently for a moment.
The Ironclad Pillbugs crawling on Zhao Squad Leader's body clearly feared the flames and concentrated around his chest and abdomen. However, he was too close to the Fire Sea; flames still licked at him. After Zhao Squad Leader fired again, one Ironclad Pillbug crawling on him was engulfed by flames and exploded with a sound like firecrackers—a single Ironclad Pillbug burst apart like a grenade, sending hard shell fragments flying outwards. A larger hole opened in Zhao Squad Leader's belly from the blast.
From the cave entrance, I could see Zhao Squad Leader's chest and abdomen filled with Ironclad Pillbugs, densely packed like a nest of insects. I could no longer bear it; my legs and strength were suddenly drained by an overwhelming force. The weight of Xiao Guolin on my back felt like a mountain, and I collapsed to my knees with a thud. Tears of fear and despair surged forth like a dam breaking, my stomach twisted in spasms as if being wrung out by hands, and I helplessly fell to the ground, vomiting up the little food left in my stomach.
At that moment, Zhao Squad Leader's hand, which was holding the gun, suddenly reached out towards me, pointing at the Micro Submachine Gun on my chest. His only remaining human eye showed a pleading expression. I understood; he wanted me to end this disaster. I raised the gun, but my finger suddenly stiffened. It was then that I realized I couldn't do it.
I had the resolve to take down Liu Squad Leader, and I could ignore Hu Aiguo who was barefoot while fleeing, but that was all for the sake of saving others. To shoot my teammate—though this teammate was no longer human, not even worthy of being called alive—I still couldn't bring myself to pull the trigger. I felt myself trembling violently, uncontrollably shaking.
At that moment, not far away, Liu Squad Leader shouted hoarsely, "No! Give me the gun; there's no time!"
Yes, there was no time left; no time to hesitate. Zhao Squad Leader had already surrendered his body to the devil and was trying to lift a leg to come towards us. Although lifting that leg was a struggle, if he managed to come over—even just stepping out of the flames—it would spell disaster for us.
My eyes were covered with tears as I screamed madly and stood up. I had to kill my own teammate with my own hands. I didn't know what kind of person I would become afterward or if I would still be considered human. I needed to release this pent-up emotion; otherwise, I would go insane first.
In my screams, Zhao Squad Leader suddenly fell backward—like a mountain collapsing.
Countless Ironclad Pillbugs surged forth from Zhao Squad Leader's body like a tide. However, he had completely collapsed onto the fire pit. These bugs quickly turned into a pile of firecrackers under the bright flames, and the dense explosions echoed throughout the empty space.
I could no longer suppress my emotions; screaming, I pulled the trigger. The Muzzle spat out a tongue of fire that sent sparks flying from the fire pit like fireworks. I couldn't imagine the pain that Zhao Squad Leader had endured all this time—what kind of immense inner strength it took to avoid collapsing under such pressure and what kind of will led him to make the decision for self-sacrifice. And we had placed so many accusations upon him; what had we done?
As the flame from the Muzzle extinguished, I weakly collapsed into my own vomit.
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