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墨書 Inktalez
I stopped in my tracks, finally able to clearly hear the strange sounds emanating from the forest. There were the sounds of insects crawling, the rustle of birds flying through the treetops, and even the subtle noises of various plants growing. These sounds had been drowned out by our own voices as we moved, but now that we had paused, they became strikingly apparent.
I shrugged. "It's nothing unusual, just the sounds of nature."
"That's not the sound I'm talking about."
I noticed the tension in Ah Xiang's voice and turned to see him staring intently at the dense canopy above us, which was layered in several tiers. His expression was a mix of seriousness and fear.
Is he trying to scare me? I thought for a moment and decided he had no reason to do so; scaring me wouldn’t benefit him at all. But what kind of sound could make him so anxious? I followed his gaze, searching through the foliage.
The darkness of the forest was hard to describe; it was different from the kind of darkness that comes after sunset. Sunlight occasionally filtered through the swaying leaves like blinking stars. The air was thick with moisture or mist, and when sunlight pierced through it, it created a shimmering effect. I squinted in that light but saw nothing above except for the dense leaves.
"Are you hearing things? What sound are you talking about?"
Ah Xiang shifted his gaze back to me, uncertain. "It's a very strange sound, like someone sighing."
What the hell? Is he deliberately trying to scare me? Just as I dismissed the idea that he would try to frighten me, he confirmed my fears.
I had to respond seriously. "I'm not one to be scared easily. Don't play games with me. We don't have time for this, and I'm not in the mood."
With that, I swung my machete and cut through a vine blocking my path, straining as I made my way up the mountain. After a few steps, I heard Ah Xiang following behind me. It seemed this boring game didn't hold much appeal for him either.
At the summit, there was a clearing of less than an acre—a solid stone standing tall at the peak of the jungle, its shape quite irregular. What caught my attention was a dry patch of ground; in contrast to the damp air throughout the jungle that had soaked my clothes during our ascent—sweat being just one contributing factor—I could feel a slight breeze bringing a refreshing coolness at this height. It was the first time I felt any wind in this stifling valley, even if it was barely perceptible.
From the mountaintop, I could see the full view of the hill and its surroundings. The hill was honestly not very big; if it weren't for the vines and dense forest, I could have reached the top in less than half an hour with my stamina. However, it took me and Ah Xiang two hours to cover this distance. Now that I was closer, I could see clearly that the hill was surrounded by grass on all sides, and through the gaps in the grass, I could see the water below. We were essentially trapped in a swamp, with the hill resembling an island in the marsh.
There were many hills like the one beneath my feet, all separated by swamps, with considerable distances between them. Between the hills, aside from thick aquatic plants, there were also some bushes. The areas where these bushes grew must have been patches of dry land.
I glanced around and felt my heart sink; there was simply no way to move forward. I looked at Ah Xiang, whose face was as gloomy as a stormy sky. I figured he also lacked the courage to wade through the water again.
"Let's stay here for the night; it's not safe by the water," I reminded him. "We need to bring them up before it gets dark."
The obstacles on the path had already been cleared, so we could return a bit faster. Once we got back to the water's edge, we quickly organized our backpacks and set off up the hill. The condition of the two Mountain Folk was worse than we had anticipated; they had picked up too many leeches while crossing the swamp. These bloodsuckers had drained not only their blood but seemingly their energy as well, leaving them listless. Moreover, their wounds above their thighs were troublesome; although they had been disinfected, the high humidity and temperature made it impossible to bandage them properly. It was best to let them air out. As long as they didn't walk, it was manageable, but once they did, their wounds would rub against each other, making climbing nearly impossible. There was no way we could expect them to carry anything.
Ah Xiang's attitude towards these two Mountain Folk was terrible; his mood was extremely foul as he yelled at them. The two Mountain Folk were terrified of Ah Xiang and gritted their teeth as they prepared to carry their loads and move on.
I couldn't bear to watch any longer; these two Mountain Folk were in such bad shape that their wounds on their thighs and waists made it impossible for them to wear pants or even walk properly. Forcing them to carry heavy loads while climbing was inhumane.
I stopped the two Mountain Folk and said to Ah Xiang, "They can't carry anything like this. Let's split up their loads among us four. If you wear them out now, how will we manage on the way down?"
Ah Xiang looked at me and then at the two Mountain Folk. Perhaps realizing that they were indeed too injured to make it to the top, he reluctantly agreed to my suggestion. It was already getting dark, and there was no time to argue about it; everyone took as much as they could carry based on their abilities and headed up the hill.
By the time we reached the top, it was almost completely dark. The forest had plenty of firewood, so we quickly built a fire. It wasn't for warmth; even after sunset, temperatures here remained above thirty degrees Celsius. We lit a fire to disperse the mist that began rising as soon as the sun went down, enveloping both the forest and the swamp below us.
We were traversing a mountain path through a steep gorge and carrying a lot of equipment, so we hadn't brought a tent—just some sleeping bags. In this humid environment, sleeping bags felt unnecessary; we gathered around the fire and boiled a pot of water. The outdoor food prepared by our Vietnamese companion consisted of vacuum-sealed rice that could be heated up and topped with gravy for eating. I preferred noodles; my backpack contained plenty of instant noodles. With all this humidity around me, I added a spoonful of spicy sauce to my noodles and cut up a piece of vacuum-sealed beef before devouring it with sweat pouring down my face.
After eating, drowsiness began to creep in. I sat there groggily for a while until I heard Ah Xiang chattering away with the two Mountain Folk about something.
Jack handed me a cigarette and lit it with a burning twig before leaning in to ask, "Isn't it strange that I haven't seen a single animal in such a vast forest?"
At his words, a chill ran down my spine, and my drowsiness vanished instantly. To be honest, I hadn't paid much attention to that. I had climbed the mountain twice; the first time, I was tangled up in vines and branches, and the second time, I was exhausted from carrying a backpack that weighed nearly as much as I did. I hardly had the energy to think about anything else. But now that I considered it, he might be right. Aside from hearing the sound of a bird flapping its wings once, I hadn't heard any other animal sounds, let alone seen any.
This was truly abnormal. How could such lush vegetation exist without its own ecosystem?
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