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墨書 Inktalez
It seemed that in a hurry to escape the black hole, A San was moving faster than Jack. I called out to him, prompting him to slow down just a bit. However, even then, his pace was still quicker than what I had hoped for.
I understood A San's feelings; it mirrored our shared urgency to leave this place.
If we could quickly put the black hole behind us, as soon as we were out of the range of the One-Eyed Beast Flashlight, it would naturally fade from our sight. Yet the actual distance was still quite close, almost right behind us, which kept A San's speed up.
Before long, I began to feel my strength waning. They had all replenished themselves with plenty of high-protein food, leaving me far behind in stamina. I staggered along behind A San, drenched in cold sweat and struggling to keep my footing.
I knew that if this continued, I would soon fall behind Vietnamese. If I lost sight of Vietnamese's Glow Stick, I would have to rely on the One-Eyed Beast Flashlight for illumination or retreat back to the second team with Jack and the others. Naturally, I wouldn’t choose to walk in darkness; I didn’t want to risk another head injury.
Vietnamese was just within reach ahead of me, but when I reached out, I couldn't grasp him. Hunger not only hindered my stamina but also clouded my judgment.
Frustrated, I shouted, “Can’t you slow down a bit? Are you in a rush to reincarnate?”
A San didn’t respond or slow down. In fact, he seemed to be speeding up. Seeing this made me regret letting him carry the Glow Stick; it was my biggest mistake. The problem was that I knew his mental state wasn’t great either.
What a self-inflicted mess. I silently cursed myself.
However, someone did respond to me, but it came from behind.
“Damn it. Run!” It was Jack’s voice.
Shouldn't it be me shouting “Damn it!”? What was going on now? In this poor visibility and treacherous terrain—no, there wasn’t even a path—how could we run? That wasn’t even the worst part; my stamina barely allowed me to run at all. I started regretting not eating a few worms, but there was no time for regrets now. Jack and Lao People caught up with me.
When Buasong ran past me carrying Fumi on his back, he glanced at me. His eyes were filled with trust and gratitude. I paused for a moment as Buasong passed by. But then I quickly understood what his gaze meant; inside, I silently screamed that I wasn’t that noble. I simply couldn’t keep running anymore.
Fortunately, Jack didn’t misunderstand me. When he reached my side, he slowed down. Buasong carrying Fumi couldn’t possibly outrun Jack’s Glow Stick’s beam; they could only collide or fall together. As Jack slowed down, the two Lao People naturally followed suit. This meant that the four of us were now moving even slower under one Glow Stick.
At that moment, Jack was more decisive than I was. He shouted ahead at Vietnamese, “A San, stop and wait for Lao People! You three run together; I'll cover you and Zhang.”
Accompanying his shout was the sound of bullets being chambered.
The dominant tone in this space was silence; even amidst our heavy footsteps and labored breathing, silence remained the main melody here. Thus, the sound of Jack racking his gun was exceptionally clear and jarring.
The faint blue glow stick stopped as the sound of the bolt echoed in the air. When the four of us rushed over, I saw A San's face twisted in fear, his eyes wide with terror. It seemed he was scared to the extreme. Yet even so, upon hearing Jack's shout or the sound of the bolt, he still halted. How terrified must he be of Jack?
At that moment, I felt like the obvious weak link, standing there trembling and gasping for breath. Jack had clearly taken center stage, commanding A San to lead the two Lao People downstream along the riverbank.
The problem was that all four of them looked utterly terrified, while I still had no idea what was happening.
"Why are we running?!" I couldn't help but shout out my most pressing question.
I knew my own situation best; if we kept running like this, I would soon fall behind. I needed to understand why we were fleeing; I didn't want to be a fool.
My shout startled all four of them. Fumi, who was clinging to Buasong's back, looked at me in shock, clearly panicked.
Jack glanced at me before turning back to A San. "Take the Lao People and run."
The Vietnamese were practically itching for those words; upon hearing Jack's command, they seized Buasong and dashed off without sparing me a glance.
Damn it, you're not on my side! I thought angrily as I watched the Vietnamese disappear into the darkness.
That faint blue glow stick quickly vanished into the shadows. It was incredible how fast they could run in such dim lighting, especially with Buasong carrying someone.
I turned my head toward Jack. "What’s going on?"
Jack nervously glanced back. "There's something behind us."
"What is it?"
"I didn't see it; I just heard its voice. It's strange."
"Are you out of your mind?!" I nearly shouted. "You hear some weird noise and just run! Was it a 'thump' sound? Is 'Thump' coming?"
I wasn't sure if everyone had heard this story before—'Thump is coming.' It tells of a rabbit by the water who hears a 'thump' and runs away in fear. Other animals see it and ask what's wrong, and the rabbit replies that 'Thump is coming,' causing all the forest animals to flee as well. The reason I mention this story is that after I finished speaking, Jack looked utterly confused; clearly, he didn't know this tale. I also worried that readers might not understand my point.
"It’s not a 'thump' sound; it's something very strange. I can't even imitate it."
Jack's serious demeanor left me both amused and exasperated.
"That doesn't mean we should run just because of a strange sound. If we scatter, it will be hard to regroup. Besides, they have no weapons. Who knows what dangers lie ahead? If we encounter something dangerous, the three of us without weapons will surely be wiped out."
"I don't think the danger ahead is worse than here. Although I haven't seen what made that eerie sound, I have come into contact with it. Well, more accurately, it has come into contact with me."
Jack turned around, facing away from me, and handed me the Glow Stick.
I didn't need an explanation; I could see the evidence of his contact with whatever had made that strange noise. There were three deep gashes running from Jack's left shoulder down to his waist. The wound on his shoulder was particularly severe, with flesh already torn open, and his green hiking jacket was soaked through with blood.
I gasped in shock. "What did this? Let me bandage you up."
I pulled my backpack to my chest and took out the first aid kit.
"There's no time. It's coming," Jack said as he turned to me. "I can hear its voice."
(To Be Continued)
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