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墨書 Inktalez
It was Labor Day, a holiday for me and many others. Happy holidays!
Yes, I was determined to blow it up.
The Handheld Signal Flare's Phosphorus Fire could also repel the Black Oil-like substance on the ground, but from my earlier observations of its performance against the attack backpack, I realized its effective range was about two meters. If I charged back with the flare in hand, it would be difficult to manage both entering the Black Oil and defending myself; if it pounced on me, I would be out of options.
With the sound of gunfire, the signal flare exploded like fireworks, showering the area with a large amount of Phosphorus Fire, illuminating the surroundings as bright as day. Not only could I see every detail on this shore, but I could even vaguely make out the opposite bank of the river.
The White Phosphorus Fireworks fell like rain, covering the ground before me, causing the Black Oily Substance blocking my path to recede like a tide. Stepping onto the ground blanketed with Phosphorus Fire, I quickly broke free from the encirclement.
With two fewer backpacks, I felt as light as a swallow and soon caught up with Jack ahead. At that moment, I realized Jack was moving too slowly; he wouldn't outrun whatever was chasing us.
I shouted at him from behind, “Faster! It's quicker than you!”
Jack glanced back while running. His face was severely contorted; clearly, the pain from his injuries was tormenting him. Maintaining this speed was already pushing him to his limits; going any faster seemed unrealistic.
I hurried to his side. “Grab onto me; I'll help you run. If it comes to it, I'll carry you.”
Jack didn’t take hold of me but instead asked, “What about my backpack?”
“Who cares about your backpack right now? Focus on how to get past it! Just throw it away! If it weren’t for the bullets still in my pocket, I would have tossed my gun too.”
Jack's face twitched slightly; his expression was so distorted that it was hard to read. Perhaps he was silently scolding me for my bad habit of discarding things.
"Run! I don't think I can outrun it. I'm sorry. I can't deliver the message to Fatty."
"I don't have a habit of abandoning my teammates. I believe as long as we get out of its territory, we'll be safe. Don't say such discouraging things."
Jack grinned and said, "Maybe."
Then he took off his Micro Submachine Gun and tossed it to me. He started to lighten his load as well.
However, this didn't increase his speed; it seemed his main issue was the pain in his back, and lightening his load didn't help him move faster. I also took the two magazines strapped to his waist.
The Phosphorus Fire had little effect on blocking the Black Oily Substance; it quickly circumvented the Phosphorus Fire barrier and reformed into a single mass, writhing toward us.
Its speed wasn't actually that fast; it was just that Jack was moving too slowly, and the distance between us was inevitably closing. I kept estimating the distance between us, planning to fire at it when we reached an appropriate range. This thing clearly wasn't afraid of gunfire, but the heat from the bullets could deter it to some extent.
Ten meters. It was just ten meters behind me, which I considered the limit of safety. If it got any closer, any mishap would be irreparable. For instance, if I fell, there would be no chance to get back up.
The Micro Submachine Gun fired rapidly. Before I even felt satisfied, fifty rounds had already been unleashed. At such a close distance, those fifty bullets were like fifty fireballs, striking the leading edge of the rushing black substance, causing it to suddenly recoil. It was like a well-trained unit coming to an abrupt halt at the command of "stop," freezing the wave that had been surging forward.
I was astonished by its nervous system. With such a massive size or area, it could transmit commands instantly to any part of its body without error. It truly was a miracle.
But what concerned me more was that my goal had been achieved; the heat from the bullets could harm it and instill fear.
When dealing with this giant creature, the Micro Submachine Gun was actually more effective than the AK-47; its firepower was denser, and penetration wasn't as important at this moment. Unfortunately, I was running low on ammunition for the Micro Submachine Gun. After firing my last magazine and managing to deter it three times, I threw the Micro Submachine Gun at it.
"Zhang, you need to learn to let go." When I caught up with Jack, he said this to me.
I fell silent. The heavy AK-47 was no match for something like Black Oil. It wouldn't be more effective than the Micro Submachine Gun, and the AK-47's ammunition was running low. It was indeed time to make a choice.
"It will pounce and wrap around its prey. I think whatever gets caught by it will suffocate."
"How do you know? Have you seen this thing?"
"No. I just tested it with my backpack; it wrapped around the bag like black oil in an instant."
"What are you thinking?"
"When it comes down to the wire, do you need my help? Just one bullet could end the suffering."
Jack finally turned to look at me. "Can you do it?"
I nodded at him.
Jack coughed a few times. "Oh right, you have that kind of experience."
I pressed my lips together, remaining silent because if I spoke, I would surely curse. This kind of thing absolutely challenged my moral limits; I would never abandon a teammate if there was even a slim chance of saving them. But given the current situation, if the next wave of Black Oil approached and the AK-47 couldn't hold it back like the Micro Submachine Gun, I would have no choice but to abandon Jack or perish alongside him.
Though I couldn't bear to watch him die in front of me, I had no intention of dying with him. Shooting a teammate was a difficult choice, second only to dying alongside them. I couldn't stand the thought of him making jokes about it.
Moreover, through this statement, I realized he understood me deeply, even knowing about the time I shot Zhao Squad Leader. What else did he know?
Jack's current speed felt like a light jog to me. It didn't hinder me from doing anything.
I pulled out a bullet and waved it in front of him. "This is yours."
After tucking that bullet into my pocket, I withdrew another one.
"If you need it, you can keep both of these bullets. I don't need them. I want to experience the thrill of having it crawl all over me. That must be exhilarating. Besides, I have this." Jack patted the dagger at his waist.
I nodded and put one bullet back.
"In that case," I said, patting my jacket pocket, "this bullet is still yours. Of course, that requires your authorization. If you change your mind, just let me know."
I knew Jack wouldn't understand my intentions behind this. But I had to be prepared; I couldn't forget the desperate and pleading look in Zhao Squad Leader's eyes. I always regretted not ending Zhao Squad Leader's suffering sooner, and I wouldn't allow myself to fall into that regret again.
I glanced back over my shoulder as the black, oily substance closed in once more.
I shouted to Jack, "Keep running, don't stop."
Then I turned and stood my ground, pressing down on the muzzle of my weapon.
'Tap tap tap'
The muzzle of the AK-47 jumped violently with each shot; every bullet could carve a significant gash through the black oily substance. However, the bullets spread out too widely to form a dense barrier, many of them shooting straight into the heart of the Black Oily Substance.
This row of indiscriminate shooting, (can only be called indiscriminate shooting, completely failed to achieve the expected purpose.) caused the speed of the Black Oil-like material to slow down for a moment, but the overall situation became chaotic. I quickly put on a new magazine, and the second row of bullets shot out with almost no gap. This row of bullets finally stopped Black Oily Substance from surging forward, but the surge inside it did not stop. It seemed that there was something wrong with its nervous system and it was unable to coordinate and unify. This is good news, and being able to cripple it is the limit of what I can do. I didn’t have the luxury of hoping to kill it. I still had the last row of bullets. I turned around and ran without even thinking of changing to a new magazine. But at this time, a wall suddenly rolled out from the middle of Black Oily Substance, and from its The depths rushed toward me. (To Be Continued...)
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