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墨書 Inktalez
I first saw a rectangular opening carved into the rock wall. Buasong and A San were peering out, half of their shoulders visible as they pulled on a rope. Light spilled from behind them.
I had to lower my head to enter this opening. The space inside was small; although we hadn’t filled it completely, there wasn’t much room left for us to move. As soon as I stepped in, I heard a loud bang. Turning around, I saw a Hakka person closing a door behind me. It was an inward-opening iron door, five centimeters thick.
At that moment, I realized the Hakka person's torch had long since gone out, and the only illumination came from flashlights. The positioning of the people was quite interesting; two Hakka individuals were squeezed into a corner while Tang Yumo was tightly clinging to Xiao Ting, hiding behind Fatty.
Fatty extended one hand under the flashlight to take a look. The flashlight had been shining on the two Hakka people all along, and his other hand hadn’t moved away from the 16-round magazine hanging around his neck.
I felt a surge of anxiety, silently praying that the two Hakka people wouldn’t cause any trouble. Fatty wasn’t known for his patience; these two had already provoked him once, and judging by his demeanor, he definitely had the intention to eliminate them. If things escalated here, a single burst of bullets wouldn’t just hit two people—stray shots could take out several others.
“The timing is just right; signal them, we’re back.”
One Hakka person nodded and turned around, using an ornament made of horn hanging from his chest to tap rhythmically on a stone.
I shone the flashlight over and noticed that the stone was darker in color than the surrounding area and bore mottled marks as if it had been struck countless times over the years.
Moments later, I suddenly heard a loud noise coming from above. It was chaotic and piercing.
I quickly directed the flashlight upwards and discovered a circular opening with a rusted metal cover slowly moving aside. Soon, fresh and cool air began to flow in from above. I felt an overwhelming urge to shout in excitement; tears nearly welled up in my eyes—were we finally going to see the sky?
I glanced at Fatty; he was the person I most wanted to share this joy with.
However, he was busy. His gaze hadn’t left the two Hakka people for even a second, his face dark like a storm was about to break.
My heart sank. Surely he wasn’t planning to make a move? We were already in their territory; provoking them now would be suicidal! Did he still want to get out of here?
Fortunately, a voice broke through this tense atmosphere.
"Mo... Mo girl." A voice came from above.
"I'm here, get us out," Tang Yumo replied calmly.
A bamboo ladder was lowered down. At the same time, the bright light of a torch illuminated the area.
"You go up first," Fatty gestured with his chin towards a Hakka person.
It was the first Hakka person who had climbed up. He glanced back at Fatty and quickly grabbed the ladder, climbing up swiftly. Fatty followed closely behind, and the two of them disappeared outside the cave entrance.
"Qiangzi, carry the American guy up."
Hearing Fatty's shout, I hoisted Jack onto my back and crawled out of the cave. It was dark. As my head emerged from the hole, countless sounds of insects, rustling leaves in the wind, and night birds flying by flooded into my ears. In the silence of the hellish Underground Cavern, I hadn't heard nature's sounds for a long time.
The cave entrance was on a stone platform, resembling a well opening. A few people stood around; some were holding torches, and the first Hakka person who emerged was whispering something to someone.
Fatty did not extinguish his flashlight, maintaining his cool and alert demeanor. He did not turn his back to the Hakka people, and his face appeared exceptionally fierce under the flickering torchlight.
Tang Yumo was the last to come up. In front of her was Xiao Ting; I knew without asking that this was Fatty's arrangement. He seemed not only indifferent to this beautiful woman but also wary of her, even treating her as a potential hostage.
"I've arranged accommodations for you; follow me," an unfamiliar Hakka person said to Fatty in a cold tone after everyone had emerged.
There was no moon in the sky, and beyond the torchlight, it was very dark. I turned my head slightly to look around; I could see shadows of Bamboo Houses and many plants. Beyond that, everything faded into darkness.
What I also couldn't see were Tang Yumo and the other two Hakka people. It seemed that after Tang Yumo emerged, they had suddenly vanished.
In front of a Bamboo House, the Hakka People said to Fatty, "You've rested here before and know there are only two rooms. We can't fit so many people. How about this: let Mr. Zhang and the injured person he’s carrying stay at my place. You all can stay here, and I’ll take care of them."
I shrugged indifferently. Fatty turned his head coldly and said, "We can all stay together; we’ll squeeze in. It's just for one night, and we’ll leave tomorrow."
Fatty gestured for Xiao Ting to go upstairs and then told me, "Follow me."
The Bamboo House wasn't large; each room was only about ten square meters. With so many of us crammed inside, it was indeed quite tight. Plus, there was a girl among us, making room arrangements a real hassle. I couldn't help but glare at Fatty, saying, "You're just asking for trouble; how are so many people supposed to rest?"
Xiao Ting waved her hand dismissively. "Stop arguing. Let the two injured ones stay with me; I’ll take care of them."
I felt a bit embarrassed. But Fatty was displeased. "How can that work? It’s not convenient."
Xiao Ting shot him a glare. "What’s inconvenient about it? None of you can take care of them anyway. It’s settled."
Fatty showed a sheepish expression as he stared at Jack for a moment. It seemed he was worried that the American Guy would steal his girl. I glanced at Jack; he looked half-dead. Was Fat Man really that insecure? His rival was in such bad shape, yet he still worried? Could it be that things weren’t as I thought? Perhaps Fatty hadn’t won Xiao Ting's heart after all, and their chemistry was merely for this mission and survival?
The four of us— Fatty, A San, Buasong, and I—entered another room. There was only a single bamboo bed in the room, which meant most of us would have to sleep on the floor. A San and Buasong knew the single bed wasn’t for them and sensibly started looking for things to lay on the floor to prepare for the night.
I dragged Fatty to a table by the window and asked him, "Is it okay now? Tell me what’s going on; I'm dying to know."
To my surprise, Fatty immediately raised a finger to his lips in a shushing gesture and mouthed, ‘We can’t talk here; you shouldn’t either.’
I was almost furious, feeling like he was making a big deal out of nothing and giving me the impression that he was stalling for time.
‘There’s no one here; what can’t we talk about? What are you trying to hide?’ Although I was extremely frustrated with his actions, I didn’t shout but instead mouthed my question to him.
Fatty pointed to a nearby Bamboo Wall. "There are people next door; this Bamboo House has others besides us."
"Who?"
"An Old Man. This Bamboo House belongs to him. We're staying at his place."
"Alright, I’ll just ask you one question. How did you find this place? How did you know you could enter the Underground Cavern from here?"
"That's two questions, isn’t it? Did your math teacher teach you sports?"
"Cut the nonsense..."
"Cao Mingzhe told me." (To Be Continued...)
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