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墨書 Inktalez
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"Come on, at least tell me what I'm chasing."
There was no time to ask. Fatty barely slowed down as he charged down the gentle slope toward the foot of the mountain. The weathered stones he crushed rolled down the ridge, their clattering sound mingling with the thunderous noise of his feet pounding against the Ground, like a wild boar that had broken free. The commotion was terrifying.
At this speed, if I didn't hurry to catch up, he would vanish into the trees at the base of the mountain in no time. I sprinted after him.
Although we were running up a gentle slope, this so-called gentle slope was only relative to the other sides; in reality, it was quite steep. As I ran down, I realized this was practically a death wish.
Most of the gentle slope was covered in vegetation and thick soil, but there were also exposed rocky areas. With no way to gauge my footing, I couldn't control my speed; I had no idea whether my foot would land on soft earth or stone, or even sink into a pit. I could only use my hands to steady myself against the tree trunks along the way.
However, Fatty showed no signs of slowing down, charging straight down with a thunderous roar, forcing me to abandon any thoughts of deceleration. I felt like I was flying down, crashing into a thicket at the foot of the mountain. My face and exposed skin must have been a mess; it felt like countless sharp knives had sliced across me.
In the thicket, there was a path that cut through the bushes and led directly into the forest, one that Fatty had trampled out. Fragments of his clothing and bloodstains were scattered above. This scene made me cringe; I could tell he had lost control of his speed and crashed in there. Even a wild boar wouldn't have made such a path!
I jumped into that path and ran through the thicket, spotting Fatty already diving into the woods.
As Fatty burst into the forest, he pointed in one direction without looking back and shouted, "Block those guys in black over there! I'll drive them your way."
I felt that if I slowed down even slightly, I wouldn't hear what Fatty shouted—at least I couldn't see where he was pointing. I really didn't know where his confidence came from; if this was trust in me, then I felt even more embarrassed. I never thought I'd be able to keep up with Fatty's speed.
The tall rainforest was dark and humid; the rising sun hadn't yet dispelled the mist within the trees. As soon as Fatty ran into the forest, he disappeared among them. Without hesitation, I charged in the direction he had indicated.
Look at Fatty, his determination is palpable. He won't rest until he catches this person. I have no doubt that Fatty can drive the target in this direction; my concern is whether I can keep up with his speed. While the direction is clear, whether we can block the target depends on our speed. The issue is that explosive power is not my strong suit; I excel more in endurance.
At least I know he is chasing a person, and there are very obvious characteristics—wearing black clothes. If he were chasing a dog or a deer, I think I would collapse right there, choking back tears. Moreover, this person is likely one of the two who followed him earlier; otherwise, Fatty wouldn't be so impulsive.
As soon as I entered the forest, I began to curse. I imagined Fatty was probably cursing even louder. The forest ground was covered with a thick layer of decaying leaves, and beneath that lay muddy, slippery semi-swampy terrain, contrasting sharply with the hard ground outside. I nearly slipped and fell flat as soon as I dashed into the woods.
I immediately thought of Fatty suddenly disappearing into the forest; he was likely experiencing the same fate as me. Fortunately, my arms and upper body shot upward just in time. I avoided plunging headfirst into the muck of decaying leaves. I hoped for Fatty's good fortune; given his build and speed entering the forest, if he plunged into the swamp, it would be difficult for him to climb out. He could very well end up resting here permanently.
As I got up and continued running, I couldn't help but feel sympathy for Fatty. Although the layer of decaying leaves was thick, their fibers increased friction and somewhat prevented sinking into the swamp. My weight wasn't too heavy; if I moved my legs quickly enough, I wouldn't sink too deeply. But with Fatty's size and weight, each step would likely sink him up to his thighs.
I could only run in the general direction based on my instincts; the vegetation in the rainforest was too dense. I had to constantly navigate around thick trees and vines as thick as my arms, quickly losing my sense of direction. There was no way for me to determine my bearings from where I came; shortly after entering the forest, the fog enveloped everything, isolating me from the outside world. All around me was a mist that felt like water vapor.
I couldn't afford to stop; once I sank into the swamp, regaining speed would be nearly impossible. As I ran, I let out a whistle; while the fog obscured vision in the forest, it couldn't block sound. The area of this forest wasn't large enough for Fatty not to hear my whistle.
Sure enough, as soon as my whistle faded away, another whistle responded from somewhere in the woods. I immediately adjusted my course and ran toward where Fatty's whistle had come from.
In fact, our whistles could convey more complex information beyond mere location; however, right now, panting heavily from running, I couldn't produce anything intricate. Fatty was probably in a similar situation or even worse than mine. Plus, with my hands covered in foul-smelling mud, trying to whistle was already torturous; attempting to make complex sounds would likely make me vomit.
Nevertheless, this was already quite successful; we were responding to each other and quickly closing in. Finally, I spotted the person we were chasing.
That person clearly knew he was being cornered by two of us; with our whistles echoing back and forth, even a fool could understand what we were doing. However, Fatty's pressure was too great for him to dare break through from his side.
He was an average-sized Hakka man with a wide cloth belt around his waist that prevented his traditional Hakka clothing from looking bulky. His appearance was quite ordinary; his face bore an expression of tension. If there was anything different about him, it was that he had short hair—this was only the second short-haired Hakka person I'd encountered.
He charged directly toward me while Fatty loomed behind him like a medium tank, stomping through the swamp with loud splashes as mud and decaying leaves flew everywhere.
Of course, I wouldn't let him rush past me; given my height advantage, I surged forward without slowing down. Just before we were about to collide, I leaped up and lunged toward him.
I never expected this Hakka person to be so agile. Just as I was about to grab him, he suddenly jumped up and flew over my head. I almost fainted; how could he possibly take off in this muddy ground?
However, my body's flexibility was quite good. In a split second, I twisted in the air and kicked him in the face with one leg.
This caused his movements to distort, and he tumbled through the air before crashing down with a thud. Before he could get back up, Fatty slammed into him like a wall, pushing the not-so-skinny Hakka person completely into the mire.
I looked at the scene before me with sympathy. I could no longer see the Hakka person; he was entirely buried in the mud.
"Why did you run?" Fatty yanked the Hakka person's head out of the muck.
I felt that this Hakka person had been pressed down to the point of being nearly breathless. His head was covered in mud, making it impossible to distinguish where his eyes or nose were. Only when he opened his mouth did I realize that it was indeed a mouth.
"Why did you chase me?"
(To Be Continued...)
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