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墨書 Inktalez
I glanced at the intense expressions of the Hakka People and the setting sun to the west, realizing that even if I could persuade him with my methods, it would only lead to trouble. Besides, I truly lacked the confidence to convince him.
"Go ahead," I shrugged and stepped aside.
Fatty tossed me a water bottle. "You go up first, and we'll meet at the top of the mountain."
My expression changed immediately upon hearing this. I walked back, positioning myself between Fatty and the Hakka People, facing Fatty and mouthing, "What are you thinking? Do you want to..."
I discreetly made a throat-cutting gesture.
"You’re overthinking it. Am I that kind of person?"
"You are."
"Fine." Fatty glared at me for a moment before saying, "I guarantee he'll make it up there in one piece. If I really can’t convince him, I'll carry him up. Okay?"
I nodded and walked past the Hakka People, heading up the mountain. I estimated that Fatty's methods of persuasion wouldn't be gentle, casting a sympathetic glance at the Hakka People.
I heard the last words from the Hakka People: "Don't threaten me. I'd rather die than go up."
Halfway up the mountain, Fatty and the Hakka People caught up with me. To be precise, it was the Hakka People who overtook me. He zipped past me like a monkey or a goat.
Then Fatty came panting after me, muttering under his breath, "That kid must be part monkey."
I stared in astonishment at the agile Hakka People ahead of us and incredulously asked Fatty, "How did you do that?"
This question struck a nerve with Fatty; he began to explain while catching his breath. "It takes patience and skill. You have to appeal to his emotions and reason with him. In short, you need to make him feel that we have a point and that following us has benefits. In this world, who would follow you without any gain? Right?"
"Ugh." I spat on the ground. "Is that all you can say?"
"Hey." Fatty was not pleased with my words. "You wouldn't believe it, but I gave him a few words of encouragement and he was really moved. I pulled him up the mountain, and the Hakka person didn’t resist at all, just went along with it."
I rolled my eyes at his nonsense. He could fool others, but I knew him too well; he definitely didn’t have that kind of temperament. If he was going to get physical, I would believe it.
Suddenly, I realized there was a flaw in his story and nervously asked, "You pulled him up?"
"Hehe." Fatty laughed proudly. "You won’t believe this either, but after I pulled him for a few steps, he got so into it that he ran ahead of me. I couldn’t even catch up! That’s what you call charisma, you know?"
"Which arm did you pull him by?"
Fatty's smile instantly froze on his face. His big eyes darted around for a moment before he pretended to be confused. "How am I supposed to remember that?"
Sweat broke out on my forehead—not the kind from climbing a mountain, but cold sweat. I felt a chill run through me. Just thinking about it made it clear which arm Fatty had pulled the Hakka person by; it had to be the one that was broken.
It would be one thing if he had accidentally broken the guy's arm during a scuffle, but threatening someone with a severed limb was crossing the line. His actions went beyond mere intimidation; it was outright torture.
If the bone was broken and he still went up to yank on it, it would be a miracle if the Hakka person didn’t end up dead from the pain. Watching the Hakka person bounce around in front of me made my head spin; surely that had to hurt.
Fatty felt wronged and continued to explain as if he hadn’t seriously chosen which arm of the Hakka person to pull. It was just an unintentional act.
I interrupted Fatty directly. "Just stop for a second. Look at the state of this Hakka person; he’s acting like he’s been pumped full of adrenaline. Once we reach the top and he stops, he’ll probably collapse from exhaustion. If we have to go back down, we’ll have to carry him! You’re just making things harder for me!"
"Don't worry about it, just leave him to me. I'll take care of him faster than you can."
"Forget it. Even if I'm a bit tired, I won't hand him over to you. After all, we still need to rely on the Hakka People to leave here smoothly. I don't want any more accidents; if we really anger the Hakka People, who knows what kind of trouble they might cause."
Fatty let out a huff and muttered defiantly, "Suit yourself."
Fatty was clearly taking a firm stance. When he considered you a friend, he would be open-hearted; but if he saw you as an enemy, he would be cold and ruthless. I couldn't do that, and I didn't think Jack was that kind of person either.
I ignored Fatty and pushed myself to keep up with the Hakka People as we climbed the mountain. The Hakka People practically ran up the slope, while Fatty and I struggled to keep pace.
At the top, in front of a towering rock formation that stood like a wall, the Hakka People came to a halt. As I approached, I noticed that his face was as pale as paper, almost like faded cloth; when I first met him, his complexion had been dark.
I collapsed onto the ground, panting like a dog. Fatty wasn't doing much better; one leg was kneeling on the ground as he clung to a tree, sweat and saliva dripping down its trunk. We had both exhausted ourselves trying to match the Hakka People's speed.
Leaning back against a smooth stone, the Giant Rock Formation loomed even larger due to the angle.
The walls of the Giant Rock Formation were straight and flat; while they weren't as smooth as a wall, from my perspective there were definitely no handholds or protrusions for climbing. Without tools, it would indeed be impossible to conquer.
Surrounding the base of the Giant Rock Formation was a flat area that resembled a massive circular terrace. On this terraced slope grew denser trees and vines, making me think that establishing a connection with the Summit from one of those tall trees and climbing horizontally might be more feasible.
The wind on the mountain was strong, but I couldn't hear it—only felt it—because Fatty's and my heavy breathing drowned out any other sounds. Aside from my wheezing breaths, there was nothing else to be heard.
The injured arm of the Hakka People hung heavily at his side, seemingly elongated. Yet he didn't sit down to rest; his body trembled slightly as he endured immense pain. His head tilted slightly upward, constantly turning as if observing something. His expression was hard to read; even his face contorted by pain seemed distorted.
I noticed that as the Hakka person's mind was turning, his eyes were not focused on observing anything in particular; it was more like he was listening for some sound. This reminded me of what the Vietnamese had said to me. The Vietnamese had heard strange noises here.
I held my breath and listened carefully; aside from the loud howling of the wind, there were no other sounds.
"They're coming!"
Suddenly, the Hakka person exclaimed and jumped up, running down the mountain.
Before I could react, I heard a "click" as Fatty pulled back the gun's bolt.
I jumped up and pressed down on Fatty's gun. "Absolutely not."
(To Be Continued...)
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