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墨書 Inktalez
"We are luckier than them," Jack said gloomily. "At least it doesn't look as horrific visually. And I'm sorry, I thought the bullet would knock the White Phosphorus Incendiary Grenade away, making it explode farther from us."
The anger inside me had been replaced by the grim scene before us. Fear and helplessness rendered me unable to condemn or curse anyone, but I couldn't truly forgive him either. After all, we might lose our lives here because of his mistake. I was willing to face death alongside Fatty, of course, under the premise of having no choice. With Jack, I wasn't mentally prepared for that. Still, I silently accepted this reality.
"At least we've taken down the Giant Bat; your mission is halfway complete," I said, slightly turning my head toward Tang Yumo.
Tang Yumo's face looked grim, but her words were even harder for me to comprehend.
"We shouldn't be dying; at least you shouldn't."
"No one should die. Isn't that obvious? We have no one who deserves to die!" Fatty shouted hoarsely.
"No, what I mean is he will appear somewhere else and destroy the Eternal Gate. Before that, he shouldn't die, and he can't die."
"Then," Jack turned to look at Tang Yumo and then at me. "We still have hope. Don't give up; let's fight a little harder."
With that, Jack reached for the oar that had been discarded.
"Are you crazy? There's no way we can run through such a wide area," Fatty pointed at the rain-like White Phosphorus Residue in the air.
Yes, I shrugged. The coverage of the White Phosphorus Fireworks was too extensive; we would turn into a massive fireball during the rowing process. There was no other outcome possible.
"We have to try, Zhang. Have you given up?"
I lifted my eyelids and glanced at the already close Firework Rain. I truly felt unwilling; even if it meant just taking a look at the Dam at the end of the Underground River, I could accept that. I had unfulfilled wishes.
"What’s wrong with you? No knife is at your throat, so why the long faces?"
It was Fatty who thought we couldn’t run away and complained about our gloomy expressions. Although there was no knife at our throats, the fire was about to reach our backs—could we still manage to smile at a time like this?
"What do you want us to do, bravely face death or die with a smile?" My voice was weary. I had no strength or mood left to argue with him.
"Why rush to die? We haven't reached a dead end yet; we still have this big turtle shell to shield us." Fatty pointed below.
My eyes brightened. "What do you mean? Get in the water?"
At that moment, I felt both excited and nervous. The stimulating substances in the water were intense; although White Phosphorus wouldn’t burn underwater, getting in might not be pleasant for us either, and we might not even be able to come back up. However, compared to the imminent danger we faced, entering the water seemed like an acceptable choice.
"Do you want to lose your eyes!? We don’t have clean water to wash them!" Jack understood Fatty's meaning as well, but he was thinking more about the difficulties.
"Keep your head above water."
Jack and I shot a glare at Fatty simultaneously.
Fatty looked at us both and actually laughed. It made me feel like he had lost his mind—or maybe he had been kicked by a donkey.
"Keep your head on the Pavement," Fatty pointed down again. "Flip it over. If we're lucky, the thickness of the boat's bottom will hold until the rain stops. Then we can celebrate."
Jack, Tang Yumo, and I exchanged glances without speaking. Jack grabbed his backpack and was the first to slide into the water beside the boat. Tang Yumo and I followed suit, silently entering the water on either side.
"Damn it, you're all running faster than rabbits! Help me flip the boat over." Naturally, Fatty was unhappy being left behind after coming up with the idea.
The temperature in the air suddenly rose as the White Phosphorus Fireworks fell. During combustion, White Phosphorus released a large amount of light, heat, and smoke. Thick Smoke pressed down from the Ceiling, pushing heat toward the Pavement.
Sporadic White Phosphorus Fireworks had already landed on the Pavement, and we no longer had time to argue. Jack and I grabbed one side of the boat, leaning it toward us while Fatty remained on board. With a shout, the three of us exerted our strength simultaneously, causing the boat to tilt.
Tang Yumo stared helplessly as the boat slowly tipped over toward her, panicking and swimming away.
“Are you crazy? If you go out, you won’t be able to come back in!”
My shout snapped her back to reality. Yes, the irritants in the water made it impossible for us to dive in or out of the capsized boat.
Tang Yumo hurriedly swam back, racing against time with the falling boat. As it tipped over, none of us could control it; we could only let it fall. However, at that moment, we had freed ourselves and were no longer trapped. Jack and I reached out almost simultaneously and pulled Tang Yumo into the safe zone just as the boat capsized.
With a dull thud, we plunged into darkness.
I turned on the One-Eyed Beast Flashlight, sweeping its beam across each face. Thankfully, although water splashed up during the capsizing, everyone had been careful to protect their eyes from harm.
“Relax and slow your breathing; there should be enough oxygen here to help us endure this rain of fire,” I said lightly to Tang Yumo.
“How do we get out?”
Her question made me realize that her earlier panic was not an accident. Damn it, how do we get out? This question began to drive me crazy as well.
Close my eyes and dive out? The water seeping into my eyes would be unbearable; the key issue was that we had no clean water to rinse our eyes. Just a little irritant could be fatal. Thinking about Fatty ’s earlier reaction made it clear how excruciating irritants could be for the eyes.
“It’s too early to think about that. Let’s just get through this time first,” Fatty grunted.
I frowned. This time wouldn’t last long; we would soon face this problem. Maybe we could drill a hole in the boat since we had weapons with us.
"I have a way," Jack said in a low voice, but he didn't provide any specifics.
I didn't ask, and Fatty didn't either. However, our expressions were in sync: our brows were furrowed and remained so.
Building trust requires many tests and a long time to develop, while destroying it can happen with just one incident or moment. Right now, Jack was losing our trust right before our eyes. Fatty probably never trusted him, and I was uncertain about him. He had made a significant error in judgment that had led us into a deeper predicament.
With a soft thud, the first White Phosphorus Firework landed on the boat overturned on the pavement. The sound wasn't loud, but we could feel it.
The burning substance inside the White Phosphorus Incendiary Grenade was sticky; anything it touched would have to endure its fiery consequences. The boat above us was no exception.
The wood of the boat had been treated for waterproofing, likely soaked in Tung Oil, but at this moment, the water resistance of the Tung Oil-soaked planks was working against us. The boat quickly ignited into a roaring blaze.
We couldn't see the boat burning, but the flames were red, contrasting sharply with the dazzling white light emitted by the White Phosphorus Incendiary Grenade. The firelight cast a crimson glow over the water surrounding the boat. (To Be Continued...)
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