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墨書 Inktalez
The moment the race began, I tossed aside the Glow Stick and switched to the One-Eyed Beast Flashlight for illumination. The Glow Stick was barely adequate for walking; if I relied on it while fleeing, I would surely end up dead at the hands of Heimanluo, likely taking myself out in the process.
This was the most exhilarating obstacle course I had ever experienced. The rugged terrain of the Underground Cavern, with its sudden stone pillars and hanging Stalactites, posed natural obstacles throughout the run. I weaved between the Stalactites and stone columns, leaping over crevices and jutting boulders, all while keeping an eye out to avoid crashing into the Stalactites.
Can adrenaline dull pain? Perhaps. My scraped knee didn’t affect my speed or passion.
I didn’t look back. I knew that the flames behind me would hold Heimanluo off for a while. My only task now was to run like hell and catch up with those two heartless individuals ahead of me. It was infuriating, especially Fatty; I needed to vent my frustration at him. Of course, my firepower alone wouldn’t be enough to deter Heimanluo; I had to regroup with them.
Once we hit our stride on the path, my advantage became apparent; my speed never waned. Meanwhile, the two ahead of me—especially Fatty —were slowing down significantly, his hefty frame becoming more pronounced as I closed in.
“Fat Man, can’t you at least make some noise while running? You’re killing me here,” I spat as I caught up to Fatty.
“Who’s to blame? The monsters have revealed themselves, and you’re still not running. I've never seen anyone so slow to react. It’s a miracle you’ve survived all these years; must be some good luck from your ancestors’ graves.”
Fatty was panting heavily, but his tendency to talk back was hard to shake; he continued to argue breathlessly.
Seeing that Fatty was struggling for air, I decided not to engage him further; he was too easy to provoke, and if I kept it up, he’d probably collapse from exhaustion.
Jack had better endurance than Fatty. However, his speed had also decreased significantly as he ran just ahead of Fatty.
I quickly caught up with Jack and advised him, “Keep your distance but don’t stray too far. Fatty and I will cover you from behind; let us know if anything happens.”
Jack gasped in response, “Got it.”
I stopped for a moment, resting my hands on my knees as I bent over to catch my breath while waiting for Fatty.
At this point, the flames behind us were beginning to fade; this was due to both the diminishing fire and our distance from the explosion point. Based on previous experience, this level of fire would no longer hinder Heimanluo's advance. Our next step would be a direct confrontation.
When Fatty finally arrived, he gave me a thumbs-up. “Nice job.”
I forced a smile. "Save your strength. Heimanluo will catch up soon, and we'll have our hands full."
Fatty, while running, said, "I feel like Heimanluo isn't as afraid of fire anymore. Our tricks might not hold it back. We need to hurry; at least we have to catch up with Tang Family Girl. We can't let ourselves be the ones left behind."
Hearing this made my heart sink. It was clear that Fatty intended to leave Tang Yumo behind as a decoy. I believed he could be ruthless enough to do it, even Jack might be part of his calculations.
As for me, if I could help him escape, I would willingly take the fall for him. But leaving Jack and Tang Yumo behind was something I couldn't do. I immediately dismissed Fatty's idea.
"Stop right there. If the four of us work together, we still have a chance. If we start splitting up, none of us will make it out alive. And don't get any funny ideas."
Fatty huffed and then blurted out, "I am."
I positioned Fatty in front of me; if I ran ahead, he wouldn't be able to keep up. Losing him would be a big problem. However, by following Fatty, I had the opportunity to keep an eye on what was happening behind us. At the moment, his speed allowed me to remain calm.
The good news and bad news was that Heimanluo hadn't caught up yet. I didn't consider it purely good news because I didn't think Heimanluo would give up easily or let us pass without a fight. This was its territory; even if it wasn't a creature born from the Eternal Gate like Tang Yumo suggested, it was still a strange being that wouldn't allow us to invade its domain.
Fatty knew he was seriously slowing me down and had no choice but to run as fast as he could in front of me. His heavy breathing sounded like a broken windbag, proving he was giving it his all. But he was also very curious and used to controlling his own fate; he couldn't afford to look back. He kept mumbling questions at me, "Is it catching up?" "What does it look like now?"
I got annoyed with his questions and shouted back, "Just run! If there's a problem, I'll let you know. I'm the one who should worry about survival first; stop fretting over nothing."
"I'm worried about nothing," he panted.
Damn, this Fat Man had the energy to talk even when he could barely breathe. I decided to ignore him.
Though Tang Yumo had been the first to run, her speed and stamina were lacking compared to ours, and her light source was inferior; it couldn't match our One-Eyed Beast Flashlight's power. Before long, I spotted the glow of her torch; by the time I started running, her torch had already slipped out of my line of sight. She had failed in her plan to have us cover for her.
Fatty loomed like a mountain in front of me while Jack's speed surpassed Fatty's slightly; we were slowly pulling away from Jack. At the same time, the three of us were closing in on Tang Yumo's position. If this continued, we might end up splitting into pairs again to escape. I believed Jack wouldn't abandon Tang Yumo. That might actually work out well; it would save Fatty from scheming against her and perhaps allow one group of us to survive and escape together.
We four were positioned in a sequence, but not in a straight line. There was no runway here, not even a path; each of us had to instantly find the route that suited us best based on our own circumstances and the lighting conditions. Even I was not running directly behind Fatty.
Suddenly, Flashlight, who was ahead of Fatty, stopped. It was Jack. However, he also discarded his Glow Stick. The beam from the One-Eyed Beast Flashlight was directed straight ahead, making it impossible to illuminate the person holding the Flashlight. I could only see that the Flashlight had stopped; I couldn't see what he was doing, but his stopping was an incredible event.
“Damn it, American Guy has lost it!”
Clearly, Fatty noticed Jack's unusual behavior as well. Without hesitation, he cursed and directed his Flashlight from the Ground towards Jack. Normally, our Flashlights would not easily leave the Ground in front of us; doing so could lead us to fall into a crevice or crash onto the rocks below in the next moment.
Fatty was right. Jack had indeed lost it.
Under the glaring light of Fatty's One-Eyed Beast Flashlight, I saw Jack take off his 16 Assault Rifle from around his neck. His One-Eyed Beast Flashlight was still lit; he must have bitten it between his teeth.
I saw Jack pull back the rifle's bolt and then raise the 16 Assault Rifle, aiming at the flickering torch at the front. (To Be Continued...)
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