Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
I was actually quite intimidated by the thought of facing Fatty one-on-one. The shadow of defeat had long been planted in my heart. I had never won, and worse yet, each time I was mercilessly beaten.
This time, facing Fatty transformed into Heimanluo, it felt like a double layer of psychological pressure weighing down on me. I had no thoughts of victory, only a desperate desire to buy some time for Fatty.
Perhaps my hoarse shout startled him; a look of shock crossed Fatty's face as he once again uttered that sound he had made before. "Pain." And it was drawn out.
I felt a flicker of confidence. Damn it, not only did I want to hurt you, but I also wanted to crush you.
I aimed my One-Eyed Beast Flashlight directly at his eyes, holding my pistol in my right hand, ready to smash the steel grip against his head.
With a whoosh, the grip swung through empty air.
My full-force strike landed nowhere but in the void, as if what stood before me was merely an illusion. But I didn’t feel good about it; the force threw me off balance, and I tumbled through the air before crashing to the ground.
I fell sideways onto the Ground, the jagged rocks threatening to break my bones, and my head hit hard enough to send stars dancing before my eyes. Amidst the swirling lights, I saw Fatty's expressionless face looking down at me from above.
In that moment, my mind remained clear; I had no illusions that this face would extend a friendly hand toward me. Naturally, I wouldn’t wait for him to drop his guard.
As he displayed an expression I couldn’t comprehend, I raised my gun and extended my right arm straight out. I couldn’t understand Fatty ’s bizarre behavior; leaning forward like that was akin to offering his neck for slaughter. But I wouldn’t let this opportunity slip away—the muzzle was less than a meter from his head when I pulled the trigger.
"Bang!"
With the sound of a gunshot, that fat head tilted back slightly. At such close range, the handgun demonstrated its power.
I quickly jumped up. Despite the pain that shot through my side, where I felt my ribs and sternum might be broken, the instinct to survive and win overcame the agony. In that moment, as the fat head was still tilting backward, I fired my handgun again. Three consecutive bullets struck his head, causing it to jerk back repeatedly as he staggered backward.
Fatty's face was numb, and there was no blood oozing from the muzzle. Even after being hit multiple times at such close range, I couldn't discern any expression on his face; that strange look had not returned. It was as if this creature not only couldn't die but also couldn't feel pain.
Reloading the empty magazine and inserting a new one happened in one fluid motion. At that moment, I felt possessed by Jack.
Facing Fatty directly, my outstretched handgun's muzzle was nearly pressed against his head. He seemed dazed by the blows. In the instant I reloaded, he neither dodged nor retaliated. Of course, it was more likely that my speed in reloading surpassed his reaction time.
Once the new magazine was in place, I unleashed a torrent of bullets at this Fatty transformed by Heimanluo.
Like a long-overturned beetle, that fat head jerked back with each gunshot. It seemed Heimanluo was still struggling to adapt to this body; as its head tilted back, it couldn't maintain proper balance. Its steps were chaotic, gradually retreating toward the Flood Barrier.
I knew the opportunity to get rid of it had come. And it was unlikely that I would have such a chance again.
I quickly pulled out a Grenade, flicked off the safety, and at the moment my handgun ran out of bullets, I raised my foot and kicked with all my strength towards the Fatty. It was heavy, far beyond what its size suggested, but it lost its balance. This kick was the last straw that broke the camel's back.
The Fatty let out that painful sound once more as it fell from the Flood Barrier.
When I threw the Grenade, I didn't use much force; the Grenade in my left hand fell at the same speed as the Fatty, following Heimanluo downwards. Meanwhile, I ran forward without looking back. Ahead of me, the torch still flickered with light, just as it had when I first saw it.
A single torch and a shadow cast by someone beneath it—nothing else.
Where was the Fatty? My heart skipped a beat.
“Gangzi!” “Boom!”
My shout coincided with the explosion of the Grenade. However, I achieved my goal; the person beneath the torch turned their face towards me, glancing sideways. It was Tang Yumo.
Her delicate face showed a tense expression, reminiscent of a child who had done something wrong. Her gaze flickered to my face for an instant before quickly averting, turning back down again as if there were something fascinating below.
This narrow passage revealed by the Pavement had become so tight that I could easily see both sides of the Ground. In other words, I had already passed the stone wall separating the Underground River and could jump onto the Flood Barrier from either side. But I suddenly realized that the deafening sound of rushing water was growing fainter as I ran desperately away from it.
Had I really run past the Flood Barrier? A chill ran down my spine.
I knew that at the end of the Flood Barrier lay an abyss, a void where neither my One-Eyed Beast Flashlight could reach its depths above or below. The water on the Flood Barrier cascaded like a waterfall into the endless depths below, producing a deafening roar.
Currently, that sound was becoming increasingly pronounced behind me, indicating that I had isolated myself within the very abyss that had once shocked me. Was the Eternal Gate truly ahead?
The cold—both from within and from the surrounding space—caused my steps to involuntarily slow.
I directed my Flashlight into the darkness beside me, where I had expected to see the Flood Barrier. However, as the beam illuminated the area, I saw neither water nor the Flood Barrier. It was just darkness, an impenetrable blackness that my Flashlight could not pierce.
I realized my suspicions were confirmed; yes, I had indeed run into nothingness.
I imagined this environment and my predicament. This path, which accompanied the stone wall separating the Underground River, must have extended beyond the Flood Barrier. How far it protruded, I could not know. But it was likely that Fatty, generated by Heimanluo's transformation, had fallen into the endless void below. If that were true, I seemed to have escaped from my most dangerous enemy.
But the current problem was: where had Fatty and Jack gone?
Though my speed was slow, the light of the torch and Tang Yumo's figure quickly grew larger in my view. I could see clearly now; Tang Yumo stood at the end of this path, with darkness identical to that surrounding her on the other side. In other words, she stood at the very edge of this road.
Next to Tang Yumo was an old and sturdy wooden Winch, with several torches propped up on the other side. Clearly, the torches Tang Yumo had regained came from there.
A brand new rope hung tightly down from the Winch, a stark contrast to the old machinery. I didn't need to ask; I knew this rope didn't belong to the Winch, and I knew who it belonged to.
When Jack and Tang Yumo ran, they took nothing but a flashlight. If their clothes hindered their escape, I imagined they would have discarded them as well. At least Jack would have. Fatty couldn't bear to part with his Straight Blade, which made it difficult for him to throw off the rope slung over his shoulder. He was practically running with everything he had. So this rope could only belong to Fatty.
The person beneath the rope was almost palpable. (To Be Continued...)
Comment 0 Comment Count