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墨書 Inktalez
Jack's condition was somewhat similar to mine; there were no obvious external injuries, but from the way he breathed and the pallor of his face, I could tell he was enduring immense pain.
"Get away from that beast. That position is bad," Jack confirmed Fatty's words as he noticed my gaze directed at him.
I gestured for Fatty to help me over to Jack.
"What happened? Where are we? How come you guys aren't dead?"
My question immediately drew Fatty's ire.
"What do you mean! Should we be dead or something?"
As he spoke, Fatty lost his grip, and my weight caused me to fall to the ground. My legs couldn't support me at all; it felt as if they were broken or like my tendons had snapped. The moment I exerted any force, a wave of tearing and breaking pain surged through my legs.
Fatty grabbed my shoulders and propped me up against a rock.
I protested through gritted teeth, sweating from the pain, "I'm an injured person too! Is this how you treat the wounded? Can you be a bit gentler? My arm..."
The severe pain robbed me of my voice, leaving me only able to glare at Fatty's face with two furious eyes. If looks could kill, I imagined Fatty would have been reduced to pieces by now.
The stone behind me was colder than ice, and my sweat-soaked clothes clung to it, causing my body heat to dissipate instantly. I felt as if my back was beginning to freeze again. I shifted toward a slightly warmer spot beside me—Jack, who was warmer than the stone.
Fatty handed me a torch. "Hold it up higher; I'll bring the Tang Family Girl over."
I gritted my teeth and raised the torch. Watching Fatty limp into the darkness, I couldn't help but curse, "Handing the injured over to him is utterly unreliable. There's no way to treat the wounded like this; it's more brutal than a merciless destruction, completely inhumane. There's no one more savage than him. What about you, Jack?"
I turned to look at Jack and found a cryptic smile on his face. "There is. When he fell, he made more noise than you, screaming at the top of his lungs. I kicked him off because he was taking up space." Jack gestured toward the shadow of Big Black Pig. "Right from up there. Kicking him was quite a hassle, you know how heavy he is."
I looked at him with gratitude. "Good kick."
We shared a knowing smile.
"What happened with that pig?"
"Don't even mention it. When I fell, I landed right on it; I guess we were both half-dead at that moment. Big Black Pig was twitching on the ground. I had to use all my strength to strangle it. But luckily it was there; otherwise, we would have all ended up as meat patties."
"Wait a minute, did that Big Black Pig just happen to pass by here? Don't you think that's a bit unbelievable?"
"No, I don't think it passed by here. I believe it was waiting for food."
Maybe the pain had drained too much of my strength and energy; my brain wasn't getting enough blood flow. It took me a while to realize what Jack meant.
"Do you often have things fall from above?"
"Perhaps it fell down, but it's more likely that someone or something threw food down here. Otherwise, it wouldn't be lying here for no reason; it must be a habitual behavior. However, its luck has run out. What fell this time is bigger than it imagined, and it cost it its life."
"I still don't understand. Who would feed it? The Hakka people clearly haven't been here for a long time. The only ones who could have made it here," I pointed upwards, "are the Heimanluo. Would the Heimanluo raise a big black pig? For what? To slaughter and eat during the New Year?"
"Don't ask me such profound questions. I'm just making a guess about the current situation. It's not even an explanation. But do you know what I was thinking just now?"
In the firelight, Jack's eyes sparkled a bit. I glanced at his glowing eyes and then turned to look at the Big Black Pig. "You want to eat pork."
I saw the flesh on Jack's cheeks quiver slightly. It was clear he was surprised and dissatisfied with my answer.
"It seems we won't die," Jack said solemnly.
"What you mean is that we can't die for now, right?" I corrected Jack's words, believing that this phrasing was more accurate.
We had food—a massive pig. We had fire. We had a monster, the Heimanluo, keeping us alert at all times. And we had the spiritual support of the Eternal Gate, even though we hadn't seen it yet. I thought it should be close by.
"No, Zhang, don't you think there have been many surprises and miracles since we came to this Valley? So many times we've been on the brink of death, only to encounter turning points that allowed us to escape from danger. Jumping into the Pit Vortex was one of those moments. The first time we were chased by the Heimanluo was another; this time is no different."
It felt as if a hand was guiding and pushing us forward, and our purpose seemed to align with that of the person behind the unseen force. It was this person who wanted us to come here.
I stared at Jack. "It's your god, isn't it? Your god is watching over you. Thank you, I also benefit from it; I'm riding on your coattails."
"Be serious, Zhang! I'm not joking. Don't be a rogue like Fatty."
The pain in my body was still excruciating. I could accept Jack's insult towards Fatty; in fact, it felt quite satisfying to hear.
"What about the dead? Ah Xiang. Don’t give me that your god doesn’t protect heretics. If that were true, by the end, you’d be the only one left standing. I admit we’ve been lucky this time, but that luck only applies to the living. For the dead, it’s been nothing short of terrible!"
Jack showed no signs of being affected by my words; his eyes still sparkled with excitement, and a flush appeared on his face.
"There must be someone favored by some mysterious power. When something incredible happens once, it's called a miracle; when it happens again, it's divine intervention. What we've experienced so far can't simply be explained as divine intervention; it feels more like fate. We are doing something destined to be done and destined to be completed!"
Jack's gaze was fixed on me, and the implication in his eyes was so obvious that even a fool could see it. He believed that the one favored by mysterious forces was me.
"I'm no longer worried about our lives or whether we will see the Eternal Gate. I'm worried about what we will encounter at the end and what kind of conclusion awaits us. Zhang, when I decided to keep moving forward, before entering the Underground Cavern for the second time, I had already prepared myself for the worst. What about you? Are you ready for the worst?"
"The worst?" I wanted to avoid this topic, but Jack's excited gaze and expression were clearly provocative, making it impossible for me not to meet his eyes. I didn't want him to think that his boss was a weak person, even if I was just a fake boss. "You mean death? Of course I'm afraid of dying, but I've prepared myself for that thought."
"No. What if the worst outcome is worse than death?"
I frowned. "Have you lost your mind?"
Jack's expression darkened. "It seems you're not mentally prepared."
"What are you thinking?!" I felt an inexplicable restlessness rising within me.
"What are you two doing? Being so close is disgusting, you know?"
Fatty's voice rudely interrupted my conversation with Jack.
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