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墨書 Inktalez
I heard Jack sigh. "Zhang, this isn't a good idea."
"Stop talking nonsense. Do you want to wait for Heimanluo to catch up?"
Jack must have realized that my determination wouldn't change, and he sighed again, leaning onto my back.
"Lead the way," I said, handing the One-Eyed Beast Flashlight to Jack. " Fatty, stick with Tang Yumo. Don't lose her."
My words were almost like a coded message; I hoped both Fatty and Tang Yumo understood what I meant.
Fatty grinned with a menacing expression, while Tang Yumo shivered, her face pale. There was no time to consider how Tang Yumo felt at that moment; we were all like meat on a chopping board, and in the next second, one of us could become the meatball in Heimanluo's mouth. With that thought, I might as well focus on Fatty.
" Fatty, you two run ahead. Jack and I can't run fast. Don't wait for me; just keep heading toward that target. If it really is a damn door, don't hesitate—blow it up."
With that, I struggled to take off my backpack and threw it to Fatty.
"That must be the Eternal Gate," Fatty said as he deftly slung the backpack over his shoulder. "But it won't do me any good; only you can destroy the Eternal Gate. No matter how slow you run, you'll still be faster than me—faster than anyone—because we won't make it there otherwise. Just like with the Tang Family Girl; this is what they call fate."
"What the hell are you talking about?" I shouted angrily. "Giving you the backpack is so you can blow up that damn door, not so you can show off."
Fatty surprisingly ignored me and directly pulled a gun from my waist. With a wicked grin, he said to Tang Yumo, "My torch has an effective range of five meters; don't get more than five meters away from me. If you do, I'll worry about not being able to shoot your head off in one go, so I'll shoot first. Of course, my marksmanship is terrible—you can take your chances."
Then Fatty turned to me. "I'll follow behind you. If you don't want to kill me and your two lovers, then run like hell."
"Damn it." I spat my anger and saliva onto his face just inches away from mine.
But I knew I couldn't change his mind. I also couldn't let him drag me down with him. After letting out that word filled with spit, I ran forward without looking back.
At this moment, Jack's weight was no longer an issue. A strong sense of responsibility ignited an unprecedented burst of energy within me. I could hear the wind whistling past my ears, and my footsteps thudded against the ground. Along with that, I could hear Jack's heavy breathing.
He was on my back. Of course, it wasn't because he was tired; it was probably because he was angered by Fatty's words.
I was even more annoyed with Fatty, but what frustrated me was his unilateral decision to fall behind. This damn situation was putting me in a morally compromising position, making it hard for me to find peace.
Sure enough, after a moment of heavy breathing, Jack couldn't help but curse, "Scum."
"Yes, he is," I replied, still fuming and panting.
"I can do this, Tang Yumo can too. I think everyone in the world can do this, but you cannot."
"Damn." I had no interest in listening to his lecture, especially not in this situation. I just wanted to vent my feelings.
"You also cannot." It seemed Jack had gotten stubborn; perhaps his Chinese wasn't as good as I imagined.
"I am you," I replied, feeling a bit overwhelmed.
"Unfortunately, I'm not interested in men. And I'm definitely not submissive."
I shut my mouth. I worried that if this conversation continued, I would truly break down.
I pressed on; my strength lay in endurance rather than explosive power. The pressure from Fatty only made my endurance grow stronger. But even so, there would come a time when my physical strength would run out. However, when I could no longer lift my legs, I thought we had escaped Heimanluo's pursuit. Because all along, I hadn't heard any gunfire or explosions.
With no extra strength left to carry Jack, I used myself as a cushion and collapsed onto the ground. I felt Jack slide off my back and then saw him dragging himself over with one leg broken, sitting right in front of me.
Jack was silent, while it was Fatty who spoke up. "You really can run! I can barely keep up with you carrying a backpack. Your stamina is inhuman."
As the voice reached me, the firelight illuminated my face, and I saw Fatty sitting in front of me, legs spread in an unrefined manner.
My strength had been completely drained, leaving me gasping for breath and panting like a dog, with no energy to do anything else, including banter.
In my line of sight were only Fatty and Jack; I couldn't see Tang Yumo. My heart sank. But I lacked the strength to turn my head and could only roll my eyes around in search of Tang Yumo. I was worried that Fatty might harm her. His blatant threats towards Tang Yumo were not mere bluffs. He scared me with words, but with others, he would be more direct.
"Heimanluo didn't catch up with us; you really are lucky," Fatty clearly misunderstood my concern and thought I was looking for Heimanluo.
"Tang Yumo is fine; she just exhausted herself and is sitting behind you," Jack understood what I was worried about.
I sighed in relief and closed my eyes. The extreme fatigue made me forget my fears; all I wanted was to rest. Even if a knife were to be thrust before me, I doubted I would resist—I was too tired.
When I opened my eyes again, the torchlight had dimmed considerably. After a moment of confusion, I realized that I had rested for quite a while.
The long rest had allowed my strength to recover well, and escaping from Heimanluo made me feel unusually exhilarated. I quickly sprang up, feeling light-hearted as I looked at the three others gathered around.
"What's going on? Holding a meeting? You all woke up earlier than me without even resting." My good mood made my tone sound relaxed.
"Hey, Qiangzi is awake! Here, we saved you a piece of roasted meat—eat it while it's hot," Fatty said with a smile as he handed me a piece of roasted pork.
Just as I was about to take a bite of the meat, Jack interrupted, "We have trouble."
I pulled the meat away from my mouth again. The three of them were sitting by my feet, and I scooted closer to them.
"What’s going on? Is Heimanluo chasing us?" I asked, my voice filled with concern.
In truth, I didn’t believe that Heimanluo was after us. Although the expressions on the faces of the few people around were quite abnormal, even Fatty, who had been laughing just moments ago, lost his smile after hearing Jack's words. Overall, they seemed relatively calm. If Heimanluo were really pursuing us, this place would feel more like a battlefield or a slaughterhouse.
However, Jack rarely joked around, especially when it came to serious matters. He was always meticulous, serious, and never smiled during such times. His current expression reflected that.
"We're lost," Fatty said this time, his tone filled with frustration.
I felt confused upon hearing that. I wanted to jump up and yell at him. This place was completely flat; there were no paths to get lost on.
"Get a grip. There are no paths in this godforsaken place for you to get lost on. And," I turned my face toward Jack, "can you wait until I finish eating before adding to my troubles? Are you doing this on purpose to keep me from eating?"
"Maybe," Jack slowly shook his head. "You'll thank me for stopping you from swallowing that piece of meat whole."
(To Be Continued...)
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