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墨書 Inktalez
I quickly pulled back, perhaps too nervous. I reminded myself to try to stabilize my emotions.
The people across the tomb passage fell silent at that moment.
I attempted to step onto the Single Plank Bridge again, and this time I finally steadied myself, placing my other foot on it as well.
I began to move forward, and I could swear my heart was in my throat. With each step, I felt as if a piece of my heart was being pulled away.
When I reached the middle, a gust of cold wind blew from below, causing me to hesitate. It was then that I heard a sharp cracking sound beneath my feet. "Damn," I cursed inwardly. I hesitated to move forward again, sensing that if I made any sudden movements, the bridge would collapse.
Seeing that I wasn't moving, they realized something was wrong on my end.
"What's wrong, Old Sun?" Fat Ma asked.
I couldn't even bring myself to speak; any words would only add pressure. I didn't dare disturb the rhythm of my breathing either.
Below me was the thunderous roar of rushing water; if I fell, I would be swallowed up instantly. The crucial moment had arrived when suddenly a head emerged from the depths below.
Though the surroundings were pitch black, I could still make out some vague outlines.
I swallowed hard, gathered my thoughts, and lifted my foot. Just as I was about to set it down, the Single Plank Bridge snapped beneath me.
I was yanked downward by the force of gravity, and they hurriedly tightened the rope.
Caught off guard, I slammed against the wall, my head spinning from the impact. The rope let out a sharp sound as it began to fray.
They started pulling me up with all their might. My body felt weak and unresponsive; just as they managed to pull me up a bit, I coughed up blood. My body felt frail, and most importantly, my head throbbed painfully.
As we approached the tomb passage, suddenly the rope snapped. I fell rapidly downwards, and in just a second, someone grabbed my hand.
I was jolted awake by the shock.
I found myself hanging on the cliff face, and to my surprise, it was Xiao Hui who had caught me. She pulled me up with all her strength, while Fat Ma lunged forward to grasp my wrist, helping to pull me back up.
I lay on the ground, gasping for air. Just a moment ago, I had nearly stepped into the Hall of Yama, and now I had escaped; the feeling of having narrowly avoided death was overwhelming.
"Are you okay?" the Mud Man asked.
I didn’t respond immediately. Once my breathing calmed down, I replied, "I'm fine now."
I got up, and Fat Ma helped brush off the dust from my back. I thanked Xiao Hui, and she said, "We're all in the same boat now."
I didn’t say anything in return.
Fat Ma had intended to offer me a cigarette to calm my nerves but realized it had already been soaked by someone.
The Mud Man shot Fat Ma a look of disappointment and then pulled out a metal box containing two neat rows of cigarettes.
Fat Ma and I stared in awe as the Mud Man took one out and handed it to me. Fat Ma grabbed one for himself and scolded, "Mud Man, you little rascal! Why didn't you bring these out earlier?"
The Mud Man chuckled, "Good cigarettes are meant to be saved for last."
I remained silent as I lit one up and took a deep drag.
After resting for about five minutes, we continued onward, walking roughly another hundred meters.
In the tomb, a fork appeared in the path. We all halted in our tracks.
"Which way should we go?" Shovel asked.
"How about we split up?" one Mercenary suggested.
"We can't split up now; in this situation, it's unwise to divide our strength," the Mud Man replied.
The Mud Man was right; if we separated, we might die even faster.
At that moment, Fat Ma spoke up, "Old Sun, which way do you think we should take?"
I paused for a moment, staring at the two dark tunnels before me. Which one should I choose? I pondered.
Suddenly, I felt a gust of wind. I immediately became alert; it was coming from the Tomb Entrance above me on the left. I pointed and said, "How about we take this one?" My tone was uncertain.
They didn't immediately agree or disagree.
Fat Ma was already gathering his things, urging me to set off, and the Mud Man was ready as well.
I turned to them and asked, "Are you willing to take this path? I respect your choice."
They hesitated for a moment. One Mercenary finally spoke up: "That other tunnel gives me a bad feeling; I'll choose this one." Another Mercenary nodded in agreement.
I didn't say anything further. I then looked at Xiao Hui and Shovel; they remained silent, and I already knew their answer.
Once we had divided ourselves, the three of us headed down the left tunnel while the four of them took the right. As they were leaving, I reminded them to be careful.
We parted ways at this point.
As we entered the tomb passage, the chill intensified, and I couldn't help but tighten my clothing.
"Old Sun, why did you choose this path?" Fat Ma asked.
I quickly replied, "Just picked it randomly."
Fat Ma was momentarily taken aback. After a few seconds, he cursed, "Damn, Old Sun, you're really something."
"In the past, when I went underground with others, everyone made decisions after careful consideration. To me, they were all afraid of death. Even when going underground, they still wanted to reap without sowing!" Fat Ma scoffed.
The Mud Man said, "Fatty, aren't you afraid of dying?"
Fat Ma replied flippantly, "I wasn't born during the Anti-Japanese War Period; otherwise, I would have at least earned a general's rank!"
The Mud Man laughed.
Fat Ma asked nervously, "What are you laughing at?"
The Mud Man stopped laughing and said, "Then we might as well call you General Ma from now on!"
Fat Ma knew this was a jab at him and retorted, "Mud Man, don't use me as a joke."
The Mud Man chuckled a few more times, and I couldn't help but laugh as well. General Ma! Fat Ma warned, "You guys better stop laughing; or I'll use my Submachine Gun and take you all down."
Under Fat Ma's intimidating presence, we had no choice but to stifle our laughter.
Fat Ma saw that we were frightened and couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he tightly clutched his M11 Submachine Gun.
After walking a bit further, I suddenly shouted, "There's light!"
The three of us quickly halted, pressing ourselves against the wall, too afraid to move forward. Ahead, a Tomb Entrance emitted a ghostly blue glow.
It flickered faintly.
The color of the light reminded me of the Mysterious Violet Yin Soldier I encountered last time. Could it be...
I cautiously moved forward. "Old Sun..." Fat Ma whispered with a sigh, following closely behind.
The Mud Man trailed behind Fat Ma.
I led the way, treading carefully.
The ghostly blue light grew more intense...
When I finally saw it, I could hardly believe my eyes—a lamp hung from the beams of the tomb, flickering with an eerie glow.
Fat Ma and the Mud Man must have been walking too quickly; they couldn't stop in time and nearly pushed me into the tomb, almost causing me to stumble.
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