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墨書 Inktalez
"Are you really willing to let go?" someone asked from the side.
"Willing? Of course I am! I'm not anyone special to him," Xiong Tai replied, awkwardly twisting his neck before continuing.
However, deep down, Xiong Tai felt an unshakeable bond that he couldn't sever. In a corner where others couldn't see, tears shimmered in his eyes.
Indeed, it was just a small trace of emotion, so when others momentarily glanced away, they hardly noticed the situation. It was a subtle slip that could easily be overlooked.
"Oh? Is that so? Then this team really can't accommodate you anymore. Let's go, Duan Shuai, and rescue our comrades," someone suggested.
Freyr spoke without thinking, and Duan Shuai walked past Xiong Tai. Unintentionally, he nudged Xiong Tai's shoulder and said, "Wait for me, Commander," casting a glance at him. They were supposed to communicate with each other; there was no other influence at play.
Meanwhile, many things were happening around them. The two returned to the Yurt tent where they had discovered the clothes. After peering inside, one of them cautiously poked through the hole below and tossed a stone down. He then perked up his ears to listen intently while silently counting down in his mind. After five seconds, his expression changed slightly. "Is it nearly sixteen meters deep? About five stories high? Who dug such a deep hole? We might discover something down there—perhaps a new civilization? We can't assume this cave is merely a remnant of an invasion. That cross is quite peculiar too. If that's the case, everything we've seen so far is still just speculation; we shouldn't define the impact of this matter so hastily."
The person nodded in agreement. "If that's the case, we should prepare ourselves. I have the rope here, Commander. You should check on his condition. I believe Xiong Tai is also feeling conflicted inside. I don't want this issue to create any rift between us; our team needs to maintain its connections."
"Alright then, I'll go talk to him. You keep an eye on things here and come down after you're done," Freyr hesitated for a moment but ultimately accepted the situation with a slight nod before heading in another direction.
As conditions improved slightly on this side, Freyr quickly returned outside the tent, seemingly wanting to maintain their past friendship. They indeed shared a deep bond; they had been classmates and close friends since their first year of school. Without his support back then, Freyr knew he wouldn't be where he was today. He had even shared part of his Gene Pill with him, which had led to significant progress later on.
Without his help, Freyr wouldn't have achieved his current status; he wasn't someone who forgot his roots. Seeing Xiong Tai join his team as a key player brought about great changes for him. The team's success thus far was largely due to Xiong Tai's contributions behind the scenes.
"Old classmate."
Freyr approached and greeted him in a very friendly tone.
"I'm not your old classmate; I don't have someone like you as my classmate," the person immediately retorted.
"Hey, don't say that. Our team wouldn't be where it is without you. Sometimes, we have to make sacrifices, and I admit that I haven't done well in your position as Vice Captain. But you should know that even if you're not the Vice Captain, in their eyes, you are already the second most important person in the team."
"If I were to leave, I hope you can step up and continue to give your all for this team. Many of the newcomers still lack the ability to take on responsibilities alone. On one hand, I have to consider this and let some honest people bear a bit of hardship. You know my goal is for the team to unite and strive towards the same objective."
"As soon as the Zerg is controlled by humanity to a safe level, we can finally lay down our arms. That is my ultimate goal. But once we step onto the battlefield, we can't think about retreating. This is our current predicament. I feel like the final battle is approaching quickly, and our team needs to grow stronger; we can't afford to have any more of those past frivolous thoughts when confronting each mission."
"We also can't let just a portion of us exert effort while most remain idle; if this continues, those who are exhausted will eventually perish, and those who hide behind others will also meet their end. If we think this way, it would be better to start being strict now and push them to keep moving forward. We must tighten our ranks; only then will there be room for improvement." The person here was getting fired up with these thoughts.
Freyr noticed that Xiong Tai's gaze suddenly froze. He looked down suspiciously at the situation before him, rubbing his eyes. Freyr simply gazed into the distance, knowing that he had struck a chord with Xiong Tai, a faint smile curling at his lips.
This smile carried a hint of tenderness; how long had it been since he had laughed so heartily?
He probably had forgotten by now; in fact, it had been a long time since he smiled like this. Ever since he became a Hunter, he had been constantly crushed by the weight of reality. Up until now, he had only dared to imagine such moments in his heart; it had been ages since he laughed openly like most people.
For the sake of being a Hunter, he couldn't even indulge like an ordinary person might after a night out. Unlike many athletes who could party all night without consequence, he had to consider sacrificing some entertainment for the sake of dignity and ideals.
Entertainment was essential, but if one clung too tightly to immediate pleasures, they might end up exhausting their very lives in pursuit of it. They weren't strangers to such experiences; even among Hunters like them, some would engage in reckless behavior or drink excessively just so they wouldn't leave regrets behind if they fell in battle—after all, they felt they had lived enough already.
However, such actions were ultimately irresponsible; they never considered that they could achieve something greater in the future. If they themselves didn't believe in their potential, then the battlefield would eliminate those with wavering resolve; their only fate would be death.
Up until now, Freyr hadn't reflected on what kind of person he used to be. Some memories felt lost forever; if he truly thought that way, then there was no problem with it. He was searching for his true self from the past or striving to become stronger while continuing to live on—always wanting to drive the Zerg out of his homeland and restore humanity's peak territory under human control.
Although this path might defy fate or the Creator's control and could earn him scorn worse than that of pigs or dogs, so what? He only wanted to do this thing. Perhaps some would deem his actions unrealistic or claim he didn't understand the current situation and should instead enjoy life as it comes.
In truth, Freyr had always been silent; he merely observed these aimless individuals wallowing in despair. His ideal was simply to restore humanity's future—even if it meant delaying inevitable extinction—that would be enough for him. Delaying it meant that after his death, he wouldn't be remembered as an eternal sinner.
People saw him as gifted but failed to understand sacrifice; in reality, he had already given much—it just bore no fruit. If it were truly so, then every person's heart would be filled with sorrow; things were far more pessimistic than imagined.
At that moment, Xiong Tai hesitated, tears silently streaming down his face. "Alright, I understand. All my previous thoughts are gone. If you die, I will take on the responsibility of this team. If I die, I hope you can bear it all independently. Don't forget our past ideals, comrade." With that, Xiong Tai quickly extended his hand into a fist and bumped it forward.
"Yes, I understand," Freyr replied with a slight smile.
"Well, I think we should go check the situation over there," Freyr suggested.
"The situation over there? Uh, what situation?" Xiong Tai asked.
"Weren't we just discussing it? It's the cave. We discovered that each cave is actually sixteen meters deep. We want to go down and see what's going on. According to the strategy guide, if we push westward, we'll soon reach the next exit. If we exit from there and travel a bit further, we should be able to return outside. But we haven't found our teammates yet; this won't do. I think we need to find everyone before we can leave together," Freyr shook his head and continued.
"I see. You're the Commander; it's your call. I'm with you until the end," Xiong Tai said resolutely.
The two excitedly walked into a nearby tent. At that moment, Duan Shuai was securing ropes above. When he saw them enter, he let out a slight sigh of relief and smiled, "Actually, we're almost ready. I'm just fixing the ropes now, and then we can go down." He then pulled one end of the rope to the side while several others helped gather around. After a brief moment of coordination, the three of them began their descent.
The sixteen-meter-deep cave truly seemed bottomless; it was indeed as deep as it appeared. Following their planned approach, they continued to descend.
Using their flashlights, they went deeper; however, it wasn't long before they realized that there was more light below than they had imagined. They could descend smoothly without needing their flashlights and could see clearly.
"This place is really amazing," someone below suddenly spoke up.
"Be quiet; we have no idea if anyone else is down here. This place is truly strange," Freyr gestured for silence.
At this point, the group fell silent again. As they continued to descend into the increasing brightness, they put on sunglasses for protection against the light; their situation indeed improved significantly.
Continuing downward, it wasn't long before they reached solid ground. They quickly touched down and found themselves at a junction with paths leading in four directions: southeast, southwest, northeast, and northwest. Without a relevant map, it would be very difficult to predict which path was the right one.
"What should we do? Should we experiment with each path one by one? Or should we shout out in all four directions to see if there's any response?" Xiong Tai suggested at that moment.
At that moment, Freyr suddenly responded, "Are you stupid? What if we attract those things? If they are friendly, they will be willing to trust us regardless of who we are. But if they are hostile, it doesn't matter who we are; they won't offer us any favorable terms and might even execute their hostages. Not only will our secrets be exposed, but we might also be trapped here. So in this situation, it's better not to draw too much attention."
Upon hearing this, Xiong Tai quickly slapped his forehead and continued, "Oh right, I didn't think that through. It's all my fault."
The others fell silent. With only four of them left, the situation was quite awkward. They couldn't split up the team, so they had no choice but to experiment one by one. Was there really no other way?
They took out a rope and tied it around Yao Huan, so that if they got lost inside, they could follow the rope back to where they started.
However, this method would consume a lot of time. They could only hope that whatever had taken Ross inside wouldn't be too greedy and devour him. That was the only hope they had.
Thinking this way, the three of them proceeded as planned, with the rope tied around their waists, advancing slowly.
As they delved deeper, they found the environment to be even filthier than they had imagined. The air was filled with a foul stench that seemed to be a mix of decay and methane—perhaps even stronger than that. A single spark could turn this place into a powder keg.
Despite the grim situation, they had no choice but to keep moving forward. Soon enough, they spotted a glimmer of light ahead, and a flicker of hope ignited in their hearts. They hadn't expected to find a sign of hope so quickly.
Without hesitation, he dashed toward the light, racing through the dark area until he burst out into the open.
As his eyes adjusted to the brightness, he quickly removed his sunglasses and was stunned by what lay before him—a magnificent sculpture.
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