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墨書 Inktalez
The beauty was indeed striking, but there was something familiar about her. “A Li?” I exclaimed in shock, “How could it be you?”
Upon hearing my voice, Old Qiao scrambled into the light, glancing back and forth between me and A Li. Suddenly, he collapsed onto the ground, his expression a mix of confusion and laughter, unsure whether to cry or laugh.
A Li looked at me in surprise, tears welling in her eyes. “I don’t know how I got here. I woke up from the car and found myself in this dark place, completely alone… After a long time, I heard a noise outside. Cautiously, I turned off the light, and then I heard footsteps approaching. Suddenly, there was a loud thud, and Old Qiao started screaming as if he was hiding from someone. I wanted to help, but then someone tripped me in the dark. They grabbed my ankle, and in my panic, I reached out blindly and ended up grabbing a foot too, thinking it was…”
I immediately understood. The three of us were like a game of “Snake,” one consuming another, forming a circle. Morse Code was being passed among us three—what I transmitted to him and he to her led to this misunderstanding.
A Li examined me closely for a moment before pulling out a first-aid kit from her backpack to clean and bandage my wounds. It was only then that I noticed the large scrapes and burns covering my body—an appalling sight with countless injuries. The worst was the gash on the back of my head; after being caught in the rain and sweating, it showed clear signs of infection. As A Li disinfected my wounds, she asked how they happened, so I briefly recounted what had transpired after the car accident.
She nodded quietly but I could see her tears: “I see now. Thankfully, my backpack wasn’t lost. Although we only have one set of gear among us, we can make do with it. Food and water should suffice for three people.”
Once all the bandaging was done, A Li moved on to treat Old Qiao’s cuts while I stood up to assess our surroundings.
It appeared to be a cave carved out of granite. The spot where I had bumped my head marked a boundary: inside was the path that Old Qiao and I had run down; the cave was about two meters high and three meters wide. Beyond that line, the ceiling suddenly dropped by half a meter. At my height of one meter eighty, it was inevitable that I would hit my head.
I shone my flashlight deeper into the cave; the light barely penetrated before being swallowed by darkness. It seemed quite deep inside; having taken so long already, I wondered where my junior brother had been dragged off to.
The more I thought about it, the more anxious I became. Seeing that Old Qiao and A Li were still occupied with their tasks, I decided to venture ahead to scout the path. As I bent down to step inside, someone grabbed my foot from behind. Turning around, I saw it was A Li. She angrily shoved a pack of crackers into my hands: “No matter how urgent it is, you need to eat first. If you can’t take care of yourself, how can you expect to save anyone else?”
Her words made my stomach growl loudly in response; indeed, I was hungry. Like an infectious disease, Old Qiao’s stomach followed suit with a similar rumble.
I sighed, "Alright then, let's make it quick. We'll set off in five minutes."
A Li finally showed a hint of a smile. We returned to our previous spot and sat down. A Li took out some bottled water from his backpack and shared it with us. We had no idea when we would be able to leave this place, so we had to conserve our resources. The three of us took turns drinking from a single bottle, each just taking a sip to moisten our throats, stopping when we were about half full.
Given our previous experience of being caught off guard, Old Qiao suggested that we divide our gear and food into three portions, each carrying their own. If we got separated, at least we wouldn’t be left helpless.
The distribution turned out to be as follows: Old Qiao received a military multi-tool knife, a bundle of Safety Rope (with a carabiner), a compass, a pack of disinfectant cotton, a simple gas mask, and one-third of the food; A Li got a Nine-Tailed Whip, a medical kit, a Wolf Eye Flashlight (with two spare batteries), another simple gas mask, and one-third of the food; I was left with a staff, another Wolf Eye Flashlight (with two spare batteries), a pack of disinfectant cotton, a lighter, and one-third of the food.
Once we were organized, I led the way with Old Qiao in the middle and A Li bringing up the rear. The three of us crouched low as we squeezed through the narrow opening.
In truth, I had never been at the front of the line before; I usually took on the role of rear guard. This time felt like being pushed into the deep end without warning, my heart pounding nervously.
Leading not only requires strong mental fortitude but also demands courage and attention to detail. It requires quick judgment and the ability to respond to crises in an instant. This means you must first be familiar with various terrains and second, understand the mechanisms at play within them—essentially, you need to be someone with exceptional overall capabilities.
In the past, when I went on missions with my junior brother, he was always the one leading. It wasn't that his skills were superior to mine; rather, I simply couldn't keep him in check. He was like a monkey bouncing around but somehow managed to stay out of trouble. Later on, when I met Cold Bench, he naturally took over the leading role while I handled the rear guard. No matter how challenging the Dungeon or how powerful the monsters we faced were, we always managed to escape miraculously. He seemed to possess an innate quality that instilled confidence and leadership in others. If only he were here now.
As it turned out, I was clearly not cut out for leadership. With every step forward, I had to think twice about where to place my foot—was it safe here or there? What if I stepped wrong and ended up shot full of holes? It wouldn’t matter if I got hurt, but A Li and Old Qiao would suffer too. No way could I let that happen; there wouldn’t even be anyone left to collect my body.
After nervously taking five steps forward, all three of us were drenched in sweat and gasping for breath, our limbs feeling weak.
Old Qiao finally couldn’t hold back any longer. He patted my back to signal me to stop and then knelt down on one knee with one ear pressed against the wall while his hand slowly felt along its surface—just like when I first met him. A Li leaned against the wall at an angle and quietly asked me while pointing at Old Qiao, “What’s he doing?”
I also leaned against the wall to catch my breath and explained, “He’s checking for any traps here.”
A Li stared in shock, his eyes wide. "Is it really that impressive? Just a touch with your finger?"
For some reason, I felt an overwhelming sense of pride, as if I were boasting about myself. I smiled and nodded, leaning closer to A Li's ear and whispered, "He used to be a liberal arts Tu Fuzi."
A Li's expression changed instantly as he realized the implication, dragging out an elongated "Oh" before looking at Old Qiao with newfound respect. He then asked me, " Brother Qian Yi, do Tu Fuzi really have different branches like liberal arts and sciences?"
I glanced at Old Qiao and couldn't help but chuckle, covering my mouth as I leaned in to whisper to A Li, "It's just empty talk without any practical experience."
A Li gasped, his gaze towards Old Qiao shifting again. " Brother Qian Yi, where did you find such a gem? Are we going to make it out of here alive?"
I smiled faintly, unsure how to respond. Our relationship with Old Qiao had developed without any real conflict; how we ended up together was still a mystery to me. Sometimes friendships form in the most haphazard ways, while those built on careful calculations often turn out to be less genuine.
At that moment, Old Qiao stepped away from the wall. I quickly asked, "What's the situation?"
Old Qiao turned around, his expression grim. "Damn it, we might be in trouble."
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