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墨書 Inktalez
"Damn it, this is really unfortunate! Our class ended up with this spot." I couldn't help but feel a chill run down my spine at the thought of searching for that rectangular Punch Stake among a sea of tombstones. I glanced at Ayu, whose face was as pale as mine. Taking a deep breath, I decided to go for it. We would just poke around and come back quickly; after all, we were both studying medicine, so there wasn't much to fear.
I whispered to Ayu, "Let's not tell everyone we're heading to the graveyard just yet. When we get closer, we'll sneak in, take a look, and then hurry back. Don't worry; what could possibly happen?"
Ayu nodded silently.
I instructed him to keep the map ready and called out to the others. They quickly stood up, gathered around, adjusted their formation, and continued forward with their weapons slung over their shoulders.
At first, there was a path leading out of town, winding through the surrounding farmland in various directions. Once we passed the agricultural area, we entered the wilderness directly, with no roads in sight. I had no choice but to turn on my flashlight and follow Ayu in a straight line toward the first point.
In the summer wilderness, a gentle breeze occasionally swept by, bringing a refreshing coolness. Fireflies flitted about, accompanied by the sounds of frogs croaking and insects chirping, all under the bright moonlight—an enchanting scene. If it weren't for our mission, I would have loved to linger a bit longer; such beauty was rare in City. However, there were also some discordant sounds, like Fatty Hua swatting mosquitoes and complaining loudly.
I couldn't help but turn back and say, "Fatty Hua, if it's that bad, just slather yourself with mosquito repellent instead of whining; it's so noisy."
Fatty Hua replied from the middle of the group, "You think I don't want to? I'd wrap myself up like a mummy if I could! These rural mosquitoes are relentless; they keep biting me!"
I shook my head and chose to ignore him. In our class, aside from Fatty Hua, Ayu, and me, everyone else came from rural backgrounds. Ayu and I adapted pretty well, but Fatty Hua never seemed to adjust to this environment—perhaps because he came from a well-off family.
Just then, Ayu said, "Quiet down; we've arrived at the first point. We need to spread out and look for the Punch Stake."
I signaled everyone to stop and asked Ayu, "What are the geographical features here?"
Ayu replied, "Under a solitary tree."
I looked around; it was a flat plain in the wilderness with several trees scattered about. A gust of wind rustled through the treetops, creating a soft sound while the moonlight bathed the ground in clarity.
"Fatty Hua and Old Jia will stay here on guard. The rest of you can pair up by each tree. If you find it, let me know." After giving instructions, I gestured for Ayu to follow me toward a tree not far on the left side of our group.
Fatty Hua was too timid, and Old Jia was too old; I considered it my duty to take care of them. With this thought in mind, I walked towards the tree with Ayu.
It was a willow tree, not particularly large but quite lush. When Ayu got close, he stopped and stood there, seemingly lost in thought. I turned on my flashlight and walked around the tree, but I couldn't find the Punch Stake; it seemed it wasn't here. Turning back, I noticed Ayu still standing there, staring blankly into space.
I shone the flashlight around, and the other groups hadn't reached their designated spots yet. Leaning against the tree for a moment, I decided to wait until they called out when they found something.
Just as I was thinking this, I started to lean against the tree when suddenly Ayu shouted, "Don't lean!" I quickly steadied myself and looked at him in surprise. "What’s wrong?"
"Let's go." Without saying much more, Ayu turned and walked away. I noticed he was heading towards Xu's group in the north and hurried to catch up.
We hadn't taken more than a couple of steps when A-Liang called out from the northwest, "Class Leader, over here!" I looked over to see him waving his flashlight while calling out.
Ayu pulled me along as we ran over to him.
Upon arriving, we indeed found the Punch Stake under a tree. I moved behind the stake and shone my flashlight on it, discovering that it had an opening at the back. The inside was hollow. Reaching in with my hand, I felt something tied with a piece of wire—a metal tag covered in nails. This must be it! I thought to myself as I pulled it out. Taking out a card issued by the school, I pressed down hard on it.
"Great! We found the first point!" I announced loudly.
"Ayu, check the map for the route to the next point." Feeling pleased, I hoped that everything would go smoothly like this so we could return home early and get some sleep.
The others were also excited, laughing and joking as some lit cigarettes while others headed off to use the restroom or grab some water.
Ayu held a folded map in one hand and the flashlight in the other, shining it on the map while looking up to orient himself. I took out my glow-in-the-dark compass to help figure out our direction just in case.
Before long, Ayu and I had determined our position to the north of town. Adjusting our direction, Squad A set off again. Glancing at my luminous watch, I saw it was just past 11 PM; things seemed to be going quite smoothly.
I walked alongside Ayu when a question suddenly popped into my mind, so I turned to ask him, "Why didn't you let me lean against the tree just now?"
Ayu was silent for a moment, and after a while, he replied, "That was a willow tree. Didn't you notice?"
"I knew that. What's wrong with it?"
"Willows gather yin energy. There aren't any willows growing so lushly in the wilderness; the trunk isn't big, and it doesn't seem old. If it's that lush, there must be a reason."
"What reason?"
"A corpse providing fertilizer," Ayu said abruptly.
I was startled. "That's a bit exaggerated, isn't it? It's just a tree in the wild."
Ayu spoke softly, "Willow trees belong to the yin element and can also gather yin energy. The other trees in the wilderness are not big; only this one is so lush. Don't you find that strange? If there really is a dead body beneath the tree, leaning against it would be quite dangerous."
I wondered how it could be dangerous but forced a smile and said, "Ayu, aren't you from the city? How do you know all this?"
"True, I'm from the city, but I grew up at my grandmother's house in the countryside. I only moved to the city for high school. I've heard these things from the older generation."
I didn't respond and instinctively turned to look around. In the dead of night, Ayu's words felt somewhat chilling. I didn't know why; perhaps it was psychological. What had felt like a picturesque summer night with croaking frogs and chirping insects now seemed a bit eerie to me. The fireflies seemed to have vanished, but in the distance, there were flickering yellow lights that didn't quite resemble fireflies—they were smaller and I couldn't tell what they were.
"Ayu, don't be so jumpy; stay calm and don't scare our brothers behind us," I said as I glanced back at the other members of our group. They were walking along while whispering to each other.
Ayu nodded and continued walking quietly ahead. I stopped for a moment and waited for those at the back of the line to catch up. When Xu and A-Liang arrived, I said to them, "You two take care of the rear. If anything happens, just shout out. Keep an eye on the brothers in front and make sure they don't fall behind; you two stay close as well."
The two brothers nodded inexplicably. After I finished my instructions, I hurried to the front of the group. Ayu had noticeably quickened her pace. "What's going on?" I asked.
"The second and third points aren't far apart. Let's hurry and finish before one o'clock," Ayu replied.
"How much longer until we reach the second point?"
Ayu shone her flashlight ahead. "Can you see the hilltop up there? It's right above us." I raised my flashlight as well, and beyond twenty meters ahead, everything turned dark. I could vaguely make out the outline of a black object; that must be the hilltop.
I turned back to call out to everyone, "Pick up the pace; the second point is just ahead."
The people behind responded in unison, and they all began to quicken their steps. The team soon approached the hilltop.
Once we reached the base of the hilltop, I signaled everyone to stop and said, "Let's take a short break, then we'll head up together. Once we find the Punch Stake, we'll come back down from the hilltop and head straight for the third point. How does that sound? Any objections?"
No one spoke up; it seemed they all agreed.
At that moment, Fatty Hua called out, "I have an objection."
I looked at him as he hesitated. "I can't climb mountains. I'm fine on flat ground; I can walk for as long as needed, but when it comes to climbing, I get out of breath. Can I sit this one out?"
I calmly replied, "If you don't go up, what will you do when we find the Punch Stake? Will you come down and go around with me? How much time will that waste?"
Fatty Hua clearly had thought this through. He quickly suggested, "I'll go around instead. I'll circle around the hilltop from the left and wait for you over there with my flashlight. Once you finish drilling, you can come down and meet up with me."
I looked at him and asked, "Just you alone?"
Fatty Hua started mumbling again, "This, that, it would be best to find someone to go with me."
I was truly speechless. I turned to Old Jia, "Boss, I need to trouble you again. Please go around with Ah Hua. Remember to turn on the Flashlight so we can find you."
Old Jia was easygoing and calm; he nodded without much fuss. I reiterated the precautions to the two of them and handed them one of the glow-in-the-dark compasses assigned to the class leader and deputy leader, reminding them not to wander too far and just circle around Hilltop until they waited for us up ahead.
Watching them leave, one in front and the other behind, I waved my hand, signaling everyone else to start climbing. Ayu led the way while I followed behind with a snake-repelling stick in hand.
Hilltop wasn't very high, probably just over a hundred meters at most. The most direct evidence was that when we reached the flat ground at the top of Hilltop, we could still see Fatty Hua's two Flashlights flickering in the distance.
I felt a bit relieved and turned to urge everyone to find something quickly. With many hands making light work, it didn't take long before we unearthed the Punch Stake from a pile of grass. I felt a surge of pride as I quickly pulled out the iron plate, took out the card, and pressed down on the second mark.
Just as I straightened up, a scream echoed from below Hilltop—it was Fatty Hua!
(To be continued; more exciting developments tomorrow!)
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