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墨書 Inktalez
I was startled, but quickly calmed down. It was late, and there was a group out in the wild; they must be from another team. It seemed we weren't the only ones sent here. How many spots were there in the graveyard?
Just as I was considering whether to stop and call out to them for information about the drilling, I suddenly felt a chill run through me. No, wait! The group behind us wasn't ours! In the dim light, there was no sign of any flashlights; how could a team be moving through the dark without illumination?
At that moment, I didn't think much of it. Perhaps it was locals coming out at night to relocate graves? Or maybe they were burying their loved ones? It was possible. Thankfully, we had evacuated the graveyard early; better safe than sorry. I hurried my pace and whispered, "Hurry up ahead; we might not make it in time."
Thus, we rushed away from that ominous mound and regrouped with the main team.
Once we left that gloomy place, I felt the surroundings brighten considerably. I wasn't sure if it was due to more flashlights or something else, but my mood had shifted.
I called everyone to line up and headed back toward Base. It was already 1:40 AM; if we didn't hurry back, we might be late.
We sprinted back, panting heavily as our entire class finally reached Base. At the entrance, I handed in my card and bent over, resting my hands on my knees as I gasped for breath. "Instructor, are there any other teams heading in our direction?"
The instructor looked taken aback. "No, why do you ask?"
I weakly waved my hand; I was exhausted and sleepy. My biological clock was kicking in, and my thoughts began to dull. I took off my gear and dragged myself back to the Barracks. I tossed my things onto the floor beside my feet and collapsed into bed without even showering.
I slept soundly until the following afternoon. After waking up and eating, I realized there seemed to be no plans for today. It turned out there would be an assessment in the evening. After asking the instructor on duty, I learned that another class would be assessed starting at 6 PM. Every so often, one class would be released fully armed for a navigation course back to school.
To prevent cheating, the departure routes and order were determined by drawing lots among each class's leaders. I wasn't too worried about this; after all, hadn't we just come through last night? There were tougher challenges ahead.
Thinking back to last night, now that I had enough rest and my mind was clearer, I couldn't shake off an unsettling feeling. I kept thinking that the group we had brushed past last night didn't seem human!
But if they weren't human, then what were they? I had no idea; it had been too dark for me to see clearly at the time, and I hadn't dared to look closely. For a moment, I thought perhaps it had all been an illusion.
However, since there was still something to take care of, I pushed those thoughts aside and quickly went to find the captain to report about the pit of corpses.
After hearing my report, the captain promised to relay it to higher-ups immediately and arrange for a work team to investigate as soon as possible.
I felt somewhat relieved; after all, I'd done a good deed, hadn't I? Stepping out of the Barracks and basking in the bright sunlight filling the courtyard, I thought to myself that it was all behind me now. With that thought in mind, I found a sunny spot and lay down to enjoy a moment of tranquility.
But this peace was soon shattered. "Class leader! Hey! The instructor is looking for you!" Xu ran up to me and shouted.
"The instructor is looking for me? What for?"
"I don't know," Xu replied, a typical Northeastern man, towering over me by a head, always seeming a bit dazed.
I rolled over and stood up, following Xu to find the instructor.
As we reached the door, Xu said, "The instructor is outside; you should go."
I peeked out and saw Instructor Lin standing in front of the camp, basking in the sun with his eyes squinted, looking quite relaxed. As I approached, before I could say anything, he suddenly opened his eyes wide. "Wang Wei, you didn't all go looking for trouble last night, did you?"
"No, oh no, we all went."
"You’re not telling the truth. At least some people didn’t make it to the third spot."
"…"
"Want to know how I know?" Instructor Lin chuckled.
"The third spot was set up by me. I knew some wouldn’t dare go, but I also wanted to see who would be brave enough to take the plunge. Every year I pick a class to test this out, but very few ever pass. In the end, I usually give them a passing grade anyway."
I looked at Instructor Lin, unsure of what he was really thinking.
"Who among you went to the graveyard?"
"I took two people."
"Oh, just as I thought." Instructor Lin paused for a moment before quietly asking, "Did you see anything unusual?"
What did he mean? I quickly raised my head to look at him.
"I mean, did you see anything strange near the graveyard?"
A thought crossed my mind—could it be that Instructor Lin had seen something too? Those shadows? Unsure of his intentions and weighing my options carefully, I decided not to reveal anything.
"No, I didn’t see anything at all," I replied firmly.
"Really not?" He seemed a bit skeptical.
"Really not."
"That's strange." Instructor Lin looked somewhat puzzled.
"Sir, is there anything else?"
"That's all, you can go," the instructor said, lost in thought.
I nodded and left, completely unaware that Instructor Lin had given a strange smile as he watched my back.
Time passed quickly. After nearly two hours of idleness, our entire team had dinner at four-thirty in the afternoon on the third day. Each person was given dinner and breakfast rations, and we were to gather in the camp courtyard at five o'clock. The instructor would provide the final explanation regarding the orienteering course.
The rules stated that starting at six o'clock, classes would be released in pairs every two hours along a designated route to find checkpoints and return to school within one hour. Missing a checkpoint would result in failure; exceeding the time limit would also be considered a failure; walking along the road was prohibited, and the instructor would patrol back and forth—getting caught would mean failure; using any form of transportation was forbidden—getting caught would mean failure; when the last group was released, the Base Guard Unit would set off to chase us, like hounds pursuing a hare, for four hours. Being caught would result in failure; anyone who fell behind or lost equipment would automatically fail.
The routes posted on the blackboard were all different. Some did not lead directly back to the city but took a long detour; others even went into the mountains before circling back out.
"This is going to be no fun at all," Fatty Hua muttered beside me. I shot him a glare—was this supposed to be fun? It was clearly a game played against us!
Of course, I didn't step forward. In the end, it was determined by drawing lots, with each class leader going up in turn to draw their route and start time.
We were last. I saw Instructor Lin standing on stage with the drawing box. For some reason, I felt a bit uneasy. As each class leader stepped up, I decided to play it smart.
"Report! I have diarrhea!" I said, clutching my stomach and raising my hand.
"Step out!" the team leader shouted.
The moment I stepped out, I patted Ayu on the shoulder; he should know what that meant. I squeezed through the crowd and headed toward the restroom.
After staying in there for a while, I felt it was about time and slowly walked out.
It seemed that the drawing had already concluded. I saw various classes huddled together discussing their routes and strategies; our class was tucked away in a corner.
I walked over. "Ayu, how's it going?" I called out loudly.
Ayu turned around with a grim expression on his face. "You can see for yourself."
"Damn it!" I exclaimed as I took a closer look. Wasn't the first half of this route the same as the one from that night? What the hell kind of sign is this? Calm down, I told myself; if we set off in the morning, everything will be fine.
"What time are we leaving?" I asked. "The group at 10 PM?" Damn it, the time hasn't changed! It must be Instructor Lin's doing! I hated him so much my teeth ached. Everyone in A Squad had studied Military Topography; they weren't fools. They knew they still had to pass through the graveyard, and everyone was feeling uneasy. Fatty Hua looked particularly pale with fear, but at this moment, there was nothing anyone could do.
I could only say, "Don't be scared. We've been through it once; we can go through it again. Besides, we're familiar with the route now, which will save us some time!"
That was true, but I felt a bit anxious myself. I just hoped we wouldn't encounter a situation like that again tonight. I instructed everyone to return to the Barracks to organize their gear and take a short rest while we waited to depart.
As luck would have it, just when the first team was set to leave at six o'clock, the weather outside suddenly turned gloomy, and the wind picked up.
Ayu looked out the window and said, "Looks like it's going to rain."
I stared outside in disbelief. Was there anything worse than this? As if to confirm my thoughts, heavy rain began pouring down outside, as if someone were dumping a bucket of water from above. The rain created a thick mist, obscuring everything.
Damn it! Let it rain however it wants! In frustration, I spread out my sleeping mat and lay down on top of it fully clothed to get some sleep!
(To be continued; more excitement tomorrow!)
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