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墨書 Inktalez
I don't know how long it had been, but I felt someone nudging me. When I opened my eyes, I saw it was Ayu, squatting beside me. "In half an hour, it's our turn to go out. Should we gather everyone to discuss?"
I hesitated for a moment. Given the nature of this group of brothers, they would likely follow Ayu and me without any other thoughts. However, this situation was different; we were about to traverse dozens of kilometers in the dark wilderness. What if one of the brothers grew impatient or lost faith in us and decided to leave the group? That would be problematic.
"Alright, let's gather everyone for a meeting," I said softly. While Ayu went to assemble the others, I glanced out the window. The rain seemed to have eased a bit, but it was still pitch black outside with very low visibility.
I felt a bit lost. In my life, the farthest I had ever walked was with my first girlfriend—shopping, watching movies, and strolling down busy streets. The most I had ever covered back and forth was six or seven kilometers. Now, I was expected to navigate through this pitch-black wilderness for several dozen kilometers back to school. I wasn't confident at all. Learning Military Topography was one thing; applying it in real life was another. Moreover, I had nine brothers with me. Would anyone fall behind? Would there be disagreements? Would we get lost on the mountain paths?
The more pressing concern was that we still needed to make a trip to the graveyard tonight. What if something unexpected happened? Although I wasn't a superstitious person, I knew there were many things in this world that science couldn't explain. Who knew if we might encounter something strange again?
As these thoughts swirled in my mind, I began to feel anxious.
Just then, my classmates gathered around me. I suppressed my restless emotions and said to everyone, "Are you all ready? Do you have water and dry rations? And batteries for the flashlight?" Seeing everyone nod in agreement, I sat down on the ground. "Come sit around me; let's hold a meeting."
Once everyone settled down, I took out the marked map and spread it on the ground for everyone to see. "Take a look at our marching route. We need to follow this path outlined by the instructor. The first half will be similar to last night’s route; after that, we'll cross a river and head into the mountains. After traversing several peaks, we'll finally reach the suburban area."
I paused for a moment and noticed no one had any special reactions before continuing, "Our time is limited, which means two things: First, we cannot afford to take wrong turns; otherwise, we won't have time to backtrack and find our way again. Second, we must not delay on the road because there are soldiers from the camp pursuing us for supervision. Everyone needs to be prepared for rapid marching; this assessment is a severe test for all of us. None of us has experienced this before, but I have confidence in our group—three wise men are worth more than one foolish carpenter! How many of us are there? This time, I need your trust and cooperation. We Twelfth Class must unite as one to overcome difficulties and pass this assessment! Do you all have confidence?!"
"Yes!" everyone shouted in unison as they looked at me. Satisfied with their response, I nodded; perhaps I did have some potential as an instructor. "Does anyone have any questions?" I added.
"Class leader, regarding the last point ahead—are we all going together?" Fatty Hua started but then hesitated.
After pondering for a moment, I replied, "We've already walked the first half of the route and are familiar with it; that will help us move quickly—that's a good thing since it saves time. As for the third point that none of you have been to before, Old Jia will lead everyone forward without stopping until we reach the fourth point by the river where we'll rest and wait. Ayu and I will go handle the third point; once we're done, we'll hurry back to catch up with the main group." This arrangement maximized our efficiency given our circumstances.
"Alright," I continued. "This assessment is both special and crucial. To ensure we complete it safely and smoothly, I have three more requirements: First, everyone must obey my orders unconditionally during this mission; if you have any objections, please bring them up after we've completed the assessment. Any violations will result in me reporting it to cancel your individual scores. Second, while marching at night, safety is paramount—both personnel safety and equipment security are critical; do not lag behind; we must look out for each other as a collective—we cannot leave anyone behind! Thirdly, while Ayu and I are away, you must listen to Old Jia's commands and not cross the river on your own. Is that clear?"
"Clear!" everyone straightened their backs and shouted.
"Good!" I smiled at them and extended my right hand palm down in front of me.
“Twelfth Class, invincible and fearless!” I uttered these words lightly.
Everyone was inspired by me, stacking their hands on top of mine as we shouted together, “Invincible and fearless!”
“Let’s move out!”
Everyone began to don their gear, pulling raincoats over themselves. I glanced at the time; it was almost time to set off.
“Instructor Lin must have something planned. He’s deliberately leading us along the route he designed,” I whispered to Ayu while helping him with his raincoat.
Ayu turned around in surprise, looking at me. “Why?”
“I don’t know. It seems like he wants us to see or encounter something.” I didn’t want to dwell on it too much; after all, today was our last day here.
“What should we do then?”
I didn’t answer directly and instead asked Ayu, “Do you believe in ghosts?” Ayu hesitated for a moment before quietly replying, “I don’t know.”
“Then let’s stay alert and act according to the situation,” I said meaningfully.
“Form two lines, fall in!” I called out loudly to organize the group. “Let’s go!” I stepped first into the curtain of rain outside.
The rain was heavy, but a chill hit me head-on. I shivered and led everyone toward the camp gate.
At the entrance stood another instructor and his assistant. After checking our numbers, equipment, and maps, the instructor handed me a punch card. After saluting, I led the team out of Camp.
Once outside, I reminded everyone of our usual protocol: those in front and behind should turn on their flashlights. There was no need to worry about formation; as long as no one fell behind, we would be fine.
Naturally, Ayu was at the front. After I finished giving instructions, I quickened my pace to catch up with him. Perhaps it was due to the rain, but the beam of the flashlight seemed to have diminished significantly. Fortunately, we were on a path we had already traversed, so I focused on the direction and used the flashlight to illuminate the way ahead, avoiding leading everyone into those puddles.
My rubber shoes quickly became wet, but thankfully I had prepared in advance by wearing cotton socks and thick insoles. Although they felt slippery while walking, my feet didn’t hurt during the long trek.
As we left the town and entered the wilderness, the path grew increasingly difficult to navigate—muddy and rugged. Occasional curses erupted from the team as someone inevitably stepped into a waterlogged pit.
Apart from our flashlight's light, everything else was shrouded in darkness; even the distant hills were invisible. The only sound that reached our ears was that of the rain, making it seem as if we were the only ones left in this world.
We trudged along with great difficulty until we finally reached the first checkpoint. I glanced at my watch; we hadn’t made much progress compared to last time. Perhaps it was due to the rain. It seemed that saving time would truly depend on reaching the third point.
Without delay, I instructed everyone to take a moment to rest while I hurriedly dug a hole. Ayu took out a waterproof map and began to orient himself.
After a brief rest, we continued our journey toward Hilltop. Before long, we arrived at the Foot of the Mountain. This time, Fatty Hua didn’t insist on splitting up; I guessed he was wary of the nearby burial pit.
As A Squad climbed uphill, I wondered how long it would take for the government to come and confirm this burial site. Thinking about how these bones had endured years of rain and wind here made me feel a bit melancholic.
Lost in thought as we moved forward, we soon reached the second marker at Hilltop. After swiftly completing our second task, we wasted no time and headed straight for the third point.
At that moment, the rain began to ease up. As we approached the mound, I halted the group and called out to Old Jia, who was standing among us. “Old Jia, it’s your turn down there.” He stepped forward silently and took my map. “You guys be careful,” he said quietly; Old Jia wasn’t very talkative and tended to be more reserved. I nodded in agreement. “You too.”
“Brothers, see you later,” Ayu waved.
The team split into two lines: Old Jia led some of our brothers around the mound toward the riverbank for the fourth point while Ayu and I pressed on through the mound toward our third location.
Ayu and I pulled our raincoats over our heads and quickened our pace until we reached the site of the mound in just a few minutes.
Here we were again! I felt a wave of emotions wash over me as I directed my flashlight forward.
Fog! A thick fog!
I took a sharp breath! There was no fog the last time I came here. What is going on?
Under the beam of the flashlight, the fog seemed to take on a form, swirling and rolling, obscuring everything inside. The only thing that confirmed this was a graveyard were a few tombstones that remained visible, untouched by the mist.
I shone the flashlight back and forth; the fog seemed to exist only in the cemetery area, which was quite eerie.
"What should we do?" Ayu asked.
I didn't respond, hesitating. To be honest, I wasn't reckless, and I had no idea if entering would lead us anywhere. My first thought was to wait for the fog to clear before going in, but then I reconsidered. The intention of splitting up was to save time; if we waited too long, it would be less effective than not splitting up at all. We couldn't afford to linger here for too long.
Just then, I noticed that it seemed a bit brighter ahead. Looking up, I saw the moon had come out, but it was shrouded in a thin veil, fuzzy and unclear.
With the moon out, what was there to fear? I thought to myself, "Let's take off our raincoats and go in."
The raincoats were made of plastic—stiff and inconvenient. We rolled them up and strapped them to our backs, slinging our guns across our bodies for easy access. We found the large gap where we had entered last time. I led the way while Ayu followed closely behind as we stepped into the foggy graveyard.
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