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墨書 Inktalez
I was pinned down by Sheng Xiong, unable to move. As I braced myself for the inevitable blow, I closed my eyes and sighed inwardly, thinking that this was it for me. After a few seconds of waiting, I suddenly felt as if I hadn't been hit. Surprised, I opened my eyes to see a Steel Rod thrusting diagonally across my line of sight, one end planted firmly on the ground, blocking Sheng Xiong's head!
Then I heard a voice shout, "Company Commander, grab your stick!" It was Xuanhua's voice! Looking closely, I realized that was the Steel Rod I had left under my bed. I had been so busy with the New Recruits Company that I hadn't practiced my staff techniques in ages and had carelessly disassembled it into two Nunchaku and tucked them away. Xuanhua must have gone down at some point, found it, and put it back together into a Long Staff for me. He must have followed me after I dismissed him earlier and had the foresight to check my room—he truly saved my life.
Without time to think further, I shouted and grabbed the Steel Rod by its shaft, pushing upward to create some distance between myself and Sheng Xiong. Then I quickly curled my legs up to my chest and used the space to kick against Sheng Xiong's chest with all my might! Sheng Xiong stumbled back, losing his balance and taking a few steps backward. Seizing the opportunity, I executed a leap like a carp, springing up with both hands gripping the rod, pointing it at Sheng Xiong.
With a reliable weapon in hand, my courage surged. Although I still wasn't sure if I could subdue Sheng Xiong, at least I no longer had to fear him.
"Xuanhua, Zhang Sheng, step back and guard the stairway!" I called out while twirling the staff in a flourish. Using its momentum and speed, I aimed for Sheng Xiong's legs. At that moment, I hoped to wake him up rather than hurt him, so I targeted non-vital areas.
Sheng Xiong clearly underestimated the Steel Rod's power; he didn't dodge and lunged toward me instead. Just as he was about to reach me, with a loud thud, my Steel Rod struck his thigh. He let out a low howl but managed to steady himself. Clearly affected by the hit, Sheng Xiong became much more agitated and glared at me with fury.
"Now you know how it feels?" I taunted as I continued without pause. Gripping the rod tightly, I spun it above my head before turning forward again. With both hands moving to one end of the rod, I swung it horizontally toward Sheng Xiong.
The accelerated rod whistled through the air as it swept toward him! This time, it would surely hurt enough to wake him up, I thought to myself.
However, just as the rod was about to connect with Sheng Xiong, he suddenly ducked down low. The rod swept harmlessly over his back! He pushed off the ground with his hands and feet and lunged at me again with a fierce roar!
I was taken aback; having missed my strike left me vulnerable. Before I could retract the rod, its momentum turned me sideways just as Sheng Xiong charged at me! His speed was astonishing; in an instant, he collided with me, knocking both me and the rod to the ground. Before I could get back up, he was already on top of me!
In desperation, I propped myself up on my upper body. With my left hand gripping the rear half of the rod held diagonally against the ground and my right hand holding the front half pointed at the incoming Sheng Xiong, all that was left was to thrust forward when he lunged at me—this time aiming straight for his face!
Sheng Xiong clearly recognized the threat of the Steel Rod; when he reached my legs, he halted his advance. Just as I caught my breath for a moment, he suddenly grabbed one of my legs and lifted himself up!
Seeing Sheng Xiong hoisting me off the ground infuriated me—how could this clumsy guy suddenly become so strong? My back lifted off the floor; there was no way I'd let him carry me around like this or toss me about recklessly. Without thinking any further, I gripped the rod tightly and twisted in mid-air using my waist strength to smash down toward Sheng Xiong's ankle!
Just as the stick was about to hit him, Sheng Xiong suddenly waved his hand and threw me forward. The stick whooshed past, missing its target! Damn it! I was thrown a couple of meters away, landing hard on my back. Although my winter training gear was thick, I still grimaced in pain for a while.
Before I could catch my breath, I quickly rolled over and got back on my feet, fearing that Sheng Xiong would charge at me. When I turned around, I couldn't help but laugh. Sheng Xiong had dropped down on all fours, preparing to launch an attack. This guy was really clever; standing up made him an easy target for the stick, but crouching down made him agile and quick, with a smaller target to hit. It was going to be tough to deal with him. I held the stick towards Sheng Xiong but hesitated to attack.
We were at a standstill for a moment when Sheng Xiong let out a low growl. I knew he was about to attack again, so I tightened my grip on the stick, ready for the next round.
Who would have thought that Sheng Xiong suddenly shrank his body and turned to charge at Zhang Sheng and Xuanhua? They were unarmed and clearly looked like easy prey!
Oh no! I quickly lifted the stick and chased after him. The platform was only about half the size of a basketball court, and Sheng Xiong quickly reached them.
I shouted, "Stop him! I'll be right there!" Zhang Sheng and Xuanhua looked bewildered and unsure of what to do. It was understandable; if it were a person charging at them, they wouldn't be so lost. But with a creature on all fours coming at them, they clearly didn't know how to stop it.
I had just taken five or six steps when Xuanhua suddenly let out a grunt and tackled Sheng Xiong! Oh no, this guy really didn't know his limits! I felt anxious and quickened my pace.
When I reached the side and looked over, I couldn't help but laugh. Although Xuanhua was pinned underneath, he seemed to be holding his own. He had both hands locked on Sheng Xiong's arms, and they were engaged in a test of strength. Zhang Sheng stood beside them, pulling back on Sheng Xiong's neck with all his might.
I rushed over and pressed the stick against Sheng Xiong's neck. "Quick! Go grab the backpack straps and tie him up!" Zhang Sheng saw me taking over his position and quickly agreed before running off.
With me using the Steel Rod to pin Sheng Xiong's neck from behind and Xuanhua entangling his arms, despite his desperate struggles and the eerie sounds coming from his throat, he couldn't break free from us. Xuanhua kept mumbling, "Wow, you're really strong! Almost couldn't hold you down! Didn't expect this! Now I've got you tied up! You're still tough! What a strange creature to come out at night. Company Commander, is he having some kind of seizure? He’s acting like a mad dog!"
I was both amused and exasperated. "I don't know if he's having a seizure! If you don't hold him tight enough and he bites you, you might end up with rabies!"
Xuanhua shuddered in fear and tightened his grip on Sheng Xiong, even wrapping his legs around him. Meanwhile, Zhang Sheng had returned with several straps from new recruits' backpacks because one wasn't enough. So the three of us worked together frantically to bind Sheng Xiong. Before long, he was wrapped up like a mummy. Although he still emitted threatening growls, he could only squirm helplessly on the ground.
Seeing how fierce Sheng Xiong was growling, Zhang Sheng decided to take off his shoes, pulled off both socks, and stuffed them into Sheng Xiong's mouth. Now all that came out were muffled sounds. After all that effort, I finally felt the fatigue wash over me—my whole body ached from the falls and scrapes I'd taken while being grabbed by Sheng Xiong. As soon as I relaxed for a moment, exhaustion hit me like a wave along with all the pain.
I let out a groan, leaning against the railing as I sat on the ground, exhaling deeply. Zhang Sheng slowly sat down beside me, asking, "What on earth is going on?" Xuanhua stood there, looking confused.
I waved my hand, feeling too exhausted to speak. After resting for a while, I finally looked at Sheng Xiong. "You all stay inside tonight. We'll wait for Sheng Xiong to wake up before we ask him anything. Xuanhua, go check the Barracks nearby and see if anyone was disturbed. Get someone to take your place on guard duty."
"But it's not my Barracks! Why should I do that?" Xuanhua replied, looking a bit troubled.
"It's mine. You all woke up startled and are quite alert. We might need to assemble urgently tonight; they'll be more than willing to take over guard duty."
Xuanhua opened his mouth, glanced at Sheng Xiong, then turned to leave.
Zhang Sheng said beside me, "Company Commander, are we just going to wait for Sheng Xiong to wake up?" I thought for a moment; the sweat I had just produced was chilled by the cold air, making me feel icy all over. This could lead to him catching a cold if he stayed here like this. "Go get his blanket. When Xuanhua returns, you all can carry him up to the Learning Room on the third floor; it's warmer there. Cover him with the blanket."
After quite some time of fussing around, we finally managed to move Sheng Xiong to the Learning Room. I couldn't tell if it was because he was restricted in movement or if it was due to the lack of moonlight, but I noticed that Sheng Xiong's movements were becoming weaker and the green light in his eyes was fading.
He should be waking up soon!
(To be continued; tomorrow will be even more exciting!)
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