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墨書 Inktalez
Tonight was destined to be a sleepless night; no one could sleep. Zhou Zhen couldn't, Chen Sheng couldn't, and the few good people left couldn't either, nor could I! Sitting there, I stared blankly yet sadly at the people before me, feeling powerless and utterly helpless. Two hours passed, and the once rosy faces of the Withered Face had turned into ghastly pale masks, devoid of color. Suddenly, a thin man stood up. Everyone's gaze immediately shifted to him, including Zhou Zhen and mine. He walked toward the room where Xiao Gao had been, his steps unsteady, his eyes hollow with two lines of blood running down his face, still devoid of any emotion or color.
"What is he doing?" I furrowed my brow slightly, feeling puzzled. Chen Sheng and the others watched him anxiously but were at a loss. Zhou Zhen also frowned and suddenly exclaimed, "Quick! Stop him! Hide the Chainsaw in the room!" Zhou Zhen's words made Chen Sheng and the others understand instantly, as if they had been enlightened. Connecting it to Xiao Gao's death, it was clear he intended to commit suicide. Once we realized this, Chen Sheng wasted no time standing up and rushing toward Xiao Gao's room to grab the Chainsaw that was there, holding it tightly in his arms.
At that moment, several others also stood up. Although their eyes appeared lifeless, when they got up, it seemed they had a single purpose: to find sharp tools. Whether it was a Chainsaw or a kitchen knife or a cleaver—anything sharp would do. With the Chainsaw in hand, Chen Sheng noticed that several people were already coming out of the kitchen with either kitchen knives or cleavers. Some even picked up bottles from the ground, smashing them before wielding the sharp edges.
"Quick! Stop them!" Zhou Zhen shouted again. At that moment, Heizi was holding a beer bottle that he had just smashed, slowly raising the sharp edge toward us. I couldn’t think too much; I rushed forward and grabbed Heizi's arm tightly. Meanwhile, Chen Sheng and the others hurried to stop the others as well. But our efforts were in vain; they were incredibly strong and easily threw us aside. In the chaos, I felt Heizi's bottle cut across my hand, blood gushing out painfully.
I saw that Chen Sheng also had a cut on his chest from a kitchen knife. Although we wanted to intervene, no one dared to step forward anymore. They were wielding weapons and suddenly seemed much stronger; rushing in would not only fail to stop them but could also lead to our own injury. I looked at Zhou Zhen curiously and asked, "Uncle Zhou, why have they suddenly become so strong?" This made no sense; everyone knew that when someone bled excessively, they would faint even if they didn’t die. Yet these people appeared terrifyingly pale but shockingly strong—almost like zombies—but they weren’t dead!
"Enough! Don’t try to stop them; it's hopeless!" Zhou Zhen didn't answer my question but sighed helplessly. I frowned slightly but didn’t press further; instead, I covered my hand and stood aside while Chen Sheng took off his outer clothing and tore it to wrap around his chest, looking grimly at Heizi and the others.
I watched in horror as their next actions were eerily synchronized—they all placed their weapons against their necks and without hesitation pulled hard. The force was enough to nearly sever their own heads—a brutal sight indeed. It was too bloody; Heizi did this along with everyone else in a uniform manner of suicide while we could only watch helplessly as one figure after another fell.
Suddenly, a light shone from afar—it was blinding—followed by the sound of a car horn. "Master Gu must have arrived!" Upon hearing the car horn, hope flickered on Chen Sheng’s pale face as he rushed toward the vehicle's direction. As the car approached us and finally stopped with its lights blinding us slightly so we couldn’t see clearly, Zhou Zhen and I still looked over.
It was an off-road Jeep; when the lights went out, someone stepped out from the front driver's seat and opened the back door. From a distance, it was hard to make out their appearance—likely an old man and a young man. By now Chen Sheng had already run over; I heard him ask, "Are you Master Gu?"
"Yes, that's me. You must be Chen Sheng!" A slightly hoarse voice came back; my heart stirred instantly—was this Gu Chen? I glanced at Zhou Zhen beside me; he nodded lightly as if relieved by Gu Chen’s arrival.
Upon hearing that Master Gu had come, Chen Sheng’s tone trembled with urgency: "Master Gu! You’ve finally arrived! If you hadn’t come soon enough, they would all be dead!"
"What happened?"
"Please come quickly and take a look!" In just a few hurried steps, the old man and young man followed closely behind Chen Sheng. Zhou Zhen stood up now with his gaze fixed on the old man ahead before turning to me: "Xiao Lin, this is Senior Gu—your future master."
I looked over quickly; he appeared very old with short silver hair that glimmered brightly under the light. His chin was covered in white stubble but strangely enough his wrinkles weren’t deep; instead he exuded an energetic presence—strong yet contradictory.
"Senior Gu," Zhou Zhen respectfully called out as he stepped forward. Realizing this was my chance to show respect as well—I quickly followed suit: "Senior Gu."
Gu Chen glanced over at us; he nodded at Zhou Zhen but merely swept his gaze across me without speaking further before moving on ahead.
Feeling somewhat deflated by his indifference toward me—I thought perhaps he wouldn’t take me as an apprentice after all! Seeing my expression darken slightly caught Zhou Zhen’s attention as he quietly explained: "Senior Gu is just like that; you’ll understand after some time." After saying this he followed closely behind Gu Chen.
Though Zhou Zhen’s explanation eased some of my irritation—I remained focused on those few lives still hanging by a thread before us; Heizi was already dead leaving only five or six people alive now. Before seeing Gu Chen arrive I had gathered from Zhou Zhen’s brief mentions that he was quite capable—a thought that intrigued me about whether he could save those remaining individuals.
However upon arriving he merely frowned slightly before coldly stating: "They are beyond saving!" His words extinguished any last flicker of hope within us all.
Perhaps it was because of his earlier indifference towards me or perhaps due to disappointment—I snapped back: "Aren't you supposed to be capable? Why can't you save them?"
"Xiao Lin! How can you speak like that?" Zhou Zhen reprimanded sharply from beside me.
Ignoring him completely—I kept my gaze fixed on Gu Chen who now regarded me with cold authority while furrowing his brow slightly as if assessing me.
I didn’t flinch under his gaze but held it steady until eventually he turned away addressing Zhou Zhen: "Zhou Zhen—tell me what happened."
Zhou Zhen nodded then took two steps closer while casting an exasperated glance at me before recounting everything that had transpired to Gu Chen.
I sat aside simmering in frustration thinking it seemed unlikely for him to accept me as an apprentice now—and regretted my earlier words especially since that bald-headed youth continued glaring at me with an even colder stare than Gu Chen’s—provocative enough to irk me further.
Suddenly Zhou Zhen spoke up: "Xiao Lin—you stay here while Senior Gu and I go check things out."
I knew where they were headed so I quickly insisted: "I want to go too!"
Zhou Zhen looked at Gu Chen seeking permission who replied coolly: "Let’s go!"
I had expected him to deny my request after my earlier confrontation but surprisingly he agreed so I hurriedly followed behind him while Chen Sheng remained behind with those few good people watching over those still alive.
Twenty minutes later—Gu Chen, Zhou Zhen, myself along with Baldy returned once more to where the Half Stone Tablet stood. The wind gently blew causing surrounding leaves and grass to sway lightly yet oddly enough within the area behind that half-buried stone tablet marked No Entry—all foliage remained completely still as if frozen in time.
Although we already knew what awaited us—it felt eerily strange witnessing such stark contrast firsthand sending chills down my spine.
After a moment of silence—Gu Chen suddenly spoke turning towards me with icy inquiry: "Do you doubt my abilities?"
I remained silent though undeniably I did harbor doubts about him. He waved his hand dismissively pointing ahead decisively: "Come with me—you’ll see for yourself."
Without waiting for further response he strode into the area beyond Half Stone Tablet without hesitation followed closely by Baldy.
Zhou Zhen glanced at me hesitantly saying: "Senior Gu—are you really letting Xiao Lin enter?"
"If he lacks courage then send him home tomorrow," Gu Chen replied without looking back causing Zhou Zhen to cast one last reluctant glance at me before stating: "In that case—let’s go!"
With those words spoken—he too followed suit entering alongside them leaving me standing there feeling flushed with uncertainty about stepping inside such an ominous place where Xiao Gao and Heizi had met their fates.
Yet having heard Gu Chen’s challenge—I clenched my teeth resolutely deciding if death awaited then so be it! Taking a deep breath—I shut my eyes tightly before charging forward into the unknown.
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