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墨書 Inktalez
I felt a sense of helplessness as well.
The ground, paved with jagged stones, had become a gully under the cover of the surrounding trees.
Now, I could still see some rusted tools and remnants of human daily items scattered across the ground. What tightened my heart even more was the sight of numerous bones, some even forming complete skeletons.
It was almost noon, yet the towering tree did not allow us to rest here; instead, it urged us onward without pause.
As we moved forward, the path began to narrow, the tree canopy completely blocking out the light. Water seeped from the crevices in the rocks, and a chilling dampness started to spread.
Since entering this place, not even the sound of birds could be heard, let alone any signs of wildlife.
The four of us were squeezed into a single line, with Mud Man bringing up the rear and the towering tree leading the way.
Suddenly, an ominous premonition washed over me.
The ground ahead grew increasingly wet. "Are we heading into a spring?" Fat Ma asked from behind me.
I didn’t respond. The towering tree in front began to tread more cautiously.
"Something's not right!" it murmured to itself. Yet it continued forward, its pace noticeably slowing.
As we pressed on, the humidity intensified.
The towering tree suddenly stopped and turned to me. "I can only help you up to this point. After I draw away that giant python, you'll be at the real Golden Path. Beyond the Golden Path lies your destination."
Without waiting for my reply, the towering tree quickened its pace and then abruptly turned to run while shouting, "Run!"
The Clay Man stood still and asked me as I passed by, "What's wrong?"
"There's danger," I replied quickly. Fat Ma had already started running towards the big tree.
When he saw we weren't keeping up, he turned back and shouted at us.
I pulled the Clay Man and urged, "Run first, talk later."
The Clay Man and I lagged behind as we ran. During this time, a strong stench hit my nose, and I couldn't help but glance back. A massive head emerged, and my heart, which was already in my throat, nearly jumped out of my mouth.
The Clay Man muttered, "It's a giant python."
Although I already knew that, I couldn't help but feel terrified! But at the same time, I ran even harder. However, since one of my hands was hanging around my neck, the Clay Man quickly outpaced me.
I felt anxious; the stench grew stronger, making me want to vomit. I found myself at the back and couldn't resist looking back again.
The giant python's body was fully exposed now, its tongue flicking out as it seemed ready to catch up with me.
Suddenly, I remembered what the elders used to say: snakes have poor eyesight, and running in an S-pattern can confuse them.
I tried to zigzag as I ran, turning left and right continuously. To my surprise, it actually worked; the giant python narrowly missed me as I dashed towards the three people ahead who were running straight.
Having narrowly escaped, I stopped behind them to catch my breath. My heart was still racing but felt somewhat relieved. I shouted to them, "Run in curves!"
As soon as I finished speaking, all three turned to look at us. Fat Ma saw that I had fallen behind the giant python and shouted, "Old Sun, what happened?"
I yelled again, "Run in S-patterns!"
Upon hearing my words, Fat Ma began to twist and turn. The Clay Man managed to dodge just in time, but Fat Ma was knocked down by the giant python.
The giant python quickly disappeared from our sight, chasing after the big tree. Fat Ma got up from the ground, his hands only scraped a bit, and he was otherwise unharmed.
The Mud Man wanted to chase after it, but I stopped him.
"We can't just sit back and do nothing!" the Mud Man said.
I repeated what the big tree had said earlier and added, "He's an experienced hunter; he won't get into trouble." We should hurry and catch up!
They didn't hesitate either.
We started on our way, and as we passed by the python's lair, I nearly vomited; the stench was overwhelming. The ground had been occupied by the giant python for so long that it formed a large pit.
The stagnant water inside had already begun to smell foul, but we dared not stop, fearing that the python might come back for us. After passing the snake den, a hill appeared ahead, beneath which was a dark tunnel. Without hesitation, we rushed inside.
I asked Fat Ma to turn on his flashlight to illuminate our path.
Once we entered the tunnel, a scent of minerals wafted through the air. We proceeded cautiously, unsure of where it led.
However, the big tree had mentioned that beyond this Golden Path lay our destination.
I guessed this must have been left over from past gold mining operations, though it had likely been abandoned for many years. The tunnel's structure seemed reinforced with modern materials, so a collapse shouldn't occur.
Suddenly, Fat Ma spoke up, "Why do I feel like this path is wrong?"
Since I was at the front, my unease was particularly strong; it felt cold and damp inside. Combined with the dew that had already soaked us, I gradually felt a chilling cold creeping in.
I told Fat Ma to turn off his flashlight; I would take over. He complied and switched off his light. I turned on my flashlight, illuminating about fifty meters ahead of us, but there was no end in sight.
Fat Ma poked the Mud Man behind him and asked, "Mud Man, do you feel anything strange?"
The Mud Man's gaze wandered around, and he instinctively nodded his head.
The further we went, the more unusual it felt. I couldn't help but remind the two of them to be cautious. That chilling sensation made my heart shiver, creating an unnatural feeling.
Suddenly, I looked up at the top of the Tunnel and was startled, letting out a gasp.
Fat Ma and the Mud Man quickly asked, "What's wrong, Old Sun?"
As I focused on what was above us, my heart gradually relaxed. In the corner of the Tunnel's ceiling, there were many black Bats clinging there.
A few flew up in fright from my shout, but they soon settled back down. Thankfully, nothing serious had happened.
We continued moving forward, and the tunnel began to slope downward instead of remaining flat. A terrifying thought surged through my mind: the big tree was lying, deliberately leading us into this tunnel.
But I forced myself to dismiss that idea, pushing myself to think positively.
For a while, none of us spoke loudly; sometimes it was so quiet that all we could hear were our own breaths and heartbeats.
The ground of the tunnel was covered with some gravel. I crouched down and picked up a piece that seemed to have golden threads embedded in it. Under the flashlight's beam, it sparkled.
There was no doubt that this was a mined gold mine. A sense of dread began to creep into my heart; if it was a mined gold mine, how could there be an exit?
Just then, my flashlight suddenly illuminated a pale face… I was instantly terrified, a wave of coldness rushing down my spine.
I froze in place.
The Mud Man sensed something was wrong and immediately stepped in front of me. Upon seeing the corpse, he couldn't help but shudder.
Fat Ma was even more affected; after being startled, he erupted into curses.
I adjusted my breathing and collected my thoughts. How could someone have died here, and the body still looked well-preserved, not yet decayed? If my judgment was correct, the death must have occurred not long ago.
The Mud Man cautiously stepped forward, and I followed closely behind.
When I saw the corpse, I felt as if I had plunged into the Nine Hells, a chill running through me. Fat Ma let out a ghostly scream at that moment. The Mud Man's face turned pale, and he couldn't help but twitch at the corners of his mouth.
The body was that of the big tree who had been our guide just moments before.
The Mud Man approached carefully to examine the corpse. "It looks like he died about four or five days ago. There are already signs of decomposition," he said as he flipped over the body, revealing it was crawling with maggots; the corpse had begun to rot.
At that moment, the foul stench hit us hard, something we had forgotten in our fear.
We quickly covered our noses, and the Mud Man stepped back but did not cover his nose like we did.
Suddenly, I realized something and hurriedly asked Fat Ma to check for any wounds to see if I had been poisoned. It turned out I was being overly cautious.
"We might have been tricked!" the Mud Man said.
Let's get out of here first, I replied. Fat Ma was eager to comply; although in our line of work we usually avoided places associated with death, this situation was different—we were trapped.
The three of us began to run toward the exit, slowing our pace as we approached the light outside.
Sure enough, when we reached the mouth of the tunnel, we saw the massive python coiled up in its nest.
"We can't take any risks," I uttered.
I suddenly realized that such a large python could not have been fooled by my casual movements; the only explanation was that the 'guide big tree' must have had some scent that attracted the python.
I had been careless! I sighed.
"Now what do we do?" Fat Ma asked anxiously.
"The car will find its way when it reaches the mountain," the Mud Man replied. "Let's head inside and see if there's an exit."
This was the best and only option available. The opening outside was too small, surrounded by dense trees, making it difficult for us to escape.
We turned and continued deeper into the tunnel. As we passed by a corpse, I stopped to let Fat Ma light a cigarette, hoping it would guide him on his journey and keep him from becoming a Zombie or an Evil Spirit.
Fat Ma took a puff himself, nearly finishing a third of it before placing it on the ground. I scolded him, and he sheepishly chuckled a few times.
We offered a simple tribute.
Then we began to move further inside. The air grew cold and eerie, and we found ourselves caught in another trap, or perhaps a path leading to death.
The tunnel's path started to steepen from being straight. I carefully observed the situation ahead, fearing that my carelessness might lead them into a dead end. If that happened, it would be my fault.
After walking for a while, Fat Ma could no longer resist lighting another cigarette, but the Mud Man stopped him. He warned that there might be flammable gas inside, which could trigger an explosion.
"Come on, Mud Man, you're overreacting! Don't think I don't understand; that kind of thing only happens in coal mines," Fat Ma retorted.
Although Fat Ma had a point, the Mud Man wasn't entirely wrong either. For safety's sake, I still advised Fat Ma against smoking.
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