Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
The situation was extremely critical; a moment's carelessness could cost us our lives. We crouched low to avoid being hit by stray bullets.
Outside, the shadows loomed like phantoms of the night and the scythe of death. The Mud House had been riddled with bullets, and another volley struck, causing the windows to detach from the walls. The cold wind rushed in fiercely.
The five of us lay flat on the ground, not daring to move.
"Stop shooting!" I shouted, regardless of whether the people outside could understand me. We were completely exposed to enemy gunfire, and if they continued shooting, we would likely suffer casualties.
As soon as I finished speaking, the gunfire outside ceased. I felt a sense of relief; at least they could still comprehend my words. I continued, "We'll give you what you want; just let us go. How does that sound?"
There was a flurry of chatter outside that I couldn't fully understand, but at least the gunfire had stopped.
I signaled Fat Ma to throw the backpack out the window. Before he did, I informed the others. After Fat Ma tossed the first bag through the window, there was silence outside, only the sound of someone picking up the backpack. It seemed they had agreed to this method of exchange. Gradually, we relaxed our guard and everyone slowly stood up.
However, just as we got to our feet, gunfire erupted again. I quickly shouted for them to drop down, but it was too late; one person was hit by a stray bullet and let out a painful cry before collapsing to the ground.
The four companions rushed over, calling out his name, but he could no longer respond.
I was furious, but I had to remain calm. I instructed them not to huddle together and to spread out.
In a low voice, I said, "Fatty, take them down."
The mud man seemed to hear my words and raised five fingers. I understood his meaning: there were five people outside. Fat Ma had long been unable to swallow this humiliation.
At that moment, the gunfire outside stopped again. After a brief silence, someone shouted in broken Mandarin, "We want the stuff, but everyone has to die."
"Damn," I cursed, realizing these bastards could speak Mandarin. I angrily shouted outside, but reality told me that cursing was useless; all I got in return was a hail of bullets.
I immediately dropped to the ground, and the others did the same.
The Mud Man pressed against the wall behind the door, signaling to me. After our experience in the Underwater Tomb, the three of us had developed a bit of understanding.
I understood what the Mud Man meant: when I threw out the backpack, he would take the chance to rush out and subdue them. However, I disagreed. First of all, the Mud Man wasn't familiar with firearms and could easily get into serious trouble.
I shook my head. The one among us most skilled with guns was Fat Ma. If we were to execute this plan, it had to be led by Fat Ma.
I whispered to the Fat Ma, "You go help the Mud Man."
He nodded and crawled to the back of the door. To buy Fat Ma some time, I shouted outside, "You can have everything; can you let us go? We can pay you too."
The response came quickly, dispelling my hopes: "Once people are dead, everything belongs to us," they sneered.
It was at that moment that the Mud Man signaled me.
Before taking action, I gestured for the four remaining survivors to keep their heads down. Once everything was set, I lowered my voice and called out, "Is there really no room for negotiation?" Without waiting for an answer, I threw a backpack outside. Bullets quickly rained down, turning the backpack into a sieve.
Someone outside cursed angrily in their dialect.
At that moment, the Mud Man suddenly burst through the door, swiftly locating an enemy and striking a fatal blow before snatching the gun from his hands.
By the time they realized what was happening, the Mud Man had already rolled away as bullets whizzed past him—an incredibly close call. While he drew all their attention, Fat Ma charged out with a loud shout, like a reincarnation of Li Kui, stunning them for a few seconds.
Seizing the opportunity, the Mud Man handed over the gun to Fat Ma, who caught it steadily. Then came a flurry of gunfire; all four enemies met their end. As the gunfire subsided, an eerie silence fell outside.
I rushed out and saw the bodies lying on the ground, while the two others were unharmed. I understood that the danger had passed. I shouted into the house, "It's all clear now."
One by one, they emerged from inside, clearly shaken. One person was dead, and looking at the bodies on the ground, I noticed that four of them had Vietnamese faces. I felt no pity for them; their greed was insatiable. They took what they wanted and even sought to take our lives.
In the end, we buried our companion's body in a secluded spot and hastily covered the other corpses as well. Then we quickly moved deeper into the mountains because if we were discovered, we would face dire consequences.
This forest was not filled with particularly large trees; it was composed entirely of dense underbrush and wild shrubs, providing little concealment. We ran for quite a distance before slowing down.
The remaining four were still in shock, their faces pale like washed-out starch, their eyes and mouths vacant and astonished.
Seeing this, I reassured them, "You're safe now, don't worry."
Finally, one of the girls couldn't hold back any longer and broke down in tears. A living person had just died—gone forever. In a way, this was also a consequence of war.
She continued to cry while the other three remained stunned. I didn't know how to comfort her.
Fat Ma kicked one of the guys: "Go make her stop crying." The boy snapped back to reality and shouted, "Zhang Tong, stop crying! It's useless."
But Zhang Tong did not cease her weeping; her emotions poured out like a broken dam.
The boy kept repeating his words without any finesse. I couldn't bear it anymore: "Let her express herself." I felt a certain guilt about this situation; if I hadn't negotiated, perhaps he wouldn't have let his guard down and wouldn't have died. But there are no 'maybes' in this world; what has happened cannot be changed.
After I said this, Zhang Tong looked up at me for a moment before burying her head in her hands again.
All around us was thick underbrush, making it uncomfortable in this situation. Although we held a map in our hands, we had no idea how to read it.
We couldn't even determine our basic direction or location. Those who could were currently overwhelmed by their emotions and venting their feelings. Reluctantly, we had no choice but to stay put and wait.
The night was like a thick ink diluted in water, slowly dissolving until dawn arrived.
A hazy light unveiled the new day. Hunger and fatigue, combined with fear, had caused them to sleep through the night. I kept watch, waiting for the sun to rise…
I rubbed my bleary eyes and released the accumulated waste from my body after a long night. Suddenly, I noticed movement among the distant trees, even though there was no wind.
I quickly realized that our presence had been discovered; they were now searching the mountains. We had to retreat. Fat Ma, armed with several guns, insisted on confronting them head-on.
I cursed, " Fat Ma, you must be out of your mind! Going in like this will surely get us killed."
Fat Ma retorted defiantly, "Comrade says power comes from the barrel of a gun. Besides, what's a few dead Vietnamese?"
"This isn't just about your life; there are others to consider."
It was this statement that finally silenced Fat Ma.
We began to move. Zhang Tong's spirits had also improved somewhat. We shifted deeper into the mountains, advancing cautiously along the rugged paths. The ground was littered with strange rocks and tangled with withered vines that had lost their moisture. The weeds grew taller than us, causing an especially uncomfortable prickling sensation.
Fat Ma led the way, clearing obstacles with a carefree attitude. This made our journey a bit easier, though he continued to curse incessantly.
At that moment, the sun began to rise slowly but not too fiercely. The air felt charged with restless energy, creating a stifling atmosphere that stirred unease within us.
I took up the rear, keeping a close watch on our surroundings. There was no sound behind us; it seemed they hadn’t found our trail. Still, I dared not let my guard down; our lives depended on it.
We pressed further into the mountains, aimlessly wandering like headless flies.
Suddenly, Zhang Tong spoke up: "We can't go any further." Her voice wasn't loud, but in this silent and oppressive environment, everyone heard her.
We stopped in our tracks. As soon as she finished speaking, she dashed away and climbed up a sturdy tree with remarkable agility. I stood there, somewhat dumbfounded; this was a far cry from her earlier tearful demeanor. She reached a high branch, gripping the trunk tightly with her feet, and scanned the distance for a moment before jumping down.
We had strayed further from our destination, and she held the sheepskin map in her hands.
I glanced up at the sky, feeling a wave of dizziness wash over me.
"Come over here and take a look."
We quickly formed a circle around her. Zhang Tong pointed at the map and said, "We're currently on this hill, but we need to get to the hill across from us. If we push forward, we might run into guards, which would complicate things even more."
The border with Vietnam is quite extensive, and that hill across seems to be part of it as well, which could be dangerous. However, the fervor of the Sino-Vietnamese War has long passed, so it should be manageable.
The biggest challenge we faced now was how to deal with the bandits pursuing us.
Once we made it to the other hill, we could use the Luoyang Shovel to secure our position; hiding in the tomb would deter anyone from daring to enter.
First, we needed to determine our route. None of us were experts in this area, so it was up to Zhang Tong to make the call.
Zhang Tong climbed back up the tree with impressive dexterity.
After observing for a while, she quickly showcased her talent. She was quite adept at reading the map and explained everything clearly before confirming a route for us.
Next, our obstacle lay between the two hills: a deep ravine and that village situated in the valley. Given our current situation, we would have to take a longer detour.
Comment 0 Comment Count