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墨書 Inktalez
Every farewell brings an unexpected separation. Gal, due to the severity of his leg injury, had to stay behind to be cared for by the tribe. Although their time together was short, this local police officer, who always bravely charged forward, gave off a sense of genuine warmth and sincerity. Unconcerned with worldly matters yet always willing to help, that was Gal.
Lin Yi felt reluctant in his heart, but considering the reality of the situation, he had to let Gal stay. Of course, in order to ensure that their deep revolutionary friendship would not be hindered by distance, they exchanged contact information.
Now Jerry was responsible for leading them to a safe place. No matter what reason Pearl Amigal had for entrusting her grandson to a stranger with whom she only shared a fleeting connection, Lin Yi had no choice but to accept it. After all, he didn't know what lay ahead on their journey.
"Is this Jerry reliable?" Lin Yi leaned closer to Wu Hao, his face filled with doubt. At this moment, Wu Hao was like his consultant on Ability Users; whenever he had questions, he would turn to him.
"Actually, the most common Abilities are mostly mental types. People like him who possess others' abilities can also be found among advanced hypnotists. However, they do it skillfully. Since this tribe has managed to deceive even crocodiles, I can't say how proficient they are in hypnosis," Wu Hao pondered and shared what he knew.
Lin Yi frowned, regretting bringing such an unfamiliar person into his team. A new worry crept into his mind: "What if he hypnotizes us and kills us?"
"That doesn't make sense; if he wanted to kill us, those crocodiles would suffice. This tribe must have some unspoken issues for things to be this way. I get the feeling that Ritual is carrying a heavy burden," Wu Hao analyzed. After hearing this, Lin Yi felt that there was indeed no need to worry too much about those issues.
Thus, the group marched silently throughout the day. Everyone was exhausted from the journey, and their spirits were understandably low. Lin Yi sometimes tried to make Li Qiweng smile, but while Li Qiweng complied, it was clearly forced. Each person harbored some unshakeable worries; after all, the sudden appearance of zombies left many unresolved concerns hanging in the air.
As dusk approached, Jerry led them to a river about thirty meters wide. He informed them that although the tribe had some vehicles, the chief took them all when he left. So now they could only walk and had finally reached their destination.
"Jerry, where does this river lead?" Lin Yi knew that crossing it would take them into Ethiopia but wasn't clear on the specifics.
"Lake Jowu; it's a saltwater lake like Turkana Lake," Jerry replied succinctly.
Their goal was a tribe called Kaimbadi near Lake Jowu; its chief was a brother of Pearl Amigal. Lin Yi and his group were going to find that chief in hopes of securing protection for a while to survive this disaster.
Since the path ahead was already laid out, there was no need for hesitation. Several simple wooden rafts were moored in the river; it seemed that the Maasai Tribe had also been active in this area recently.
The group split into three teams and boarded the rafts to begin their crossing of the border line. Although the Masai Tribe was relatively large, Jerry couldn't just lead people across another country's border at will. Therefore, they planned their crossing for nighttime since this area was desolate and even border patrols rarely came here.
All that could be heard was the sound of the oars slicing through the water, and everyone took advantage of this rare moment to rest. The ones rowing the boat were Pearl Amigal, Witerson II, and Akin. Both Witerson II and Akin lived by the coast and were quite familiar with rowing. The current was flowing downstream, making it relatively easy for them. Lin Yi watched as they seemed to handle it effortlessly and volunteered to take over for Witerson II for a while. Despite Lin Yi's best efforts to control his body and row properly, he nearly fell into the river several times if not for Witerson II standing nearby.
When Lin Yi returned to his seat, Li Qiweng teased him mercilessly, causing Lin Yi's face to turn red. Seizing the opportunity, Li Qiweng insisted on finding a way to help Lin Yi improve his physical condition and flexibility. However, when Lin Yi asked how he could improve, Li Qiweng only smiled ambiguously and did not reveal her plans.
Although they were moving smoothly with the current, the journey was still long. Those who could row took turns replacing one another, and finally, around four in the morning, the river suddenly opened up before them, indicating they had arrived at Lake Jowu.
"Alright, everyone turn off your flashlights; there will be border patrols coming through here," Jerry said as he noticed the vast reflection of light on the lake's surface, feeling a sense of foreboding.
In remote lakes like this one, the most terrifying presence is often not the patrols that may never appear but rather the indigenous creatures that have inhabited this place long before any humans set foot here.
Lake Jowu is not just a shimmering expanse of water; it also contains large swamps. Within these marshes, covered in various vegetation, dwell numerous native beings. They might usually be quiet, but they become unpredictable when outsiders arrive.
At the very moment all lights went out, the lake surface began to surge violently as if some colossal creature was about to emerge from beneath. The wooden raft that had been gliding smoothly now felt as though it might capsize at any moment due to the lake's tremendous upheaval.
"What’s happening?" Lin Yi shouted at Jerry, unable to shake off his suspicion that Jerry had led them into something dangerous.
"I don’t know; this is my first time here too!" Jerry waved his hands in confusion.
The commotion on the water grew louder, suggesting that some mysterious entity was about to break through the surface. But in the pitch darkness, nothing could be seen.
"Quick! Turn on the lights!" Lin Yi had no choice but to risk turning on all their lights; otherwise, they wouldn’t even know how they might perish.
As the lights flickered on all at once, the nearby lake illuminated as bright as day. At that moment, however, the lake suddenly fell silent; those unknown creatures seemed to vanish instantly.
The moment before dawn is often the darkest; everyone felt as if they were adrift in an endless corner of the universe. There was nothing around them—only their group on a solitary raft moving forward. The feeling of isolation intensified as the infinite darkness reaffirmed its power, stirring deep-seated fears within each person.
The lights frantically scanned the surrounding water surface, but everything that had just occurred felt like an illusion; now, Lake Jowu was eerily calm. The surrounding darkness combined with recent events sent waves of fear crashing into everyone's hearts. Li Qiweng tightly grasped Lin Yi's hand in a moment of consciousness; she felt her own fear rising.
Just when everyone's nerves were at their breaking point, a sudden loud crash echoed through the air. The raft that Lin Yi was on was violently thrust three meters into the sky by an immense force. In that fleeting moment as the raft soared, everyone caught a glimpse of a vague figure resembling a giant python, its skin rough and textured.
Lin Yi felt a sharp pain coursing through his body as he was propelled into the air, the salty water splashing against him made his eardrums ring. Before he could react, he began to plummet back down.
This is bad; that enormous creature below must want to eat me. The thought barely crossed his mind before he plunged into the lake. Unable to swim, he flailed his limbs desperately, trying to stay afloat. Li Qiweng quickly swam over to Lin Yi's side, preventing him from drowning.
Then, something miraculous happened. The raft that had just been sent flying seemed to sprout wings and slowly descended back onto the water's surface, with some people still on it who hadn’t fallen off. Without thinking much, Li Qiweng helped Lin Yi swim over and climb back onto the raft. Standing on it provided a sense of safety from the monstrous creature lurking below.
"Well done, Douglas! You've finally mastered your psychic power!" Wu Hao shouted from another boat, clearly elated.
It turned out that Douglas had just used his Psychic Power to envelop the raft and its occupants. However, since he wasn't yet fully adept at it, he only realized Lin Yi and Li Qiweng had fallen after it happened. He then used his Psychic Power to stabilize the raft’s descent, ensuring that most people remained dry.
But there was no time for celebration; the creature was still prowling around, seemingly unwilling to leave without causing trouble.
“Douglas, can your Psychic Power control that thing?” Lin Yi felt a surge of hope in Douglas's abilities.
To Lin Yi's disappointment, Douglas shook his head. “It’s in the water; I can’t seem to control it.”
“Alright everyone, use your guns! That’s all we can do!” Lin Yi decided without regard for attracting the attention of border patrol forces.
Just then, the roar of engines echoed nearby as bright searchlights illuminated them.
“We are the Ethiopian Border Patrol! Raise your hands or we will open fire!” Two speedboats designed for lake operations sped towards them, locking onto their positions with overwhelming firepower before anyone could prepare.
It seemed that survival was uncertain now. Although Lin Yi thought this way, he was not one to give up easily. He slowly moved next to Jerry and whispered a few instructions.
The arrival of the border patrol seemed to have intimidated the creature in the water; it remained eerily still. Lin Yi and his companions were disarmed by the border patrol and swiftly taken aboard their speedboat without any chance for negotiation or escape.
"Look at me, I'm a good person," Jerry suddenly said to one of the officer-like figures.
The officer, confused, instinctively looked at Jerry, and his expression immediately became vacant. Jerry then whispered, "Quick, we are friends. Tell your soldiers not to bind us."
The officer complied, and while the soldiers were momentarily distracted, Jerry took the opportunity to hypnotize a few more of them. The first to react was Wu Hao, who shouted, "Grab their weapons!"
Having all experienced life-and-death situations, they quickly understood the gravity of the moment. Taking advantage of the soldiers' confusion, they swiftly subdued them and tossed them onto the wooden raft. After all, the speedboat was faster than the raft, and they needed to escape quickly. Even if they encountered other patrols, there was still a chance to slip away unnoticed.
As dawn approached, Lin Yi decided it was time to head ashore. Two speedboats were operated by Pachy and Bai; both had experience with such vehicles.
Meanwhile, the unfortunate officer remained unconscious on the raft along with his soldiers as the speedboat revved back to life.
Just as they were about to leave, a figure that had been lurking suddenly lunged out and overturned the raft where the officer was seated. In that instant, Lin Yi caught a glimpse of the creature illuminated by the speedboat's bright lights. It was a python—or rather, it resembled one—but there was something familiar about its scent. It was the appearance of a human transformed by the Zombie Virus into a state of Corpseification! For some unknown reason, this giant python had also succumbed to the effects of the virus!
"Fire!" In a split second, everyone raised their guns and fired at the leaping Corpseified python.
A sound resembling both weeping and wailing pierced through the last remnants of darkness before dawn.
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