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墨書 Inktalez
When I regained consciousness, my entire body felt as if it had been shattered, especially around my right ribcage, where even taking a breath sent sharp pains coursing through me.
In a daze, I heard a faint murmur of voices that sounded like my junior brother, though I couldn't be sure. Before I could discern anything clearly, the sound was swallowed by the howling wind. This must be a windy spot.
Memories began to coalesce bit by bit. I recalled being chased by a ground fissure wide as a wheel, then reaching a three-way intersection. I leaped and crashed into granite, falling into a dark abyss... Just when I thought I was about to die, it was my junior brother who saved me with his technique, but in my recollection, I didn't want him to save me. After that... my memories faded away; I must have lost consciousness.
My eyelids felt heavy and sore. The voices wrapped in the wind returned, seemingly calling my name. Suddenly, my shoulder was shaken, and I felt something cool on my lips as liquid seeped in.
I tried to lift my eyelids and struggled for a moment before finally catching a glimpse of light. As the gap widened, a large black spherical object blocked my view. My junior brother's noisy voice followed closely: "Your eyes are open... You're awake! Finally awake! Senior Brother, can you hear me?"
I blinked; I could hear him perfectly well. My vision gradually shifted from blinding white to something more defined. As I focused, I realized that the black sphere was actually my junior brother's head. I wondered why he was so close to me when out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of the granite overhead—less than a meter above me—no wonder he couldn't even straighten his back under the weight.
A Li supported me as I leaned against the wall, and suddenly my field of vision expanded, but only backward; sitting up nearly brought my head into contact with the stone above. It was a rectangular space less than a meter high and wide but seemingly endless in length, giving off an oppressive feeling that made me think of a coffin.
Everyone talks about rising to wealth and power, but lying in a coffin doesn’t feel nearly as good as being rich. There was an invisible pressure all around that made it hard to breathe; it felt suffocating. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to lie in an actual coffin. But then again, thinking about it further made me realize it was pointless—what feelings could one have when they were dead? None at all!
I noticed several places on my body were wrapped in bandages; it seemed I'd taken quite a fall. A Li poured me another cup of water. I knew resources were tight; during our earlier rationing of water, we had realized our estimates were overly optimistic—the amount we brought would barely suffice for three people under strain. Now that there was an extra person with us, we could only conserve what little we had left. So, after moistening my throat slightly, I asked A Li to put it away and inquired about what had happened.
A Li's gaze appeared melancholic, as if she faced something beyond her control. I steeled myself internally for whatever she might say, but after hearing her explanation, I still found it hard to believe; everything felt utterly confusing.
Her account was concise and clear: we had come to this place twice, but each time we arrived at different locations.
A Li and Old Qiao fled desperately to the Three-Way Intersection. Out of habit, they chose the middle path, only to be met with a sudden drop half a meter wide. Caught off guard, neither of them had time to react, and they both stumbled, nearly falling into the abyss. However, A Li, a true heroine, managed to grab onto the edge just in time with her Nine-Tailed Whip, saving both their lives.
After struggling to climb back up, they found that the passage ahead had narrowed significantly but was still wide enough for a double-decker tourist bus to pass through. Old Qiao was at his limit; his body was exhausted and his consciousness fading. All his weight pressed down on A Li, who was too slender to bear it. After expending so much energy during their earlier ordeal, when Old Qiao's full weight landed on her, A Li could barely keep her balance and fell to the ground.
Realizing that getting up and moving forward was impossible—both due to Old Qiao's condition and her own fatigue—A Li concluded that their only option was to set up camp right there.
Having volunteered for three months at a rural health clinic, A Li was skilled in first aid and quickly attended to Old Qiao's wounds. While she worried about the situation back home, she couldn't just leave Old Qiao behind. Just as she was caught in this dilemma, Old Qiao suddenly stirred awake.
His first words were, "Goodness, this tomb raider's tunnel... it must be at least a thousand years old." With the instincts of a seasoned Tomb Raider, he deduced that there must be a hidden tunnel within three meters of where they were.
"A hidden tunnel? That's what we call a Tomb Raider's secret passage," Old Qiao explained with surprising clarity, showing no signs of having just awakened from unconsciousness. "Digging these tunnels is fundamental for every Tomb Raider. Of course, there are varying levels of expertise. A high-level tunnel is precisely located; when it hits the coffin lid, it hits it perfectly without deviation! Moreover, efficiency is key; one must use minimal effort to achieve maximum results. What about the soil that’s dug up? Should the tunnel go straight or in a zigzag pattern? How do you determine that? If you encounter security traps like quicksand, mercury, venom, or gas during the digging process... how do you handle those? All these factors test a Tomb Raider's skills."
"So," Old Qiao concluded after stroking his chin thoughtfully, "while digging a hidden tunnel may seem simple—just like a mouse burrowing through dirt—it’s actually quite complex."
With that, he leaned against the wall and crouched down, running his fingers along the surface as he sniffed exaggeratedly like a dog. After taking five steps, he exclaimed, "Found it!" and stopped.
A Li followed his gaze to where his finger pressed against a piece of granite about seventy centimeters off the ground. Its color and texture were indistinguishable from the surrounding rock; she couldn’t fathom how he had detected it.
However, recalling how Old Qiao had previously identified hidden layers behind stone walls with just a few fingers—a skill honed over time—A Li decided not to question him further. Instead, she asked directly, "Qiao Brother, is that hidden tunnel right here?"
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