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墨書 Inktalez
Seeing that both of them had fallen silent, Mai Lao calmed down and said to me, "Loyalty and Righteousness, we need to think of a way quickly. We have to try to reach the foot of the mountain before dark; time is running out."
"I'm thinking, just give me a little more time," I replied, trying to deceive him as much as myself. What could I do? Even Jiao Ba was at a loss, let alone me. Those Soul-Devouring Grasses belonged to the realm of evil spirits, and I had no means to deal with them.
Suddenly, Big Guy chimed in again, "I have an idea. Don't we have grenades? We can blow a path through!"
"What kind of international joke is that? You’ve seen how vast this jungle is; do you think those eight grenades will be enough? By the time you blow a hole through, we’ll have run out of grenades," I scoffed. Big Guy only knew how to use grenades and was completely unwilling to think outside the box.
"Then... what should we do? If it doesn’t work, we can just blow as far as we can," Big Guy insisted on using the grenades.
This time, I didn’t need to speak up; Mai Lao directly dismissed him. "Forget about the grenades. It’s better not to use them at all than to blow up halfway and end up dead."
Big Guy fell silent at Mai Lao's words and lowered his head to sit down.
"If only we had a big knife, it would be easier; we could just cut through these strange flowers," Mantou said with a pout.
"Cut through? Look how tall and thick those flowers are. Before you even manage to cut one down, you’d be dead yourself. Besides, we don’t even have any knives; stop talking nonsense," Big Guy finally showed some sense and realized the futility of that idea.
Li Xin suddenly asked, "Changshan, do you have a plan?"
Changshan glanced at her and seemed a bit troubled as he said, "I do have an idea, but I'm not sure if it will work."
"What is it? Let’s hear it," Jiao Bayi urged eagerly upon hearing that Changshan had a plan.
"From what I observed earlier, these strange grasses don’t seem to attack humans unless we come into contact with them. If that’s the case, then it becomes easier. We just need to verify one thing: these strange grasses definitely won’t attack unless provoked. Only then can we find a way through this jungle," Changshan analyzed comprehensively. This person was indeed extraordinary; I needed to find time to investigate his background.
"They will attack if we're too close; human scent attracts their attention," Jiao Ba added promptly.
"How do you know that, Jiao Ba?" Jenny asked him in surprise.
"Yes, Jiao Ba, you seem to know a lot about these strange flowers," Li Xin said, casting a cold glance at him.
At that moment, aside from me and Mai Lao, I noticed that the others were looking at Jiao Ba with somewhat unfriendly eyes.
Jiao Ba glanced around nervously and quickly explained, "Why are you all looking at me like that? I'm not a bad person. The reason I know is that I've seen them before." In his anxiety, he decided to be honest.
"Then you've seen them? Why didn't you say so earlier?" Jenny asked, a bit angrily.
"Forget it, Jenny. Jiao Ba used to be a tomb raider; it's not surprising that he's encountered some strange things," Li Xin interjected, pulling the conversation back. I didn't quite understand what she meant.
"Alright, stop asking me. Changshan, tell us your plan," Jiao Ba said, shaking off the tension and getting straight to the point.
"We can use branches to divert their attacks. While they're focused on the branches, we can escape. But time is of the essence; everyone needs to stick together. If anyone falls behind, it could be fatal," Changshan explained, mimicking a throat-slitting gesture with his hand.
Jiao Ba and I exchanged glances. He nodded at me, indicating that Changshan's plan was feasible. It seemed Jiao Ba had no better options either; if he had been absolutely sure of something else, he would have spoken up by now. For now, this was the only way forward.
"Don't we have this?" Big Guy said, holding up the spear I had made from a branch and waving it around.
Shunzi immediately replied, "That won't work! This is our only weapon right now. What if we lose it and encounter danger?"
"Yes, Shunzi is right. This spear could be crucial in a tight spot. Loyalty and Righteousness, what do you think?" Mai Lao asked me.
"We have to try it regardless of the outcome. I agree with Changshan's decision," I stated first, wanting to break the stalemate.
"I agree too," Jiao Ba chimed in second.
Mai Lao followed up with, "Then let's do it this way; we'll go with Changshan's plan. Everyone get ready."
Seeing that Mai Lao had agreed, the others had no room to oppose and could only follow along. Everyone knew this was another gamble for their lives. Ever since we set foot on this island, every step we took felt like a wager on our existence. Who knew if fate would still favor us this time?
We searched around for some longer branches and each of us ended up with several in hand; better safe than sorry. I felt a bit anxious inside, but when I saw the determined expressions on the others' faces, my nervousness faded away. Each person held onto a strong belief in their desire for life and victory.
"Stay close behind me, both of you, and don't fall behind," I said, turning to Jenny and Li Xin. After all, they were women, and when it came to serious matters, I worried they might struggle to keep up with us men.
"I'll keep up," Jenny nodded at me.
Li Xin didn't say a word, but from the look in her eyes, I understood her message: she could handle herself, and I didn't need to worry about her.
Changshan and Mai Lao took the lead. "Is everyone ready?" Changshan called back.
"Let's go; we're all set." I suddenly felt as if we were heading into battle, and everyone was on high alert.
"Keep pace with me," Mai Lao shouted before plunging into the dense jungle of Soul-Devouring Grass. Just as he started moving, I turned my head and caught sight of the Mysterious Shriveled Old Man standing not far from us, his gaze fixed intently on our group.
He was still hiding behind a large tree in the jungle to our left. Why did this old ghost keep following us? I suddenly wondered if this Shriveled Old Man was toying with us, wanting to witness our demise firsthand.
All I felt for him now was hatred. A second later, he vanished from sight. "Everyone be careful and watch your surroundings," Mike's voice rang out ahead.
Jenny, Li Xin, and I were in the middle. Jiao Ba had come along this time as well. Once we entered the jungle, Changshan initiated his plan. He signaled for everyone to stop and struck the nearest Soul-Devouring Grass with a branch.
As soon as the branch made contact with the Soul-Devouring Grass, the surrounding grass began to attack. Seizing this moment, Mai Lao suddenly shouted, "Run!"
Changshan and Mai Lao darted forward, and Shunzi and the others quickly followed suit. I grabbed Jenny's arm and pulled her along as we rushed forward. After we made it through, I glanced back to see that Li Xin and Jiao Ba had also made it safely.
Changshan switched branches and began striking at the Soul-Devouring Grass ahead again. Everything flowed seamlessly; there was no time to pause. In fact, by the time he passed through the previous patch of Soul-Devouring Grass, he had already taken action. If he hesitated, there would be no way forward, and he would be easily attacked.
Just like before, as soon as he struck again, the surrounding Soul-Devouring Grass launched another assault. We took advantage of this opportunity to move quickly onward; we couldn't afford to stop in between—we had to keep going in one breath. Changshan and Mai Lao were crucial in this endeavor.
So throughout our journey, it was as if Changshan and Mai Lao were continuously clearing a path ahead while we closely followed behind them. As long as nothing unexpected happened, we should be able to safely traverse this area filled with Soul-Devouring Grass.
Indeed, Mai Lao and Changshan were impressive; their teamwork was seamless and their speed remarkable. They darted through the jungle with agility that even surpassed special forces.
The rest of us crouched low and hurriedly kept pace behind them. Mai Lao consistently reminded us along the way, "Go! Hurry up! Stay close! Don't fall behind—keep an eye on those beside you."
We were getting closer to the foot of the hill, and all along the way, I had been pulling Jenny along, worried that she might fall behind. If anything went wrong, it would be too late for regrets. Just as we were about to burst out of the jungle, an unexpected event occurred.
As I hurriedly pulled Jenny forward, Li Xin suddenly shouted from behind, catching my attention. I quickly turned around and was nearly drenched in cold sweat. I was shocked to see a group of black snakes had appeared right in front of Li Xin.
There were at least a dozen of these black snakes, standing upright and staring at Li Xin, ready to strike at any moment. I felt like I had seen this kind of black snake before.
Suddenly, it hit me: I had encountered these black snakes in the forbidden area of the Ming Dynasty Shipwreck. They had those oval-shaped heads and no eyes, with slender bodies—these were the Strange Snakes.
How did these Strange Snakes end up here? It dawned on me that this mysterious and eerie little island must be our next destination, and these black snakes were the best proof of that.
Everything happened so quickly. When Li Xin stopped, Jiao Ba and the others had no choice but to halt as well.
Jiao Ba shouted from the back in a panic, "Why did the ones in front stop? Keep moving! I can't hold on much longer!"
At that moment, I noticed how dangerously close the Soul-Devouring Grass was to Li Xin and the others. Jiao Ba was desperately using the few branches he had left to fend them off.
Once those branches ran out and he had nothing left to distract the Soul-Devouring Grass, they would be finished—each one would become a soulless husk.
Now they had nowhere to go; they were blocked by the Strange Snakes in front while surrounded by the Soul-Devouring Grass behind. It was more dangerous than being trapped with enemies on all sides...
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