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墨書 Inktalez
“Loyalty and Righteousness, that Mysterious Old Man you always talk about, where is he? I've never seen him even once,” Jenny asked me, her gaze a bit strange. I couldn't quite place what kind of look it was; it was complex, just like before.
“I haven't seen him either,” both Mantou and Big Guy said almost in unison. After they finished speaking, they exchanged a glance and then ignored each other.
“You can’t see him when you want to; he might just show up when you don’t,” Jiao Ba teased, sounding bored.
I looked at Mai Lao and said something crucial, “This little island should be our next stop.”
“Oh? Is it because of that group of black Strange Snakes?” Mai Lao really is perceptive; he guessed my thoughts right away.
“Yes, those black snakes are identical to the ones in the Wreck forbidden area. Isn’t that enough to explain everything?” I firmly believed that this mysterious deserted island was definitely our next destination.
“I think Brother Yi has a point. Those black snakes aren’t ordinary creatures; it’s too coincidental,” Jiao Ba agreed with my statement.
After pondering for a few seconds, Mai Lao said, “It’s possible, but we can’t say for sure. We’ll have to investigate ourselves.”
“Yes, we should take a good look around,” I replied.
Li Xin had been silent the whole time. I turned to glance at her; her eyes were fixed on me. I smiled at her, “How are you? Are you okay? That was really close just now.”
She gently shook her head but still didn’t say a word. Instead, she looked at me with a very unusual expression. “What’s wrong? Did I scare you too?” I walked over and waved my hand in front of her.
Li Xin wasn’t polite at all; she swatted my hand away and her expression returned to its previous coldness. “I’m fine. Thank you for earlier.”
"There's no need to be polite; aren't we a team?" I said with a smile. This woman looked even more beautiful up close. Despite the days spent in the wind and rain, her beauty remained unchanged, still as cold and enchanting as ever.
At that moment, Mai Lao called out to everyone, "Alright, alright, let's not discuss this for now. Regardless of who sounded the alarm, they have temporarily helped Loyalty and Righteousness and us as well. But speaking of which, what is this person's true intention? What are they really up to? Now that they have saved you, it doesn't necessarily mean they are genuinely helping you. We should still be cautious."
"I understand, Mai Lao. Until we clarify the situation, that Mysterious Old Man is still an enemy." I put away my Diving Knife and wiped the sweat from my face; I was completely soaked, and it felt uncomfortable.
"That's good to hear. The place we're in is extremely dangerous. That old man you mentioned can survive in this environment; he is definitely not an ordinary person. As you've all seen, this desolate mountain island is filled with bizarre and terrifying creatures, not to mention the ghostly shadows underwater. It's hardly a place for humans," Mai Lao seemed a bit agitated; he usually didn't talk this much.
"If you ask me, based on what Loyalty and Righteousness said, I feel that old man isn't human at all; he might even be a ghost," Big Guy chimed in with his usual flair for the supernatural whenever he encountered something he couldn't understand.
"Nonsense! There are no ghosts here," Li Xin scoffed, giving Big Guy no face at all.
Mai Lao glanced at the sky and said, "Alright, it's getting late. The mountain is just ahead. Let's set these matters aside for now; we can discuss them after we reach the top. The problems will eventually be resolved."
"Yeah, let's go." Just as we were about to head up the mountain, Jenny approached me and said, "Loyalty and Righteousness, about what happened earlier..."
"Okay, no need to say thank you; my ears are almost calloused from hearing it," I smiled at her.
Jenny's face turned slightly red as she replied, "You're annoying! How did you know I wanted to thank you?"
"Because you hardly say anything else to me except thank you," I raised an eyebrow at her. This girl seemed only capable of expressing gratitude; if I had actually died earlier, I wondered if she would shed even a single tear for me.
"Once we leave here, I'll talk to you about other things," Jenny glanced at me before turning to walk away.
At that moment, Jiao Ba leaned in close and whispered mischievously in my ear, "Brother Yi, I think you've got a chance; it seems Jenny has some feelings for you."
"What's the point? Life and death are uncertain; who has the time to ponder this?" I replied irritably.
"What about Li Xin? I saw everything just now; her gaze towards you has changed. You saved her this time, so it must have altered her previous opinion of you."
This guy, while useless in other areas, was quite observant. I shot him a glare and pushed him away. "Alright, alright, just hurry up and get lost."
Just as we were about to leave, my peripheral vision caught sight of a figure not far to my right. I slowly turned my head and, sure enough, it was that frail old man again. This time he was hiding behind a Soul-Devouring Grass, revealing only half of his body as he watched us.
The Soul-Devouring Grass surprisingly did not attack him. It seemed that the strange 'wailing' sound earlier must have been made by him. I had a feeling he was trying to hint at something, but he couldn't articulate it. He must have his reasons for following me.
After staring at him for a few seconds, I got up and left. I still didn't understand what he meant, but since he was willing to follow us, let him come along.
We passed through the area of Soul-Devouring Grass and walked for a while longer until we finally exited the entire jungle. As we stepped out, the sea breeze hit us again, bringing with it a chill.
I couldn't help but shiver and muttered, "It's so damn cold; why is the wind so strong?" I hadn't felt it while in the jungle, but now that we were outside, it was clearly two different temperatures. Normally, the jungle should be cool while outside would be warm, but this cursed place was just the opposite of other jungles.
"Yeah, not only is the wind strong, but look! It seems like the weather is about to change," Mai Lao said as he looked up at the sky, his expression turning grim.
I looked up too; it had grown dark. Earlier it was just dim, but now it was completely pitch black. There wasn't a single star in the sky, and the clouds were thickening above us as if they were right over our heads, creating a sense of unease and tension.
Occasionally, faint rumbles of thunder echoed around the small island. "Looks like it's going to rain again. This Demon Island is either cloudy or rainy," I cursed in frustration.
"Oh my God, we finally made it out," Jiao Ba gasped for breath, looking somewhat exhausted.
"Everyone, stay alert. Once we climb up the slope ahead, we'll be at the foot of the mountain," Mai Lao said as he turned on his flashlight and scanned the surroundings. Aside from some trees, there was nothing else in sight.
At the base of the mountain, there was a slope that wasn't very high, but it seemed to cover a large area. I just hoped the path would be manageable and that we wouldn't encounter any more 'chaotic' things.
I looked up at the peaks ahead again. As we got closer, the visual impact was noticeably different, and it struck me in a way that made me feel a bit timid. The entire mountain exuded a calm yet ominous aura of death, reminiscent of the two wrecks we had seen earlier.
Before us stood three peaks. Although it was quite dark, we could still make out their shapes clearly. The tallest one was in the middle, while the two flanking it appeared significantly lower.
These mountains should have been majestic and grand, but under these circumstances, they took on a sinister and terrifying aspect, resembling a vampire's castle shrouded in an eerie and mysterious hue.
There seemed to be a peculiar smell in the air that I couldn't quite identify; it was unpleasant and almost unbearable. Yet, others didn't seem to notice it. Perhaps I was just overly sensitive or imagining things.
When the sea breeze blew past, the peaks howled like ghosts. It truly felt like we were in a haunted realm, enveloped in darkness that made everyone uneasy.
"Stop dawdling! Let's go; once we head up, we'll be at the base of the mountain," Mai Lao urged everyone to move quickly.
At that moment, Jiao Ba suddenly chimed in, "I'm hungry again. Does anyone have food?"
"Why do you sound like a starving ghost? You keep complaining about being hungry!" Jiao Ba had been whining about hunger since we arrived on the island.
"Come on, Brother Yi! We haven't eaten anything for almost a day! Aren't you hungry?" Jiao Ba insisted with conviction.
Truth be told, I was starving too; I just hadn't realized how much until now amidst all this peril. "I'm not hungry; even if I were, there's nothing to eat," I replied helplessly. My empty stomach made me feel cold all over.
"Yeah, we've been hungry for a while now, but there's nothing to eat," Mantou complained again, just like Jiao Bayi, who had been constantly whining about his hunger.
"Mai Lao, think of something. At this rate, we won't have the strength to walk," Jiao Ba said as he squatted down on the ground, looking utterly exhausted.
Jenny glanced at Mai Lao and said, "Mai Lao, we really need a solution. I can see everyone is running out of energy." Jenny's face also looked quite pale; after all the trouble they had gone through, no one could bear to go without food any longer.
Mai Lao looked troubled and replied, "I know, I'm just as hungry as you are. But what can we find to eat on this deserted island?"
Out of nowhere, Shunzi produced a few Doll Fruits and held them in his hands. "There's definitely no food left, but we have these."
Jiao Bayi snatched one from him. "Hey, having this is better than nothing. At least we won't starve," he said as he sliced one open and gulped it down. The others each took a share of the remaining fruits, enough to stave off their hunger for the time being.
I took a few sips and then handed the rest to Shunzi. "Where did you get these? I thought we had already finished our supplies. This is truly a lifesaver."
Shunzi grinned sheepishly and said, "That night, I secretly stashed away a few more just in case."
I patted his arm and said, "Smart thinking."
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