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墨書 Inktalez
As people journey towards an unknown destination, they often feel the road is long and arduous. Despite having traveled for a while, the destination still seems far away, and with each step, fatigue sets in, making the journey feel even longer. However, when they finally reach their endpoint and look back, the path they once complained about suddenly doesn’t seem so distant. A glance at the watch reveals that not much time has actually passed.
At this moment, Song Jiu and her companion shared this sentiment. Although the road beneath their feet remained challenging, it no longer felt as daunting as before. When they set out, Song Jiu checked her watch; they traversed the dense forest before the camp, following the trail they had taken earlier through the muddy wasteland. They identified their direction and pressed on without pause until they reached the base of a steep slope. Checking her watch again, she realized they had saved half an hour of time.
Since the journey was not as long as they had imagined, why hadn’t Song Yao and the others caught up yet?
Song Jiu rubbed her twitching eyelid, silently mocking herself for being paranoid. If they were in an ancient city surrounded by strong enemies, leaving just the two of them would indeed be dangerous. But on this desolate National Highway, she was confident that experienced players like Song Yao and Luo Yu wouldn’t run into trouble—unless that Blonde Woman had been secretly watching them all along.
Jin Bo didn’t dwell on such thoughts. He marked a spot visibly and rolled up his sleeves to climb up. Descending at such an angle posed a risk of slipping, but ascending was relatively safe; it would only require some effort, and they certainly had plenty of that to spare. The footprints from two hours ago were still clearly visible; the marks left by their squad were evident, allowing them to climb without worrying about losing their way. The dense grass and shrubs on the slope rustled with sounds; night insects remained awake, quietly observing as two hefty figures crawled upward, occasionally emitting low sounds that could either be encouragement or mockery.
After about half an hour, they successfully reached the spot where the ropes descended. Two safety ropes lay quietly against the cliff wall; the locking carabiners at their ends were still fastened, indicating that no one had come down after them.
Song Jiu frowned slightly, suppressing her growing unease as she unfastened a carabiner and handed the rope to Jin Bo. His hands were injured, slowing his climbing speed. Jin Bo quickly took hold of it and nimbly ascended first, able to assist with pulling as well.
He spat into his palm to grip the safety rope securely, grinning widely before climbing up with agility reminiscent of a monkey. Without any lighting conditions, his speed was impressive; all she could do was marvel at it. Song Jiu stood below, craning her neck to look up. Jin Bo signaled her at intervals until he became indistinct against the backdrop of darkness; faint glimmers from his lighter flickered intermittently.
A few minutes later, both ropes began to sway rhythmically in succession—Jin Bo had safely reached the top. Naturally, they wouldn’t treat this situation lightly; he carefully surveyed his surroundings for any unusual signs before preparing to head along the wide and deep road to find their companions. However, just as they stepped out a short distance from where they were standing, a bright beam of light shot around a bend ahead.
The three of them froze momentarily before rushing around the corner to see Yang Xiaomeng’s vehicle.
“Just a false alarm,” Jin Bo sighed in relief, dramatically patting his chest.
Song Jiu nodded silently in agreement, feeling equally relieved. However, there was only one vehicle arriving; it seemed that the graduate student and Yuan An hadn’t found suitable transportation either. Ultimately, all four would have to return together for now.
Indeed, the headlights illuminated the figures of three people. The high beams suddenly switched to low, and the car slowed down. In just a few blinks, the Roewe Sedan, covered in dust, came to a stop in front of them.
As the car approached and parked, the relaxed expressions on Song Jiu and Jin Bo's faces quietly vanished, replaced by shock and anger.
It was still the same car, but it looked completely different now. The cobalt blue hood was dented with several prominent pits, and the cabin light was completely shattered. Thick streaks of blood splattered from the headlights onto the windshield, where two spiderweb cracks of varying sizes were starkly visible.
The car door opened, and Luo Yu and Song Yao got out one after another, their faces filled with an indescribable urgency mixed with relief upon seeing the others waiting there.
Song Jiu stepped forward to meet the two women, disregarding any questions as he checked them over from head to toe, first confirming that they were unharmed.
Without needing to say much, Yang Xiaomeng could tell that something terrible had happened. The ones who had driven off were clearly different people, yet now it was just the two girls who had returned. The car was in such a state; it would be strange if those two were fine.
"Get in the car," Song Yao said with a grim expression as she opened the door and sat in the passenger seat. Luo Yu looked apologetic, sighed, and returned to the driver's seat.
Song Jiu and the others got into the car and soon realized that both side windows were shattered, and there was a spiderweb crack on the rear windshield as well, with fragments still clinging to the frame.
Luo Yu said little as he turned on the cabin lights and drove off again.
"We waited for an hour," Song Yao said as she reached out for a cigarette from Song Jiu, lit it up, took a drag, and rested her elbow on the empty window frame. Her reflection in the rearview mirror showed signs of exhaustion; her voice carried a hint of fatigue. "It took too long, so I asked Luo Yu to come with me to look for them. This road doesn’t have any forks; if they were on their way back, we should be able to run into them."
Song Yao exhaled a stream of smoke slowly and shook her head weakly, her tone laced with self-reproach. " Jiu Jiu, you were really too careless this time; you shouldn’t have let just those two go."
Song Jiu was left speechless. It was clear that something had happened to them; this burden should fall on him.
If someone else were to say this about Song Jiu, Luo Yu would certainly be the first to object. Dream Fan would irrationally side with Song Jiu, while Luo Yu would always have logical reasons to shift the blame away from him. But this time, Luo Yu remained silent.
"We haven't gone too far; we'll be there soon," Song Yao sighed, pointing at the accident-prone area sign ahead. "Do you know what this means?"
Song Jiu didn't respond, feeling a dryness in his throat. He certainly understood that it meant they had left not long ago when the incident occurred; at that time, they might still have been sitting together discussing their way back.
Luo Yu firmly gripped the steering wheel as he navigated through the series of sharp turns notorious for accidents, suddenly bringing the car to a halt.
The headlights illuminated a patch of glaring red blood on the ground ahead, along with shards of broken glass scattered everywhere.
Song Jiu's pupils constricted as he trembled, opening the car door and slowly walking over to the bloodstain. He crouched down and reached out to touch it; the blood was cold and had yet to congeal.
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