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墨書 Inktalez
Others had entered the space, either to cultivate or to recover from injuries, but only Su Ruolan remained in the Bat Cave. After enduring so much, Su Ruolan had developed a strong mindset and was no longer afraid of solitude or fear. A faint light flickered ahead, and she continued forward, squeezing through an opening. She discovered that this cave was wider and shorter than the Bat Cave, with signs of being hewn by human hands. Oil lamps were placed along the cave walls, and several interconnected openings lay ahead.
As soon as Su Ruolan stepped into this series of caves, the oil lamps on the walls lit up one by one with a crackling sound, sending a chill down her spine. She turned around and suddenly realized with horror that the entrance to the Bat Cave had vanished. What kind of trouble was this? Suppressing the tingling sensation on her scalp, Su Ruolan remained vigilant and cautiously approached the next cave entrance.
Each cave was about ten meters long and eight meters wide, appearing as if they had been artificially divided. The interconnected caves stretched up and down, back and forth, numbering nearly a hundred, resembling a massive beehive nestled deep within the mountain. After wandering through several caves, Su Ruolan noticed that their layouts were quite similar; some contained a bed, others a table, while some had traces of fine silk and dried black blood on the floor, and a few had scattered grains of rice. Each cave was empty, and if it weren't for the slight differences in details, Su Ruolan would have doubted whether she was going in circles. After turning around several times, she completely lost her sense of direction. Leaning against the wall, she remembered the fluorescent pen stored in her bag and took it out to mark each cave entrance she passed through; it worked well, making her path clear.
Continuing to explore in this manner, when she entered another cave and saw the characters left on the wall, Su Ruolan couldn't help but feel tears welling up in her eyes. Touching those dried ink characters, written with a vigorous and powerful style that no one could imitate, she realized: Runzhou, you lived here; I am so close to you now!
Su Ruolan quickened her pace as she approached the last cave entrance. Runzhou, wait for me; I am coming.
Pushing open an iron door and emerging from the ground, Su Ruolan found that the exit was set within the trunk of a centuries-old tree. The ancient tree had grown several branches, most of which were rooted in crevices of the mountain, with countless roots sprawling like dragon tendrils for several meters. If one wasn't paying attention, they might not notice the wonders hidden within the tree trunk.
Suddenly hearing footsteps approaching, Su Ruolan quickly hid herself.
"You! Captain! Why do you keep sending us to check in at intervals? And we have to report back promptly? Every batch that falls into these pit-like caves ends up lost and exhausted, waiting for us to rescue them," said a young male voice.
"The Captain has his reasons; didn't you hear? This time there's a tough opponent," replied a calm male voice that sounded like that of a middle-aged man.
"Sigh... when will these days come to an end?" The young man lamented.
"Enough! Go take a look; we didn't see any sign of them last time. Haven't they made it into the cave yet?" The calm male voice sounded puzzled. The two plainly dressed men slowly approached the ancient tree and began fiddling with something on its trunk. A tube resembling a telescope appeared as they peered inside. "It's strange; still no one here. It’s a shame I brought smoke bombs that I didn’t get to use."
The two murmured to each other as they walked away. Su Ruolan quietly followed behind them. She watched as they ascended a narrow mountain path until they reached a checkpoint guarded by twenty or thirty armed men who were on high alert. The cliffside loomed perilously beside them.
"Password?" asked the leader.
"Today we drink porridge," replied the middle-aged man.
The leader waved his hand, allowing both men to enter.
“Company Commander, why do we have to report the password every time someone returns? It's always different, and us roughnecks can hardly remember it,” a young soldier complained with a frown.
“Isn't it to prevent spies from sneaking in? If this base falls, we’ll all meet our end,” the Company Commander replied, pacing with a rifle slung over his shoulder, his eyes vigilantly scanning the mountain path for any suspicious signs.
Upon hearing this, Su Ruolan slowly retreated to the exit of the secret cave, opened the iron door, and went back inside. Once she returned to the lower part of the cave, she released Kong Xiang and Cheng Xi, briefly informing them of the situation and instructing them to stay near the cave's exit. After arranging everything, Su Ruolan returned to the spot closest to the exit, leaned against the wall, and took out some food from her space to replenish her energy.
This unit—was it possibly led by Runzhou? Their management was meticulous; not only were there passwords for entry and exit, but they also changed dynamically. Although it was possible to sneak in from the cliffside, there was no telling how many people were inside, making the risk of being discovered quite high. Moreover, in her current state, Runzhou would definitely not recognize her. How could she convince him that she was his wife, Su Ruolan? She touched her face and fell into a daze.
Feeling that time was running out, Su Ruolan quickly tore her clothes to create a disheveled appearance and pretended to faint from exhaustion on the ground. Sure enough, after a while, she sensed a gaze watching her.
After some time, a wisp of white smoke drifted over. These people were indeed cautious; they had released smoke as cover. Su Ruolan held her breath; ever since her Healing Ability reached mid-level four, ordinary toxins could no longer harm her.
A little later, footsteps approached slowly. A heavy hand patted her arm. “Company Commander, she’s completely unconscious now,” said the voice of the young man from earlier.
“Alright, carry her back,” the Company Commander instructed.
“Why me?” the young man replied.
“Li Yuxuan, are you itching for trouble? You keep challenging your superior. How many times have I told you? A soldier must obey orders,” Company Commander Wang said sternly.
“What kind of soldiers are we anyway? We’re just bandits now; we’re not a regular army,” Li Yuxuan retorted dismissively.
“No matter where you come from, once you become a soldier, you must act like one,” the Company Commander replied firmly.
“I heard that before; we wouldn’t do such looting back then. Now it seems there are no principles left; I’m embarrassed to wear this uniform,” Li Gang complained as he roughly grabbed Su Ruolan’s arm.
“Be gentle! Do you even know your own strength? Don’t hurt the girl! If it weren’t for your ability to carry five people by yourself, I wouldn’t have brought you along,” the Company Commander scolded urgently.
“Got it, Commander Wang Zhi,” Li Yuxuan said with a tongue-out gesture as he eased his grip and carefully lifted Su Ruolan onto his back. It was then he realized how soft and delicate she felt against him, causing his ears to turn red.
Su Ruolan also felt a bit awkward, so she tried to minimize contact in certain areas. Despite her efforts, her ears turned a light shade of pink.
The mountain path was bumpy, but Li Yuxuan carried her steadily. They quickly arrived at a checkpoint.
"Password?" the Company Commander asked.
"Today we want to drink porridge," Li Yuxuan replied seriously.
"Alright, go on in. You're lucky today; you managed to carry such a beautiful girl," the Company Commander said with a smile, patting Li Yuxuan on the shoulder.
Li Yuxuan chuckled foolishly and quickly walked inside with Wang Zhi. The other patrol members couldn't help but laugh heartily.
Su Ruolan focused her mind and sensed her surroundings. It seemed there were nearly ten thousand people here, with quite a few awakened Ability users among them.
Li Yuxuan brought Su Ruolan to a simple room and gently laid her down on the straw-covered floor. Just as she felt a slight sting, she suddenly heard a faint sound. After a moment, she felt herself being picked up again and placed onto a cotton coat. With this layer of clothing, the prickling sensation from the straw was somewhat alleviated.
After making sure everything was in place, Li Yuxuan, wearing only a thin undershirt, closed the door and left.
Su Ruolan opened her eyes and sat up, glancing around the environment. It appeared to be a place for holding prisoners. She wondered what they intended to do with her.
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