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墨書 Inktalez
We waited for a while, and soon Jiao Ba and the others returned, only to find themselves empty-handed like me. There were no useful clues around; aside from being relatively spacious, this place felt like a hollow void.
Jiao Ba gestured, asking, "What should we do?" The others were also waiting for Mai Lao's instructions; whether to stay or leave depended entirely on him.
Mai Lao shone his light into the depths of the gap. From his expression, I could tell we needed to keep moving forward. Sure enough, he shook his head and signaled for everyone to proceed.
We followed one side of the gap, slowly making our way inside. However, I gradually noticed a problem: the further we went in, the lower the visibility became, and the space seemed to shrink as well. In front of the Underwater Light, there appeared to be countless microorganisms, creating a hazy white blur.
The seven of us stayed closely connected, slowing our pace significantly to minimize danger. To ensure everyone's safety, we had to pay attention to those around us to make sure no one fell behind.
After about ten minutes, aided by the illumination of our lights, I realized we had entered a passageway. Upon closer inspection, I understood it was a funnel-shaped gap—wide outside but narrowing as we moved deeper. The final stretch was clearly visible and only a few meters wide.
Once we passed through this narrow passage, we arrived at another spacious area. The visibility here was already quite low; under the Underwater Light, we could barely see a few meters ahead.
We floated in the water while Underwater Light scanned the surroundings. However, there were still some white floating particles that blurred our vision. I reached out to touch them; they didn’t seem like Plankton, lacking any sense of life—more like snowflakes. I couldn’t help but feel uneasy about what they might be.
Mai Lao gestured for us to spread out again and search the area while repeatedly reminding us to pair up for safety. He must have sensed something was off too.
This time, Shunzi and I chose to explore downward. We descended together, eager to see how deep this gap went. After swimming for several minutes, aided by our lights, I spotted a large expanse of white down below—it seemed we were nearing the bottom of the gap.
I glanced at Shunzi, who nodded and pointed downward, indicating he saw what I did. As we approached the bottom, however, what lay beneath shocked me once more; my heart raced with fear.
Those white objects turned out to be numerous Bones. Shunzi was startled too; he anxiously made whimpering sounds and gestured at me, saying, "Bones! It's bones!"
I struggled to calm myself and gestured back at him, "Quickly go back and inform Mai Lao. I'll wait here for you."
Shunzi looked at me in shock and stood frozen. I waved my hand urgently, "Hurry up! What are you waiting for?" This time he moved quickly without hesitation and swam back up.
After Shunzi left, I began examining my surroundings closely with the Underwater Light. I didn’t know exactly how many Bones were here, but wherever the light shone on the ground was almost completely covered in white skeletons.
The bones were remarkably clean, all white and glistening. I used my spear to poke around, but I couldn't find a single complete bone; they were all shattered, scattered across the ground in disarray.
I picked up the nearest bone and examined it closely. Some of these bones appeared to have been forcibly broken, while others looked as if they had been gnawed apart. The broken ends were jagged and incomplete, a gruesome sight.
However, there weren't many human bones here, and the fish bones were scarce as well. After searching for quite a while, I only spotted a few human remains.
In contrast, I found a large number of cattle and sheep bones scattered everywhere. What was going on? Why were there animal bones here? The sheer volume of cattle and sheep bones was alarming.
Suddenly, I recalled the white floating points in front of the underwater light. They must have been caused by these bleached bones corroded by seawater. Yet, I couldn't understand how so many cattle and sheep bones could be found in this deep sea, especially beneath a wreck.
I continued to observe and ponder. There surely wouldn't be any cattle or sheep in the ocean. The only explanation was that this wreck had previously carried cattle and sheep. But even if they were loaded beneath the wreck, there was no reason for the bones to be in such disarray.
It was clear that these bones had been attacked by some creature. Almost every shattered skeleton bore marks from sharp teeth, which was quite unsettling.
I thought carefully about this creature. Suddenly, it dawned on me that this gap might be the nest of the Sting Horse Colt, and these cattle and sheep—as well as the human and fish bones—were likely its handiwork.
Yes, that had to be it. This deep pit must be the long-hidden nest of the Sting Horse Colt, and these cattle and sheep bones were its source of sustenance.
Just as I was lost in thought, someone suddenly slapped me on the back. I jumped in surprise, instinctively spinning around with my spear at the ready.
Behind me stood Mai Lao, who quickly raised his hand to signal me to calm down. "It's me; it's fine."
Seeing him eased my tension. If he hadn't reacted quickly enough, I might have accidentally thrust my spear out of reflex due to my intense focus.
At that moment, others arrived as well, likely shocked by the scene before them. Each one held an underwater light, scanning their surroundings.
I made a simple gesture to Mai Lao: "Animal bones."
He nodded, clearly having noticed too. He signaled for everyone to spread out and examine carefully, instructing them not to act recklessly regardless of what they discovered.
I stayed in place while Jiao Ba and the others scattered inside. I thought this must be the deepest part of the gap. If we couldn't find any clues here, we would have to turn back and end this bizarre journey.
Mai Lao remained with me. After carefully examining the surroundings, he gestured to ask, "Any discoveries?"
I didn't respond immediately. It was difficult to communicate in detail underwater, so I could only use simple gestures. I anxiously mimed, "Creatures, hunting."
Mai Lao quickly understood and made a biting motion with his hand. "Black Fish."
I nodded immediately. He gestured again, "Got it."
I wasn't sure if he truly understood or was just pretending, but it seemed we were on the same wavelength. At that moment, I could only hope that we wouldn't discover any more strange monsters in the lair of the Sting Horse Colt. Given my current physical state, escaping would be impossible.
Shunzi, Changshan, and Mantou returned, all reporting no findings and confirming my thoughts: this was indeed the deepest part of the gap. Beyond this point lay a dead end.
It seemed there was little hope left; we might as well return to our respective homes. Everyone felt a bit downcast. Now we were just waiting for Jiao Ba and Big Guy to return; once they did, we would know the outcome.
We floated in place, waiting for quite some time without seeing them come back. Just as Mai Lao was about to suggest we set off to find them, Big Guy hurriedly swam over. He gestured with one hand, "Found something ahead, hurry." After finishing his gesture, he turned around and swam back.
Mai Lao and I exchanged glances and quickly signaled for the others to follow closely. Big Guy led the way while we trailed behind him tightly. At that moment, I couldn't quite describe my feelings—excitement mixed with anxiety surged within me, leaving me feeling anything but stable...
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