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墨書 Inktalez
Being isolated and lacking trust meant losing the opportunity to interact with others, which was deeply saddening. It felt as if countless needles were piercing his heart, causing immense pain.
Lin Yu vaguely sensed that Wu Yi was deliberately hiding something from him. During the retreat of the wolf pack, he had whispered to Xiao Qiang in a mysterious manner, and Lin Yu was eager to know the content of their conversation but felt hesitant to ask directly.
He was conflicted inside, unsure if his unauthorized change of the action plan would lead to punishment. His superiors had warned him before that when executing missions, personal feelings should never be involved; any resulting problems would be his own responsibility.
The dawn broke across the horizon like a shimmering dream, ushering in a brand new morning; the sunlight filtered through the leaves, penetrating the earth's surface as if thousands of golden grains had been crushed into powder.
Lin Yu walked in the middle of the group, his gaze passing over the taller Gui Ye, frequently scanning Xiao Qiang, who was bathed in fragmented light and shadow. He couldn't possibly be unaware of her intentional or unintentional indifference.
As they approached the Dark Forest, Wu Yi suddenly appeared troubled. He seemed exhausted, not uttering a word and lazily trailing at the back.
Gui Ye stayed close to Xiao Qiang, appearing friendly on the surface, though it was hard to tell what he truly felt.
As the saying goes: men treat life like a play, remaining calm in changing situations; women treat plays like life, crying during performances—this is the essence of that saying!
Jianjian's blisters had subsided and formed thick skin; although it felt uncomfortable, it was much better than before. Walking had become significantly easier.
During a brief rest, Xiao Qiang took out that strange stone to examine it. At this moment, Gui Ye, who had been following closely behind, squinted his eyes greedily and pretended to critique the stone. His fingers twitched with eagerness to hold it and inspect it closely.
After Xiao Qiang put away the stone, he casually glanced at Gui Ye, who was too close for comfort; he could smell the scent emanating from him. Frowning slightly, he scanned Lin Yu and Jianjian before asking, "What’s inside the Dark Forest?"
Gui Ye noticed the disgust in Xiao Qiang's eyes and instinctively pulled back, tugging at an unidentifiable weed at his feet. He cast his gaze toward the dark expanse of the Dark Forest and said, "I've never been inside, but I've heard it's like a maze."
"A maze?" Xiao Qiang looked up at Wu Yi leaning against a tree stump. "Hey, is your watch's compass still working?"
Wu Yi lazily opened his eyes and raised his wrist to check. "It should be fine. What's up?"
"No problem, that's good. We need to cross the Dark Forest as soon as possible."
After a quick tidying up, they symbolically filled their stomachs and checked their gear. They couldn't afford to run short on water; Gui Ye had mentioned it so seriously that if they got lost inside, dehydration would be a real issue.
Before entering the Dark Forest, Gui Ye also mentioned another thing: behind the Dark Forest lay a Frozen Earth. It was said that beneath the Frozen Earth were buried many workers who had once built roads and railways crossing east to west and north to south.
Now, after the Nuclear War, the tracks had been destroyed and were unrecognizable, covered in rubble and completely impassable. Otherwise, they wouldn't have chosen to enter the deadly valley of the Dark Forest.
The Dark Forest was truly eerie. Even before stepping inside, there was a faint light filtering through from behind, giving a sense of warmth. However, once they fully entered the dense woods, cold winds surged from all directions. Everyone who stepped in felt the chilling gusts up close and involuntarily shivered.
"Everyone follow me closely; do not act on your own. If anything unusual happens, shout out," Xiao Qiang said, his serious gaze sweeping over the dense forest. The Glow Stick in his hand felt dimmer here, and looking at the oddly shaped branches around him, he reiterated, "Try not to touch any of these plants; we must stick together."
Gui Ye scoffed at Xiao Qiang's words. He was an outsider; he was a proper local. What was there to fear about plants? This was just making a mountain out of a molehill.
A faint fragrance wafted through the forest, but when he took a deep breath, it felt stuffy and unpleasant.
Strangely enough, aside from plants, there were no moving creatures in sight. He wondered if their sudden entrance had scared off the native beings that ruled this forest or if there was another reason for their absence.
Xiao Qiang also observed carefully that these plants did not belong to those grown in temperate monsoon climates. Judging by their unfamiliar appearance, he speculated that this place might be an artificial cultivation area. In other words, these plants were likely brought in from outside and cultivated here.
Gui Ye dismissed his hypothesis, stating that as far back as he could remember, this Dark Forest had always existed. If these plants were indeed artificially cultivated, then those who planted them should have long been gone.
Just as Xiao Qiang and Gui Ye were discussing the plants, a scream echoed from not far away. They focused their attention and realized that Lin Yu and Jianjian were missing from their group.
Xiao Qiang cursed under his breath: Damn it! How could he have overlooked those two? He quickly moved away from Gui Ye towards the source of the scream.
In front of Lin Yu and Jianjian Noodle stood a seemingly ordinary yet eerie large tree, its branches hanging down in a vertical manner. At the trunk's midpoint was a human body, curled up in an embrace, but the arms hung limply down, and the soles of the feet pointed upward, with the head deeply embedded in the branches.
From the side, there were no gaps in the branches; that face appeared to have grown out from the tree itself. Yet the body was clearly outside, looking as if it had been dead for a long time.
The entire body had dried up, with the arm muscles desiccated and wrapped in skin over bones. Gui Ye and Wu Yi arrived from behind, using their gunstocks to pry at the legs of the corpse.
The legs were obviously decayed; just a touch caused them to collapse. It was like a pile of long-settled dust—one human touch turned it to ash, scattering into the soil, leaving behind a pair of tattered shoes and shredded clothing.
“Man-eating tree?” Xiao Qiang gasped inwardly, a chill creeping up from her heels to her neck.
The unfortunate soul whose head had been consumed by the tree likely died when the last drop of essence was drained from him. After Wu Yi and the others touched the trunk, it collapsed entirely in no time. On the branches remained a severed neck, with a small amount of liquid dripping out—a milky white sap that was not human blood.
“Man-eating tree?” Lin Yu exclaimed in surprise; this was something he had never heard of before.
Xiao Qiang glanced at her nonchalantly, thinking to herself: How could she not know about this? In the past, Lin Yu was a plant enthusiast; regardless of what plant it was, she would meticulously study its growth cycle and habits.
“I don’t think this is a man-eating tree. It’s probably due to poor soil that the plant has to prey on living beings for nutrients. This person might have accidentally stuck his head into the branches…” Wu Yi said casually, shrugging. “Just like that, he lost his life.”
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