Chapter 52
Two days passed quickly amidst the howling sandstorms at the border and the airtight planning in the general's mansion.
The trap at Falling Eagle Gorge is like a carefully placed chess piece on General Sheng Chi's chessboard, waiting for its prey to step into it.
At dawn on the third day, before the leaden-gray sky had completely faded, Shengxuan was already fully dressed. The cold black armor gleamed with a dark metallic luster in the dim morning light, and the tiger-head jaws on the shoulder armor were ferociously exposed.
He mounted his horse, his silver spear pointing diagonally at the sky, the tassel fluttering in the crisp morning wind.
Behind him, three hundred elite soldiers stood solemnly like a forest, their armor clashing and producing a dull metallic hum. Every face, weathered by wind and sand, was etched with determination and a hint of suppressed excitement.
The air was thick with the smell of leather, sweat, and rust—the smell of an impending great battle.
"Let's go!" Sheng Xuan's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a penetrating force like the clash of metal, instantly tearing apart the silence before dawn. The sound of hooves gradually increased in speed, eventually merging into a deafening thunderclap. Three hundred iron cavalrymen, like a flood bursting its banks, kicked up clouds of yellow dust as they charged towards the precipitous and treacherous Falling Eagle Ravine, shaped like an eagle's beak.
The wind blew into the gaps in the armor, carrying a biting chill and grit that stung the face.
Upon entering the ravine, the narrow passage is flanked by sheer cliffs, casting deep shadows and suddenly dimming the light.
The scout's swift horse turned back like a ghost, his voice low and urgent: "General, a hundred paces ahead, there are figures moving behind a rock, seemingly setting up a net and dumping powder!"
Sheng Xuan tightened the reins, a cold smile curving his lips. A glint of cold light flashed in his eyes, and his silver spear drew a sharp arc in the air: "Scatter! Encircle in a fan shape, and tighten the gap!"
However, the expected ambush and barrage of arrows did not materialize.
Just as the soldiers dispersed as ordered and their formation was just beginning to take shape, an indescribable, cloyingly sweet and fishy smell, like rotten honey mixed with rusty iron filings and some kind of long-accumulated bloodstains, spread out without warning from the slippery moss at the bottom of the ravine, the dark streams seeping from the cracks in the rocks on both sides, and even the vines hanging from the cliff above.
The smell was initially slightly sweet with a nauseatingly sticky texture, but it quickly became intense, penetrating every nostril and reaching deep into the brain.
"Ugh—!" A soldier at the front suddenly covered his mouth and nose, his eyes rolled back, and his body swayed uncontrollably, the spear in his hand falling to the ground with a "clang".
"Poisonous miasma! It's poisonous miasma! Hold your breath!" the experienced veteran shouted hoarsely, but it was too late.
More and more soldiers began to cough violently, with snot and tears streaming down their faces. Some staggered a few steps as if drunk and collapsed with a thud, their limbs convulsing. Others had bloodshot eyes and were wildly slashing at the air with their weapons, uttering incomprehensible roars. The miasma not only numbed their nerves but also carried a strong hallucinogenic poison, distorting their five senses and amplifying their fear and madness infinitely!
Sheng Xuan felt a strong sense of dizziness as if a heavy hammer had struck his temple. The scenery before his eyes blurred and distorted instantly, and his ears were filled with the screams of soldiers, the neighing of horses, and countless overlapping auditory hallucinations like ghostly whispers.
He bit his tongue hard, the sharp pain and metallic taste exploding in his mouth, forcibly pulling back a sliver of clarity from his near collapse. "Hold on! Retreat! Retreat quickly!" he roared, but his voice seemed swallowed by the thick miasma, sounding distant and powerless.
Just as the army was plunged into unprecedented chaos by the poisonous miasma, with soldiers trampling each other and losing all fighting power, the true killing move revealed its ferocious fangs!
"Rustle, rustle—crack, crack—"
A series of chilling, hair-raising friction sounds and the cracking of bones dislocating echoed from all the dark corners.
Dozens of dark figures, like demons crawling out of the cracks of hell, suddenly burst out from the shadows of the cliff, from behind the slippery boulders at the bottom of the ravine, and even from the vines hanging overhead, in inhuman, twisted-in-the-back postures!
Their bodies were emaciated, their skin a deathly bluish-gray, covered with eerie, purplish-black patterns that pulsated slightly like those of living creatures.
The empty eye sockets held no eyeballs, only two flickering eerie green phosphorescent lights, locked onto their chaotic prey. In their hands, they no longer wielded ordinary iron, but rather curved blades forged from ghastly human bones, or rusty iron hooks coated with a ghostly blue venom!
"Gu people! They are Gu people from a cult!" Sheng Xuan's heart sank into an ice cave, and a chill ran from his tailbone straight to the top of his head.
He had personally witnessed his comrades being scratched by the Gu people; the wounds festered and oozed pus within a few breaths, emitting foul-smelling black smoke, and eventually turning into a pool of stinking black water!
"Form ranks! Spearmen, hold the line! Don't let these monstrous things get close!" Sheng Xuan suppressed his nausea and dizziness, roared, and charged forward with his spear.
The silver spear transformed into a streak of cold light that tore through the darkness, piercing precisely into the chest of a Gu practitioner who lunged forward.
The sensation from the spear tip was like being driven into damp, rotten wood that had been decaying for years—dull and sluggish. There was no splatter of blood, only a strong stench of corpses assaulting the senses.
The Gu man merely shuddered slightly, yet, despite the spear shaft piercing his chest, he continued his fearless charge, his withered, claw-like bony hands carrying a foul stench, aiming straight for Sheng Xuan's unsuspecting right shoulder blade!
"Get out of my way!" Sheng Xuan's eyes were bloodshot, his arm muscles bulged, and he unleashed astonishing power, forcefully sending the Gu man flying. The man crashed heavily against the jagged cliff face, making a sickeningly loud cracking sound.
However, even more Gu people, like piranhas that have smelled blood, surged in from all directions, relentlessly attacking the crumbling army formation.
Despite the soldiers' desperate display of courage in their fear, as they brandished their weapons, the casualties mounted like an avalanche due to the weakening effects of the poisonous miasma and the Gu people's bizarre, painless attacks.
The piercing screams, the muffled thuds of bone blades tearing flesh, the crisp clang of weapons clashing, and the hoarse roars from the Gu people's throats, like broken bellows, intertwined to create a symphony of despair from hell.
Sheng Xuan charged left and right, wielding his silver spear with impenetrable skill, successively knocking away and piercing several Gu people.
Sweat mixed with dust slid down my forehead, stinging my eyes.
He had to command his remaining troops while simultaneously fending off deadly attacks from all sides, leaving him mentally exhausted and his breathing heavy and labored. Just as he was desperately parrying a powerful, foul-smelling bone blade strike, his spear thrust faltering, and his body showing a barely perceptible sluggishness—
A shadowy figure, even faster and more sinister than the Gu people, like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, shot out silently from a crevice in a moss-covered boulder behind them!
It was a cultist, as thin as a monkey, shrouded in a black cloak! He held no weapon, only a tiny, bluish-green poison needle between his withered, bony fingers! The needle was aimed directly at the gap in Sheng Xuan's right shoulder blade, which had been slightly exposed due to his parrying action!
"laugh--!"
A faint whooshing sound, almost completely drowned out by the noise of the battlefield! Sheng Xuan felt a sudden chill behind his right shoulder, as if an ice pick had pierced it! Immediately afterward, an indescribable, excruciating pain, like a thousand ants gnawing at his bones, exploded and spread wildly along his nerves!
The pain wasn't confined to the skin and flesh; it felt as if countless cold, barbed creatures were burrowing into the depths of his bone marrow through the wound, frantically gnawing and tearing at him! He groaned, stars flashed before his eyes, and half of his body felt as if its bones had been instantly ripped away, leaving him numb and powerless! He could no longer hold onto the silver spear, which fell to the ground with a clang!
"General!" The old bodyguard who had been protecting him was furious, his eyes bloodshot as he rushed forward. With a desperate determination to take the cultist who had attacked him down in one fell swoop, he cleaved him in two! Foul-smelling black blood splattered all over the ground.
But Shengxuan's right arm had already drooped limply, and blood quickly stained the robe under the shoulder armor. Even more terrifying, the skin around the wound was turning an ominous bluish-black at a visible speed, spreading like a spider web up the upper arm and neck, and the blood vessels under the skin were also a strange dark green!
"Retreat! The entire army retreats! Break through to Jiankou!" Sheng Xuan roared with all his might, enduring the excruciating pain that seemed to tear his soul apart and the numbness in half of his body. His voice was distorted by the intense pain.
He knew that the trap had been broken and the bait had been swallowed up. If they continued to fight, his three hundred brothers would surely perish here!
The surviving soldiers mustered their last bit of courage, forming a tight formation to protect the crumbling Shengxuan, and desperately broke through towards the ravine like trapped beasts.
The Gu people and the remaining cultists clung to them like maggots, relentlessly pursuing them. Bone blades and poisonous claws scraped against the soldiers' shields and armor with a piercing sound, and each impact caused the formation to shake violently.
Sheng Xuan was being held tightly by two guards as he staggered away. Each step he took aggravated the wound on his right shoulder, and the excruciating pain made his vision blur. Cold sweat streamed down his forehead and temples, soaking through his inner shirt and clinging coldly to his body.
Even worse, he could clearly feel the chilling, vicious toxin deep within the wound frantically eroding his blood, muscles, and even nerves with each heartbeat. The numbness was like an icy tide, slowly devouring his strength and consciousness.
Just as they were about to reach the narrow, throat-like exit of Eagle Falling Gorge, ahead lay a relatively open, rocky slope covered with jagged boulders. The faint morning light shone down, bringing a fleeting illusion of having survived a calamity.
However, the pursuers behind them did not give up, and an even more desperate scene unfolded!
Instead of pursuing them, the cultists stopped at the edge of the ravine, uttering rapid, strange incantations that sounded like insect chirps.
At the same time, they took out one fist-sized, pitch-black pottery jar after another, covered with strange runes, and smashed them against the rocks at the mouth of the ravine with cruel and fanatical expressions on their faces!
"Snap! Snap! Snap!"
A series of crisp cracking sounds rang out!
"Buzz buzz buzz buzz—!!!"
The dense flapping sound of wings, which made one's scalp tingle and one's soul tremble, erupted like a tsunami!
Countless tiny, rice-grain-sized Gu worms, their carapaces shimmering with an eerie green phosphorescence, surged forth from the broken pottery jar like a black torrent bursting its banks! They coalesced into a churning "black tide," reeking of rotting corpses, emitting a sickening "rustling" sound, like living beings possessing a collective will, sweeping towards the retreating remnants with a greedy desire to destroy all life! Their speed was astonishing, far exceeding the fleeing speed of the exhausted soldiers!
General Sheng Chi, draped in a black cloak, stood like a mountain on the edge of the cliff. His sharp, hawk-like gaze pierced through the poisonous miasma and chaotic dust below, fixed on the fierce battle taking place at the bottom of the ravine.
Behind him, dozens of guards stood solemnly like pines. Further away, there were dozens of dark iron barrels, each half a person tall, with their mouths sealed with thick tarpaulins. The barrels emitted a pungent smell of sulfur mixed with kerosene.
Xiao Qiyun stood half a step behind Sheng Chi, the hem of his moon-white brocade robe fluttering in the wind.
His face was solemn, his thin lips pressed tightly together, and his gaze was also fixed on the scene below. The sounds of fighting, screams, and the chilling buzzing of the Gu worms coming from the bottom of the ravine were distorted and carried up by the mountain wind, like echoes from hell.
"General, the poisonous miasma has completely enveloped the bottom of the ravine, and our army's formation has utterly collapsed!" A captain on lookout duty reported hoarsely, his voice filled with barely concealed panic. "Gu people have appeared! Their numbers... far exceed our expectations! The vanguard... the vanguard is about to collapse!"
Sheng Chi's face was as cold as ice, without the slightest fluctuation. Only the knuckles on his fingers, resting on the hilt of the sword at his waist, were slightly white from the force. He saw the troops led by Sheng Xuan fall into chaos, saw the Gu people reaping lives like ghosts, and saw Sheng Xuan fighting desperately amidst the chaos.
The moment the thin, dark figure darted out from the crevice and the poisoned needle pierced Sheng Xuan's right shoulder, Sheng Chi's pupils contracted sharply, and his hand on the sword hilt tightened abruptly, his knuckles making a slight "click" sound.
"General!" Xiao Qiyun's voice carried a barely perceptible urgency. He stepped forward, his gaze fixed intently on Sheng Chi. "The poisonous miasma is rampant, and the Gu people are running rampant. Our army is in dire straits! If we delay any longer, I fear... I fear that all three hundred elite troops will perish here! I also fear that the evil cult will drive the Gu worms out of the ravine and wreak havoc on the surrounding area!"
Sheng Chi's gaze remained fixed on the direction of the ravine. He saw the surviving soldiers protecting the wounded Sheng Xuan as they rushed towards the ravine like trapped beasts, and he also saw the black tide of Gu worms, swirling with deathly phosphorescence, released by the cultists as they smashed the pottery jars!
The black tide moved with astonishing speed, instantly engulfing the last few soldiers and leaving behind several charred skeletons! Sheng Xuan was pushed to the ground by his guards as the deadly black tide rushed towards him!
Time seemed to stand still at the top of the cliff.
The cold wind whipped up sand and gravel, lashing against the iron bucket with a soft rustling sound. The strongmen's palms, sweating as they gripped the iron ladles, were fixed on General Sheng Chi's hand resting on the hilt of his sword, awaiting his final command.
Xiao Qiyun stared at the churning black tide of death below, so close to Sheng Xuan, his heart pounding in his chest. He abruptly turned to Sheng Chi, his voice shrill with anxiety: "General! We can't wait any longer! You must consider the bigger picture! Give the order! Burn the Stream!"
Sheng Chi's Adam's apple bobbed violently. His gaze pierced through the chaos, fixed on the figure struggling on the rocky ground!
He saw Sheng Xuan collapse to the ground, saw the black tide reach above his head, and the eerie green phosphorescence even illuminated Sheng Xuan's pale, desperate face! He could even imagine the terrifying scene of that young life being devoured by billions of Gu worms in the next moment!
An indescribable pain and rage surged within Sheng Chi's chest, threatening to shatter his steely will. He snapped his eyes shut, and when he opened them again, the last trace of struggle in his eyes had been replaced by a cold, resolute determination.
Just as the black tide was about to touch Shengxuan's hair at the critical moment!
Sheng Chi suddenly raised his hand high above the sword hilt! The movement was as fast as lightning, carrying a resolute determination to cut everything in its path!
"Pour—oil—!!!"
A thunderous roar, like a thunderclap from the heavens, instantly tore through the deathly silence on the cliff top!
"Here you go!!!"
The strongmen, who had been poised for action, roared in unison! The tarpaulin sealing the opening was ripped open, releasing a pungent smell of kerosene! Long-handled iron ladles were plunged deep into the viscous black oil, then vigorously swung up! Dozens of thick, acrid-smelling black oil streams, propelled by the strongmen's powerful strokes, cascaded down like waterfalls into the bottomless Eagle's Lair below.
"Splash—!!!"
The viscous oil splashed onto the steep cliff face, making a loud noise and leaving trails of charred black oil that quickly spread and converged downwards! The oil poured into the poisonous miasma and chaotic battlefield at the bottom of the ravine, instantly soaking the ground, rocks, corpses, and even some Gu people and cultists who couldn't dodge in time!
Almost at the same moment!
"Fire—fire—arrows—!!!"
Before the fiery roar had even subsided, dozens of sharpshooters who had been waiting at the edge of the cliff to fire suddenly released their grip!
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!!!"
Dozens of rockets, covered in thick oilcloth and burning with raging flames, shot accurately at the areas at the bottom of the ravine that were soaked in oil, like falling meteors with a piercing sound!
"boom--!!!!"
The moment the first rocket hit the ground, it was like igniting the fuse of hell! A towering inferno exploded! Then came the second, the third… countless others! The viscous oil ignited instantly, the fire spreading and connecting like wildfire! The poisonous miasma was ignited, crackling and spewing eerie, colorful smoke; the Gu people, covered in oil, instantly transformed into countless wailing torches, writhing wildly in the flames; rocks crackled and popped, moss and vines instantly turning to ash! In just a few breaths, the entire bottom of Falling Eagle Gorge transformed into a raging, stinking inferno, reeking of burning inferno! The flames soared into the sky, turning the already dim sky blood red!
The surging, black tide of Gu worms, poised to engulf Shengxuan, encountered its nemesis the instant the flames erupted! The leading Gu worms were instantly swept into the flames, crackling and exploding with a pungent, burnt stench, turning into specks of ash! The Gu worms behind emitted even sharper, more chaotic hisses, frantically scrambling like headless flies, trampling each other, and were instantly swallowed by the sea of fire! Those fortunate enough not to be directly consumed by the flames were forced to scatter and flee by the terrifying heat and thick smoke, never again able to form a deadly black tide.
Where the Gu worms passed, the wounded soldiers at the back of the group didn't even have time to let out a complete scream before being instantly swallowed up by the rolling "black tide"! In just a few breaths, the black tide surged forward like the receding tide, leaving only a few charred skeletons that quickly withered, carbonized, and looked as if they had been burned by a raging fire and then rapidly cooled! Even the iron armor on their bodies seemed to have been corroded and become dull and lusterless!
The shadow of death, cold, viscous, and reeking of decay, was like an invisible giant hand, gripping everyone's throats! Even the air seemed to freeze!
Sheng Xuan was being dragged along by his only remaining bodyguards, Lao Zhang and Lao Li, as they stumbled and trudged desperately across the rocky slope. Each breath felt like swallowing a burning coal, searing his throat and lungs.
He looked back with difficulty, and the churning "black tide" radiating deathly phosphorescence was almost within reach!
He could even see the ferocious mouthparts of the foremost Gu worm opening and closing, and the cold green light flashing in its compound eyes, like a gaze from hell! The excruciating pain in his right shoulder had long since gone numb, replaced by a bone-chilling cold and uncontrollable spasms in his entire body.
My strength was draining away like the receding tide, and my legs felt like they were filled with lead.
Old Zhang behind him suddenly let out a furious roar of resentment and shoved Sheng Xuan forward with all his might: "General! Let's go!"
He turned and, brandishing his dulled broadsword, desperately slashed at the tide of death. His figure was instantly swallowed by the churning blackness, without even a ripple.
Sheng Xuan was pushed and stumbled, falling heavily onto the cold, rough stone ground. Sharp stones instantly cut his cheek.
He struggled to prop himself up with his left hand, but the complete paralysis of the right side of his body and the weakness from blood loss made him move as slowly as a dying man.
He looked up, his pupils contracting in utter terror—the churning, foul-smelling "black tide" was upon him! The buzzing of its wings was like the raucous laughter of a billion vengeful ghosts, and the eerie green phosphorescence illuminated his pale, blood- and dust-stained face. He could even feel the chilling, deathly air brushing against his cheek, and smell the nauseating stench that seemed to seep into the very depths of his soul!
Is it over?
This thought, like a cold, venomous snake, instantly coiled around his heart. All his resentment and rage seemed utterly pale and laughable before this monstrous power, beyond mortal comprehension and akin to a natural disaster.
He could almost feel the countless cold, barbed feet crawling up his body, and the excruciating pain that followed, as if his flesh was being gnawed and his marrow sucked by millions of mouthparts...
A nearly forgotten scene, like the last straw a drowning man grasps at, carrying the unique herbal fragrance of Shuyu Academy and Su Zhelan's pale yet earnest face, suddenly crashed into his chaotic mind!
—The glass bottle Su Zhelan gave herself that night!
"Keep it close to your body, never leave it." Su Zhelan's voice was low, carrying a hint of barely perceptible fatigue and worry. "In case... I mean in case, if we encounter a swarm of Gu worms, perhaps... it can hold them off."
At the time, he didn't pay attention to it and even thought it was Su Zhelan's comfort.
At this moment, these tiny memories, almost crushed by the life-or-death crisis, were like a thunderclap in the darkness, igniting the last spark of his will to survive!
The instinct for survival overwhelmed the excruciating pain, numbness, and despair! Almost relying on muscle memory, Sheng Xuan's left hand swiftly reached into the hidden pouch inside the black armor on his chest, his fingertips instantly touching the small jade bottle pressed against his heart, still retaining a trace of body temperature! That slightly cool touch now felt like a red-hot iron!
Without the slightest hesitation! Not even a moment to think!
He used the last of his strength, like a dying beast letting out a silent roar, his left hand gripping the small bottle tightly, and with all his might, he hurled it at the center of the "black tide" that had rushed in front of him, its phosphorescence almost burning his eyes!
"Crack—!"
A crisp sound, like a jade chime shattering, suddenly rang out on the deathly silent, rocky slope, briefly drowning out the buzzing of the Gu worms!
The jade bottle shattered like fragile glass the moment it touched the foremost Gu worm! The dark red powder inside the bottle exploded like a volcano that had been suppressed for a thousand years!
Without any smoke, the powder seemed to possess a life of its own, transforming into a dense, impenetrable, crimson cloud of dust that shimmered with an eerie glow the moment it came into contact with the air! An extremely pungent, scorching aura, a mixture of sulfur saltpeter and some kind of domineering herb, almost violent, spread out like an invisible shockwave!
A miracle unfolded in the depths of despair!
The black tide of Gu worms, which had been greedily rushing towards Shengxuan with their mouths opening and closing and phosphorescent glow, came to an abrupt halt the moment they touched the scarlet dust cloud, as if they had been slapped hard by an invisible, scalding giant hand!
Immediately afterwards, all the Gu worms emitted an unprecedented, sharp screech that was sharp enough to pierce eardrums!
The hiss was filled with extreme pain, madness, and an indescribable greed! They seemed to forget the delicious flesh and blood so close at hand in an instant. Like mad dogs pouncing on their prey, or moths to a flame, they completely lost their minds, frantically turning around, pushing and biting each other, rushing to the pool of dark red powder mixed with glittering jade fragments that had just been scattered on the ground!
"Hiss hiss hiss—"
A sickening, corrosive sound mingled with an even more frantic screech of insects! Where the crimson dust touched the Gu worms, plumes of acrid, burnt-smelling smoke rose. The Gu worms writhed, twisted, tore at each other, and devoured one another in the powder, scattering dark green blood and shattered carapaces everywhere. The crimson dust seemed to be both a deadly poison and an irresistible rain, forming a chaotic and terrifying vortex.
Now!
Shengxuan's heart was pounding wildly in his chest, almost bursting open!
A fierce will to survive erupted like a volcano, squeezing out every last bit of potential from his body! He sprang up from the cold, rocky ground, ignoring the tearing pain in his right shoulder and the numbness in half of his body. He gripped a protruding rock with his left hand, using it to prop himself up, and then scrambled and crawled, using both hands and feet, desperately running away from that vortex of death!
Gravel cut his palms and knees, blood seeping out, but he was oblivious. His lungs pounded violently like broken bellows, each breath carrying the heavy taste of blood and a burning pain in his throat. He dared not look back; only one thought occupied his mind: Run! Run away!
Only after breaking through the rocky slope and seeing the orange-red torches lit by his own support troops in the distance, shining like beacons of hope in the dim light, did his legs buckle, as if all his bones had been removed, and he collapsed heavily to his knees on the cold sand. The dull pain of his knees hitting the ground was almost imperceptible to him.
He was panting heavily, each breath feeling like a knife cutting into him. Cold sweat poured down his forehead, temples, and back like a waterfall, instantly soaking through his cold armor and undergarments. The biting wind made it even colder.
After the intense escape, the wound on my right shoulder felt like a branding iron that had been reignited. The burning pain, accompanied by the numbing sensation of toxins eroding the skin, was clearly transmitted to every nerve ending.
He turned his head slowly and laboriously, like a rusty machine, towards the direction of Falling Eagle Gorge.
The swirling, turbulent cloud of crimson and eerie green dust and vortex of Gu worms, under the dim sky, resembled the open gates of hell, painting a bizarre and terrifying picture, yet one that gave him a sense of relief at having survived a catastrophe.
The air still seemed to retain the pungent and violent smell of the medicinal powder and the stench of burnt worms.
With trembling hands, he raised his only remaining mobile left hand and slowly reached into his robes, groping for the spot close to his heart—where the small jade bottle he once kept close to his body was now empty, with only a tiny cut on his palm from the broken edge of the bottle, from which beads of blood were seeping.
“…Ze Lan…” His chapped lips moved, uttering a hoarse, almost inaudible syllable, filled with the extreme palpitation of surviving a disaster, unbelievable relief, and an indescribable complex emotion.
That little pill bottle, which he had used as a placebo, became his only real lifeline in this life-or-death situation.
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