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墨書 Inktalez
"Excavated an entire mountain?" Wang Er Gou asked, emphasizing his disbelief. "And then built this underground chamber."
"Yes, they hollowed out this mountain," Seven confirmed.
The path ahead was still open, and the Stone Path carried their footsteps forward.
"Perhaps it's not just this mountain that's been hollowed out," Third suddenly said. "There might be space beneath it as well. This is essentially a massive cage. It seems this structure is not simply meant to imprison a few people."
Seven added, "It definitely can't be that simple. Just gathering this much material is a monumental task, and doing so without attracting attention is no small feat!"
This was a secret hidden underground. For decades, perhaps even centuries or thousands of years, this underground chamber had gone unnoticed.
"A project of such magnitude successfully concealed from so many eyes is truly impressive," Wang Er Gou remarked.
Seven continued, "Not only that, but the weight distribution design of the mountain is flawless. The entire mountain has been excavated to the point of devastation, yet it hasn't collapsed. Moreover, the vegetation outside continues to thrive."
One had to admit that the designer was an extraordinary individual.
Hollowing out the mountain was meant to cut off all life outside, yet it seemed to have been managed well.
"There's not even a large tree visible outside!" Second pointed out.
"That's one of its flaws," Seven replied. "By hollowing out the mountain, the remaining 'mountain range' can only support small vegetation growth."
"But isn't there a big tree at the entrance of the ancient temple?" Wang Er Gou interjected.
"That one seems to be dying, on the verge of withering away," Second answered.
Seven added, "What Second said is correct; that towering tree has reached its end. It won't last much longer."
It was as expected. The accumulation of water below had deepened, covering the shoes of several people. With each step, splashes began to rise.
The further they descended, the heavier the humidity became. The flames of the lamps on the stone walls seemed to be suppressed, flickering low.
It was likely due to a lack of oxygen! After walking such a long distance, their breathing had become somewhat erratic.
Now it felt as if the entire mountain was pressing down on them, creating a kind of atmospheric pressure. Although they weren't literally carrying the weight of the mountain, the flow of air around them had been reduced to a minimum.
They had no extra energy to speak. This situation was reminiscent of their previous experience in the underground swamp.
"Reduce your breathing rate to conserve oxygen," Third reminded them.
Upon hearing this, they controlled their breaths with care.
When did oxygen become such a scarce resource? It was in moments like this.
The inability to breathe freely was uncomfortable; their lungs felt constricted and suffocated. Yet, they had no choice but to comply.
"We'll retreat immediately if we find nothing below," Third said.
Given the current circumstances, retreating upward was the most sensible action. They all nodded quietly in agreement.
As they continued downward, only the sound of water could be heard. They dared not speak, and their breaths were forced to become even shallower. The sound of their heartbeats seemed almost audible.
"We can't go any further," Third declared.
Everyone halted in their tracks, and the droplets stirred up by their movement fell back down, creating ripples in the water. The dim light from the lamps barely illuminated the space around them, casting an eerie shadow that made it feel dark and foreboding.
Looking ahead, a layer of water reflected the flickering light, merging with the ceiling above as if they were one entity. It gave off an unsettling feeling, akin to stepping into a ghostly realm. Under these circumstances, they had no choice but to retreat.
The team shifted, with the front becoming the rear, Second leading the way and Seven bringing up the rear.
The few of them felt as if their hearts and lungs were twisted together. As they retreated, that feeling gradually began to ease.
The pressure was alleviating, slowly dissipating.
Seven walked at the back and suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, a coldness that pierced deep into his heart!
He quickly glanced back but saw nothing. Thinking it was just a figment of his imagination, he dismissed it and didn’t mention it to the others ahead.
After turning a few corners, the water had receded to their shoe soles, and they finally felt a bit of relief; breathing became much smoother, allowing them to inhale freely.
But again, Seven felt an inexplicable chill wash over him. After turning around to take another look, unease began to creep into his mind. Yet he still kept it to himself.
They turned and walked over several Stone Paths, ascending a few steps when the chill intensified; Seven could sense something lurking behind him.
He suddenly spun around, nearly scaring himself half to death.
Before him was a massive maw, blood-soaked and ready to bite. In a split second, Seven panicked and clumsily raised his gun, firing at the Blood-Soaked Maw.
The creature yelped in pain as the bullet struck, immediately snapping its mouth shut with a long, low growl that resonated with extreme hatred and terror, sending chills down their spines.
The three in front heard the gunshot and turned back but saw nothing unusual.
After retracting its maw, the creature quickly retreated, leaving Seven unable to catch a clear glimpse of what it was.
Having fired his weapon and thoroughly startled, Seven stumbled backward and fell to the ground.
Third rushed over to help him up.
"Seven" shouted, "I'm fine! Run, there's a huge monster!"
" Second " didn't have time to ask about "Seven's" condition and quickly picked up the pace, with "Wang Er Gou" following closely behind.
The width of the "Stone Path" was too narrow; they couldn't maneuver at all, and even running side by side was impossible! They couldn't afford to waste a second here, not even to fire their weapons for fear of hitting their own.
With " Second " leading the way, taking large strides to help everyone escape faster, but the many twists and turns in this place delayed them significantly.
Now they could only do their best to run.
It seemed that there was no movement behind them. After "Seven" fired a shot, the chilling presence also vanished, as if it hadn't followed them.
"Seven" called out from behind, "That beast doesn't seem to be following us!" which allowed everyone to ease up on their frantic pace.
They all gasped for breath. "Third" glanced over "Seven" to look back and slowed down. "Seven," clutching his abdomen, clearly struggling with the intensity of their exertion, also slowed down, prompting " Second " to stop as well.
The ground had dried up now; the standing water had completely disappeared. The group settled on this stretch of the "Stone Path" to rest.
"Wang Er Gou," leaning against the wall, breathed heavily, gradually calming his breath. He began to slump down as the others closed their eyes to rest, their breathing slowly stabilizing.
"Wang Er Gou" touched his head and felt something sticky; when he brushed it away, he discovered it was spider silk but didn't pay much attention to it.
Yet he still felt uncomfortable. When he touched it again, it felt like he grabbed something alive. Looking down, he saw a spider. He looked up at the wall.
His heart and breath still not fully steady were immediately jolted by a wave of surprise.
"Wang Er Gou" yelled out that there was a spider.
On the wall, countless spiders of all sizes were densely packed, cascading down like an overwhelming tide, resembling an army on the march—an imposing sight indeed.
Yet, there was one unsettling detail: they made no sound, their silence as chilling as the reaper of death, sharp and quietly terrifying.
The other two were thinking, isn't it just a spider? Why be afraid?
Third looked up and immediately felt a chill run down his spine. He cursed loudly, "Damn it, so many spiders!"
Only then did the other two awaken to the reality. Wang Er Gou had already stood up.
All around them were countless spiders that could not be distinguished by the naked eye, densely packed and overwhelming in number.
The path ahead was completely blocked.
The only option was to retreat.
Taking advantage of the spiders not having attacked yet, they swatted them away and quickly stomped them down. "Damn it!" Second couldn't help but curse, stuttering in disbelief.
Wang Er Gou pulled Second, saying, "What now? We need to run, Brother Cao, this is urgent!"
Now the front line had become the rear, and this time it was far from easy or natural. Behind them lay a "Blood-Soaked Maw" waiting for them!
"Damn it!" Seven cursed. "Just when it rains, it pours; we have wolves in front and tigers behind. No matter which way we go, it's a dead end."
But the current situation left no room for further thought; reality told him that the rear was temporarily safe. They had to retreat.
At this moment, facing so many spiders, a gun was less useful than a burning stick. Seven gritted his teeth and turned to retreat. Third took the opportunity to grab one of the spiders and glanced at it. A weight settled in his heart as he said, "Everyone be careful; this is a type of poisonous spider called 'Poisonous Spider.' Don't let them bite you."
Seven, like Second before him, ran backward. "Damn it, my life might very well end here today."
Running forward offered no sense of safety either; that "Blood-Soaked Maw" was likely still waiting for them to walk into its trap. Damn it, this time I’m the fish on the chopping block!
The momentum of the Spider Swarm was overwhelming, rushing forward like a tidal wave, swarming from above and below, covering the walls everywhere. Fortunately, their speed couldn't catch up to the few people ahead.
"These poisonous spiders are afraid of water. We need to get to the place with water quickly," Third said.
Seven couldn't help but think, what if that Blood-Soaked Maw creature also happened to like water?
The earlier encounter had left a deep impression on Seven, and he was still shaken. There was no time to dwell on such thoughts; escaping the current disaster was the priority.
"If we're going to die, we might as well die clearly. I refuse to die at the hands of these little pests," Second shouted.
Second was the most anxious among them, with spiders swirling around him like vengeful spirits, less than ten meters away.
Damn it, how can something so small be so fast?
"It might be because the walls are too smooth," Wang Er Gou replied. Second glanced back and felt that they were even closer now, as if they were crawling right over his head.
This sensation was akin to standing on the brink of death. Some say what truly terrifies people is not facing death immediately but waiting for it; that is the most painful part. At that moment, Second knew that the deadly "executioners" were behind him, yet he had no idea when they would strike. It was a tormenting anxiety.
"Damn it! Er Gou, can you run any faster?" Second couldn't help but urge.
Wang Er Gou had already fallen behind Third and Seven by a considerable distance. He felt helpless! One hand pressed against his abdomen. With every jolt, his breathing became uneven. Wang Er Gou helplessly said, "This is already as fast as I can go."
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