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"Medic" called out softly, "Zhao Squad Leader," then gently repeated my name twice, followed by calling both of us once more. Then "Medic" said, "At that moment, when I heard you not responding, I asked him, 'Captain Xiao, who are you talking to? Aren't you with the squad leader?'"
I pressed the talk button and asked, "You just imitated Captain Xiao; why did you lower your voice so much? Is something wrong on your end?"
"No, everything's fine here," "Medic" replied. "Captain Xiao just speaks like that, his voice low as if he's afraid of scaring me."
A sense of foreboding crept into my mind, but I didn't let it show—at least not in my words. I pressed the talk button again and asked "Medic," "What happened next?"
"Then Captain Xiao told me that you all got separated. He also asked me..."
"Stop," I quickly pressed the talk button and said, "Imitate Captain Xiao's tone when you speak to me; try to make it sound as similar as possible."
The walkie-talkie fell silent for a moment before crackling with static.
"Did Zhao Squad Leader and the others contact you?" came a low imitation of Captain Xiao's voice.
"No, since you all went out, there hasn't been any contact with me. I've been really worried," "Medic" replied.
"We reached a dead end and saw an opening. Something is following us; we need to go in. If Zhao Squad Leader contacts you, tell them there's a problem here and about our situation."
"What is following you? Is it dangerous?"
"We can't wait any longer; it's too late." The words came out hurriedly and briefly, clearly imitating Xiao Guolin.
"It's over," "Medic" concluded.
"Think again if there's anything else to add," I asked reluctantly. "For example, did you hear anyone else speaking or any loud water sounds during that time?"
"In the last sentence I heard, besides Captain Xiao, Hu Aiguo and Professor Cao also made sounds. Professor Cao seemed to shout: 'Run.'"
"Can you learn this?" I asked.
"Sure," the Medic replied, then shouted, "Run."
His voice was loud, completely lacking any attempt to lower his tone. I thought I had gathered the information I needed; there was no good news here. Their situation seemed no better than ours. We had to hurry and gather our strength.
Just as I was about to hand the microphone to Zhao Squad Leader, the Medic's voice came through again: "There's one more thing, but I'm not sure how to say it."
"Just say it," I told him.
"During the call with Captain Xiao, there was a clattering sound on the line. I think it might be a signal issue. But now, there's no noise when I'm talking to you."
I pondered this for a moment but decided to set it aside for now; all this information would need to be verified on-site. Instead, I asked him another question: "What position are you in? Did you hear any gunfire?"
"I'm with the injured. I haven't heard anything."
Hearing this from the Medic left me with no further questions. Reluctantly, I passed the microphone to Zhao Squad Leader, who then inquired about the search situation from above.
After handing over the microphone, I immediately began preparing to depart. I believed that Xiao Guolin and his team were in a dangerous situation. Cao Mingzhe's last desperate shout of 'run' was completely contrary to Xiao Guolin's cautious demeanor of keeping his voice low. I didn't think Cao Mingzhe had lost his mind; rather, it seemed they had encountered something troubling.
As Zhao Squad Leader finished his call and hadn’t yet put away the microphone, I raised my torch and ran deeper into the Embankment. Liu Squad Leader was also ready, and seeing us run off without much regard for caution, Zhao Squad Leader complained while packing up his gear and following us.
We had rested for a while, but we still hadn't seen the Cephalopod Monster catch up with us. It seemed that grenade had severely injured it, at least robbing it of the courage to pursue us. Thus, we could afford to run without pushing ourselves too hard; this stretch of road would definitely not be short, and managing our stamina was crucial. We needed to ensure we arrived at the scene as quickly as possible while still maintaining some combat readiness—none of us could predict what awaited us on the other side.
This was a long trek. I insisted on carrying the torch myself; only then could I control our speed and allocate our stamina wisely. During my school years, I often participated in long-distance races and had run marathons a few times, so I understood the consequences of uneven stamina distribution. Additionally, I couldn't compete with these two soldiers in terms of physical endurance; although we were close in age, they were seasoned from regular outdoor training. If I handed the torch over to them, I'd surely fall behind and end up in trouble.
At the end of the Embankment was a vast Rest Area—not a hollow carved into the Cave Wall but an open space resembling a plaza about the size of a basketball court. As we approached this clearing, we slowed our pace. My control over speed and stamina proved successful; despite being out of breath upon arrival, we still had energy and strength left to react.
The three of us quickly spread out in a fan shape. I first handed the torch to Liu Squad Leader before pulling back my gun's bolt. After taking the torch, Liu Squad Leader instinctively moved to the center to illuminate for me and Zhao Squad Leader. To my surprise, Zhao Squad Leader pulled out a Type 64 pistol and loaded his last magazine before cocking it.
As I fought against the Cephalopod Monster in the hollow, I saw Zhao Squad Leader fire a magazine of bullets before abandoning his pistol to throw stones at the enemy. I was surprised that he had time to put away his gun in such a tense moment. If it were me, I would have probably just thrown the pistol like a rock.
The square, though not large, was still insufficient to fully illuminate with a torch. We moved along the Cave Wall, searching as we advanced. The weapon I held was our most powerful one, so naturally, I took on the role of the vanguard. I was at the front of the Search Team.
After walking a few steps, the torchlight revealed a massive opening ahead. It was enormous—its width comparable to two train tunnels and its height exceeding five meters. We paused for a moment at this entrance, not rushing inside but continuing to search along the edge of this flat area.
Soon, we returned to the entrance. At the end of the Embankment in this square, aside from the giant opening, there was nothing else. Two deep tire tracks imprinted on the Embankment led directly into the cave. It seemed that this cavern was the endpoint of all mysteries; to unravel them, we had to go inside.
Our purpose in searching this square was to find clues left by Xiao Guolin and his team. The cave he mentioned during our call should be right in front of us, but we needed to know what had been pursuing him and whether whatever was chasing him had entered the cave with them or remained outside. Without clarity on these questions, rushing in could lead us into even greater danger.
Suddenly, Zhao Squad Leader, standing at one side of the entrance, said, "What is that sound?"
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