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墨書 Inktalez
I swung the light to different positions a few times, immediately confirming my suspicions.
I turned to Cao Mingzhe. "Old Cao, let's go straight down into the abyss behind the Dam."
Cao Mingzhe's expression changed, and he grabbed the handrail beside him. With a flip of his body, he seemed to jump down and disappeared. A few warriors gasped in surprise, but the others, including the European, showed no signs of shock. It seemed that Cao Mingzhe's abilities were no longer a secret.
I wasn't worried at all; in fact, I thought that even if he did jump down, he might not die. The current Old Cao was just too formidable!
In the blink of an eye, Cao Mingzhe flipped back up from the other side of the boat, cursing under his breath, "Damn it, we really entered this place. There's no turning back now; let's prepare for the worst."
I had discussed the direction of our exploration after entering the underground with Cao Mingzhe. In his and Xiao Guolin's dreams, they had described the area where we encountered the Giant Millipede, especially across from the exit of the Underground Maze. Passing through that section filled with Giant Millipedes led to an anomalous area somewhere on the other side of the Dam.
According to the information Xiao Guolin left me, there seemed to be a more mysterious entrance there. In Cao Mingzhe's memory, that area was vague, but he also believed there was something there.
Currently, our initial plan could no longer be executed; however, this was not the biggest disaster. Our plan included actions to enter this space behind the Dam; it was just supposed to be our final step after clearing all obstacles above.
The order had simply changed; our last action had been moved up to become our first step. I didn't feel too regretful about this; I only sensed a slight unease due to the increased danger of our actions.
I turned my face toward Liu Squad Leader. "Inform those on the other Landing Craft and tell Fatty that we're going down to the very bottom. We might have to face the Eternal Gate directly, so he should be prepared."
The change in plans was significant; of course, this wasn't Cao Mingzhe's fault. I hadn't expected this entrance to be above the abyss either. According to my assumptions, there should have been an underground lake below. It seemed that both Cao Mingzhe and I had made the same mistake by failing to accurately calculate the exact location of the underground lake.
I had been down into the abyss opposite Hakka People Underground Cavern Dam before; I knew it was impossible to return via the original route. Here as well, we lacked the ability to climb back up from below unless Ground personnel could assist us by lowering an extremely long rope or sending down a flying vehicle. Otherwise, we would have to find another way.
However, coming directly here allows my plan to proceed smoothly. I could even detonate the Antimatter Bomb right here, I estimate. Even if I can't see the Eternal Gate immediately after going down, it won't be far from it.
Therefore, my mood is somewhat excited.
"Zhang, turn on all the lights. Our landing spot has a deviation; we might not land in the lake. Get ready for battle."
Hearing Liu Squad Leader say this made me furious. "Are you out of your mind? What good is that to anyone else! Just talk to Fatty directly; he has experience entering the Eternal Gate and knows what to do!"
I guess no one else would dare speak to him like that, considering his important position.
Liu Squad Leader's face turned as red as an eggplant as he shouted into the Walkie-Talkie, "Give that damn microphone to Fatty!"
He didn't dare take his anger out on me and had to vent it on the Second Lieutenant in another boat.
"Brother Qiang has something to say to you."
Liu Squad Leader decided not to be a messenger and a punching bag anymore, handing the Walkie-Talkie microphone to me. I took it without hesitation.
" Fatty, our landing spot is off; we might have fallen into the abyss behind the Dam."
"I know; I realized it as soon as we landed. This is good; we can face the Eternal Gate directly and make use of your strengths."
"Stop mocking me; think about how we’re getting out of here. Once we're done, where do we exit? We can't climb back up. Turn on all the lights on your boat; it's too dark over there, which is dangerous."
"Damn it, we turned on all the lights as soon as we landed. Didn't it blind your eyes?"
I looked up, and their Landing Craft was not far from me, but the lights were not glaring.
"Damn, is your light broken? It doesn't seem very bright."
After a moment of silence, a confused voice came through the microphone. "It's not very bright on your end either. Don't mess this up."
I glanced up at the craft again, and after just one look, I shouted, "Damn it, where's the opening?"
My voice was loud enough to not only confuse Fatty on the other end of the microphone but also to be heard clearly by everyone on my craft. We all instinctively looked up.
"There!" Liu Squad Leader pointed at a distant bright spot above.
"Damn." Fatty's curse came through the microphone. "We're drifting this way."
The bright spot of the opening was not only far away but also off to the side, not directly above us. The angle had already reached forty-five degrees and was continuing to shift further away.
I could feel the wind; our Landing Craft was descending at a relatively fast speed. I was at the bow of the craft, leaning out significantly, feeling the wind blowing up from below. My short hair was being blown upwards. However, I didn't feel any lateral wind.
If we were being pushed away from our vertical drop position, I should have felt the wind that would cause us to drift off course, at least sensing the wind generated by our own lateral movement and how my body would react to it.
It was like riding a train; when it goes around a sharp bend, you definitely feel it, even experiencing friction between your body and the seats as you're pushed to one side.
But at this moment, I felt none of that. Yet by observing the position of the opening, I knew that in just these few seconds, we had moved laterally farther than we had descended.
"Goddamn it! The opening is moving!" I cursed loudly.
I shouted loudly, wanting everyone on the two Landing Crafts to understand the current situation.
I didn't know if anyone else realized it, but upon seeing this bizarre scenario, I was certain that there was no way out this time. It wasn't that we couldn't return the way we came; it was that we couldn't leave this place at all.
This opening had veered away from us and would eventually disappear, just like what happened to Xiao Guolin and his team last time.
We would not receive reinforcements, nor would any rescue teams come down—at least not in the short term—because there were no experienced personnel left. Everyone who had similar experiences was already here, whether they had gone through Lop Nur or the Underground Passage, or were part of the Hakka People in the Underground Cavern.
The Scientist Team Members who were preparing on the Ground and planned to come down as a second wave were fortunate; they had avoided this misfortune.
My shout silenced the clamor on both Landing Crafts. Clearly, everyone was stunned by the scene before them. Despair rendered everyone speechless. In the air, there was only a deathly silence.
Suddenly, a strange sound broke the stillness. (To Be Continued...)
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