Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
I couldn't believe it. The two vials of Morphine I got from the Medic would surely come in handy. I wouldn't use the term "coercion" to describe myself, but exchanging information was certainly fair game.
My whispers with Liu Squad Leader wouldn’t attract attention, as there were murmurs all around us. The break was short; suddenly, the Flashlight flickered to life, and Zhao Squad Leader slung the Walkie-Talkie over his shoulder, signaling the team to move out.
This time, Zhao Squad Leader didn’t hand the Walkie-Talkie to Xu Xinming but kept it for himself. This division of labor freed Xu Xinming up, seemingly to assist me specifically in climbing through the Brick Hole and searching for an exit. However, there were few water inlets, and after walking for three hours, we finally spotted a Brick Hole inlet. Just like the previous one, it seemed custom-made, with a massive slab of bluestone pressing down on the Stone Grate.
We had a little food and desperately needed water, even though we wanted to conserve it as much as possible. The compressed food was as dry as firewood that had been sunbaked all summer; it quickly sucked the moisture from my mouth. When I bit into it, it crumbled like dust, and without water to wash it down, it was nearly impossible to swallow. Even so, after this meal, my throat felt like it had been scrubbed raw.
I sat across from Liu Squad Leader and pulled out a cigarette to light up. Xiao Guolin patted my shoulder from behind, and I passed him a cigarette. Zhao Squad Leader reached out for one too when he saw. I exhaled smoke in front of Liu Squad Leader and asked, “Want one?”
I had to admit he had changed a lot; as the smoke wafted past his face without any expression, he replied, “Medic, my head injury isn’t suitable for smoking; I’ve quit.”
Quit my ass! Just a moment ago you were smoking like your life depended on it. I thought bitterly. We had worked together in an Excavation Pit before and I knew he had a serious smoking habit. I didn’t really crave cigarettes; I started smoking because of my colleagues.
In field Archaeology, several people often shared a tent; most Archaeologists smoked heavily, and those who didn’t would end up suffocated by the smoke. Meetings were filled with smoke too; over time, I naturally picked up the bad habit of smoking. However, when I was alone, I didn’t smoke and had no habit of reaching for cigarettes involuntarily.
Being trapped this time was an accident; no one would have prepared several packs of cigarettes for such an event. In the first few hours of being stuck in the Underground Passage, all the cigarettes were smoked up by anxious and nervous people. The pack I secretly saved was meant to deal with Liu Squad Leader so that I could extract information from him to gain leverage.
He seemed to see through my thoughts and realized that once he gave in: “Yes,” it would lead to further pressure from me until everything collapsed completely.
Yet from his slightly flaring nostrils, I could tell he wasn’t on par with Li Squad Leader. Li Squad Leader stood before me like an immovable mountain; he was not. I was confident that I could get the information I wanted from him—just not yet—I had patience.
As we continued down the path, geological movements revealed their destructive effects. For the first time, we saw massive cracks on the Brick Wall caused by geological shifts. They formed at a forty-five-degree angle, resembling a bizarre gaping mouth on the Brick Wall; at its widest point, it measured twenty centimeters across. The cracks in the Azure Brick Wall were severely crumbled; under the Flashlight’s beam, we could see the gray-black clay layer behind the bricks.
The geological damage seemed to worsen as we approached the Water Reservoir. In some areas, the Azure Stone Floor had developed cracks, with pieces of bluestone pushed up from the Ground. However, it was evident from the cracks that the geological damage had occurred after the Water Inlet was decommissioned; there were no Erosion Marks in either the brick or stone joints. Despite the significant geological upheaval, the Water Inlet remained intact, showing no signs of collapse.
At one moment, the Flashlight suddenly expanded its beam. The Powerful Flashlight illuminated a vast distance, casting a wide circle of light that spanned both sides of the passage, clearly revealing the Brick Wall and Ground as well as the Ceiling. In that instant, the Cave Wall and Brick Wall on either side vanished, and the light spread freely into the surroundings.
We had emerged. As I stepped out of the passage, I raised my hand to check my watch; we had spent a total of eight hours.
The Powerful Flashlight revealed a dark expanse ahead, which seemed quite large; it could not reach across to the other side. Turning back, I saw that the exit was an arched doorway made of Azure Brick Wall. Beyond it, the Azure Brick Wall extended for a short distance before transitioning into Rocky Cave Wall. The Cave Wall stretched into darkness, and the Flashlight could not illuminate its height—it was very tall. It appeared we had entered a massive stone cavern. From the surface of the Rocky Cave Wall, there were signs of human carving in some places while others seemed naturally formed. It looked like a large Reservoir had been excavated based on a natural cave.
Upon exiting the passage, I noticed a more pronounced slope in the Ground; it was clear to see that ahead lay a low-lying basin. The area illuminated by the Flashlight showed no water; instead, there was solid granite with ash scattered about, and a row of footprints led into the dark depths of the basin.
Xiao Guolin shouted into the darkness, “Song Guilong, are you here?”
The echo reverberated in the empty darkness. “The space isn’t very large,” Xiao Guolin remarked.
“Spread out and advance,” Zhao Squad Leader commanded, then with a click, he chambered a round in his pistol.
Immediately after, there were two more clicks as both Micro Submachine Guns were readied. I wondered how Liu Squad Leader managed to chamber a round with just one hand.
Zhao Squad Leader held up his Flashlight and walked ahead while Liu Squad Leader and Xu Xinming spread out to either side, following him as they searched forward. At this moment, our Archaeology team had no say in matters; we could only follow behind in second position, trailing far behind Zhao’s Flashlight.
With Song Guilong armed and his actions perplexing, I couldn’t ascertain his reasons or intentions; I also didn’t know if he would open fire on us. As I walked, I prayed for nothing disastrous to occur while feeling an intense mix of anxiety and conflict within me.
Our pace was slow; after about half an hour of moving forward, Liu Squad Leader suddenly called out, “Danger is cleared! Captain Xiao, come take a look.”
We three hurried over, stumbling as we went. The flashlight illuminated a massive crack in the ground. Judging by the wear at the edge of the fissure, it seemed to have formed during the same geological period as the cracks in the tunnel. However, this fissure was much larger, stretching over twenty meters long and nearly three meters wide at its widest point. From the scale of the crack, it was clear that this was the epicenter of the geological disaster. The enormous fissure yawned open, its depths shrouded in darkness.
As we walked to this point, there wasn't a drop of water on the ground. The sight of this vast crack inevitably led one to ponder the reason behind the disappearance of water sources. Yet I knew that things were not as they seemed. This enormous underground basin, at least in the parts that had been explored, was indeed large enough in area, but its depth was too shallow to match the scale of its water inlet.
However, this was not what Squad Leader Zhao had called us over for. He pointed to a row of footprints: "Song Guilong went down there."
As more readers joined in reading this book, the author felt gratified. There are a few things I want to address. First is the issue of updates. Recently, I have been refining the outline and contacting my editor while also saving some drafts. I apologize for the infrequent updates. This week, I plan to revise what has been published so far, and next week there should be an increase in updates. I don't want to make any guarantees, but I will do my best. Also, regarding the two-thousand-word issue: I admit it's a problem. However, my writing speed suits two thousand words per chapter; three thousand words per chapter is challenging for me because when writing two thousand words, it feels like I finish quickly, while three thousand feels like an eternity. Let's just enjoy being part of the two-thousand-word club. Finally, for those who enjoy this story, please consider bookmarking this book. Thank you.
Welcome to all readers! The latest, fastest, and most popular serialized works are right here!
Comment 0 Comment Count