Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
After two intense exchanges of gunfire, we had used up a significant amount of ammunition. We were left with only five clips of automatic rifle bullets, seven clips for submachine guns, and four grenades. Zhao Squad Leader did not count his pistol, as it was not effective against such large groups.
The automatic rifles were with our team; Zhao Squad Leader and Hu Aiguo each had one. Therefore, the five clips of automatic rifle bullets were divided between them, with Zhao taking two clips and the remaining three going to Hu Aiguo. Xu Xinming and I each had a submachine gun. Zhao Squad Leader deemed the situation above us too dangerous and only gave Xu Xinming two clips of ammunition, leaving the rest of the submachine gun bullets for me. Liu Squad Leader took two grenades, while Zhao Squad Leader and Hu Aiguo each took one.
Xu Xinming was given the shoulder-mounted Walkie-Talkie and a flashlight. To be safe, I also handed him two torches. Xiao Guolin willingly took on the task of carrying the torches. Each of us—Zhao Squad Leader, Liu Squad Leader, and I—carried one torch, while the remaining eight torches were split between Xiao Guolin and Cao Mingzhe. Then we each took a flask of water and a pack of dehydrated fish before setting off.
We chose a conservative search route along the other side of the Cave Wall. The underground cavern where we had settled was narrow, resembling an entrance. However, I knew that was not the case; the Ground here was rough with no signs of human alteration, purely formed by geological changes. This had the advantage that we could choose either side to search without worrying about getting lost.
Zhao Squad Leader lit his torch and led the way, with Liu Squad Leader and me closely following behind him. Xiao Guolin and Cao Mingzhe followed next, with Hu Aiguo bringing up the rear, also holding a lit torch.
The Cave Wall did not extend directly toward the Pavement; it seemed to curve around before converging toward it. As we approached the Pavement, we discovered a bank constructed along the Cave Wall.
This embankment was wider than the one on the other side, approximately three meters wide, but its shape was fundamentally similar to that one. However, upon seeing this embankment, we fell silent, staring at it without anyone speaking first.
The two oil-soaked torches emitted a bright light; although they couldn't illuminate far ahead, they clearly lit up our immediate surroundings. There were two deep ruts in the Embankment.
These ruts were nearly half an inch deep and extended down from the Embankment onto the smooth, slightly sloped Ground before disappearing from sight as if vehicles vanished into thin air upon reaching this point. The torchlight could not reach very far; Zhao Squad Leader held up his torch and walked forward another ten meters before stopping. The ruts seemed endless, leading toward the other end of the Embankment.
Xiao Guolin crouched down and asked Hu Aiguo to shine his torch onto the ruts in front of us while he traced along them with his hand. "These are made by a large two-wheeled cart; the wheels must be made of hardwood. Judging by the distance between the ruts, this cart is over two meters wide. Such a large vehicle wouldn't be suitable for human pulling; it's likely an animal-drawn cart. But regardless of where it transported goods, this path isn't wide enough for vehicles to pass each other; how did they return? If this path is long enough for a convoy to unload on one side before collectively returning, that would be highly inefficient. Surely they wouldn't destroy all these carts after using them once?"
Xiao Guolin measured the distance outside the ruts with his foot and added, "There is also a possibility that there wasn't enough space to pass each other; simply herding livestock back shouldn't be an issue."
Xiao Guolin's confusion found an answer as we moved forward a bit more. A massive hollow had been carved into the Cave Wall; illuminated by our torches, we stepped inside this cavity. This hollow was based on a crevice and was quite high without any sense of oppression. The Ground was roughly processed; based on its depth and width, I estimated it could accommodate about twenty carts.
"This is something akin to a highway rest area. If we could carve out several of these rest areas along the way, the problem of vehicles passing each other would be resolved," Xiao Guolin remarked as he surveyed the depression.
Sure enough, after walking a short distance, we discovered two more of these depressions. The spacing and size varied significantly, indicating they were excavated where conditions allowed for such rest areas. I couldn't help but admire the wisdom of the Ancients. Not only did this solve the issue of vehicles crossing paths, but it also saved a considerable amount of manpower and resources; after all, creating rest areas is much less labor-intensive than widening embankments. For convenience, we decided to refer to these depressions as rest areas, perhaps that’s what the Ancients called them too.
I suddenly thought of another question and blurted out, "Maybe we can find a way out."
Zhao Squad Leader was particularly interested in this idea. He perked up immediately and asked, "Brother Qiang, is there an exit ahead?"
This was merely a guess, but I didn't want to dampen Zhao Squad Leader's spirits, so I offered a somewhat optimistic hypothesis: "If they are transporting goods from the other side to here, then there must be an exit leading to the ground on that side."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Squad Leader's face flushed with excitement. However, before his enthusiasm could settle, Xiao Guolin doused it with cold water: "What if it's the opposite?"
"If it's the opposite, then we can see what they're doing inside. Such a massive project consuming so much manpower and resources—surely it’s not just a water storage project? I doubt you would believe that either," I replied calmly to Xiao Guolin.
Zhao Squad Leader still clung to a glimmer of hope about an exit on the other side. "Regardless, we should go take a look."
For the first time, our opinions aligned so well. The embankment had already extended into the water. Out of fear of the Water Monster, not just Liu Squad Leader but everyone else kept close to the cave wall as we walked. We reduced our torches to just one; the entire team had to huddle together to avoid injuries or getting left behind due to insufficient lighting. Naturally, our pace slowed down, and everyone consciously kept their mouths shut while deliberately lightening their footsteps. As a result, heavy breathing filled the air; each person's breath echoed distinctly in the hellish silence of darkness, amplifying an inexplicable sense of panic.
Everyone could control their speech but not their breathing. In this eerie atmosphere, I felt my steps quickening; it seemed like only by moving faster could I drive away my fear. Strangely enough, I noticed that despite my urge to speed up, I wasn't actually moving any faster than anyone else. It was as if this atmosphere of fear had spread throughout the entire group; everyone was using this method to escape their anxiety or fearing being left behind at the back.
Liu Squad Leader's fear here surpassed that of all of us. He was younger and in better physical condition; if it weren't for Zhao Squad Leader leading with the torch ahead, he might have already rushed past us. He was right in front of me, closely following Zhao Squad Leader, his body twitching slightly from tension as he walked in an odd manner.
Suddenly he turned back to me and said, "Did you hear that? A voice... singing."
.
Comment 0 Comment Count