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墨書 Inktalez
As soon as Jack mentioned the Yadan Landform Group, I guessed the approximate location where Xiao Guolin had entered the underground; it wouldn't be too far from our last entrance. The last time I was underground, I had drawn a topographic map and later gave it to the warriors who ventured into the Water Inlet. However, Xiao Guolin had seen this map and could find the corresponding Ground and Yadan Landform Group. Conversely, based on the location of the Yadan Landform Group, he judged that digging a vertical shaft directly to the Underground Passage might be difficult, but opening a passage to the Underground Water Reservoir or underground lake would not be hard, as that area was too vast and didn't require too much specificity.
I couldn't understand how this entrance shaft could disappear overnight, but I didn't show any surprise; anything beyond reason happening there wouldn't astonish me. I thought that neither Xiao Guolin nor Liu Squad Leader would display any shock; we had all become numb to such occurrences.
"If that's the case, you should refrain from taking risks for now. I'll finish my tasks here as quickly as possible. Once I have more information, we can decide on our next course of action." While pondering this, I said to Jack, "During this time, focus primarily on gathering information. Also, get Xiao Guolin's student involved; see if he can contact anyone who has entered the passage. It would be best to obtain firsthand information. What did they see down there? How did Xiao Guolin and his group go missing? The more detailed, the better."
Jack seemed at a loss regarding the current situation and didn't oppose my suggestion; instead, he expressed a desire to come over and see us. I really didn't know what this American guy was thinking, but I certainly wouldn't agree to his request. "Who will you leave behind to gather information? You are familiar with several teams over there; getting news from them is your responsibility. You can't expect Xiao Ting to handle this." To dissuade him further, I added, "Our actions below are dangerous; don't call me anymore. My phone will be off for a while. I'll call you once I'm in a safe place." I hung up the phone; Fatty had already booked a room nearby and was waiting for me.
The room was on the second floor, a wooden space without paint, where I could smell the scent of wood. There were two hard bamboo beds and a tea table with a rattan chair on each side. It was simple and tidy, giving off a feeling of returning to nature. Satisfied, I thanked Yao Matriarch for showing us to our room and sent her out. Lying down with my head resting on a clever bamboo pillow felt very comfortable, and soon I drifted into slumber.
The crowing of roosters woke me from my dreams; Fatty was still sleeping in an ungainly position. Outside, dawn was just breaking. I lay in bed stretching my limbs and found that they were perfectly fine—what incredible recovery ability! I gave myself a mental pat on the back. Walking to the window and pushing it open, a chilly morning breeze made me shiver slightly. The fresh and pure air felt like bathing in oxygen. I gently moved my neck; thankfully it was alright. The night before—no, it should have been two nights ago—I had been punched by Liu Squad Leader so hard that I felt like my neck would snap; it truly was ruthless.
My head still felt off; shaking it made me feel something jostling inside as if my brain had been scrambled, accompanied by a dull ache. As daylight brightened and revealed the beautiful scenery outside, I temporarily forgot about my injury. The mountains before me were lush with emerald green, dotted with patches of red and yellow flowers. A road wound through the mountains like a belt, with sounds of water flowing in the nearby stream. In the distance, I could see a river flowing alongside the road below—a pair of jade ribbons. I found myself somewhat entranced by it all, opening my arms wide while tilting my head back and closing my eyes to deeply inhale the fresh air; an impulse arose within me to sing or recite poetry.
"Quite pretentious there; you might just melt into the blue," came Fatty's voice suddenly from behind.
My good mood vanished instantly. Turning around, I saw Fatty had gotten up at some point and was sitting cross-legged on his bamboo bed with a grin.
"Why not stay here for a few more days?" I turned back around. "The environment here is beneficial for my recovery."
"You've already healed; is this little injury worth being so dramatic about?" Fatty jumped down from his bamboo bed. "There’s no phone signal here; even if you want to rest, we need to find somewhere with reception. Don't get carried away; there's a bus passing through here in half an hour—if we miss it, we'll have to wait until evening for another one."
What a buzzkill! I muttered under my breath. I knew Fatty was right; we needed to wait in an area with phone signal even though I was displeased with his teasing. This matter couldn't be delayed any longer. Reluctantly glancing one last time at the beautiful scenery outside, I turned around, put on my outerwear, and stepped out.
This was a bus heading towards Funing; its condition left much to be desired compared to the vehicle we took yesterday—it was in another league entirely—but ticket prices were not significantly different. Although this bus leaked air everywhere and rattled noisily while driving along winding mountain roads, it wasn't slow at all and reached Funing before dinner time.
Funing had trains but not in the county town itself; getting off the bus made my head feel like it would explode—I swore I'd never take a bus again! After buying train tickets with fewer people onboard than expected, I finally got some proper rest. After transferring once more, by the time we reached Kunming, I felt revitalized.
At that moment, Fatty received a call from Myanmar instructing him to meet in Tengchong. We took ten hours by car until we arrived in Tengchong just after midnight.
The person meeting us was in a village near the China-Myanmar border. Fatty and I bought some oil cakes for breakfast and hired a tricycle to eat on our way there. By the time we arrived near noon, a dirt road led straight into the village center where we got off at its entrance. Fatty needed to be cautious from now on—he should keep his wits about him. From his tone, he didn’t seem entirely confident about our contact person.
At the village entrance stood an old tree dividing the dirt road into two paths leading in and out of the village. Underneath that tree sat several people seeking shade who didn’t look local despite wearing ethnic attire. As we walked past them, their gazes felt brazenly provocative.
Fatty approached one of them and asked loudly, "Where's Guai Zi Liu? I've arranged to meet him."
That person scrutinized Fatty for a moment before responding: "Black Steel?"
"Hey, it's me," Fatty chuckled. "It's been a long time since anyone called me that."
The man replied, "Follow me."
He stood up and walked towards the Village. Fatty and I followed behind. The Village was small, but the residents were scattered, and the Bamboo Houses were built against the mountains. It seemed like we had to walk quite a distance to reach the nearest Bamboo House. The paths in the Village were like a spider's web—narrow and chaotic. After wandering for over half an hour along the mountain trails, I was panting with exhaustion when the man pointed to a Bamboo House. "Here we are; Brother Liu is waiting for you inside."
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