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墨書 Inktalez
"I think you've noticed the strangeness of the Pit Vortex. The water entering it does not create a naturally formed whirlpool. Of course, it's not that water can't form a whirlpool there; rather, it's that once the water enters, it inevitably creates a vortex. What does the phenomenon on the surface of the entire whirlpool signify?"
After posing this question, Jack looked up at me. However, he did not expect an answer.
"It's resistance. Enormous resistance. The bottom of the Pit Vortex should be funnel-shaped, resembling a volcanic crater. Its center has a hollow space, making it easy to generate a whirlpool, but where does such great resistance come from? This resistance would disrupt the formation of the vortex, yet the vortex still forms—what's going on here?
Let me first analyze the function of this complex vortex. Like mine, it is primarily a Millstone; the water generates tremendous friction against the funnel-shaped ground below. Anything caught in the water will inevitably be crushed by this friction.
The white bubbles or foam that appear on the surface of the Pit Vortex are formed by the swirling water flow and its friction with the ground. The sheer amount of foam and such a spectacular scene indicate that the ground cannot be flat. Yet this Pit Vortex is not something that exists for a short time; even if its surface has uneven areas, it should have been smoothed out over countless years of erosion by water. But in reality, it has not only remained rough but has also sharply shredded everything that enters it. Why?
I suspect you've also noticed that both the Drainage Channel leading into the Pit Vortex and the outer Dam show clear signs of human craftsmanship. I suspect that the bottom of the vortex was similarly sculpted by humans, and perhaps someone is maintaining it to ensure its continued function. It serves two purposes: one is to guide and accelerate the flow speed of the vortex, and the other is to shred any objects within the swirling current.
Because while shredding objects in the water flow, the Protrusions at the bottom of the Pit Vortex must also slow down the current; thus, there must be designs to increase flow speed as well. You've seen this too—the flow speed of the vortex is rapid and hasn't slowed due to resistance. Moreover, there should be many obvious Protrusions at the bottom; otherwise, the Pavement wouldn't be churned into a mass of white.
Jack's words left me shocked and contemplative. However, I also found something amiss. "What you're doing is guessing, not analyzing."
"Is there a difference? Or do you have another guess? What we see is merely a snapshot in time. Time passes in an instant. We can only deduce truths based on what we observe. My conclusion is that this Pit Vortex's purpose is to annihilate all living things entering the underground lake. Including any resonance generated within it—this is its goal," Jack stated firmly.
I admitted that I hadn't thought as deeply as Jack had; this was partly because I simply didn't have time to ponder it thoroughly. However, I couldn't agree with his viewpoint because I couldn't imagine why anyone would artificially create such a large Millstone just to prevent creatures from entering an underground lake.
Moreover, Jack's perspective overturned some of my earlier views. Initially, I believed we had been driven here by the crimson Snake Swarm and that Python working together. Their intention seemed to be to treat us as food—just as that giant python had done. Our escape into the Drainage Channel was purely accidental.
The Pit Vortex indeed possesses lethal power over everything within it. But what is its purpose? It certainly has signs of human craftsmanship; could this be what those Vietnamese referred to as an ancient tomb? If so, it would explain things—the Pit Vortex serves as an entrance to an ancient tomb, and its design aims to prevent grave robbing.
But another question arises: during heavy rainfall, this design may serve its purpose in preventing grave robbing; what about during dry seasons? I believe that without water, the uneven design at the bottom of the Pit Vortex would actually facilitate climbing. Relying solely on those snakes would not deter a Tomb Raider's courage."
I shared my thoughts with Jack. He pondered for a moment and said, "There might be other security measures in place when it’s not raining. They’ve put so much effort into building this project; it’s unlikely they didn’t consider that aspect."
"Maybe," I replied, extinguishing my cigarette. "But we don’t have time to think about these issues. We can’t go back the way we came; we need to move downstream quickly. At the very least, we have to find food before we starve."
Our rest was over. On the way back, there was no chance to contemplate the matter further; I had to focus all my energy on observing the road conditions and avoiding falling into the Underground River. When we returned to our resting spot, everyone had already put on their clothes.
At my suggestion, we counted all our supplies since we were about to set off. I needed to know how many resources we still had on hand. No wonder Jack had some objections; aside from the batteries, all the supplies were with him and the Vietnamese. Just as Jack said, they managed to keep both people and things together.
First was the rope. The only rope left between me and the Lao People was the one with a hook from Buasong, and it wasn’t very long. Jack and A San each had a long climbing rope in their backpacks. Rope is one of the three essentials for survival in the wild.
The glow sticks were all in Jack's backpack; I knew that. What I didn’t know was that he also had two handheld signal flares, a flashbang, and an incendiary device in his pack. These were all confiscated from the Vietnamese. He carried all the weapons and lighting resources himself while leaving other supplies in two Vietnamese backpacks, which meant that Ah Xiang lost most of his food when he encountered trouble alone.
During this inventory check, Jack handed me all the micro ammunition at once, making my backpack the heaviest of all. The best news was that we had three complete first aid kits. This would prevent us from dying immediately in case of an accident.
I stuffed one first aid kit into my backpack, but I wouldn’t burden myself with other items like the rain cover, engineer shovel, or even rope since those were in Jack's and A San's backpacks.
While I carefully counted our supplies, Jack maintained a relaxed demeanor. I figured he was more aware of the quantity of supplies than I was; he might have even counted them while I was unconscious.
After finishing the inventory, I faced an unavoidable problem: Lao People Fumi. One of his legs was broken, and someone would need to carry him down the path. I worried that his fractured leg wouldn’t be able to handle being carried. If we couldn’t carry him, we would be in serious trouble and might even have to consider leaving him behind. We didn’t have a stretcher; even if we did, it would be impossible to carry him along the Riverbank Cliff.
Fumi sat by the fire pit. I looked at him and asked, "How’s your leg? Is there a problem with being carried?"
Fumi stared at me blankly. I gestured to A San, who promptly translated my words for Fumi. Fumi nodded and replied briefly in Lao.
A San turned to me and said, "He’s fine."
Buasong gestured that he could carry Fumi. Of course, I knew Buasong was worried about leaving Fumi behind.
I uneasily rolled up Fumi's pant leg to take a look. Her leg was wrapped in bandages, looking quite professional. When I touched it, it felt hard inside, as if there was a splint.
I glanced at A San with a questioning look. A San indicated to me that it was Jack's doing.
Before I could say anything, Jack chimed in, "So, do you believe I have a Master's degree in medicine now?"
My back suddenly ached. "No matter what, you are not allowed to touch my back. Duke University has a veterinary program, right?"
Jack's face turned red instantly, his expression one of wanting to fight.
"Let's go," I quickly changed the subject. (To Be Continued...)
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