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墨書 Inktalez
"Is it the weekend again? Where has the time gone?"
As I listened to Jack, I couldn't help but glance toward the black hole, imagining the altar-shaped void he described. If such a formation occurred naturally, it would indeed be beyond comprehension. However, to excavate such a hole artificially seemed equally unimaginable; how much manpower and resources would it take to complete such a project?
The crux of the matter lay in understanding what purpose could justify expending such vast human and material resources to create this hole. A cavity recessed into the ceiling—what practical function could it possibly serve? Perhaps the Ancients of this place had unique behavioral patterns and even more astonishing customs?
I truly couldn't fathom what purpose an artificially created black hole would serve, which made it hard for me to agree with Jack's viewpoint. When humans undertake a task, there is always a purpose behind it, especially for something so financially demanding.
I pulled my gaze and thoughts away from the black hole and looked at Jack. He seemed patient, watching me closely, waiting for me to clarify my perspective on Bai Ta before responding.
"Maybe there's another possibility," I said, refraining from evaluating his statement. I found some credibility in his assessment of the shape of the black hole, but his reasoning for how it came to be was just as dubious as natural formation.
Jack was clearly dissatisfied with my noncommittal attitude.
"If you think my judgment is flawed, feel free to point it out. Don't act indifferent; either provide a more credible analysis or engage with mine."
It seemed that after I had deflated his earlier bravado, he had been in a sour mood. I didn't want him to bottle up his thoughts. I needed him to help me analyze this black hole, even if his conclusions were questionable.
"You misunderstand me. I want to hear all your judgments before I analyze them. I'm not indifferent; I'm taking this seriously."
Jack looked at me with a questioning expression, as if he thought I wasn't serious enough. I had no choice but to suppress even the slightest smile on my face and tighten my lips, my jaw likely tense. At that moment, I nodded firmly at him, signaling my certainty.
"I believe there's another possibility. The inner wall of the black hole might have a light-absorbing coating. If that's the case, the internal structure of this black hole doesn't need to be very complex. Even if it's a straight and shallow hole, as long as we don't climb to the Ceiling or enter the black hole itself, we won't be able to see its internal structure..."
Jack's words came to an abrupt halt when he noticed my expression was far from serious. Of course, I couldn't maintain a serious demeanor because his two judgments were too absurd.
I didn't wait for him to question or explode again.
"Why do you keep bringing up such high-difficulty and high-tech ideas? Have you considered the actual age of this place? We can't see well enough to make judgments here. But you've seen those artificial traces outside, right? Do you think they are modern engineering?
If not, then this underground space—if it has artificial traces—would you think they are more recent than those outside?
Your two judgments either imply an astonishing amount of engineering work or a level of technology that exceeds what ancient people could comprehend. How can I agree with your viewpoint? I'd rather believe it formed naturally; at least emotionally, I can accept that. I don't think ancient people had more advanced technology than I do now."
"We must discard the idea of natural formation; it's the easiest explanation for this matter and the least likely. If you think that way, you're just being lazy and deceiving yourself." Jack regained his rationality and didn't explode at me.
"If we set aside this obviously deceptive viewpoint, my two perspectives are the closest to the truth. Forget what you consider impossible; the scale of engineering isn't an issue. Ancient large-scale projects were built using human bones—China's Great Wall, Egypt's pyramids—aren't they all piled high with corpses? Ancient engineering techniques were quite primitive, which inevitably required a massive amount of manpower. Sufficient manpower can bridge the gap in technology."
The light-absorbing coating is not high-tech; it exists in nature. Of course, I am referring to certain substances with strong light-absorbing capabilities, as theoretically, all materials in nature possess some degree of light absorption, just varying in intensity.
What ancient people lacked was the technology for synthesis. Simply extracting a substance with strong light absorption is still achievable.
Although I believe Jack is being evasive, I have no stronger argument to refute him. Moreover, if I follow his line of thought, many questions arise, but there is also good news: if this black hole was artificially created, it would be impossible for a large number of personnel and resources to enter from the center of the Pit Vortex; there must be another exit leading outside.
I shrugged. "While I don't agree with your viewpoint, like you said, I have no better argument to counter you. But I also disdain hearing physics knowledge from a veterinarian, even though I am a liberal arts student."
Then I casually turned and walked towards the Lao People and Vietnamese, while behind me came Jack's heavy breathing. Jack places great importance on his Master's degree from Duke University, but I truly find it hard to believe.
Despite being very close to the Glow Stick in Fumi's hand, Jack was sulking behind me and didn't follow closely; I nearly stumbled through the darkness. During those few dozen steps, I faced some challenges; a hanging stalactite almost struck my head. I remained silent, even though my head throbbed painfully.
However, upon returning, Jack noticed and laughed at me with a gleeful expression that was quite irritating.
We did not take a break and decided to continue forward. No one voiced any objections; I suppose everyone was fearful of this suddenly appearing black hole.
I decided to lead the way. It was somewhat challenging for me to scout ahead, but I was uneasy about Jack being in front; he moved too quickly, and I constantly worried he might lead us into danger. Besides, he did not personally sense the impending threat; he lacked my intuition.
I kicked A San, who was still crouching on the ground. "Come with me."
Upon hearing we were leaving this place and that it would be with me, A San's spirits lifted somewhat. He stood up and snatched the Glow Stick from Fumi's hand, crouching as he moved forward. It seemed he was still worried that something might leap out from the black hole.
Jack had no objections to me leading the way ahead; in fact, my constant reminders seemed to instill a sense of fear in him. Nevertheless, he calmly advised me, "You should take care of that wound on your forehead before we move on."
I touched my forehead and found my hand covered in blood.
Damn it. I was still trying to act like everything was fine, but it turned out that the impact from hitting the rock was so obvious. No wonder Jack had a mischievous grin on his face as soon as he saw me.
Since I was going to put on a show, I might as well go all the way. I casually shook the blood off my hand and turned to follow A San.
Little did I know, this act would bring us a lot of trouble.
(To Be Continued...)
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