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墨書 Inktalez
He made this request, which was completely within my expectations. In fact, if he hadn't asked for it, I would have felt uneasy. I thought that Fatty wouldn't oppose this condition; the only resistance would come from Jack. However, I only anticipated a little pushback from him because Jack currently needed us to leave this place. I could use various means to ensure he agreed to the condition.
As for Vietnamese and Lao People, I didn't think they would have any impact on Hakka Village. Their understanding of this Valley and the underground cave was superficial at best. First, they hadn't seen some key elements, and second, what they had seen was merely the surface; they were unaware of the deeper truths. Their influence was limited to their own circles and wouldn't extend beyond their borders to affect China.
"Heh heh." Fatty let out a sarcastic laugh, seemingly reacting to my agreement with Wu Bo.
I turned to look at Fatty, thinking to myself that he better not go against me right now. At that moment, the anger in Fatty's eyes had faded or been suppressed, replaced by another layer of meaning: you finally decided to acknowledge me. I’m done with you.
I raised my eyebrows at him in a mix of annoyance and amusement. He should understand my message: don’t act foolishly here; if there’s an issue, let’s deal with it later.
The exchange of expressions between Fatty and me was brief and subtle; hopefully, it didn’t catch Wu Bo's attention.
"You should feel that it is a cold and dark space. The water in the underground lake turns to ice before reaching the bottom," Wu Bo said, his eyes seemingly closing. The fear etched on his face deepened the lines on his forehead and around his eyes, as if he were trapped in painful memories.
"My people once ventured into the Underground Cavern during their initial explorations. They used ropes to lower themselves down. They went three times in total, with two to five people each time. That cold, dark space was not only vast but also incredibly deep.
In the first two attempts, the rope reached its limit without anyone touching the bottom. However, when they were pulled back up, those sitting in the basket had already frozen to death. You know how human curiosity works—dangerous and difficult challenges only fuel our desire to conquer them.
On the third attempt, my ancestors used a longer rope and insulated the basket. Of course, there were fewer people this time—only two were lowered down. This time, the rope reached the bottom, but just as the basket landed, those below suddenly signaled for help.
My ancestors pulled the basket up as quickly as possible, but the people inside had vanished."
At this point, Wu Bo's voice caught in his throat as he raised a hand to rub his forehead.
"Were they lost?" I asked.
Wu Bo shook his head. "No one knows the truth. To enhance the insulation of the basket, it was almost sealed shut with only a fist-sized vent at the top for air circulation. For safety reasons, the door of the basket was secured from the inside. When it was pulled up, the door remained locked from within. Yet somehow, those inside disappeared."
You can imagine that from the moment the distress signal was received to pulling them up, there could be no hesitation; the basket should have been hoisted up in the shortest time possible. Yet, there were no signs of struggle or fighting inside the basket, and the charcoal stove within had not gone out.
This incident caused a tremendous psychological blow to my ancestors. No one dared to venture down again, and for a time, the Underground Cavern saw no visitors.
"Has no one gone down since then? Can such fear remain unhealed for over a thousand years?"
Wu Bo nodded. "No. I think we inherited our ancestors' fear of that icy space."
I casually asked, "How did they avoid the Heimanluo?"
This was a crucial question; if I wanted to enter that place, the Heimanluo was a pain I could not bypass.
"My ancestors defeated it. They drove it into an underground lake."
Damn, that's impressive.
"How did they manage that?"
"It was simple; they drove it away with fire."
I was stunned, picturing countless people wielding torches. On the flooded Dam, they fought against a vast expanse of black oily substance.
No matter how many people there were or how many torches they lit, there was no way they could have ignited the Pavement. Even if they poured a large amount of grease on the Pavement to set it ablaze, the flowing water would wash the burning grease down into the icy world on the other side of the Dam. This task would have been utterly impossible at that time.
I let out a dry laugh. "It was that simple?"
"It was that simple. Of course, back then, the Heimanluo hadn't grown up yet and hadn't formed memories, which made it easier for my ancestors to deal with it. If it were now, I don't think it would be possible to drive it away."
"Memories? It can form memories? What does that mean? Does it possess high intelligence?"
Wu Bo's expression gradually became calm, but he kept rubbing his forehead as if this memory caused him both heartache and a headache.
"It has nothing to do with intelligence. Rather, it remembers places it has passed through and things it has encountered—like attack patterns and movement modes; it mimics what it comes into contact with. Didn't you notice?"
Wu Bo spoke slowly this time, contrasting sharply with his earlier calm demeanor. Even when recounting his ancestors' exploration of the icy space, his tone had not been this heavy. Could it be that the Heimanluo was what they truly did not want to mention? Everything before had been an act?
"Is your reference to the Heimanluo's wall-like smashing attack considered a memory? That seems trivial compared to its rock-like state and color when close to the ground; it's somewhat like a chameleon. Is that what you're talking about?"
"Yes... but this is just the simplest way it expresses its memory. Don't you think its manner of movement is strange?"
"Of course it's strange. Its very existence is the biggest oddity to me. But what do you think it's mimicking? A worm or a wave? I believe its form has already determined its manner of movement; it doesn't need to imitate anything, it has no other choice.
I'm more concerned about its life form. You call it Heimanluo; fine, I want to know what Heimanluo actually is.
In that damned Underground Cavern, everything is terrifying to the extreme, but at least I can roughly categorize them. I know which things are animals and which are plants; at least the Light Barrier smells a lot like a plant.
But what about Heimanluo? Can you tell me what the hell it is? Don't tell me it's a ghost!"
I waved my hands, my tone was agitated, and my emotions seemed a bit out of control. Of course, I wasn't losing my mind; I hoped my display would make Wu Bo feel nervous.
"No one knows what it is. It has been here since my ancestors discovered this Underground Cavern over a thousand years ago. It has grown to the point where it can cover that Flood Barrier, turning the place entirely into its territory. We really don't want to know what it is; as long as it doesn't enter the upstream of the Underground River and doesn't interfere with our hunting, we can coexist peacefully. Even if it's a ghost, what does it matter?"
(To Be Continued...)
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