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墨書 Inktalez
I remained calm. I turned on the One-Eyed Beast Flashlight and gestured down the passage with it, saying, "I'll prove to you once that even a devil can walk out of here."
I believed that Tang Yumo's anger and breakdown were largely feigned; she might truly not know how Cao Mingzhe had exited the Underground Cavern, which was likely a mystery for the entire Hakka Village.
However, she must have known the reason why the Hakka People allowed Cao Mingzhe to enter the Underground Cavern. This reason left the Hakka People feeling quite frustrated; they seemed forced into this situation, unable or unwilling to stop Cao Mingzhe from entering.
I glanced at Jack with what I thought was a complex expression. The message I conveyed to him was clear: do not let the Hakka Girl out of your sight.
Currently, Jack and Tang Yumo were inseparable, and I couldn't communicate this message verbally or even through lip movements. To my surprise, Jack silently nodded in response and cast a sidelong glance at Tang Yumo, clearly understanding my message.
This brought me some comfort but also an unsettling realization. I felt that Fatty and I had not reached such a level of mutual understanding. Could it be true, as Fatty joked, that there were signs of something more between Jack and me?
And it seemed like the future was bright.
I involuntarily shivered and discreetly smoothed out the goosebumps on my skin. "Follow me; Old Cao found the exit and got out from here. I believe we can do the same."
I didn’t bother to investigate the third passage; it really wasn’t necessary. Based on past experiences and observations of these two passage entrances, I had already formed a judgment. More importantly, I trusted Cao Mingzhe.
While we searched for clues separately, Jack and Xiao Ting were responsible for tracking Cao Mingzhe. According to their reports, Cao Mingzhe's behavior was quite strange. From his solitary venture into the Beipan River area of primeval forest to his deep entry into the Underground Cavern and his ability to leave unscathed, his actions were indeed bizarre to an extreme.
But who among those who emerged alive from Lop Nur could be considered normal? Not even Xiao Guolin. Even I was exceptionally unusual; my obsessive exploration of Lop Nur was something no sane person would undertake.
I adjusted the One-Eyed Beast Flashlight to its maximum beam width; this meant that its range wouldn’t reach its furthest distance. However, with the flashlight illuminating about twenty meters ahead, its beam encompassed the entire passageway.
I had once suffered from a lack of lighting in the Underground Passage at Lop Nur, which led me astray. Although that misstep ultimately allowed us to survive against all odds, the fact that we lived through it was nothing short of miraculous. To this day, I still cannot comprehend what kind of experience that was. This time, I did not want to stumble through life blindly; even if I were to die, I did not want it to be in ignorance.
Fatty's torchlight illuminated Jack and Tang Yumo behind us, so Jack never turned on his One-Eyed Beast Flashlight. This was my intention; my experiences at Lop Nur taught me that one must always prepare for the worst. We might find an exit, or we might not. We needed to be ready for a prolonged battle.
However, my thoughts and all my speculations quickly faded away. We emerged from the passage.
At the end of the passage was not a fork in the road with other obvious paths; instead, it opened into a much larger underground cavern.
I stood at the exit of the passage and adjusted my flashlight to its long-range setting. I could see no ceiling and nothing obvious across or ahead of us. Behind us loomed a stone wall so tall and wide that it seemed endless. Within the beam of my flashlight, the wall appeared smooth, with clear signs of having been artificially polished. The passage we had come through resembled an ant hole carved into a continuous stone wall. We were like ants in this vast space.
The ground was equally flat; while it wasn't reflective enough to see one's reflection, there was certainly nothing to trip over. Walking on it, I couldn't even feel any stones beneath my feet.
The four of us stood in a line. Everyone's eyes and heads followed the movement of my flashlight; no one dared to take a step forward, including myself.
At that moment, I felt so small, powerless, and fragile. My mind involuntarily amplified the background—the towering stone walls became increasingly prominent in my thoughts, making me feel even more insignificant as an individual.
"Throw a flare. I want to see the whole picture," I said, turning my face toward Fatty, who stood to my right.
Fatty patted himself down. "Good thing I have one."
He took a step back, swung his arm in a wide arc, and threw the flare into the darkness.
Fatty had timed it perfectly, dragging a brilliant tail of flames that exploded with a bang at the highest point. The cave was instantly illuminated as bright as day.
Words like "vast" and "immense" failed to capture the essence of this cavern. Instead, it was the shock that truly reflected my current feelings.
This appeared to be a man-made cavern. My judgment was not based on the natural aspects of this space, but rather on the fact that I saw no signs of natural formation. The stone walls behind me rose high and straight, as if carved by divine hands, yet they bore unmistakable marks of human excavation. They extended into darkness at their far end.
The intense light from Flare did not fully reach the highest points of the stone walls behind me, just as it failed to illuminate the Ceiling or the opposite side of the cave. It seemed as though this cavern was boundless in size and height.
Of course, that was impossible. However, a cavern this high and large could not have been created by anything less than the power of nature itself; I would not entertain any other speculation.
"What is that?"
As my attention focused on the stone walls and the darkness of the Ceiling, I heard Fatty's voice calling out.
Following the direction of his finger, I saw a vague shape at the edge of my vision where the light from Flare faded. Due to the distance and dim lighting, I could only make out its outline; it appeared to be a flat object.
"Eternal Gate?!"
Fatty's self-questioning remark sent another chill down my spine. If that was indeed the Eternal Gate, then we were in trouble—the door had fallen. It was clear that the shape did resemble a door, but it was one lying on the ground.
"No echo," Jack stretched his neck to look at me. "Did you notice?"
Jack was on my left, but there was Tang Yumo between us. No matter who he wanted to express his opinion to, he had to stretch his neck around Tang Yumo. Unless his conversation partner was Tang Family Girl.
My gaze and thoughts were still focused on that object in the distance, silently mocking Fatty's speculation, so I didn't quite understand what Jack meant at first. However, Jack was persistent, continually stretching his neck to look at me, waiting for my response.
His action seemed quite strenuous, and out of politeness, I diverted a bit of my attention to him and shrugged lightly.
"Besides here, do you remember where else there is no echo?" Jack asked, straining as he stretched his neck.
"Um," I pretended to think for a moment.
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck my brain.
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