In mere moments, while Fatty and I were still tense, all the bats chasing us plunged into the water. A few struggled for a moment before succumbing.
This left us both stunned.
Indeed, bringing them along was the most sensible choice!
Fu Honglang seemed equally surprised by their marksmanship, remarking from the side, "These beasts are unlucky to have run into you two this time."
Yang Hanxue glanced at Song Bing and asked, "Did you serve in the military before, Brother Song?"
Song Bing nodded, "For a few years."
Yang Hanxue smiled and didn't say much more.
Fatty sidled up to me, "Brother Xiang, it seems we don't need to worry even if we encounter a zongzi this time! With the shooting skills of these two, wouldn't they turn a zongzi into a sieve?"
I replied, "Don't forget, Da Kui said that zongzi is very difficult to deal with."
"No matter how difficult, so what? Da Kui's group were all a rabble. We're different from them, we're the elite of the elite!" Fatty boasted.
I retorted, "Don't flatter yourself. Are we two considered elite?"
"Brother Xiang, you can't say that. You have a good mind, aren't you elite?" Fatty argued.
"Then what about you?"
"Me?" Fatty hesitated for a moment before replying, "I'm in charge of logistics!"
I waved my hand, "Hurry up and row the boat, stop with this nonsense."
Upon reaching the middle of the underground river, I took off my clothes, tied a safety rope, and then jumped into the water.
After a brief search underwater at the wire mesh, I found nothing. Still unwilling to give up, I surfaced for air, then dove back down to check again.
After repeating this process two or three times and confirming there was no sign of Jiang Lingxi, I returned to the boat.
"Brother Xiang, how was it? Did you find anything?" Fatty asked.
I shook my head, "No."
Fatty's eyes lit up, "That's good then! It means Sister Lingxi hasn't at least..."
Mid-sentence, he slapped his own mouth, "Ptooey, ptooey, why say such unlucky things? Sister Lingxi will be fine."
I let out a sigh, "Let's hope so."
After changing and docking the boat, we decided to take turns resting on the shore.
The round trip from our descent to the laboratory had taken nearly seven hours.
During these seven hours, everyone was already exhausted from rowing the boat. At this point, it was best to conserve energy; otherwise, dealing with any situation at the warehouse would be difficult.
Although our primary objective was to find Jiang Lingxi quickly, I didn't want anyone to get hurt.
After eating something, I couldn't sleep, so I asked Yang Hanxue, Song Bing, and Fu Honglang to rest, while Fatty and I kept watch.
The three found comfortable spots to lie down, and Fatty and I stood guard beside them, smoking and chatting.
"Brother Xiang, do you think there were many small Japanese devils here back then?" Fatty exhaled smoke, "So, how did they live in this place? When we went to that laboratory earlier, I found no trace of daily life, not even a bed."
I had noticed that as well. Apart from bottles and jars, and some old equipment, there were no daily necessities in the research lab.
I mused, "Perhaps that was their workplace, and they didn't eat or sleep there."
"Then where do you think they lived?" Fatty asked.
As I pondered this question, Fatty grinned, "Actually, I know where they lived."
"Where?"
Fatty shone his flashlight towards the iron racks by the cave wall not far away, "When we first came down, I found these iron racks quite strange. What were they for? Then I started thinking, these iron racks are all two-tiered, a bit like the bunk beds in my school. Thinking about it, they really could serve as beds; just place a wooden board on top, spread a quilt, and you could sleep."
Hearing him say that, I looked closely and realized they seemed a bit short. I commented, "Standard bunk beds are usually two meters long, and these iron racks don't look like they're two meters long either."
"Brother Xiang, don't forget that Japanese people were generally not tall. Why would they need two-meter-long beds? It's only natural that they would be long enough for their use," Fatty reasoned.
At this point, Fu Honglang, who had his eyes closed, opened them and said, "If they really lived here, then this place would definitely have a power system. For such a large space, without a power system, they couldn't possibly live here. Moreover, some of the equipment in the research lab we visited also required electricity."
Hearing this, I couldn't help but ask, "Then if we find their power system, will we be able to light up this whole place?"
Fu Honglang nodded and pointed his flashlight to a spot not far away, "See those light bulbs? As long as there's electricity, they should all light up."
My heart leaped with joy. If there was electricity, it would be much easier to search for people!
"It's just that I wonder if the power system, after being abandoned for so long, can still function," Yang Hanxue also sat up at this moment.
"Brother Yang, you're not asleep either?"
He yawned, "I slept for a bit, I'm quite rested. Why don't you guys sleep, and I'll go around and see if I can find the power system."
"You're going alone?" I was surprised.
Yang Hanxue chuckled, "What? Are you afraid something will happen to me?"
"Brother Yang, it's the same as I said before, it's best if we don't split up. Wherever we go, we go together." I insisted.
He smiled, "Alright, whatever you say. You and Fatty get some rest first. When you wake up, we'll go look together."
"Okay."
Fatty and I used our backpacks as pillows, lying down on a flat area.
The ground of the cave wasn't cold; instead, it was somewhat warm, as if sleeping on an electric blanket.
I knew this was due to the dormant volcano below, something Jiang Lingxi had mentioned.
I rearranged my thoughts, trying to relax myself, closed my eyes, and emptied my mind, falling asleep without realizing it.
Soon, I had a dream. In the dream, I found Jiang Lingxi, trapped somewhere and unable to escape. I wanted to rescue her, but found a monster blocking my path. It had a ferocious face, riddled with cracks, disheveled hair, and a sinister smile playing on its lips.
I jolted awake abruptly. All I could hear was Fatty's snoring. Except for Fatty and me, the other three were nowhere to be seen.
I blinked, stood up, picked up the still-lit flashlight placed beside me, and shone it around, wondering where the three of them had gone.
Just then, a dark shadow "swished" past my eyes...