My back remained pressed against Jiang Feng’s for seven or eight minutes, but Zhou Quan remained utterly silent.
It was impossible to relax in a space with such low visibility.
My mind involuntarily recalled what Fatty had told me earlier, causing a shiver of unease. After all, two groups had descended before us, and only half of one group had returned. It was impossible not to feel scared.
After a few more minutes, my hands began to ache, so I suggested we sit down. Once we were both seated, I intended to find a lighthearted topic to discuss, but my mind was filled with all sorts of jumbled thoughts, and I had no idea what to say.
We sat there foolishly for about ten minutes. Only when there was no longer any movement around us did our taut nerves slowly begin to relax. Although I had initially planned to stay put for an hour or two after descending before heading back up, the current situation made it impossible to follow that plan. In this enclosed, dark environment, time passed incredibly slowly, becoming unbearable.
Just as I decided that I might as well take a chance and explore the surroundings rather than just waiting, the rope that had lowered us suddenly moved. I looked up and saw two flashlight beams. As I wondered who had come down, I heard Fatty’s voice: “Xiang Ye!”
I froze, looking up. “Fatty? How did you get down here?”
“I was worried about you!” Fatty’s voice echoed in the dark space. Soon, I saw Fatty and Jiang Lingxi descend before us. Looking at them, I frowned. “Why did she come down too?”
Jiang Lingxi said, “Fatty and I came down to help you.”
Wasn’t this just causing trouble? It was fine for Fatty to come down, but what was Jiang Lingxi thinking? We didn’t know what was down here, and if anything happened, we’d have to look after her.
“What? You underestimate me?” Jiang Lingxi said. “Let me tell you, I’m a geological surveyor, and I’ve explored plenty of underground caves. We even went to a sinkhole in Inner Mongolia before…”
I quickly cut her off. “The situation here is different from what you’ve encountered before.”
“What’s different? Isn’t it just an underground military base?” Jiang Lingxi said dismissively.
I sighed, thinking that since they were here, it was impossible to make them go back up now. So, I began to address everyone. “Since you’ve come down, there are a few things I need to clarify. If we encounter any danger later, everyone must listen to my commands. Do whatever I tell you to do, understand?”
Jiang Lingxi smiled. “Alright, I understand.”
With two more people present, Jiang Feng seemed much more relaxed, less tense than before. After I told them about the glow sticks, Jiang Lingxi, without a word, grabbed a flashlight and walked towards where I had thrown the glow stick. Before I could speak, she had already gone seven or eight meters. Seeing this, we could only hurry to follow. This woman was truly extraordinarily bold.
We soon found the glow stick I had dropped earlier. There was nothing unusual around it. Jiang Lingxi said that in underground caves like this, there were often rats and other creatures, and the glow stick must have scared them, causing them to move. I wasn’t unwilling to accept this explanation, but the thought of the people who had come down before me made my feeling of unease particularly strong.
To ascertain the surroundings, I took out seven or eight glow sticks, lit them, and threw them in all directions. The situation around us was then somewhat clarified. It was a large tunnel, fifty meters wide, but its length was impossible to estimate. Along both walls were many iron racks, already rusted. They looked like they were left by the “little devils” from back then, but we didn’t know what their purpose was.
Jiang Lingxi asked us which way we intended to go. This was a problem. I observed the ground and noticed a bloodstain. Although the bloodstain was dry, it was still visible upon closer inspection. This bloodstain extended from the west, likely left by one of the first group of people who descended, the one whose body was only half there. I didn’t share this discovery with the others, instead pointing east and saying, “Let’s go this way.”
Our purpose for coming down this time was not to search for the Kwantung Army’s treasure, so there was no need for us to take unnecessary risks. The most prudent approach was to get a general understanding of the situation below and then return, which would allow me to report to Old Man Qu. When he asked about the situation below, I would be able to provide a clear account. Ideally, we could find one or two of the people who had come down before, whether alive or dead.
With the direction decided, Fatty and I took the lead, with Jiang Feng and Jiang Lingxi bringing up the rear. Fatty had also obtained a handgun, which he said he got from Da Kui. We disengaged the safety. I asked Fatty if he had ever used one before. He replied, “I only used a muzzle-loader back in my hometown. They should be about the same.”
After walking for a while, we heard the sound of flowing water. It was normal to have an underground river in such a cave. Walking towards the sound of water, we discovered an underground river. This river was quite wide, and along its banks were several rusty iron boats.
“There’s a waterway here too?” Fatty asked. “How did those ‘little devils’ find a place like this?”
I said, “Who knows? But it seems they put a lot of manpower into building this underground base.”
“Then should we continue forward?” Fatty asked.
I thought for a moment. “How about we vote on it?” I was also somewhat curious about this underground base, so I voted to continue forward, and Fatty naturally did the same. To my surprise, Jiang Lingxi also voted to proceed. The only one who disagreed was Jiang Feng.
Jiang Lingxi said, “The structure of this underground cave is very special. Perhaps if we move forward, we can find a way out.” This was my thought as well. If we could find a way out from down here, why would we need to go back?
“Uncle,” Jiang Lingxi said to Jiang Feng, “I think there’s definitely a way out here. Instead of going back and being controlled, it’s better to find a path down here. Then, everyone can get out, right?” After she said this, Jiang Feng also agreed to proceed. With everyone in agreement, things became much easier.
We inspected the iron boats, found a relatively good one, and loaded our equipment onto it. Then, we one by one boarded the boat. Just as we were preparing to set off, Jiang Lingxi seemed to have discovered something, continuously shining her flashlight on the cave wall.