Crawling into the cave, we soon encountered many diverging paths. Following tracks on the ground, we proceeded in the direction the lizards had fled.
The passages inside were quite wide, but the height was not so great, at most about 1.45 meters. Walking inside was very uncomfortable.
My height is 1.78 meters, so I had to waddle.
Judging by the marks in this cave, it seemed to have been artificially excavated, not like the burrows dug by the lizards themselves.
As we walked, I asked Wang Yang why the lizards were so large.
He told me, "They should be Komodo dragons... By all rights, these lizards are mostly found in Indonesia, and they shouldn't be here..."
I interrupted him, "So, according to you, these lizards were deliberately kept here by someone? Could it be that the emperor of the Great Tang raised them?"
Wang Yang chuckled, "It's entirely possible. After all, the climate here is similar to that in Indonesia, quite suitable for these lizards to survive."
Li Zhasai was terrified and said, "I've never seen such large lizards in my life... lizards that eat people."
"Eat people?" Wang Yang and I were both stunned simultaneously.
Li Zhasai nodded, "They went into those coffins to find food. I saw them surrounding a person and eating them..."
Wang Yang and I exchanged a glance, both realizing a problem.
Those coffins were a thousand years old; there couldn't possibly be any bodies left, at most just bones.
But Li Zhasai said he saw the lizards eating a body, so what did that mean?
It meant that the body was not in the coffins at all!
With that thought, I said, "Let's go back!"
We retreated from the cave back to the cliff base. The large fire was still raging, but it hadn't spread elsewhere, remaining confined to the backyard.
Li Zhasai didn't understand why we were returning, but he didn't ask any questions.
Arriving at the backyard, the burning flames made me feel hot all over.
The lizards that had been in the fire pit were now scorched, and I could still faintly smell a burning odor.
Looking at the room across the courtyard where the coffins were placed, we circled around its edge.
Entering the room, the floor was covered with bones, and several coffins were smashed to pieces.
Soon, I noticed some bloodstains on the ground. Following the bloodstains inward, I found a body that had been torn beyond recognition.
Judging by the remaining scraps, it should have been one of Zhou Yongxiang's group, because the backpack was the same as ours, and the scattered tools and pistol on the ground were identical.
This meant Zhou Yongxiang and his group had been here, or perhaps they were still here!
Considering this possibility, I looked around and called out, "Old Zhou, is that you?"
There was no response from the room. We walked a few steps further inside, discovering a hole in the wall at the very back.
This wall hole was different from the passage we had just walked through; it was much smaller and didn't look artificially dug.
It was most likely dug by the lizards themselves. They had emerged from this spot, which explained the commotion earlier.
Following this line of reasoning, it was highly probable that Zhou Yongxiang and his group had been dragged into this hole by the lizards!
"Should we go in?" Wang Yang asked me.
I was undecided for a moment. If Zhou Yongxiang and his group had indeed been dragged in, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't try to help them.
Besides, in this godforsaken place, who knew what else would happen. More people meant more strength. Perhaps finding them would lead us to a way out.
After a period of internal struggle, I said to Wang Yang, "They were likely dragged in by the lizards. We need to hurry; if we're late, it'll be too late!"
Wang Yang nodded without saying much and immediately crawled into the hole.
This hole was so small that one couldn't even crouch. We had to crawl forward on our bellies.
To avoid being attacked by lizards, we maintained a distance of about two meters from each other.
After crawling forward for seven or eight minutes, the space clearly became larger. Not only could people stand and walk, but even two people could walk side by side.
"This should be a tunnel," Wang Yang said.
I touched the smooth walls, which showed clear signs of excavation.
Continuing forward, we reached a space of unknown size.
Due to the lack of light, we couldn't discern the size of this space at all. The reason I knew it was large was because our voices created echoes.
"Old Zhou!" I shouted, and soon echoes reverberated from all directions.
"Do we still have signal flares?" Wang Yang asked me.
I felt my backpack and pulled out a flare, handing it over.
He loaded the flare into the signal gun and fired a shot upwards.
With a "bang," the fiery red flare shot straight upwards.
It flew about six or seven meters before hitting something and rebounding sharply downwards.
Then, by the light, I finally saw where we were: it was a large cavern.
This cavern was six or seven meters high, and its width was completely immeasurable, likely as large as three or four basketball courts.
No wonder our voices echoed. What was such a large cave used for?
Could it be part of the underground palace as well?
After the signal flare extinguished, the surroundings were once again filled only with the dim light of our flashlights.
"I think I saw a passage over there. Let's go check it out," Wang Yang said, pointing his flashlight towards a spot not far away.
I nodded, telling Li Zhasai to stick close to us.
As we reached the entrance to that passage, before even entering, a gust of wind blew out from within, instantly carrying a foul odor that almost made me vomit the compressed biscuits I had eaten.
The smell was extremely unpleasant, like an unmanaged public toilet in the countryside mixed with the scent of expired cheese.
I gagged slightly, finding it unbearable. I quickly took out a gas mask and put it on.
Wang Yang was in a similar state and quickly put on his gas mask.
Li Zhasai didn't have a gas mask and could only pinch his nose, saying, "What is this strange smell? Why is it so awful?"
"I don't know..." I replied.
Wang Yang seemed hesitant, no longer wanting to go further inside.
But at that moment, several gunshots rang out from within. This left us no choice but to go.
"They're inside!"
As soon as I finished speaking, Wang Yang dashed towards the passage, and I quickly followed.
After a few steps, I felt my feet sinking into something soft, like mud. I shone my flashlight down and saw that what I was stepping on was dark and black, and I had no idea what it was.
Could this place be where those lizards defecate?
The thought made my stomach churn.
Fortunately, I had the gas mask, so I couldn't smell anything, and I could still endure it.
I looked back at Li Zhasai with some sympathy. He was frowning deeply, his hands clasped over his mouth and nose.