Wang Yang and I exchanged glances, unsure of what had happened ahead.
Looking at the unconscious Li Zha Si, I hesitated and asked, "Are they going to be alright?"
Wang Yang frowned, "Why don't you stay here, and I'll go take a look."
Thinking of how Li Zha Si had choked me earlier, I didn't dare let Wang Yang go.
In the end, Wang Yang carried Li Zha Si on his back, and we slowly crept forward.
Soon, we reached a larger space, empty all around. We couldn't find Zhou Yongxiang or Da Jun anywhere.
The sound had clearly come from here, so where had the people gone?
Just as I was wondering, Wang Yang tugged at my clothes and pointed with a grim expression.
Following his gaze, my entire being sank.
A giant lizard stood with its back to us, its size two to three times larger than any we had encountered before!
Its tail swayed from side to side, seemingly unaware of our presence.
We held our breath, frozen in place.
Then, the lizard slowly turned around. When I saw its face, I involuntarily swallowed.
The lizard's eyes seemed to have atrophied, appearing as mere slits. Its fangs were thicker than my arm, and its flickering tongue was over a meter long. Hot air puffed from its nostrils.
Was this still a lizard?
It was a true monster!
We held our breath, not daring to exhale.
Wang Yang made a "shushing" gesture to me, and we remained motionless.
The monster scanned its surroundings but didn't approach us.
Clearly, it couldn't see well and likely relied on hearing to navigate.
I noticed a pile of fallen rocks nearby. The previous noise must have been caused by them.
Time ticked by. Incredibly, my flashlight died. The light grew dimmer, and after a few minutes, the flashlight extinguished completely.
Darkness enveloped us instantly. Though I knew Wang Yang was beside me, I felt utterly alone.
I took a deep breath, intending to replace the battery in my backpack. In this pitch-black environment, we were too vulnerable.
If the monster attacked suddenly, we wouldn't even have time to dodge.
I carefully fumbled through my backpack, making as little noise as possible.
Once I found the spare battery, I felt a surge of relief and quietly replaced the old one.
Just as I was about to turn on the flashlight, I felt a blast of hot air.
When the flashlight flickered back to life, the monster's face was inches from mine!
I stopped breathing, unable to exhale. The hot air from its nostrils wafted onto my face, carrying a sticky moisture.
I dared not move, only glancing sideways at Wang Yang, who was equally helpless.
Li Zha Si, still on Wang Yang's back, woke up at this critical moment!
Upon seeing the monster, he instinctively let out a yelp!
"Run!"
Wang Yang shouted, and I turned, sprinting back towards our original path!
I felt I was running faster than I ever had in my life. In an instant, I reached the cave entrance, ignoring the pain in my waist, and scrambled inside.
The moment I entered, Li Zha Si followed.
He reacted quickly, but Wang Yang had disappeared somewhere.
Then, gunshots erupted from outside.
"Bang, bang, bang..." The gunfire sounded like firecrackers.
As Wang Yang burst in, the monster followed, but its massive body got stuck in the entrance.
"Roar!" A pained cry escaped the monster.
Wang Yang retreated, firing at the creature.
The bullets seemed to have no effect, and soon he ran out of ammunition.
"Damn it!" Wang Yang cursed, hurling the empty gun at the monster's face, which barely registered.
The monster's head rammed further into the cave, causing the very rock to tremble.
Seemingly realizing it couldn't get in, it retracted its head. We finally breathed a sigh of relief.
I slumped to the ground, drenched in sweat, half from exertion and half from fear.
Li Zha Si wasn't faring much better; I could even smell the stench of urine.
Only Wang Yang remained relatively composed. While his expression was grave, he wasn't as terrified as we were.
I suddenly recalled a video tape I had watched about a monster called "Godzilla."
I hadn't felt much then, but now, facing a similar creature, I truly understood what it meant to be terrified.
After catching my breath for a while, I recovered and asked Wang Yang if he was alright. He shook his head.
"It seems we've stumbled into its lair," Wang Yang said. "I wonder what happened to Old Man Zhou and the others."
"Do you think the monster ate them?" Li Zha Si chimed in.
It was better when he stayed silent. His words ignited my anger. I glared at him, "How dare you speak? Do you know you almost choked me to death just now?"
Li Zha Si blinked, looking bewildered. I couldn't be bothered to explain.
"What do we do now?" I asked.
Wang Yang replied, "Let's wait and see. Since the monster can't get in, we're safe here."
He then pulled out his crumpled cigarette pack, finding only one cigarette left. After taking a couple of puffs, he handed it to me, saying that since this was the monster's den, it must have an exit. Otherwise, it couldn't stay here forever.
Despite his words, none of us dared to go out. A single encounter with the monster could end our lives.
Wang Yang said, "The monster can't see. If we move quietly, we should be fine."
"What if it's still guarding the entrance?" I asked.
"Then we'll wait longer," Wang Yang replied.
I finished the last puff of my cigarette, reluctantly dropping the butt. I took out the remaining water from my backpack and shared it among us.
We had finished the water, and though we still had a few packs of compressed biscuits, they wouldn't last long. Moreover, they were impossible to swallow without water.
About an hour later, Wang Yang decided to scout ahead.
As Wang Yang approached the cave entrance, my heart pounded with renewed anxiety, fearing the monster's reappearance.
Only when Wang Yang emerged from the cave did I relax.
He turned back and flashed his flashlight at me, indicating that it was safe outside.
Seeing this, Li Zha Si and I crept out.