Volume 9 Chapter 12: Getting Closer

As we walked along, we disturbed the small, flesh-colored insects without shells, which dived into the water and disappeared.

The fat guy bent down and reached into the water to catch a few, but I stopped him. We didn’t know what was under the water, and we were afraid that too much disturbance would cause trouble. Besides, I had never seen these bugs before. They might be some special species, and they might only live here in the world. They were worth a fortune, and it would be a shame to kill a few of them.

The fat guy scolded, “Look at these dense clusters. I think there are at least 8,000 of them in this water. What’s the harm in catching a few to take back with us? This trip has basically been a waste of time, and you won’t even let me get a souvenir to remember it by.”

I said, “This meaty thing looks disgusting. How can you do it? Don’t think about these things. Let’s hurry up and get to the real thing.”

With so many bugs here, no one wants to rest. We had to continue along this waterway to the depths to find the underground reservoir at the end. The water was calm here, and there was no loud sound of water ahead. Obviously, there were no large cliffs, and we could move forward calmly.

As we continued to move forward, the water became colder and colder, and we could feel a chill spreading through the water. We saw countless flesh-colored bugs on both sides of the waterway. Most of them were lying on the stone walls above and below the waterline, densely packed. Looking at me, they began to make my scalp numb. There were even more in the water, and I felt something hitting my feet from time to time.

The waterway became wider and wider, and the top of the channel became higher and higher, forming a flared opening. I knew we were close, so I immediately picked up the pace. After walking less than 100 meters, a dark shadow appeared above our heads, and we were out of the waterway. The surrounding space suddenly became ethereal and echoing. I knew intuitively that we had arrived at a large place. A shallow stretch of water spread out beneath our feet, and as the light beam of the miner’s lamp swept across it, we saw a wide, calm expanse of water.

The miner’s lamp has a low-light and high-light option. In order to save electricity, we usually choose low-light, which can last for more than 180 hours, but the illumination distance is only about 20 meters. Now, low-light obviously can’t meet the requirements. Several people have turned on the high-light, using 100-meter LED bulbs to illuminate the ceiling and surroundings.

Under the strong light, the general appearance of the place is revealed. It can be seen that this is a huge underground water cave, but it is not a karst landform, but a kind of volcanic rock cave. In the distance, a large number of giant stone pillars hanging from the ceiling of the cave are inserted into the lake, like the huge pillars of a temple. The ceiling of the cave is only two or three stories high. At first glance, the whole place feels like the main hall of the temple of Poseidon, which is flooded in the sea. The atmosphere is extremely vivid, and it is impossible not to say that it is the work of nature.

On both sides of the waterway exit are huge rock walls, which are characteristic of volcanic rock. The appearance of rock layers indicates that we have already passed through the sandy soil layer and reached the underground mountains in the depths of the Gobi geology. These rock walls must be the part of Kunlun Mountain that extends deep underground.

Looking back at the mouth of the waterway, it feels like it was artificially excavated. The Xiwangmu at that time could dig so deep, and it cannot be said that their civilization had extremely developed engineering capabilities.

This is probably the focus of the entire underground water storage system of the Xiwangmu ancient city, a small natural underground lake. Because the illumination of the miner’s lamp is limited, we can’t tell how big this water storage lake is or how deep the center is. Maybe if we walk to the center of the lake, the bottom of the lake can be as deep as we can’t imagine, but it’s hard to say what we’ll be shocked by if we can’t see the open lake. After observing for a while, the fat guy asked what should be done next.

There is no new way, we still have to look for the signs of the oil bottle. The previous sign was pointing here, and the center of the underground lake was further ahead. The signs after that could not be engraved on the bottom of the water, so I felt that they would be on these stone pillars.

We split up to look for them, wading into the depths of the lake to shine a light on the stone pillars.

After a few steps, I found that the depth of the lake did not change much. Occasionally, the water went down to the neck, but after a few steps, it came up again. Obviously, the bottom of the lake was uneven, but the average depth did not change much. Soon, Black Blindness whistled, and we walked over and found that there was indeed a clear mark on one of the stone pillars, carved neatly.

Wenjin looked at the oil bottle and asked, “The water flow here is basically flat, and there is no sign of it continuing to go down. I think this is the lowest point of the entire water storage project. The place we are looking for must be right in front of us. At this point, can’t you think of anything?”

Muyoubing shook his head and said nothing, just looking at the marks he had made, his eyes showing no trace of emotion.

The fat man said that the Xiwangmu ancient city could be said to be in a secret place. In its heyday, this oasis was surrounded by lakes, and outside was a protective layer formed by countless devil cities. The residents of Xiwangmu City believed in cruel snake worship and mysticism, making this regime in the desert like a ghost, obscure and difficult to see, and the water storage system under the ancient city was as complicated as a maze. We have now almost exhausted our energy to reach the bottom of this defense project. If Xiwangmu has something to hide, it should be in this place. Don’t say anything, just follow these signs and you should be able to reach your destination.

I feel a little uneasy. The way we came here, the last part was almost too smooth. The statue of the human-faced bird in the waterway made it impossible to ignore. We have come this far and can be sure that the totem of the human-faced birds must be a warning sign from the Xiwangmu’s country to outsiders. From the outer edge of the canyon all the way in, every time we encounter a strange thing, it becomes more sinister. This time, seeing the totem of the human-faced birds again, it shows that this reservoir must not be a peaceful place. Now we are all exhausted and half dead. If something happens, I’m afraid none of us will escape this time.

I asked Wenjin, “What strategy should we take next? Should we rest for a while or send someone to explore the way first?”

Wen Jin said, “We’ve already come this far. As the fat guy said, I have no reason to back down or give up. This is the path I was destined to take. But there’s no need for all of us to go. I don’t know what’s going on behind us. You guys rest here. I’ll go alone. If I’m not back in two hours, you can follow the shore of the lake to find another exit and try to get out. Don’t come over.”

Muyoubing said indifferently, “I’m going too.” He didn’t even look at us, just staring into the darkness at the bottom of the lake, as if he wasn’t considering any danger at all.

I thought about it for a moment, and I also had to go. Not to mention how many chances I had to get out of here, the way back was already blocked. I had gone through a lot of trouble to get here, wasn’t it for this moment? And with my constitution, I can say that many people have made sacrifices for me to get here, including Pan Zi, whose fate is unknown, and Ah Ning, who died in vain. If I had just shrunk without any prospects, I really shouldn’t have come here in the first place. Since I came here on my own, I should also finish it.

The fat guy said with a grin, “Damn it, aren’t you forcing me to go too? It’s safer to be with you guys than with these rookies.”

As a result, several of Uncle San’s men quit their jobs and wanted to go with him. They really didn’t have much experience, and they could only steal a little bit. They would definitely not stay here if they were left behind, and they were also afraid that we would form a gang and secretly leave them behind, so they were determined to follow us. The one in charge, who was called Mop, said, “You’re dreaming. Either you leave one of us behind, or we go together. Don’t think about leaving us behind.”

Black Blind had not spoken, but was smiling to himself. Seeing the situation, he came over and put his arm around my shoulder. I didn’t know what it meant, but it probably meant that he was joining us, or that he wanted me to stay.

I felt sick looking at the group. These people are really a burden. Who knows what will happen if we follow them, and we still have to guard against them. If I stay, I won’t be tortured to death by them.

The fat man said, “Wu, you can forget about it. You still have a good life ahead of you. If you follow these men, you might still have a way out. Didn’t your uncle say that this is a one-way road? I will accompany the leader and the little brother on this trip, and next year we will have one more person to offer incense for us.”

I scolded, “Don’t give me that. At this point, it doesn’t matter. I’m going anyway.”

I was telling the truth. At this point, who would have the confidence to say that they could definitely get out? It is possible that the road we came in on is the only way out, and that this place is a completely sealed water cave in the underground mountains, and we will have to be trapped here. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as it will put an end to all the mysteries here.

Thinking about this, I teased the fat man, patting him on the shoulder: “It’s you. If something happens to you, your wife and mistress will fight over your last few possessions. It’s better for you to stay.”

The fat man said, “You, my dear, are a well-known gold digger in Liangmaqiao. You have passed through the flowers, leaving no red, never letting the silver in your pocket stay overnight, sleeping with countless women, and spending enough money. Few people can live as carefree as you. If I’m unlucky this time, I’m worth it.”

I said, “In that case, you are the most suitable person to be buried with others, without any worries.”

The fat man said, “You’re not saying it right. Even if you’re going to die with someone, it depends on the person. We’re really a group of people with fate. If you’re going, I’ll protect you for your sake.” He said this and then asked the other guys for bullets. He said that you guys are useless, and that the bullets he had would save lives, otherwise they would be wasted.

I spat, and Wen Jin pulled out a dagger and flicked his hair to test the edge of the blade, and said to me, “Okay, stop being so lazy. Since we’re all going, let’s hurry up.”

Since we were going to leave, we didn’t hesitate any longer. We quickly drank a few shots of baijiu each, spread out the team, and followed the direction of the oil bottle to leave a mark, and began to wade through the water. Perhaps it was because there were so many people, looking at the deep darkness ahead, I didn’t feel particularly scared, but I had an indescribable feeling of uneasiness in my heart.

After that, there was almost no conversation. We divided into several groups, each of us alert to the direction of the team, paying special attention to the ripples on the water surface. The only sound in our ears was the sound of our feet breaking the water. We walked slowly, not too fast, not too slow, gradually moving away from the entrance.

Fortunately, the water here is so clear that we can see clearly with a miner’s lamp directed at the bottom of the water that there is only uneven gravel under the water, and there is nothing special. We can also roughly see the underwater situation by sweeping the surface of the water.

Thinking about everything in the past, we didn’t dare to relax even a little. However, when I looked at the surrounding water, I already felt a little strange, which made me very concerned.

After walking for a while, Wenjin said, “There are no bugs here.”

The fat guy nodded and said, “Maybe it’s because of the water temperature. The water here is really cold. By the way, a large part of the water here has been stored here since the cave was formed. It’s been over ten thousand years past its expiration date, so don’t drink it, or you might get diarrhea.”

I said, “This water is called old water, naturally rich in minerals. Is it possible that these waters contain toxic minerals, so that the bugs dare not swim in?”

The fat guy said, “No way! No wonder I feel a little itch in my butt. Do you guys have any special feelings?”

No one answered, and the man in front of us, who was the most silent, looked back at us. We had to shut up, too. At this point, it was pointless to discuss it. The black blind man at the back laughed. The two of them were one black and one white, one cold-faced and one smirking, just like the two guardians of the underworld, leaving people speechless.

We continued walking, and we reached the center of the reservoir. The flashlights we used to illuminate the surroundings showed a calm surface, and the water still showed no signs of getting deeper. However, we discovered that black spots the size of half a basketball court were beginning to appear underwater. This indicated that deep pits with large undulations were beginning to appear at the bottom of the lake. Each black spot was extremely deep, and the miner’s lamp couldn’t reach the bottom, as if there was something connected to it below.

These black spots appear at irregular intervals, and their shapes are irregular. The bottom of the lake is full of small stones, and these holes seem to have been dug out by something. We began to feel a little uncomfortable and tried to avoid these pits.

After walking for a while, we soon found the second pillar with the carved mark.

The group stopped to rest, and someone sneezed. The water here is really cold, but I know that this is not the worst thing. The water is not below freezing point, and it is still within the range that people can tolerate, so there is no complaint.

The mark pointed in another direction. And the symbol was different, as if it had changed its meaning.

Wenjin looked at the oil bottle and before he could ask, the oil bottle answered: “This is the last one, we’re almost there.”

The last one—it should be the last sign, which means that the next stop is the destination.

We were shocked, and someone behind us subconsciously raised his gun. Without saying a word, we immediately set off following the signs. I don’t know what I felt in my heart, I was both excited and scared, and I felt an ominous atmosphere, as well as a nervousness that something was about to happen.

But just as we were about to walk around the stone pillar, I felt a sharp pain under my foot. I didn’t know what I had stepped on.

When I was a child in Changsha, I often swam in the streams with my uncle, so I immediately knew from the feeling on the bottom of my feet that my feet must have been broken, and it was quite serious.

I stopped immediately and asked Fatso to shine his lamp on my foot. I looked down and saw that there was a big cut on the heel of my foot. I looked down and saw that there was something unusual about the bottom of the water here.