After returning to the RV in the middle of the night, Lu Ning finally rested for a while. As soon as it was dawn, she got up again, put on her prepared backpack and adventure clothes, and yawned as she walked into the hotel.
At this time, the surroundings were still quiet, and the people patrolling the streets gradually dispersed after midnight. I wonder if it will be like this every day in the future.
Robert was already sitting in the restaurant. He was reading a palm-sized book. When he noticed Lu Ning coming in, he put the book in his arms.
"It's quite early." Lu Ning greeted.
"I'm used to getting up early. I think Mr. Tachikawa and Mr. Yu will come down soon." Robert nodded and said.
Not long after, Tachikawa Ryo and Yu Guiting walked downstairs together, each carrying a large mountaineering backpack. Tachikawa only brought his own double sword, while Yu Guiting also carried many scattered gadgets.
The four of them exchanged some pleasantries and set off immediately.
The location of the mine is in the southwest, specifically from the south of the town through the dense forest until you can see an abandoned mining railway. Since no one had been there, the four of them were prepared to walk for a day, and they were also prepared to deal with the dangers of walking through the dense forest.
However, it was very quiet along the way. There were occasionally some animals in the forest, but there were no wild beasts. When the forest trees began to thin out and the soil on the ground changed from natural humus to loess, the terrain gradually lowered. Lu Ning finally saw some decayed sleepers and rusty tracks at the bottom of a slope.
"This is it." Yu Guiting slid down the slope and looked up. He could already see the long-abandoned temporary shelter in the distance.
It’s true that no one has been here for a long time, and the evacuation was also hasty. Not only were the houses made of iron plates and wood not dismantled, but some mining tools were also thrown around, already rusty and damaged and unusable.
"It seemed like something terrible happened at that time. The evacuation was too hasty."
Yu Guiting looked around and smacked his lips. Lu Ning walked into a house a little far away from the residential area and found that there were still a few boxes that had not been moved. When she pried them open, they found a whole box of explosives.
"How is it?" Robert asked at the door.
"It's explosives, but it's already caked with moisture. It's definitely useless." Lu Ning dug out a pack from inside and weighed it twice in his hand. It was as hard as turning his head.
"I have found the entrance. What do you think?"
Ryo Tachikawa also acted very quickly. Due to the previous collapse of the mine, the normal entrance had long been inaccessible. Fortunately, after the accident, the rescue team also dug several rescue wells from above to find the surviving miners. Tachikawa Liang quickly found the entrances.
Several people looked at each other, followed Tachikawa Ryo to a slightly higher ground, and then found the entrance diagonally downward.
"Let me take the lead here. After all, I am the only real explorer." Yu Guiting hung a night light on his waist, then tied up his cuffs and legs, and took out a night light from his backpack. A climbing rope was tied to a large rock nearby.
"After you go down, I will pull the rope every minute." Lu Ning said.
"Well, if it's safe, I'll pull the rope three times in a row. If I need to come back, I'll pull it four times."
Yu Guiting moved his hands and feet, threw his backpack into the hole, and slid down.
The other three people were on top controlling the rope to prevent it from falling too fast. But Yu Guiting himself obviously controlled it very well, and Lu Ning had no problem pulling the rope every minute.
However, after a few minutes, there was still no feedback from below.
When Lu Ning pulled the rope again, she began to feel suspicious in her heart. She saw that Tachikawa Ryo and Robert had similar expressions.
"It's been too long," Robert said.
"If it's safe, we should reach the bottom." Ryo Tachikawa frowned and let go of his hand, walked to the entrance of the mine and looked down. Unfortunately, it was pitch dark and he couldn't see the light of the night light.
"Mr. Yu! Is everything okay?" He put his hands in front of his mouth and shouted loudly.
After about ten seconds, Lu Ning felt the rope in her hand begin to be pulled. One, two, three, but no fourth.
"Safe." Lu Ning turned to Robert and said.
"Then we'll go down right away."
Robert and Lu Ning went down first, followed by Liang Tachuan. The three of them slid down the tunnel to the bottom of the mine and saw a glimmer of light on Yu Guiting's body. He is now carrying a big stone to hold down the rope that was untied from his body.
"I'm sorry, it took me a while to find a suitable stone... Everything is normal here. The oxygen is not particularly sufficient, but fortunately, no one except me needs to burn the light source."
Indeed, although they all brought candles and lanterns in case of unexpected events, Lu Ning and the others still brought enough batteries and flashlights.
Yu Guiting apologized first. Regardless of whether it was true or not, the three of them were not people who would seize this point and pursue it vigorously. Soon they each turned on their flashlights and began to study the mine tunnel.
Judging from the structure of the mine alone, the safety measures here have reached a good level for this era. If a landslide occurs, it can only be said to be a natural disaster. The four people walked along the mine tunnel for a while. The humidity became slightly heavier, but some less conspicuous ores could already be seen.
But right here, they also encountered a fork in the road.
The road on the left is no different from the road we came here, while the road on the right is a downward path, not too steep, but after turning a corner, no one knows what is behind it.
"Make a choice?" Yu Guiting suggested.
The four people nodded and raised their hands at the same time. Yu Guiting and Lu Ning both pointed to the right, while Tachikawa Ryo and Robert pointed to the left.
"This is very nerve-wracking." Yu Guiting shook his head, "Tell me the reason. I think if you want to really find something, you have to take some seemingly dangerous roads. Risks and opportunities coexist. This is the scenario. Consistent style."
"I agree with this point of view, but I don't think it is a good idea to explore an unknown area with our current configuration." Robert said immediately, "In fact, I think it is best to really confirm the side that seems safer first." Okay, after that we can go to the right.”
"But the problem is that even if we go to the left, we don't know how long the road is and whether there will be other forks." Lu Ning said, "We don't know how big the mine is. If we waste too much time on the unnecessary road, We might even miss something important. So I think it's better to get right to the point."
"My point of view is that we should not go into danger until there is a drastic change." Ryo Tachikawa finally said, "The environment here is unknown, and there must be monsters and monsters causing trouble. We no longer need to deliberately seek danger."
Although they have different opinions, the four of them are not prepared to separate their forces. It would be really stupid to separate under this situation.
"I am the initiator, listen to me." Lu Ning was tough.
Tachikawa sighed and nodded; Robert looked quite disapproving, but there was nothing he could do if Lu Ning pulled people over like this. The four people continued cautiously along the downward mine tunnel.
The further down you go, the more damp you feel. Even the ground beneath your feet begins to become softer, and there is a sound of dripping water all around - this is a sign of unsafety.
"Hey, hey, hey, we can't move on." Yu Guiting stopped and reached out to touch the rock wall next to him. Some rocks rolled down from the top with lumps of soil.
"There is a danger of landslides in front of here at any time, and the passage has begun to narrow. Now you can reach the top with your hands." Yu Guiting looked at Lu Ning, "We haven't found anything so far. Did we make the wrong choice? road?"
"You agreed to go this way before."
"The risks and benefits are beginning to be disproportionate." Yu Guiting shrugged.
"No..." Lu Ning shined a flashlight on the wall where Yu Guiting had moved, pulled out the dagger from his belt, pierced the loose soil, and pried it hard.
A large piece of earth was pried off, rolled twice on the ground, and landed between the other three people. Shining a flashlight on it, although most of the area was covered in moist soil, Robert, Tachikawa Ryo and Yu Guiting could all see a yellowish-white substance inside.
"Skull." Ryo Tachikawa squatted down, cleaned off the soil on the surface, and saw what was wrapped inside.
"This is the skull of a child." Lu Ning reached out and gestured. "The cracks in the skull can still be seen. He is not very old, but you wouldn't use such a young child to go into the mine, right?"
"Inside...is there anything else inside?" Yu Guiting looked at the hole dug by Lu Ning and put the light through it again. This time, he could clearly see specks of white in the dark red soil.
"Everyone, should we try digging?" Lu Ning tapped the earth wall with a dagger. Several people nodded in silence, and each took out their tools and began to carefully dig open the earth wall.
Many of the bones of these children who had been buried here for who knows how long were broken into pieces. Fortunately, the skulls were still intact. The three men found the bones there, while Lu Ning gathered the bones together behind them.
There were six bodies in total.
Unfortunately, in his current state, Lu Ning was unable to determine the cause of death of these six children. At most, it was determined that it was not poisoning. As the number of bones gradually increased, a slightly foul musty smell also emitted from the soil, which made people have to stop.
At this moment, Yu Guiting suddenly turned around and asked, "What?"
Lu Ning was a little confused: "What?"
"No, who of you called me just now?"
Robert and Tachikawa shook their heads, no one spoke at all just now.
"It's weird, I definitely heard it right." Yu Guiting glanced at the dug hole again, "It's calling my name... Is there something weird here?"
"Don't act rashly." Robert said, taking out a silver coin from his leather bag and placing it on the pit. After waiting for a few seconds, there was no reaction.
"How's it going?" Lu Ning asked.
"No reaction... The third magic circle of Mars will react to all souls that symbolize war, discord, and disaster, and resist to a certain extent. Since it is not activated, it means that there is no supernatural crisis here." Robert He took back the silver coins, but his expression was a little uncertain.
The fear is that there is nothing.
"Isn't that right? These children obviously died abnormally." Yu Guiting pointed to the bones at Lu Ning's feet, "You mean there is no resentment in their souls?"
"After death, the soul may not necessarily stay where it is. It may dissipate, be reincarnated, or even be used as material by someone. I can only be sure that there is no danger here." Robert shook his head and said, "If Mars represents war, If the magic circle can't detect anything, then there is nothing."
"Is it possible that the opponent is too strong and not afraid of this formation?" Ryo Tachikawa asked.
"No, the advantage of this system is that it cannot be bypassed. It will be triggered if the conditions are met. If the opponent is too strong, the silver coins should melt..."
Before he finished speaking, Robert suddenly turned his head and looked at the empty place behind him.
"Did you hear someone calling my name just now?"
Lu Ning and Tachikawa Ryo looked shocked.
"Yes, I was like that just now! But I didn't hear anyone calling your name at all!" Yu Guiting shouted.
"Be careful!" Lu Ning said in a deep voice.
"I am protected by the third magic circle of Jupiter. If I am attacked by any attack that touches my spirit, I will be able to detect it." Robert put his hand into his chest pocket and suddenly made a move.
"Danger!"
He took out his hand, and it was already stained with silver liquid, but he had no idea when the silver coin melted!
Tachikawa Ryo put his hands on his waist, and when he drew his sword in an instant, two thunderbolts, one blue and one gold, were aimed directly behind Robert and slashed out!
Lu Ning took the opportunity to retreat to the rear, took out his pistol, and glanced at Yu Guiting with his peripheral vision.
Both Robert and Tachikawa Ryo have already shown part of their strength, so this person is probably not an easy person to deal with. This time, the human tourists seem not to be easy to deal with.
The thunder swept across, leaving a few scorched black marks on the passage, but it did not cause any special phenomena. During this time, Robert had already taken out a new silver coin and held it between his fingers, and also pulled out a pistol.
"Not here!"
"No... still there."
Tachikawa Ryo's voice was a little heavy. He sheathed his swords, still maintaining a vigilant posture.
"I also heard someone calling my name."
"It's only considered an attack when you call your name? What's the meaning of this?" Lu Ning suddenly felt a cold wind blowing behind her, but behind her was clearly deeper in the mine, and there shouldn't be wind at all in that kind of place. !
Reacting faster than thinking, she turned her head and fired. The bullet fell directly into the depths of the deep mine tunnel, making several small impact sounds.
Lu Ning's expression changed slightly, and she flashed to the side. At that moment, a bullet flew out of the tunnel, quickly and accurately shattering the flashlight in her hand.
"Is it over there?" Tachikawa Ryo immediately turned around, his hands already pressed on the handle of the knife, and Lu Ning hurriedly reached out to stop him.
"Wait, let's go back to the fork in the road just now!"
"The enemy is ahead..."
"The enemy is not over there! Don't attack casually!" Lu Ning said, raising her flashlight and smashing it into the mine tunnel, then ducking to the side, the flashlight grazed her head and hit the wall.
Now Tachikawa Ryo understood, and Robert also suddenly understood.
"Return."
