"Dong, dong——"
In the dark cave, strange-shaped stone stalactites grow randomly on the left and right, and water drops from the top of the cave fall, making waves of echoes.
There was silence and a damp smell.
In the distance, a few dim lights flickered, gradually approaching.
Several people in expedition clothes groped the cave walls and moved slowly along the narrow cave.
No one spoke, everyone followed the leader's footsteps and hurried on in silence. There was only the sound of heavy breathing and cold water drops in the air.
The cave continues downward.
They had been walking for five hours, but there was still no end in sight, and the subtle atmosphere made everyone feel frightened.
At this time, a cave that went straight down on the ground appeared in front of everyone.
The outer wall of the cave is made of limestone, which is as smooth as a layer of white porcelain.
The captain squatted down and touched it, and there was some discoloration at the contact area. He determined that the hole was formed by underground water erosion over many years.
But the strange thing is that the entrance to the cave is round, very round, and can only allow one person to pass through.
It seems to have been carefully polished, making it difficult to believe that it is a natural creation.
Looking down, the narrow hole was dark and deep, emitting a cold air.
He lifted a stone and threw it down. It made a ding-ding-dong-dong sound. After two minutes, the sound disappeared, but it still had no bottom.
"Captain Zhang, we have reached the limit of exploring here. According to the rules, we are not allowed to spend the night underground. Do you think we should make some repairs and start the return journey?"
A man wearing glasses said lightly. Although he was talking to the captain, his eyes were staring at the black hole.
Another female team member also said: "Lao Zhang, what Li Yao said makes sense. The depth of this hole exceeds the estimate. You should go back and be prepared before coming again."
She is thirty-seven or eighteen years old, but because she works outdoors in the geological exploration team all year round, her figure is still well-proportioned and her facial features exude a mature charm.
The captain narrowed his eyes slightly, pondered for a moment, and said in a cold voice: "We have already explored this cave once in March. We made plans to spend the night before coming down, and we have enough supplies in our backpacks. What are you afraid of?"
The other two were speechless for a while after hearing this.
The captain was right, everyone already knew the length of this exploration period, but their body instincts were resisting continuing.
Captain Zhang looked around and saw that no one was speaking, so he continued: "The entrance to the cave is relatively narrow, and it will be difficult for you, fat man. Just stay here and fix the roller skates and ropes. In pairs, I will go down to explore the path first. When I see the When the signal is given, you will come down one after another.”
Then he turned around and said, "Xiao Chen, you go last."
Chen Si, who was in the far corner, nodded blankly as if he had woken up.
His face was livid, his teeth were chattering slightly, and he looked around. He still couldn't figure out how he ended up in such a place.
The cause of the incident was three months ago. Chen Si was surfing the Internet and accidentally saw an announcement posted on the internship recruitment website. The National Geological Exploration Team was recruiting interns!
He was an outdoor adventure enthusiast. He had explored the wild with his travel companions many times before. Summer vacation was coming and he wanted to get a summer job, so he had the courage to submit an application without even thinking that the other party would respond.
Unexpectedly, in just two days, he received an interview notice, and the captain saw that he had rich practical experience, so he was hired unexpectedly!
But the premise is that you have to follow the exploration team to go down the hole to conduct surveys in person, which requires hard work and certain risks.
Chen Si patted his chest and assured that there was no problem.
He thought clearly that exploration was his hobby, so he was not afraid of hardship.
As for the risks, they are even more of a joke.
The national exploration team is equipped with the world's top equipment, and its team members are top-notch talents. How can it be dangerous?
Not to mention that he is an intern, and at most he only follows the team to gain experience, how can he arrange difficult tasks?
But now, Chen Si began to doubt his own judgment.
He could see from the serious expressions of the team members that the current task was very dangerous, so dangerous that even these experienced professionals were afraid.
He didn't understand why Captain Zhang, who was usually so kind, insisted on going his own way today.
Even a layman like himself could see the weirdness of the cave. Did he really not know?
At this time, a short dark man suddenly shouted, "I'm not going, I'm not going down! I said I would only take you to the entrance of the ghost cave. There is a fairy grandfather sitting under the cave. If you go there, you can't come back!"
Chen Si recognized him. This man was a temporary tour guide hired by Team Zhang in the local village. His name was Wang Er. He was naturally courageous and had been to the cave several times.
According to the original statement, Wang Er would give them some money and send them there. But Captain Zhang quits now and wants Wang Er to continue to lead the way.
Chen Si was very concerned about what the underground gods said, but he didn't dare to ask. Instead, he worked with everyone to persuade him to go forward together.
Now that you are sure to go, multiple local tour guides always provide multiple guarantees.
It took a while to finally reach an agreement, and the price was tripled to Wang Er before he gritted his teeth and agreed.
At this time, the fat man had fixed the roller skates and ropes. After careful inspection, the captain tied the ropes and the two slowly slid down the hole.
The exploration light on the captain's head was submerged in darkness in a moment, as if the whole person was swallowed by the cave.
The only confirmation that he was alive was the sliding rope.
Everyone's breathing seemed to have stopped, and there was only the sound of dripping water in the cave.
After a long time, Sisi's voice came over the intercom.
"Confirm it's safe, come down."
The rest of the team members breathed out.
The next step was to go down in pairs. The female team member, Ma Yan, was paired with Wang Er.
Chen Si and Gao Liyao were in a group.
Wang Er didn't want to use the rope because he thought it would be in the way. Instead, he inserted his fingers into the cave wall, like a spider climbing down a rock with bare hands.
This seems to be a unique skill in their village, for climbing rock cliffs to pick bird's nests, and Wang Er has practiced it to a proficiency, and his fingers are two times thicker than ordinary people.
Seeing Ma Yan and Wang Er land one after another, Chen Si finally felt relieved and followed Gao Liyao into the cave.
As soon as he entered, the cold air penetrated his bones along his skin, making him shiver.
The ropes rustled, and the sound of the heartbeat was particularly clear in this environment.
In order to embolden himself, Chen Si tried his best to talk to Gao Liyao, but after thinking for a long time, he couldn't find a reason.
Gao Liyao is only two years older than him, but he has already graduated from Yenching University and is currently studying for a doctorate. He speaks and behaves in a mature manner, not at all like a twenty-three-year-old young man.
However, he was usually a bit arrogant, so Chen Si and him didn't get along very well.
While Chen Si was thinking hard, Gao Liyao spoke first.
"We visited this cave four months ago and three people died."
The sudden words made Chen Si's chest tighten suddenly, and the hair all over his body suddenly stood up.
"What do you mean? Has anyone died here? Why didn't I know!"
Gao Liyao continued calmly: "This matter was suppressed. The team was almost disbanded at that time. It was the captain who begged to keep the team and vowed to complete the exploration of the hole. There was a shortage of people at that time, otherwise there would be no Let you, a college student, step in."
Chen Si understood. According to national regulations, the team must have at least six official members before they can go down the hole. However, three people died at that time, so they needed a young man who could make up the number.
He felt disappointed for a moment, and then felt angry again. He wished he could go to Captain Zhang to argue with him right away!
"So the reason Captain Zhang insists on caving is to retain the team's establishment and keep his position as captain?"
As if he could see what he was thinking, Gao Liyao slowed down a little and said faintly: "That's not necessarily the case.
There were four people who went down to the ghost cave at that time, but in the end only Captain Zhang crawled back from the entrance of the cave. The bodies of the others were not brought back. No one knows what happened underground. Captain Zhang’s temperament also became violent after that. Maybe there were other reasons why he insisted on going into the cave..."
