Translator: CinderTL
Scattered around the cave entrance were various pieces of debris and tools. Not far away, several large items were covered with rainproof tarps.
Zhao Xingguo walked over and lifted one to reveal a flatbed cart with metal wheels designed to run on rails. It was covered in rust, its age uncertain.
Clearly, no one trusted such a contraption. They all agreed that going inside on foot was the safer option.
Everyone took off their backpacks and began putting on their gear, adjusting flashlights and helmet lamps. Fatty was particularly pleased with the extra-large helmet Luo He and the others had prepared. As someone with an unusually large head, he'd always struggled to find helmets that fit properly when riding his electric scooter. But this one, with its extra-large size, fit perfectly.
"Everyone," Zhao Xingguo began, his expression grim, reminding Huai Yi of the solemnity of paying respects at his family's ancestral graves. "I, Zhao Xingguo, want to make something clear before we go in. Whatever grudges or grievances we may have outside, once we enter, we're all ants on the same rope."
"If anyone tries to sabotage or betray their teammates, I, Zhao Xingguo, will be the first to kill them!"
"Are you finished?" Fu Fu scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Hurry up, it'll be dark soon."
"Everyone, let's go!"
The moment they entered the tunnel, an oppressive feeling washed over them. Perhaps because it had just rained, the tunnel was damp and water dripped constantly from the rock walls.
Fatty, walking in the middle, slipped on the wet ground. Fortunately, Chen Qiang reacted quickly and pulled him back up.
The tunnel grew deeper and deeper until the entrance behind them became a tiny speck of light, which eventually vanished altogether.
The only sounds in the tunnel were the dripping of water and the echo of their footsteps. Strangely, their footsteps reverberated through the mine, becoming chaotic and jumbled.
It felt as if countless unseen figures had suddenly appeared, silently walking behind them through the mine.
The eerie atmosphere pressed down on them, making it hard to breathe.
The tunnel stretched endlessly into the darkness, growing deeper and more desolate with each step.
No one spoke, as if afraid that the first to break the silence would attract the attention of something lurking here and become its first target.
They walked for an unknown length of time until Fatty's legs went numb. Luo He, who was leading the way, suddenly stopped.
"Don't go any further," he said, and to everyone's surprise, added, "We're already inside."
"What do you mean?" Linghu Yong shone his flashlight around. The stone walls remained on both sides, and endless darkness stretched ahead and behind. The flashlight beam couldn't reach the end of the tunnel.
According to the clues they had, they should first find the mysteriously appearing station, after which a train would arrive.
"We've been walking for nearly four hours since entering," Luo He said calmly. "I've checked the tunnel's records. It's not supposed to be this long."
Pan Du swallowed hard. "You mean we've already entered the realm of the supernatural event?"
Though they had prepared for this—they were here to resolve the supernatural event in the tunnel—the sudden confirmation still sent a chill down their spines.
"But if we've entered, why haven't we seen the platform or the train?" Linghu Yong asked cautiously. "Could the intel have been wrong?"
Jiang Cheng swept his flashlight around, as if he had noticed something. Then, everyone watched him bend down, pick up a stone, and place it on the tracks.
"Keep moving," he said as he stood up.
Less than half an hour later, a shocking sight unfolded.
Zhao Xingguo, who was leading the way, shone his flashlight ahead. About twenty meters down the tracks, a single stone stood alone.
"How can this be?" Fatty's face paled. "Did we just walk in a circle and end up back where we started?"
"Or did we take a side path? Is this tunnel actually a closed loop?"
The supernatural event had finally begun.
Or perhaps it had already happened, and they just didn't know it yet.
This kind of creeping dread, arriving silently, was the most terrifying. It could slip in unnoticed and just as silently snatch away a life.
"What do we do?"
Continuing forward was clearly impossible. They were trapped in an endless loop. Their only option now was to try retracing their steps.
"Wait," someone suddenly said. "Do you remember that miner who was rescued? He encountered a supernatural event on his way back."
"The train station... and that train..."
"And the second group of miners who went in to rescue them only found the surviving miner on their way back."
Though they all eventually disappeared, they had all triggered supernatural events or encountered survivors of such events while heading back.
Could this mean that only by walking out of the tunnel could they trigger a supernatural event, while pressing deeper would only lead to a slow, agonizing death?
With no other options, they began walking back without much discussion.
But they hadn't gone far when they saw it again—that same stone!
It lay silently on the tracks, like a tombstone in the eerie darkness.
"What's going on?" someone panicked.
Encountering a supernatural event or even a ghost was to be expected, but being slowly consumed by a tunnel—that was a terrifying way to die.
"What's the panic?" Fu Fu scolded. "You won't die instantly."
After a moment's thought, Jiang Cheng offered two suggestions. "First," he began, "we retrace our steps and carefully examine our surroundings for anything we might have missed."
"Second," Jiang Cheng paused before continuing, "since this appears to be a closed loop, we could split into two teams. One team moves forward, the other backward, to see what happens."
"Split up?" Linghu Yong's expression darkened instantly. "That's certainly an option, but what if the two teams never meet again, or get separated?"
"And even if we do encounter the other team, how can we be sure they're real and not ghosts in disguise?" Linghu Yong pressed with two more questions.
Jiang Cheng looked at him. "I'm offering suggestions, not the final solution. I don't need you to shoot them down. If you have a better idea, speak up now."
Linghu Yong pondered for a moment before shaking his head. He had no better suggestions. At this stage, Jiang Cheng's two plans were practically the only viable options. Otherwise, they would be left to wait for death where they stood.
"Let's try the first option first," Lin Wan'er said, her voice strangely resonant with the surrounding darkness. Her gaze swept over the group as she continued slowly, "As we've been walking, we've been too focused on the path ahead and behind, neglecting the changes around us."
"This time, let's pay attention to our surroundings. We might find something."
(End of the Chapter)
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