When I woke up, everything was quiet around me. The roaring sound of water could no longer be heard. I was wrapped in a blanket and surprisingly felt warm. Opening my eyes, I saw that Wang Sichuan and the others were sleeping next to me. A few people squeezed together felt more comfortable than sleeping alone.
I sat up cautiously and found myself lying on a pebble beach with a moisture-proof blanket underneath. A small bonfire lit up the area, and a few dark figures sat nearby, obviously keeping watch, in the dim light.
A person saw me sitting up and ran over. When I looked, it was one of the construction soldiers brought by Lao Mao. He asked me how I felt?
"I moved around a bit and found my hands and feet were quite inconvenient. Upon touching them, I found they were all bound in bandages. It seems that during the chaos earlier, I suffered severe injuries. Besides this, there were no other discomforts, so I told him it was fine."
"The engineer helped me stand up and I walked to the campfire, asking him where we were."
"The combat engineers told me that it was a protrusion on the cave wall near the underground river. After I passed out, they had been drifting for four hours and didn't know exactly where they were. Everyone was exhausted and finally saw a dry spot to rest. He handed me some cooked food while saying this."
While eating and watching, I noticed folds on the ground that looked like the hem of a skirt. Shining a flashlight into the distance, I realized that the angle of the cave walls here was very gentle, and over thousands of years of erosion, it had formed a huge terraced field of rocks. Layer after layer extended down all the way to the water below.
"The leather raft was stranded on one side, and everyone was sprawling about, snoring one after another. The ground was not paved with pebbles, but rather with protruding rock nodules. It was a wonder how we managed to fall asleep."
We are in the middle part of the stone terraces. After climbing up a few huge terraces, we reach the cave wall. It is the driest part, where we left our backpacks. The width of the terraces is not large, but they are very long.
"I held a flashlight and shone it around, but couldn't illuminate the opposite cave wall across the dark river. It appeared that the river had widened considerably since we first entered. Apart from our voices, there was complete silence in this area, with not even the sound of the dark river's water flowing audible."
"Rarely do we have such a peaceful environment, it's a waste not to rest properly. I gradually relaxed and after eating, I found a place to relieve myself before lying back down next to Wang Sichuan. Soon, I fell asleep again."
"When I woke up this time, everyone else was already awake. The three campfires were burning brightly, boiling water and tea were being brewed, and several people were cleaning their wounds. Their clothes were almost dry from being roasted by the fire."
The old cat was sitting there, talking to Pei Qing and Wang Sichuan. I rubbed my eyes and walked over, sitting in between them.
Wang Sichuan saw me and slapped me, saying "You really know how to enjoy life. You passed out just in time to give your buddy a great opportunity to show off. Do you know who was supporting you all the way yesterday? That was me. Remember to report my third-class meritorious service when you go back."
I nodded apologetically, thinking to myself that I also didn't want to do it, but it was just innate and there was nothing I could do about it.
To be honest, my physical constitution is really not suitable for this profession. When I enlisted, I had to force myself to meet the weight standard by drinking three large bottles of water, otherwise my body, with a chest like a piano keyboard, would have made the recruiters think I had a big belly. But who asked me to be so passionate and throw myself into this career at that time? The saying goes, "If physical strength is insufficient, make up for it with spirit." I think my spirit is still very strong. Fortunately, I have become much stronger in these years.
"It was very embarrassing to pass out from exhaustion while serving in the military back then. I won't let Wang Sichuan continue to humiliate me. I asked them what they were talking about."
Pei Qing told me that Lao Mao drew a topographical cross-section map. They were studying the course of the underground river behind, trying to figure out how to proceed downward.
"I was puzzled and asked, 'Why do we still need to go down? Aren't you the rescue team?'"
Several people had stopped talking. The old cat took a puff of his cigarette, the flame flickering, then he let out a sigh.
"I asked again and Wang Sichuan's voice was dry and authentic: 'Lao Mao said that they are not trying to save us.'"