The cave entrance was spacious, covered in vegetation, and the cave inclined downward. Upon entering, a natural coolness embraced us. Small lanterns illuminated the path as we progressed deeper into the funnel-shaped cave. The walls gradually narrowed, and Old Ho, walking behind Small Ho, remarked, "Everyone, quicken your pace. The annual rainfall here exceeds 2000 millimeters. In ancient times, this area was known as 'Western Shu Leaky Sky.' Once it starts raining, it won't stop for at least ten days. We need to complete this round trip before the upcoming downpour."
Small Ho, leading with a lantern, examined the surrounding rock walls. Old Ho, approaching, furrowed his brow, "This section appears to be artificially excavated."
I questioned, "Artificial excavation? Tomb robbery?"
Old Ho nodded, walking closer to feel the rock walls, confirming, "It's been quite some time."
"The scale of this project is substantial. It couldn't have been done by just a few individuals." I was surprised. The cave's depth, considering the absence of modern machinery and explosives in ancient times, would require hundreds if not thousands of workers.
Old Ho, explaining as we walked, said, "It's likely official tomb robbing. You're familiar with that, right?"
Seeing my nod, Old Ho continued, "Many dynasties in ancient China had a tradition of maintaining tomb-robbing squads. Some collected treasures for their masters, others looted to fund the military, and a few sought missing ancient artifacts in tombs. Each dynasty had similar departments. The current Southern faction of grave robbers inherited the skills from those times. Second Master's methods in searching for treasures and probing tombs are similar to the techniques of the Eternal Peace Corps during the Three Kingdoms period."
"Eternal Peace Corps?"
"According to historical records, it was a special organization during the Ming Dynasty. During the day, they trained in the state school, disappearing mysteriously at night. After a while, the entire corps would reappear. I believe it was the government's tomb-robbing group. Speaking of the Eternal Peace Corps, there's an interesting legend. It's said that when Zhu Di rebelled against his nephew, Zhu Di burned down the imperial palace before Zhu Di entered. Once inside, they found no remains of Zhu Yunwen, the emperor at that time. Since then, the Eternal Peace Corps vanished overnight, never mentioned again in Ming Dynasty records."
I knew this historical episode. Uncles seizing the throne from nephews wasn't uncommon in ancient Chinese history, considering there was only one imperial seat. Zhu Di, later known as Yongle Emperor, proved his worthiness for the throne. The emperor guarding the country, the Yongle Emperor moved the capital to Beijing, achieving unprecedented strength for the Ming Dynasty under his rule. Regarding the historical investigation, there was indeed no conclusive evidence regarding Zhu Yunwen's whereabouts. If, as Old Ho mentioned, there was an Eternal Peace Corps that disappeared with Zhu Yunwen, the true history might be buried deep underground.
After approximately forty minutes, the cave opened up, revealing a vast underground lake. As we reached the lake's edge, we found no apparent exit. Without encountering any side passages on our way here, it was likely that Second Master and his team had also arrived. We began searching for clues.
I approached the lake, noticing small, peculiar pebbles along the shore. Retrieving a crumpled ticket from my pocket, I threw it into the lake, and shortly afterward, the paper floated back. Excitedly, I called everyone over, "This is flowing water, and below should connect to an underground river. In this mountainous region of Yunnan and Guizhou, the underground karst landscape is intricate, boasting one of the world's foremost cave systems."
Liangzi nodded, "I know, called the 'karst topography.'"
Old Ho kicked him, scolding him for his lack of education. "Karst is a type of furniture; what Little Cao said is karst topography."
I surveyed the surroundings. After confirming there were no other exits, I speculated, "Second Master and his team must have found an exit."
As everyone looked towards me, I stood up, analyzing, "Given their need for scuba gear initially, they likely intended to dive to the lake's bottom. Since this lake is fed by underground rivers, they must have found a passage leading elsewhere. Considering our journey from the cave entrance to this point had only one path, they must have gone underwater and found an entrance. Otherwise, we would have seen corpses floating on the lake surface by now."
With nods from everyone, I felt a sense of accomplishment. Urging them on, I suggested, "Why don't we dive in too?"
Old Ho gestured to check if anyone had made any discoveries. Small Ho shook his head, and Old Ho furrowed his brow in thought, saying, "Fine, let's explore, but this place is strange. Don't forget about the things outside our camp. Be careful."
We had six scuba sets, each of us with one. Mountain Cat and Liangzi carried extra gear. Though our swimming skills were mediocre, Old Ho had prepared excellent equipment, all equipped with top-tier BCDs. After checking our gear at the water's edge, we slowly descended into the water. Despite the wetsuits providing warmth, I shivered when entering the water, diluting the adventurous spirit I had felt while exploring the ancient tomb.
Underwater, darkness enveloped us. We turned on the waterproof headlamps and descended slowly. The lake's depth exceeded my expectations, with no bottom visible even after sinking ten meters.
Suddenly, Small Ho signaled to us using the hand gestures he had demonstrated before we entered the water. Although I didn't understand why we needed to turn off our lights in pitch-black water, Small Ho seemed serious. We turned off our headlamps. In the darkness, a blue glow emanated from Small Ho, who had cracked a glow stick and tossed it downwards.
In the dark, the blue light descended, growing brighter with time. In our sight, a massive black silhouette lurked at the lake bottom, resembling a subaquatic behemoth. I couldn't believe my eyes; the dark silhouette reminded me of the mosasaur from the movie Jurassic Park. If it moved, our fate would be sealed. Could it be that Second Master's team had encountered this creature, and we had accidentally chosen the correct entrance, swimming just far enough not to see their corpses floating on the surface?
I took a sharp breath, realizing that the situation was dire. In the darkness, I hesitated. Everything that had occurred since entering the woods was bizarre, especially the strange creature that had followed us. I was terrified, lacking the courage to face it directly. However, leaving Small Ho behind was not an option.
In the midst of my dilemma, Liangzi, abandoning the scuba gear in his hands, swam past me with unparalleled grace. His inclusion significantly bolstered my courage. I, too, turned with determination, and in an instant, a peculiar fish, with a tail reminiscent of a serpent, glided past Liangzi. Suddenly, in a swift motion, the tail, adorned with delicate scales, lashed against me, throwing me into disarray. Helplessly, I spun in the water, unable to control my movements, while the creature continued its onslaught, heading towards Old Ho and the others.
After managing to stabilize myself, I turned to witness that our group had been scattered by the creature's impact. Strangely, I instinctively reached out and touched the creature earlier, feeling a sleek and slippery texture, covered in minute scales. It seemed to be an aquatic creature, markedly distinct from the entity that had entered the water earlier. Could it be that the latter was still lurking beneath the water's surface? It dawned on me that the situation was dire as a hand gripped my ankle, pulling me downward.