When Liu Captain saw the seriousness in my expression, his face instantly changed: "I really didn't hear anything. Maybe your ears are just more sensitive? The coughing sound might still be far from us."
What Liu Captain said made sense to me. I quickly agreed, "Alright, let's go check it out..."
"Let's move," Liu Captain responded without hesitation. "Since we're already here, we might as well look around. Being scared won't help!"
We proceeded cautiously down the tunnel, with me leading and Liu Captain following. I didn't expect the tunnel to suddenly slope sharply downward. The incline became steeper and steeper until we could only sit and slide down slowly. Here, Zhao Xiaotian's footprints disappeared.
But with only one path to follow, I believed he must have gone this way. Zhao was fearless, the kind who wouldn't be intimidated by a place like this.
Not long after, we encountered a slippery section of the tunnel. I lost my footing and suddenly "shot" downwards.
I use "shot" because it happened so fast, like a free fall. The sensation was akin to falling off a building, except I was sliding down a steep, slick passage. The speed increased, and I couldn't stop.
"Ah..." Suddenly, I felt a loss of weight, like falling off a cliff into an abyss.
"Whoosh..." Just as I started to fall, a hand grabbed me.
I shone my flashlight and saw Liu Captain holding me with one hand while his other hand, clutching a knife, was buried deep in the tunnel's wall. His quick reaction saved me from plummeting to my death.
"Hold tight, if you fall, even your mom won't recognize you." Liu Captain said calmly. His composure was impressive, joking even in such a tense situation.
"Damn, stop shining that light in my eyes. It's blinding me. Point it below you." Liu Captain added.
"Oh…" I nodded, turning my flashlight downward.
What I saw made me gasp. Below me was a pit about half the size of a basketball court, filled with scattered human bones. My first thought was a mass grave.
A mass grave, a term typically associated with the atrocities of Japanese fascists. These were places where countless innocent Chinese civilians, murdered or tortured to death by Japanese invaders, were buried.
"Brother Lin, what's the situation?" Liu Captain asked.
"Damn, it's a mass grave, about the size of half a basketball court, seven to eight meters deep, full of bones…" I reported, my voice trembling. It was the most shocking scene I had ever witnessed.
"A mass grave?" Liu Captain's voice deepened. "Could it be the work of the Japanese? But I've never heard of them digging graves so deep. They wouldn't be that considerate, would they?"
"Liu Captain, pull me up first." Although I trusted Liu Captain's strength, hanging like this above the mass grave was unnerving.
After some effort, Liu Captain managed to pull me up. The tunnel had transformed into a near-vertical shaft, forcing us to cling to the walls like lizards.
"What the hell is this place? Why are there so many bodies?" Liu Captain shone his flashlight around the pit. "Could it really be a Japanese mass grave?"
"Doesn't seem like it." I shook my head. "Your earlier guess was probably right. The Japanese wouldn't dig so deep. I think these people were villagers from Lianhua Village. During outbreaks of diseases, to prevent the spread, they might have buried the bodies in a large pit."
"Your explanation makes sense," Liu Captain agreed. I had previously shared with him the information I found about Lianhua Village from the county records, so he understood quickly.
"Liu Captain, if these people died from an epidemic, could the virus still be present? If we go down, will it be dangerous?" I paused as a thought struck me. "Liu Captain, could it be that Old Ge and Jin Zhijian became biters because they came here?"
The thought made me shiver. If that was true, Liu Captain and I might already be infected. We had removed our protective gear earlier, not anticipating an epidemic pit.
Liu Captain swallowed hard. "Damn, you might be right. Old Ge's condition, I don't know well, but Jin Zhijian has been checked by several experts. At first, we thought it was rabies, but tests showed he had a strange virus. They couldn't identify it at our county lab and sent samples to the city. It's definitely not rabies. Experts said rabies can cause agitation and biting, but it's rare."
Liu Captain's words solidified my suspicion. The idea of turning into biters like Old Ge and Jin Zhijian was terrifying.
"Damn it, Brother Lin, you think we might start biting each other? Don't be fooled by my age, you'd be no match for me in a fight…"
"Liu Captain, stop joking around. This is serious!"
"Heh…" Liu Captain gave a bitter laugh. "Maybe we should head back?"
"Let's put on our masks and protective suits. I'll go down and check if Zhao Xiaotian is there. You stay here." I suggested.
"You really dare go down there?" Liu Captain exclaimed.
"Zhao Xiaotian might be down there. I have to check!"
"Aren't you scared?"
"Of course I am!" I admitted. "But I can't let fear stop me. Zhao Xiaotian saved my life. If I die because of him, it's worth it. I owe him that much."
"You have guts!" Liu Captain gave me a thumbs up. "I've never truly admired anyone in my life, but you, Brother Lin, you're the first. I'll go down with you!"
"No need! Your gesture means a lot, but you have no connection to Zhao Xiaotian. Besides, you have a family to think about. If something happens to you, what will they do? If anything happens to me, just take care of my mom."
Liu Captain didn't argue further.
We created some footholds in the tunnel walls with our knives and donned our protective gear.
I slowly descended into the mass grave using the climbing rope.
The pit was thick with bones, crunching underfoot, sending chills down my spine. These were human bones.
Despite my fear of a hand reaching out to grab me, I forced myself to search the pit.
"Zhao Xiaotian, Zhao, are you there? It's Lin. If you can hear me, shout!" I called out, walking through the pit.
My search was fruitless. I found no hidden doors and no sign of anyone having been here. The bones lay undisturbed, as if no one had entered for decades.
But the coughing had come from this straight passage, with no side tunnels. What was going on?
Realizing further search was pointless, I climbed back up.
My priority was getting us checked for infection. Modern medicine could treat many diseases that were once incurable. Even if we were infected, there was hope.
My biggest worry was us turning into biters on the way back. I envisioned Old Ge and Zhao Xiaotian biting each other. I then remembered the tunnel where we found Old Ge.
I explained my thoughts to Liu Captain, and we decided to check that tunnel before leaving.
Retracing our steps, we entered the tunnel where we found Old Ge. I heard no more mysterious coughing. We searched every side tunnel, finding nothing.
Realizing the tunnels were too complex for us to search alone, we decided to head back.
We didn't anticipate what happened next. Just as I climbed out of the tunnel, a cold breeze hit me.
The breeze made my lips twitch uncontrollably. I turned to Liu Captain, feeling an inexplicable urge to bite him.