Doha and Maxwell looked up and saw that a huge bug had somehow attached itself to the ceiling of the grotto. The bug was entirely green and was as big as a cow. Its two large eyes, like copper bells, were staring fixedly at the two of them.
Doha was so scared that his legs were trembling. He asked in a quivering voice, "Maxwell, what is that?"
Before Maxwell could answer, the bug suddenly spread its wings, bringing with it a strong gust of wind, and lunged towards the two of them.
The two of them were startled and quickly stepped back. Maxwell felt his body sinking and unexpectedly slipped through the gaps between the iron bars of the dungeon. The gaps between the iron bars of the dungeon were not large, and Maxwell was only six years old and small in stature, so he easily fell down. Doha also fell down, but he was chubby and got stuck right in the middle of two iron bars.
The bug missed its first strike and landed in front of the dungeon, slowly moving towards Doha.
Doha was so frightened that he closed his eyes tightly and screamed at the top of his lungs.
After Maxwell's feet landed on the ground, he looked up and quickly shouted, "Doha, quickly draw your gun and shoot it!"
Doha was too panicked to think carefully. He quickly pulled out his gun with his right hand, fired a shot blindly in front of him without even opening his eyes.
"Bang!" Along with the gunshot, there was a shrill screech. The bug took a step back. Doha opened his eyes and saw that one of the bug's eyes was bleeding profusely, while the other was glaring at him menacingly. Then, with another angry roar, it opened its huge mouth and pounced forward again.
Doha let out a scream and, with an unexpected burst of strength, pushed himself down hard and squeezed through the middle of the iron bars, landing on the ground with a plop.
All they could hear was the bug wailing pitifully as it slammed its head into the iron bars of the dungeon. After hitting the bars dozens of times, the iron bars actually became loose and fell off, along with the chains on both sides that were used for fastening.
The three people in the dungeon were all stunned by this scene.
The one-eyed bug stuck its head into the dungeon, instantly darkening the interior. The huge body of the bug blocked the entrance of the dungeon completely. The three of them were so scared that they quickly stepped back.
The one-eyed bug seemed to be trying to force its way in, but it was simply too big. The entrance of the dungeon was only one zhang square, and it couldn't get in at all. Frustrated, the bug let out a strange howl, then turned around, spread its wings, circled twice above the dungeon, and disappeared in a flash.
Doha patted his chest and let out a long sigh of relief, "That was close, really close." He was just about to brag to Maxwell about his bravery when suddenly, a powerful force hit him from behind. His buttocks hurt badly as he was sent flying like a cannonball and slammed into the stone wall of the dungeon. The gun in his hand also flew out.
This collision made his eyes see stars. Fortunately, he had learned the "Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training" kung fu from Grandmaster today. While in mid-air, he managed to use the "Discharge" technique. Even so, he still felt as if his whole body was in excruciating pain.
Just as Doha was about to struggle to get up, he felt a big hand firmly pressing down on his neck. A fierce voice rang out, "You little brat, you were so talkative just now. What about now? Call me grandpa three times, and I'll let you go." It was the middle-aged man in the dungeon.
Doha was complaining bitterly in his heart and cursing inwardly, "I'm really having a bad day today. I'm actually being pinned down by this old guy. There's no other way. I'll just give in for now. As long as I'm alive, there's always a chance for revenge." He was just about to open his mouth when he heard Maxwell say coldly, "Let him go."
For some reason, the middle-aged man obediently let go of him.
Doha did a carp-like jump and stood up. Only then did he notice that Maxwell had somehow gotten hold of his shotgun. The black muzzle of the gun was pointed at the middle-aged man.
Maxwell ordered expressionlessly, "Go to the south side."
Doha followed up with a curse, "Didn't you hear? Damn it, go to the south side."
The middle-aged man had witnessed the power of the shotgun. He knew clearly that as long as the kid moved his finger slightly, he would be dead in an instant. He had endured for so many years and couldn't afford to die here so 不明不白地 (unjustly). So, he obediently walked to the opposite side, keeping a distance of several zhang from the two of them, and then turned around, glaring at the two of them like a wolf.
Doha took a breath and said with a lingering fear, "That was really thrilling just now. I almost got eaten by that huge bug. If it weren't for my quick thinking, I'd be done for today." After saying that, he still looked a bit smug and asked Maxwell, "Have you ever seen that kind of bug before? How could it be so big?"
Maxwell shook his head and said, "I've never seen it either."
Doha said with a puzzled look, "It's really strange. What on earth did that bug eat to grow so big?"
Maxwell frowned and said, "Don't think about that anymore. The most important thing now is for us to figure out a way to get out of here." Then he handed the shotgun to Doha, "Take the gun and keep an eye on him. Don't let him have a chance to come over."
Doha took the gun and said confidently, "Don't worry. If he dares to come over, I'll shoot him dead."
Maxwell looked at the surrounding terrain and then at the entrance of the dungeon and had an idea. "Doha, stand on my shoulders and then grab the chains and climb up. After you get up, I'll throw the gun to you. You cover me from above and then pull me up."
When Doha thought about the possibility of that huge bug still being up there, he was scared out of his wits. He quickly said, "You go up first, and then I'll go up."
Maxwell curled his lips in disdain, "Coward."
This time Doha didn't argue. He thought to himself, "Coward or not, it's better than being eaten by the bug."
Maxwell said, "Stand by the wall next to the entrance of the dungeon. I'll climb up from there."
Doha did as he was told. The gun in his hand was still pointed at the middle-aged man to prevent him from making any unruly moves.
Maxwell climbed onto Doha's shoulders, pushed himself up with force, grabbed the iron bar that had been knocked off by the bug with both hands, and climbed up by alternating his hands. After climbing up, he carefully observed the surroundings and, seeing nothing unusual, turned around and shouted to Doha, "Throw the gun to me. I'll cover you."
Doha threw the gun with all his strength. Maxwell caught it steadily and said, "You can come up now."
Doha looked at the iron bar that was still two zhang above the ground. With his height, he couldn't reach it at all.
Doha said with a dejected look, "How am I supposed to get up?"
Maxwell smiled and said, "I almost forgot to tell you. Call that man over here."
Doha heard this and shouted at the man, "You, come here!"
Maxwell was pointing the gun at the middle-aged man from above. The middle-aged man had no choice but to walk over slowly.
Maxwell pointed the gun at him and ordered, "Squat down."
The middle-aged man glared at him and reluctantly squatted down. Doha then understood that Maxwell wanted to use this middle-aged man as a human ladder to help him climb out of the dungeon.
Doha stood on the shoulders of the middle-aged man. The middle-aged man stood up, and Doha easily reached the iron bar. Then, like Maxwell, he climbed up by alternating his hands.
After his feet landed on the ground, Doha looked around warily and, seeing nothing unusual, let out a sigh of relief and said to Maxwell, "Maxwell, how come you weren't afraid of that huge bug being up there just now? I was scared to death."
Maxwell smiled slightly and said, "Actually, I was scared too."
Doha was very surprised and said, "Then why did you dare to climb up? If that huge bug had been lying in wait up there, you'd be done for. You'd be eaten by it!"
Maxwell replied, "If I saw the bug as soon as I came out, I'd jump back into the dungeon. Anyway, the bug is too big to get into the dungeon."
Doha suddenly realized and patted his head, "Why didn't I think of that?"
Maxwell took his hand and said, "Now's not the time to talk about this. Aunt Li Si must be waiting outside anxiously. We need to leave quickly."
Doha waved at the middle-aged man in the dungeon and said, "We're leaving. We won't keep you company anymore. You can stay in there by yourself."
Even after walking a long distance, it seemed that they could still feel the resentful gaze of the middle-aged man.