Without enough strength, getting involved with a woman like Jennifer could get him killed without him even knowing how. Anyone targeted by demons was like a thorny rose—easy to get hurt by.
Li Dan's choice to go exploring with Sam and the others therefore seemed perfectly reasonable, though he still needed to make some preparations before setting out.
Guns, ammunition, and lighting were indispensable, especially when it came to American Iaido.
After all, there was more than one monster in those caves.
In his view, as long as a monster had a physical body, anything other than an existence with an Immortal Body like Mike's could be dealt with through overwhelming firepower.
Just like the Mutated Ogre: despite feeling no pain and possessing immense strength, it still had to die under rifle fire.
The school let out early the next day.
Sam took Li Dan to meet the other members of the expedition team. They were all women.
Sarah had suffered a mental breakdown after witnessing her husband and child die in a car accident a year ago. This cave expedition had originally been organized to help her escape the shadow of that tragedy.
Juno was the leader of this cave expedition.
Beth was the school's English teacher and the one who had invited Sam into the group.
Holly was a punk-style skydiving enthusiast who liked low-altitude jumps. Reckless by nature, she loved charging in first. Put simply, she had a habit of courting death.
Rebecca was a Northern European athlete and professional mountaineer. The only person she knew in the group was Juno, because both of them enjoyed exploring all kinds of caves and extreme sports.
Originally, Juno had rejected Li Dan's participation. He was a man, after all, and one who had never gone exploring before.
But then there was his Money Power—enough to upgrade all their equipment.
Juno could not find any reason to refuse.
Top-tier exploration equipment was simply too tempting for them.
After successfully joining the team,
Li Dan went to see Pete, the chief of the town police department, and bought a set of Special Forces Gear.
The most important thing was the headset. Gunshots would be far too loud underground.
Pete might have taken a little extra for himself, but when paid, he really got things done.
A few days later,
Pete's subordinate, Sheriff Old Joe, wheeled over and delivered Li Dan's equipment.
There was a black camouflage combat uniform and infrared-resistant camouflage smock, along with the classic components of the U.S. military's standard ALICE Load-Bearing Equipment System: a triple magazine pouch carrying two M67 grenades.
Plus a high-explosive grenade.
There was also a folding entrenching shovel in a plastic case for engineering work, self-rescue, and mutual aid. A bayonet in a convenient pocket provided a sharp weapon for close combat, while an L-shaped flashlight and an LC backpack with an aluminum frame further enhanced his night combat and marching capabilities.
Two low-recoil Rocloc pistols were holstered at his waist as well.
Li Dan had spent a fortune to get this entire set.
Once he put it on, he was covered from head to toe. If he added a mask and helmet, he really did look somewhat like a special forces combat soldier.
Of course, one crucial item was still missing: an M16 rifle.
But that thing was far too conspicuous.
Li Dan already drew strange looks when walking down the street. If he carried an M16 on his back too, people who did not know better might think he had just returned from a war after being discharged.
Li Dan had arranged for the M16 to be brought to their destination in advance.
When Li Dan arrived at the meeting place outside town in full Special Forces Gear,
Juno and the others were dumbfounded. Staring at his equipment, they said in surprise,
"Hey, Li Dan, we're not going to war. We're just exploring. Dressing like that will seriously slow down the expedition."
"Wearing too much during cave exploration can actually put you in danger."
"Li Dan, there's still time. We can get you a proper set of professional exploration gear instead of having you dress like a combat soldier."
Faced with their well-intentioned advice, Li Dan merely stubbornly said,
"Don't worry. I won't cause trouble for any of you. I have another set of exploration gear in my car, and haven't my stamina already been proven?"
Yeah, right. Taking it off was impossible.
Only sufficient firepower and enough contained objects could make him feel safe.
Since he did not have enough contained objects right now, he naturally needed more firepower.
If he had not been afraid of causing a cave-in, Li Dan would have wanted to bring a rocket launcher inside.
Hearing this, Juno asked Rebecca, the professional exploration expert, for her opinion.
In the end, they agreed, though they added several conditions.
"Okay, we agree. But once we're underground, you follow all our instructions. Otherwise, you could drag the whole team into danger. Understood?"
"No problem." Li Dan agreed to everything—verbally.
While Juno and the others were organizing their gear, Sam quietly came over to comfort Li Dan.
"Li Dan, Juno and the others are only concerned about your safety. Cave exploration is dangerous, especially since this cave has never been explored before."
"Sam, I know. Don't worry."
The seven of them prepared two SUVs.
When Juno discovered an M16 automatic rifle in the back of one vehicle, she was speechless.
"Li Dan, just how afraid of dying are you? Do you seriously think there'll be people in the cave who you need to shoot?"
Rebecca chuckled. "Maybe our young Chinese boy just doesn't feel safe in unfamiliar places."
Li Dan spread his hands. "Just in case."
Before the two leaders could say anything, Holly mocked him first. "Cowardly."
Li Dan merely gave a dry laugh and said nothing. There was no need to waste words on a dead person.
Sam helped explain for Li Dan. "That's not it. It's just Li Dan's first expedition, so he prepared a little more. We should be more understanding toward newcomers."
After that, the other women in the group said nothing further.
Their original destination had been the Lehan Cave Cluster in Chattanooga National Park in the United States' Appalachian Mountains. But Juno, who was leading the team, felt it was not exciting enough. What was there to explore in caves that had already been explored?
So she secretly changed the destination to an unknown cave.
She hoped that if their exploration succeeded, the cave could be named after Sarah.
Her intention was good—to help her friend Sarah step out from the darkness—but what she had done was far too dangerous.
Juno hid it well. No one noticed, including Li Dan.
Li Dan had only watched The Descent. He did not know the exact location or many of the details.
So at first, he believed they were really exploring the Lehan Cave Cluster in Chattanooga National Park in the Appalachian Mountains.
It was only when they arrived nearby and he looked at the endless mountain range in the distance that he realized something was off.
Before entering, there was even a dirt road blanketed in dead branches and fallen leaves.
Li Dan surveyed the trees around the temporary cabin and the silent mountain forest. Everything was so primitive and quiet.
There was not even the sound of birdsong. Was that normal?
This was a fucking national park?
They had not even started up the mountain yet.
Just as Li Dan wondered whether they had taken the wrong road, Sam walked over and said, "Li Dan, don't worry. We still need to rest at the cabin for a day. We won't enter the mountains until tomorrow morning. It's too late today, and there's still some distance ahead."
Li Dan looked up at the darkening clouds and said,
"I just think it's a little too quiet around here."
Sam thought the silence was perfectly normal, so she explained,
"Very few people come here. It's normal for it to be quiet. Don't overthink it. Get a good rest so you'll have the strength to explore tomorrow."
Li Dan gave a hum, but what he thought was, We came to the right place.
PS: None of these five are female leads. Trust my taste. If you do not like it, just treat it as women present but no female lead. Anyone going through horror movies alone will have their own experiences.
Before you continue