The night was quiet.
In a wooden cabin at the foot of the mountains.
Everyone sat around the fireplace, each holding a cup of milk as they discussed the expedition planned for the next day.
Li Dan leaned against a corner, holding a cup of milk as he quietly listened to Sam, Sarah, and Juno talk about their past cave-exploring experiences.
Every expedition was like being reborn.
Sam, Holly, and Beth were all beginners. They crowded around Rebecca, listening to her recount her past experiences, their curiosity and longing plain to see.
People were always intrigued by things they experienced for the first time.
Just like how many high school students felt the first time they tried cave diving or mining.
The only one who felt nothing was probably Li Dan. If not for the Ghost Card, he'd have to be out of his mind to enter this underground cave with them.
Likewise, if he hadn't already captured two Mutated Ogres, he wouldn't have come cave exploring, either.
The main reason was that the other places his classmates planned to visit were even more terrifying...
By comparison,
the monsters in The Descent didn't seem all that scary. They might even be called cute. At least they were visible and could be killed.
As for the places the others were going—monasteries, deserted islands, mental hospitals... Some were even planning to visit places like Southeast Asia and Thailand.
Forget everything else. The curse practitioners in Southeast Asia alone were enough to make Li Dan think twice.
Li Dan stopped thinking and rested a hand on his M16. Juno had been right about one thing: sneaking through a cave with a rifle slung over his back was definitely foolish. He might get stuck halfway.
If only he had some kind of storage space.
Then he could make a deal with an arms dealer and carry an entire arsenal of equipment—or even something like a tank...
That was the only way to soothe his nerves and his little heart, so starved of security.
As if it had sensed what Li Dan was thinking, one of the fifty-five Ghost Cards flew out of its place in the sequence.
Heart Ace Function: Store items Unlock condition: Capture a Vengeful Spirit/Witch/Demon/Evil Spirit/ Capture any entity to unlock
Li Dan hadn't expected there really to be such a card. Its unlock condition just seemed unreasonably harsh. From the names alone, it was clear those things wouldn't be easy to capture.
If an ordinary ghost counted as one of the unlock conditions, that would be great.
But then he thought about it and found the idea ridiculous. Wasn't trying to capture some ordinary ghost just to occupy a card even more foolish?
Note: Captured entities in Ghost Cards aren't permanent. They can be replaced upon death.
Wait.
Li Dan suddenly thought of another way.
He used going to the bathroom as an excuse to step outside the cabin, released the Deformed Person leader, and handed him the M16 to carry.
The Deformed Person leader might have been stupid, but he knew how to use weapons.
After the Deformed Person leader had equipped himself, Li Dan captured him in a card. He discovered that it really did work.
But there seemed to be a limit.
Only equipment the Deformed Person leader could use himself could be captured along with him in the Two of Hearts.
Trying to get a fighter jet in there would probably be impossible.
Expecting a stupid Deformed Person to fly a fighter jet
was about as likely as a sow climbing a tree.
Hmm. Li Dan's mind was racing. He wondered if outfitting the Deformed Person with a set of heavy armor would make his combat strength soar.
After all, if he could wear the heavy armor, then it counted as equipment, didn't it?
A Deformed Person in heavy armor was on a whole different level from one without armor.
If the Deformed Person leader wore heavy armor and carried a fully automatic submachine gun, while the second one, who was slightly weaker, wore light armor,
then the two monsters could guard Li Dan, one in front and one behind. What would he have to fear from underground monsters?
Wouldn't he be able to plow straight through them?
What a shame.
Since they were already here, if he went back now to make armor that fit the Deformed Persons, his vacation would probably be over before he finished.
Back in the cabin,
the women were still chatting away about their adventures.
Li Dan returned to his corner. Sam noticed him sitting by himself, clearly not one of the group, and tried several times to draw him into their conversation and discussion.
But apart from Beth, the schoolteacher, the others didn't really get along with Li Dan, and he had no intention of fitting in with them.
He found a comfortable spot and went to sleep.
Eleven o'clock.
Sam was sitting beside Li Dan. The women were still chatting, having completely forgotten their plan to get to bed early and rest up.
Li Dan woke once, but soon fell asleep again.
There wasn't much to talk about. He'd rather practice playing soccer with Sheriff Joe than chat with them.
The next day.
Dawn was breaking. Mist hung over the mountains, limiting visibility to around a hundred meters. As the sun rose, the fog gradually began to lift.
But the newly risen sun offered little warmth.
Everyone gradually got up and ate breakfast.
Sam suggested taking a group photo.
Li Dan wasn't interested in being in pictures, so he volunteered to be the photographer. After all, photographers were safe in almost every horror movie.
Except in found-footage horror films.
In those, the photographers really did die.
The six women gathered and got into position. Li Dan promptly pressed the shutter.
Juno unusually complimented Li Dan this time, saying she thought he really was good at taking pictures.
Ten o'clock.
Juno led the group in a jeep deep into the mountains and stopped at the foot of the range.
The road ahead was blocked by tangled jungle and narrow paths. They couldn't drive any farther, so they had to continue on foot.
Li Dan put on his gear and jumped out of the jeep. He looked around and noticed that the trees beside the dirt road were much taller than those farther out. A stream ran alongside the narrow path.
In such a remote place that looked like a primeval forest, hadn't Rebecca, a professional explorer, noticed anything strange?
Maybe she had noticed, but hadn't said anything.
For an experienced explorer like her, following the same old rules and visiting familiar places could no longer give her a thrill.
Juno led the group with Rebecca at the front, followed by Sarah, with Holly in the middle.
Beth was a teacher at the school in Round Clam Town. Li Dan and Sam were her students, so of course she had to look after the two kids.
This was Beth's second expedition. Just like she did in class, she explained her previous expedition to Li Dan and Sam, telling them to stick close to her once they went into the cave.
Li Dan couldn't help making a remark.
"Looks like maternal instincts are kicking in."
Sam laughed. "What maternal instincts? Ms. Beth's always treated us like her own kids."
They followed the mountain path until noon.
Along the way, they found the carcass of a wild deer. It had died a gruesome death, half of it eaten away, but its antlers were still intact.
A wild animal wouldn't have eaten only half of it, and a poacher wouldn't have left the antlers behind.
The signs that something was wrong were already there.
But Juno and Rebecca, leading the group, were excited as they posed for photos with the deer carcass.
Li Dan calmly took pictures of them.
Afterward, they continued onward.
Li Dan also saw where the stream beside the narrow path began: a clear river flowed noisily down the mountain, over moss-covered rocks.
The group followed the stream for a while longer before finally reaching Bolehan Cave.
The cave was on a flat stretch of ground surrounded by withered, solitary trees, a stark contrast to the lush jungle at the foot of the mountain.
The entrance was oval and irregular, with moss growing all around it.
Li Dan stood beside it and took a look. The cave descended vertically and seemed to have no bottom. Its pitch-black mouth was like a man-eating ghost cave, waiting for some destined soul to find it.
Most people would never find a place like this.
Apparently, Li Dan, Juno, and the others were the destined souls this time.
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