After confirming there was oxygen in the sinkhole.
Juno took the safety rope from her backpack, secured it in place, and clipped on the carabiner.
"Get your gear on. We're heading down."
"Juno, I'll go down with you."
Rebecca had just set down her backpack when she saw Juno preparing to descend.
Juno shook her head. "No. I'm the leader, and I brought you here. I should be the first one down."
While the two were talking.
The others finished getting ready as well.
Li Dan stretched a little with a small pack on his back, preparing to travel light.
Everyone watched as Juno slowly slid down on the safety rope and disappeared into the pitch-black opening.
Before long, a voice came from below.
"Safe!"
Only then did the others clip onto the safety ropes and begin descending one after another.
Li Dan and Sam were the last to go down. He gave the surroundings one final look. Not bad. A pretty good place to bury bodies.
"Hey, Li, get down here."
Sam called out, and Li Dan finally lowered himself along the rope, bracing his feet against the rock wall until he reached the bottom.
As they descended, their view gradually widened.
There was clearly a whole different world beneath this cave. Its area was at least five times larger than the entrance.
Li Dan was the last to reach the bottom and unclip his safety rope. Looking up, he saw sunlight streaming in through the entrance. It was a spectacular sight.
They couldn't see the light from above, yet they could see it from below.
Juno looked at the sunlight pouring through the entrance and believed it was a sign from God. This expedition would definitely be safe and smooth.
Everyone began examining the rocky cavern around them.
Sarah looked around, then suddenly found herself drawn to a stone. More precisely, to a bloody handprint on the rock.
It was a dangerous sign.
Perhaps afraid of ruining everyone's mood, Sarah didn't mention it.
Just as Sarah wanted to step closer for a better look, a swarm of bats suddenly burst out, densely packed as they flew toward the entrance.
Sarah was already on edge, and the fright made her scream at the top of her lungs.
Juno hurried over to comfort her.
Holly was still holding a camera, casually counting the bats as though nothing was wrong. That woman really was annoying.
Li Dan glanced over, then lowered his head. A Ghost Card appeared in his hand. He didn't know what the underground monster was, but it probably wouldn't be that strong, right?
Trace of containment entity: Wendigo detected.
Wendigo?
Li Dan knew a fair bit about it. For a time, he had crammed all sorts of horror legends, and this creature had happened to be among them.
A Wendigo was a legendary man-eating monster, originating from the stories of the Algonquian Indians in the United States and Canada.
They were generally believed to be humans gradually possessed by an evil spirit, cannibalistic monsters with monstrous traits. When faced with danger, they would resort to eating their own kind.
It was said that after consuming enough flesh, they would become bloodthirsty man-eating demons—the incarnations of Wendigos.
But judging from how they were portrayed in movies and television, they seemed somewhat weak.
Maybe they hadn't fully evolved yet.
Still, no matter what, their origins sounded more intimidating than those of a Mutated Ogre.
Especially in such a closed, dark environment.
Human fear would be magnified without limit.
Even Li Dan, calm and bold as he was, couldn't help feeling a little uneasy. At the same time, he was excited. After all, the more evil and terrifying something was, the safer he would feel once it became one of his containment entities.
After Sarah calmed down.
Juno led everyone to an opening wedged between cracks in the rock. It was the only path downward, and it was only wide enough for one and a half people.
Juno switched on the light on her helmet and took the lead into the hole to scout ahead.
Li Dan was still the last one to enter. He looked at the bloody handprint on the rock wall, then at the pitch-black opening.
This place was practically heaven for claustrophobes.
Li Dan stopped hesitating and followed them into the dark tunnel. Since he had spent money to upgrade his gear once, the large lamp on his helmet was bright enough to clearly illuminate the path ahead.
The tunnel was only just wide enough to stretch out both arms.
Li Dan followed the group as they slowly inched downward. Ten minutes later, the space ahead finally opened up.
If there had been a little light before because the entrance was nearby, then the tunnel deep within the cracks, leading into the chaotic cave before them, was completely pitch-black.
Once Juno saw that everyone had caught up, she took a flare from her backpack and threw it out.
The red flare fell from above, briefly illuminating the dark cave. A massive rocky chamber appeared before them.
For a moment, everyone was excited.
Now this was exploration!
Everyone began inspecting the area separately.
With only one flare, it was difficult for ordinary human eyes to make out the surroundings.
But thanks to his enhanced vision, Li Dan could see everything clearly. The cave was not only damp and dark, but its rocks also seemed coated in some unknown secretion.
It looked like stalactite deposits left by dripping water, only far more disgusting.
"Li Dan, look, there's a little pool here too!" Sam was curious about everything. It was her first expedition, and everything felt new to her.
Sam even wanted to reach out and touch the puddle nestled in the rock.
Li Dan grabbed Sam's hand. "Stay behind Teacher Beth. Don't run around, and don't touch anything."
Sam looked unhappy. "Oh, got it."
Beth found the scene amusing. She had thought Li Dan would act like a child too, but it seemed he was far more mature than Sam.
Juno and Rebecca argued in front of an opening. In the end, Juno seemed to win and led everyone into the small, dark passage within the cave.
Just as Juno was about to go in, Holly moved quickly and slipped into the tunnel ahead of her.
"Holly, can you stop being so competitive?" Juno said helplessly.
"Juno, if you're too scared, then let me lead the way."
Holly's voice came from inside the tunnel.
Juno had no choice but to lead the others after her.
This time, Li Dan was fourth in line.
This tunnel was even narrower. Even tiny little Sam had trouble squeezing through it, let alone a grown man like Li Dan. He practically scraped against the opening as he crawled inside.
As he crawled, he suddenly realized he was stuck.
Without hesitation, Li Dan chose to use Fusion with the Ghost Card of the Deformed Person leader. The boost in strength let him break free instantly, and he quickly crawled forward until he emerged and rejoined Juno and the other two.
Unfortunately, someone else got stuck behind him. It was Sarah, who had been bringing up the rear. Beth, who had already crawled out, went back into the tunnel.
Perhaps because Li Dan had violently forced his way free earlier, the cave suddenly began shaking, looking as though it was about to collapse.
Juno and Sam both panicked.
Li Dan, however, remained calm. He took the folding entrenching shovel from his backpack, gripped it with both hands, and barely managed to brace the boulder that was about to fall, allowing Beth and Sarah to crawl out safely at the last moment.
Teacher Beth was a good person. He was human, not a beast. If he could save her easily, then he would. Besides, the more people there were in this godforsaken place, the safer it would be.
Like he had said, if their lives were truly in danger, he didn't need to outrun the monster. He only needed to outrun his teammates.
The moment Beth crawled out, she hugged Li Dan and pressed his head into her ample chest.
"Good boy, good boy. Thank you."
Li Dan: ⊙_⊙
He felt like he was suffocating.
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