Volcanic Cave

As they walked deeper into the broadleaf forest, the terrain grew lower and the humidity rose. Patches of lush green moss covered the ground, and ferns grew more numerous. Vast stretches of leaves were a vibrant green, and wild mushrooms grew beneath them, though they were poisonous.

Such a complete vegetation ecosystem seemed rather out of place in this apocalypse, especially all that lush green moss.

Moss was among the most primitive of higher plants. It had no flowers or seeds and could reproduce only through spores, and it had extremely demanding growing requirements. First, the relative humidity in the air had to remain above eighty percent. Second was the environment: excessive pollution would kill moss or hinder its growth.

The extensive patches of moss here showed that the environment was unpolluted and that water was plentiful.

Lai'en had a hunch that they might find a source of drinking water before they even reached their destination.

As the two walked, they kept a wary eye on their surroundings. The tactical tablet in Lai'en's hand gave off a faint blue glow from time to time, displaying scans of the terrain. He marked the results and sent them to Hill by message.

Song Zhi followed behind him, walking lightly and doing her best not to make a sound by stepping on dead branches or fallen leaves. Her gaze occasionally swept over the vibrant green moss, and she marveled inwardly at the vitality of the rainforest.

In truth, she was more interested in whether the mushrooms were edible. Right now, she could only regret that she wasn't from Yunnan and couldn't tell which mushrooms were safe to eat.

The farther they went, the lower the terrain fell, and the temperature dropped sharply. A slight chill hung in the air. Lai'en and Song Zhi exchanged a glance and quickened their pace.

After rounding a few short, unfamiliar broadleaf shrubs, they spotted a cave concealed by tangled vines.

Lai'en swung his knife, and the sharp kukri sliced through the tangled branches and vines. Once he had cleared them away, a narrow cave entrance appeared.

Just then, the faint sound of dripping water reached their ears.

Drip, drip...

The sound was crisp and ethereal, like a beautiful melody. In the quiet broadleaf forest, it sounded especially lovely.

Hearing the dripping water, the two exchanged a glance and smiled at the same time.

It seemed they were in luck and had found the right place.

Lai'en gave Song Zhi a gentle pat on the shoulder, as though acknowledging the claim that she was a mascot. In fact, what he valued more was Song Zhi's mind and personality. She was adaptable, clever, and tenacious.

He raised a hand, signaling her to stop. Song Zhi nodded, drew the sidearm at her waist, deftly released the safety, and quickly chambered a round. She aimed at the cave entrance, keeping watch and covering him.

Lai'en crouched down and quickly set down the tactical backpack on his back. He took out a small drone, his fingers moving nimbly in their black tactical gloves as he operated the remote controller and adjusted the flight settings.

The drone rose slowly into the air, then darted through the entrance. The scene inside the cave appeared in full on the tablet in Lai'en's hand. He activated the far-infrared thermal detector, but it found no suspected human heat signatures or those of any other living creatures.

"Safe. No suspicious targets, no sources of danger." Lai'en briefly described the situation inside the cave to Song Zhi, then nudged the control stick forward, sending the drone farther in to investigate.

It was a volcanic cave with an underground river, its waters dark and deep. Stalactites hung from the ceiling, and countless droplets ran down them into the river. The sound of falling water echoed through the cavern, amplified many times over.

They were lucky. Not only had they found fresh water, but it was mountain spring water.

Lai'en put the drone away and sent Hill all the footage it had captured, along with his and Song Zhi's coordinates.

They did not rush into the cave. Instead, they rested briefly outside and checked their equipment. Once they had confirmed that everything was ready, they shouldered their gear and cautiously entered the cavern.

As soon as they entered, a wave of cool air washed over them. It was very dark inside, but when they lowered the six-lens night vision goggles on their helmets, the scene gradually came into view.

It was a very typical volcanic cave, with an extensive underground water system. The cave was also very damp. Fine beads of water coated the rock walls, droplets continued to fall from the hanging stalactites, and the layers of stalagmites on the ground glistened with moisture.

Song Zhi looked around and thought that if a constantly flowing waterfall were hung over the entrance, this would be the Water Curtain Cave for sure!

It would be a shame not to fence off such a fine spot and set up a ticket booth.

The two walked slowly, their footsteps mingling with the dripping water and sounding especially clear in the silent cavern.

The wet passage sloped gradually downward, growing narrower until they had to bend over to continue. At the far end, a deep, still pool lay in a depression.

Lai'en switched on a high-powered flashlight and shone it over the water. Even the powerful beam of the military flashlight revealed only a faint, refracted halo beneath the surface, showing how deep the pool was.

They had brought no water collection equipment and had no way to test the water quality, so they could only retrace their steps, return outside the cave, and consider their next move.

Once outside, Song Zhi hurried forward a couple of steps, exposing herself fully to the blazing sunlight. She spread her arms like a gymnosperm in desperate need of photosynthesis.

Lai'en took a packet of chocolate from his backpack, pressed it into Song Zhi's hand, and said, "It's cold in the cave. Have something to replenish your energy."

With that, Lai'en walked over to a tree and sat down. He opened his tactical tablet and lowered his head to attend to official business, his fingers sliding and tapping rapidly across the screen.

A message popped up on Group A's communications platform: The mascot has done her job. We've found a spring, but further testing is needed to determine whether the water is drinkable. Send support immediately.

Just as he closed the tablet, a small hand holding a piece of dark chocolate by its wrapper appeared before his eyes. He followed the chocolate to the hand, which seemed too small to him, then looked from the hand to Song Zhi.

Her eyes were curved slightly in a smile, her small, delicate face tucked inside an oversized tactical helmet. She looked just like a mischievous child who had sneaked into an adult's clothes.

"Lieutenant, have some too." Song Zhi tilted her head, her manner sincere, motivated entirely by a subordinate's genuine concern for her superior (and desire to curry favor).

Lai'en said nothing and did not reach out to take it. He simply watched Song Zhi with his usual cool, dark blue eyes, conducting a tactical analysis of her behavior.

Song Zhi's fingertips stiffened. She was caught between advancing and retreating. What is he spacing out for? Just hurry up and take the chocolate! Why is he so unreceptive?

After a brief and hasty tactical analysis, Lai'en moved his lips, about to refuse. Song Zhi promptly slipped the chocolate into his mouth, the motion far too natural and practiced.

Song Zhi saw the corners of Lai'en's mouth move and thought he was signaling her to feed him because he thought his own hands were dirty. After all, back in Sri Lanka, she had fed him fruit candy like this while he was driving.

The little rookie who had completed her "curry favor" mission was delighted.

The rich aroma of chocolate melted between Lai'en's lips and teeth, and his eyes gradually darkened. He took off his tactical helmet, grabbed Song Zhi's wrist, and gave it a gentle tug. Caught completely off guard, she landed on his lap.

"L-Lieutenant..."