Abyss Empty House (The Salvageman's Adventure)

Chapter 23

With a muffled splash, we slid into the water, followed by the clattering of stones rolling into the water. When it finally quieted down, our feet were soaked with the sewage that had seeped in.

Left with no other choice, I could only sigh and say, "It seems I really am destined for this abyss, and I've just boarded the express train and plunged right in."

Empty House in the Abyss (A Salvage Worker's Strange Encounter)

Chapter 45 Submarines

Zhang Liheng and Ding Gen were equally shaken, unable to comprehend how they had ended up like this, sliding down the road with the house, and before the road was even completely destroyed, was the house even a house anymore? If it had been smashed to pieces halfway down, they would not be alive today!

Chapter 63 of "The Empty House in the Abyss (The Salvage Worker's Adventure)"

Chapter 63 of "The Empty House in the Abyss (The Salvage Worker's Adventure)"

Author: Ghost Grinning

Date: 2008-07-20 12:30:00

More and more sewage seeped in through the crack in the door, already submerging half of my feet. I knew in my heart that my thoughts were true; the house and the people inside had indeed slid into the abyss.

I dejectedly put aside my bad luck and quickly groped for the gas lamps, hoping I wouldn't break them.

Thankfully, the remaining two lamps were intact. If we stayed in this stuffy coffin any longer and it sank to the bottom of the water, we would be doomed. Ding Gen stopped me from lighting the lamps: "Old Huang, aren't you afraid there might be poisonous gas down here? If it explodes, there will be nowhere to hide."

I hesitated for a moment and said, "Then let's use the headlamp for now. The batteries are almost empty. I originally wanted to save them for the most critical place, but you have a point. We're unfamiliar with this place, and there might be some poisonous gas. Let's be careful. Come on, Lao Ding, let's go try to open that door first."

Ding Gen and I pried at the things on the floor and struggled to climb up to the door. When we touched it, the door was a little deformed, and it was difficult to open with our fists and feet. We immediately became anxious and used all our strength to kick and stomp. Finally, we opened it halfway. It was pitch black outside, and we cried out in distress.

We weren't in the water; half of the house was submerged in the mud, and sewage from the mud was rushing in through the open door. The house, which was slowly sinking, was sinking even faster as the door was opened.

Under the light of our headlamps, thankfully we weren't far from the bank where we had slipped. The house was still resting on a large black rock by the mud. I quickly turned around and told Zhang Liheng to climb up quickly. Regardless of safety, this so-called house could sink into the mud at any moment, and we didn't know how deep it was. It could easily be a bottomless swamp.

The three of them stood at the sloping doorway and immediately felt the air was very stuffy and hot. They were already sweating and felt sticky and uncomfortable.

It was quite unexpected that there was no water at the bottom of this abyss. I remember when we first reached the end of the city road, we could clearly hear the rumbling sound of water from the bottom of the abyss. If we could hear the sound of water from such a height, we would guess that there was a huge amount of water at the bottom. Now that we are rapidly sliding down and in the middle of it, we find that there is no water. It's unbelievable. Could it be that there was water originally, but something else happened during the few hours we were treating patients, eating and sleeping, and that's why it turned out like this?

Instead of wading through the mud, we scrambled and crawled up the rocks at the edge of the sinking house, panting heavily. Looking up, we couldn't see how high we were; the lights that had been on were nowhere to be seen, and the huge city gate had vanished without a trace. The roaring generator had become very muffled, and judging from the sound, it must be somewhere above us. It turned out that our descent wasn't a straight path; we had taken many detours. Just considering the time we had wasted along the way, I knew we were in big trouble. The depth of the rapid descent was beyond my imagination.

We didn't have time to look back and examine our house closely; a new danger was approaching.

I stood up unsteadily, about to speak, when my headlamp shone behind Ding Gen. I was startled to see that there were still living animals wriggling in the mud pit!

Since there were live animals, it meant that the possibility of the place being filled with poison gas was not high. Without saying a word, I turned on the gas lamp and took a closer look at what was going on.

By the light of the gas lamp, I could see a snake poking its head out of the mud pit behind Ding Gen. The snake wasn't big, but it was thick and short, its whole body shimmering silver. On its head was a black fleshy crest the size of a ping-pong ball, which was twitching. It was no pushover. Fortunately, there was only one snake. It was startled by the sudden light from my hand and stood still for a moment, tilting its head as if listening to our movements.

I know that before a venomous snake is about to attack, it often tilts its head back, bends its body, and then springs forward with force. This strange black snake in front of me was like that. It was disproportionately short and thick, only a little over a meter long, like a rolling pin. Half of it was standing upright in the mud. It was gleaming silver and must be highly venomous. Judging from its appearance, it could pounce at any moment. Moreover, it was very close to Ding Gen. I felt that there was no way to avoid it, and I wouldn't even have time to pull it out.

I was bitten by a snake when I was a child, and I still remember the pain vividly. Although I am not very afraid of snakes, I am very wary of them.

Now, running into this deep, dark abyss, and seeing such a strange snake again, I'm certain it's poisonous, especially the black fleshy crest on its head, which almost suggests its toxicity is related to bacterial weapons. I'm anxious, but I can't eliminate this scourge. If my good buddy Ding Gen gets infected again, with the toxins not yet completely cleared, and then he gets poisoned on top of poison, he might die on the spot. I'm so anxious that I'm covered in sweat.

My gaze towards Ding Gen changed, and I murmured, "Old Ding, don't move! Stand there, don't move! There's a poisonous snake behind you!"

Seeing my frozen posture, Ding Gen already knew there was danger behind him. After hearing my words, he realized there was a poisonous snake in the mud pit. He didn't dare to turn around and just stood there, stunned. At this moment, only Zhang Liheng had an empty hand but also a gun. Without waiting for my signal, she took out her pistol and slowly aimed it at the snake. I didn't know how good her marksmanship was. If she missed, Ding Gen would inevitably be bitten by the snake. I was afraid of disturbing Zhang Liheng's shooting if I spoke up to warn her, since my marksmanship was also terrible. I was better at playing with knives.

Our attention was completely drawn to the gleaming silver snake, and sweat beaded on our foreheads. But the snake suddenly turned around and retreated into the mud. Zhang Liheng's finger on the trigger loosened involuntarily. Just as she was about to ask me where I had seen the snake go, a bubble rose from the mud pit.

I dared not let my guard down and seized the opportunity to draw my pistol. Sure enough, following the path of the bubbles, the venomous snake emerged again. Its fleshy head swayed and it moved to a new position. From Zhang Liheng's perspective, it was a blind spot. Only I could see a little bit of it. It was very close to Ding Gen, but I couldn't hit the snake's head from my angle.

Date: 2008-07-20 12:34:00

What to do? The venomous snake didn't immediately attack and pounce on Ding Gen. Instead, it slowly approached Ding Gen's leg, its long forked tongue sniffing the area. Then, it flicked its head, flipped over, and leaped into the mud a second time. I kept staring at that silvery-white shadow as it disappeared into the darkness, until I realized that the venomous snake had really let Ding Gen go and left on its own.

I told Zhang Liheng to put down her gun, let out a long breath, and called for Ding Gen to jump over quickly. I then realized that I was drenched in sweat and was so nervous that I was about to collapse. When Ding Gen heard me say that the danger was over, he jumped over in a panic and joined us, panting heavily with sweat on his face.

I patted him on the shoulder and said, "Old Ding, you're really lucky. Poisonous Snake actually let you go. If it were me or Xiao Zhang, we'd probably be finished by now."

Ding Gen was taken aback: "I can smell the stench from that snake's mouth. It's so scary I'm about to collapse. It's strange, is it because it just ate and doesn't like me anymore?"

Zhang Liheng thoughtfully interjected, "I think it's not that the snake just ate its fill, but rather that it sensed your scent, perhaps?"

I immediately understood: "Ha, maybe it really is possible! When I cut your throat, Old Ding, I pulled out a snake like this. I remember snakes also have a fleshy ball on their heads! It seems this one didn't bite you because it smelled its own kind, right?"

It's funny to think about, but even more unbelievable. Do venomous snakes have intelligence? It actually stopped attacking when it smelled its own kind. That's unlikely, isn't it? Or did this snake become blind from staying in the dark for too long?

I patted Ding Gen on the shoulder, handed him a gas lamp, and said, "I never expected our Ding Er Lengzi to carry such a protective treasure against poison. He doesn't even provoke such a terrifying venomous snake. I really admire him."

Ding Gen was a little unhappy. His face darkened and he said, "What are you admiring me for? You might just collapse one day and never get up again. And you still have the mood to say these sarcastic things! You two know perfectly well that the damned Spiral Corpse Algae on your body has aftereffects. You dare to joke about this? Are you trying to piss me off?"

I also thought of this matter, and my heart immediately sank. When I first heard about the aftereffects, I didn't quite believe it, but now that I saw this scene in person, I immediately believed that this bad luck was most likely true. So I quickly apologized to Ding Gen: "I'm sorry, Lao Ding, I was just too happy that you escaped another disaster. Don't be angry. In the end, you got into this situation because of me. I'm really sorry."

When Ding Gen heard what I said, Mao Mao's mood, which had been low, stopped. Instead of getting angry, she remained silent for a moment before bursting into laughter: "Come on, we've known each other for a long time. I know your mouth all too well. Why would you get angry over something like this? Even if there are any aftereffects, I, Ding Gen, have nothing to regret. I'll just go wherever I want. Before I die, I'll do something worthwhile, just like Lin Teng and Sun Yuehua. You don't know how much I've been doing these past few years since I was demobilized and sent to the countryside. It's driving me crazy."

I gave him a thumbs up: "Well done! That's more like the old Ding Gen. We're getting closer and closer to the truth. If there really is a vaccine that can cure me, it'll probably cure you too. If not, we'll travel together!"

Zhang Liheng watched us two get carried away, speechless, her expression calm, neither sad nor happy, but her palms were clenched white, quite nervous. I felt she was holding back some emotion, hard to tell if it was sadness or excitement.

I lit the gas lamp I had given Ding Gen, and we looked around to see where we were. We were stunned as soon as we lit it; the ground beneath our feet was submerged. Where did the water come from? We were just standing on the rocks on the edge of a muddy pool!

Looking at the photos from before and after, it's true. Water is flowing from where the venomous snake disappeared, and it looks like there's a considerable amount of water. The dark, murky sewage keeps flowing over, wetting our shoes. It's warm and sticky, completely different from the cool, damp feeling up there.

Looking behind me, I saw a muddy slope that had been washed down as we slid down, with small pebbles rolling down it every now and then. Then I looked at our express train, that damned building. I wiped my face, almost unable to believe my eyes. This building wasn't even a building.

Zhang Liheng and I exclaimed at almost the same time, "This, isn't this a submarine?"

Chapter 64 of "The Empty House in the Abyss (The Salvage Worker's Adventure)"

Chapter 64 of "The Empty House in the Abyss (The Salvage Worker's Adventure)"

Author: Ghost Grinning

Date: 2008-07-20 22:29:00

Chapter Forty-Six: Stars

Looking at the submarine from its stern, half of it was already embedded in the mud, with the rear half lying across the shore. I didn't recognize it at first because the submarine was so big and outdated, and the propeller at the stern was completely rusted.

During the crashing descent, the bridge on the submarine was smashed to pieces and completely unrecognizable. The special coating on its surface had been peeled off in large quantities after the crash, leaving it scarred and revealing the original appearance of the submarine.

Now that we're standing outside, we can observe it from an overall perspective. In terms of its general framework, there's no doubt that this thing is indeed an old-fashioned submarine that you only see in textbooks!

We became very interested in the submarine and examined it carefully, touching it here and there. But we couldn't help but shake our heads. This submarine was completely unusable!

The submarine's various parts, many connecting points, steel pipes, scaffolding, sheet metal, large nails, and other haphazardly stuck to its hull. I guessed that the submarine was probably docked there for repairs or modifications, but for some reason, the work was stopped. We stumbled in by accident, thinking it was an empty room to rest in, eating and sleeping aimlessly. When General Chen and his large group came in, guided by the prior intelligence from Liu Chun and Sergei, they turned on the generator set. The severely rusted submarine support structure couldn't withstand the weight and collapsed under the shock, unwittingly dragging us into the water.

I thought I was right, so I told them both. Sun Yuehua probably knew it was a submarine, which is why he hid here to try to escape. But why would the Russians put a submarine here? Is this abyss connected to the open ocean? Or is it some kind of difficult problem that requires a large vessel like a submarine to tackle?

Ding Gen said, "If this really is a submarine, I think this abyss must have been filled with water before. A submarine can only float to such a high place by using water power. The water on the way to the cave is too shallow and there is not enough space, so it definitely cannot pass through. Lao Huang, don't tell me that the Russians disassembled it into parts and transported it in to assemble it. That would be too stupid."

I said, "It's really strange. It looked like the submarine was being repaired or assembled on board. How come we were so unlucky? Did the support structure collapse after those guys turned on the generator, causing us all to fall off? Now I remember wondering why everything in this room was made of iron and why the walls were bulging and uneven. Sigh, it's really my fault. I should have thought of that sooner!"

Zhang Liheng clearly had some knowledge of submarines. Although she was extremely shocked, after her initial surprise, she busied herself checking the submarine's condition. Now that she was done, she continued, "Don't guess wildly. It definitely didn't surface from the abyss. I don't think this submarine could have even been launched. Many parts haven't been installed yet. If you ask me, the Russians really did use a clumsy method, transporting large boxes of parts in along the cave and assembling them one by one. Look over there, it's not even finished yet!"

I looked in the direction she was pointing, and sure enough, there was a very neat square hole where Zhang Liheng was pointing. It didn't look like a hole made by sliding down. The opening was very regular, revealing a lot of pipelines and facilities inside.

After thinking about it for a while, I realized that what Zhang Liheng said was closest to the truth, because when I was looking for clothes, I found many large boxes that were still unopened. Thinking about it now, those strange mechanical devices inside were very likely submarine parts.

But what if the people who went to such lengths to build this massive operation weren't Soviets, but rather the Japanese? And what's the purpose of assembling submarines? To fight in the abyss? Or to defend against monsters from the abyss?

The situation was becoming increasingly perplexing. It was certain that there was water in the abyss, and it made sense that there would be a boat where there was water. However, it was a bit illogical to use such a massive vessel as a submarine underground. The three of us circled the submarine again and again, still completely baffled.

I remembered Zhang Liheng saying she was very familiar with submarines, so I asked, "Xiao Zhang, can you tell what kind of submarine this is? Let's find out first and figure out where the submarine came from so we can know why it's here. If you ask me, based on conventional guesses, submarines are ships used for diving. The three of us are so smart, it shouldn't be hard for us to figure it out, right?"

Zhang Liheng laughed at what I said: "That's right, Commander Huang is absolutely right. Submarines are for diving; they can't be used as houses to live in or as trains to run. You're absolutely right!"

Then I realized how silly I had been. Looking at Zhang Liheng's smiling face, I found her particularly attractive, and I couldn't help but make up some lies to defend myself: "Submarines have other uses besides diving, of course. Xiao Zhang, your attitude towards learning is not right. It's very dangerous. I think you are both ignorant and unwilling to study hard. This is not good. You need to seriously reflect on your mistakes and correct them."

Ding Gen said unhappily, "People are already calling you Commander Huang, so you can't just call him that for nothing. Quickly tell them what else a submarine is good for besides diving. I'm not trying to embarrass you, but I'm just being humble and want to learn a trick from you, Commander Huang."

I was starting to lose face. Aside from diving, submarines really don't have any other use. I was just saying it casually, but looking at their eyes now, they were clearly trying to make a fool of me. I was secretly annoyed that these petty people had the time to make a fuss even when they were in danger. I blurted out, "Then listen to me carefully. Take out your notebook and start writing. Besides diving, submarines can also fly in the sky..."

Damn, this is a bit of a boast.

Date: 2008-07-20 22:43:00

I scratched my head, not daring to look at their dumbfounded expressions, and explained with difficulty: "Well, about submarines flying in the sky, it's like this. I'm talking about amphibious submarines of the Air Force. This is an important research direction for us. In the future, submarines will completely replace the functions of fighter jets. They can fight underwater and also fire in the air like fighter jets. However, this is all classified information, and you wouldn't understand even if I told you."

Ding Gen snapped out of his daze and yelled, "What nonsense! I thought you were going to say that submarines could be used for sightseeing, but I didn't expect you to tell such a big lie! Bullshit! Combining submarines and fighter jets? You really came up with that? They're completely different things!"

Zhang Liheng stood beside me, smiling silently, looking as if she was convinced that I was talking nonsense.

There's nothing I can do about it; once the boasting is exposed, this is how it is. I decided to change the subject and regain the face I lost in front of Zhang Liheng.

Despite our conversation, the current beneath our feet didn't wait for me to come up with a new topic; it was already picking up speed. Ding Gen and I didn't have time to argue anymore. We quickly packed our waterproof bags, put our weapons, ammunition, and the last bit of food and drink inside, hung one around our necks, and headed downstream with the current.

Before leaving, I couldn't help but look back at the express train. Without its protection, we would probably be lying dead somewhere by now! The dark submarine was stuck in the silt. As the current gradually increased, it stopped its sinking momentum and tried to float up, but I knew that was impossible. There was obviously a big hole in it.

Why didn't those Russians finish assembling the submarine? They only did half of a good job and then abandoned it, which makes me very angry because I can't even use it as a roof for a while.

After saying goodbye to the life-saving submarine, the three of us felt our way across the river, carefully advancing along the steep rocks on the edge of the abyss. After turning a smooth corner, a gentle riverbed appeared in front of us. The water flowed in a circle here, creating an arc-shaped bay. The water was calm and still, with only the water level rising, but no danger of rushing currents.

The harbor was full of rocks and mudflats. I thought to myself that this could be a temporary shelter. If the water level in the abyss rose, I could take refuge here for a while and not be swept away by the rapid current.

Chapter 65 of "The Empty House in the Abyss (The Salvage Worker's Adventure)"

Chapter 65 of "The Empty House in the Abyss (The Salvage Worker's Adventure)"

Author: Ghost Grinning

The water makes a ninety-degree turn here, flowing rapidly downwards. Looking in that direction, there is a large, dark, circular hole with a constant, muffled rumbling sound coming from it, somewhat like the gurgling sound of water draining from a basin as the last bit of water runs out, forming a slowly rotating whirlpool.

But this gentle, riverbank-like slope shocked us once again. Although we had become quite desensitized to the corpses along the way, this place was like hell on earth, making the three of us weak in the knees and unable to walk. We had never seen such a horrific scene before, one that we could never even dream of.

Human remains are scattered haphazardly on the water, among the rocks and cliffs, and in the mud. Each remains are like floating garbage on the water's surface, swaying with the rising water level. Yet, none of them flow into the outer waterways. This is because the geographical shape of this harbor is like a gathering place for floating garbage, where not only remains but also a lot of other debris have gathered.

These piles of bones, scattered in clusters and patches, were all dry skeletons, but some were still covered with skin, and a few even had their hands tied behind their backs. They were piled up in layers. The surrounding waters were a world of garbage. I looked around and saw mostly clothes and bedding, with a few empty wooden boxes, most of which were broken. There were even more items that were submerged and not visible, as the shapes of tools such as steel bars, shovels, and pickaxes were exposed in many places.

I gripped the stone wall and used my foot to hook a few pieces of clothing closer to identify them. They had been soaked in water and were so soft that no identification marks remained, but the general style was still there. One short jacket and cloth shoes didn't look like modern clothes, while the other shirts and leather boots looked like military uniforms. I nodded to myself, guessing from the environment here that these people must have been laborers who built this place, including Kwantung Army prisoners of war and ordinary people from the Republic of China era.

Of all these corpses, about half were completely undecayed, their bodies a ghastly green color that made me frown. They looked too much like the corpses of those who had died from poisoning. Perhaps this was a dumping ground for corpses, where the Soviets had disposed of the dead laborers and their experimental subjects to cover their tracks.

Looking up, I couldn't quite tell how high it was. Judging from our pitifully poor sense of direction, the top was probably the end of the city gate tower, the place where we had once peered down from. But when I looked up, my heart skipped a beat. In the darkness above, I actually saw a star, twinkling!

What the hell is going on? Did we already emerge from under the reservoir, and now this is the sky above us? I rubbed my eyes and told them to look too, but neither of them could see any stars. Was I seeing things?

We didn't feel like we were emerging from the cave at all. The only suspicious thing was that we spent too long hiking, about five or six hours. According to our pace, five or six hours was a relatively straight passage without any twists and turns. We should have walked out of the reservoir area, but we shouldn't have seen the light of day again. How could the three of us not have felt anything?

Chapter Forty-Seven: Reunion in Desperate Circumstances

I asked Zhang Liheng if she remembered that map, the one Sun Yuehua hand-drawn. Zhang Liheng shook her head and said that there was no example of the abyss below in the map.

I tilted my head and thought for a moment before saying, "This Comrade Sun Yuehua certainly didn't go down to such a deep abyss, because there's not a single description of the situation under the abyss on the map. In his time, it's obvious that the water here never dried up. I even suspect that he didn't know what was going on on the other side of the abyss and just drew something random."

A thought popped into my head: we can't follow Sun Yuehua's escape route and swim to the other side to escape. Because trusting others too much and abandoning our own judgment often leads to failure. Besides, when he drew this picture, the Xin'anjiang Reservoir didn't even exist yet.

As soon as I voiced this idea, Ding Gen immediately raised his hand in agreement. Who knows how many strange snakes are lurking in the mud? What if they're patrolling the water looking for food and they catch us red-handed? Even if the venomous snakes have gone home to rest, there's still a thick layer of mud below. We're unfamiliar with this area; what if we get sucked into a whirlpool in the mud? That would be death for us too! We have no idea what the situation is like on the other side. What if it's even worse than here? Wouldn't that be like walking into a trap?

I thought about it and felt even more strongly that we couldn't cross the abyss to the other side. Swimming across wouldn't be a problem, but the presence of poisonous snakes would be a real issue. Last time, Ding Gen didn't bite us, so he might not be so polite when he saw Zhang Liheng and me. If the other side turned out to be a snake's lair, we would all be doomed. I couldn't help but secretly rejoice at how wise and correct my thought had been.