"Damn it!" someone cursed, slamming an empty bottle against the cave wall. "When will the rain stop? Should we go down the mountain? What kind of mess is this? If the weather is bad, don't come out to climb mountains. How did you organize this event? Don't you care about our safety? Who will take responsibility if something goes wrong?"
Li Hua said apologetically, "I'm sorry everyone, it was my fault. I only checked the local weather forecast and not the official forecast from CCTV. But don't worry, it's unlikely to rain for a long time this season, so we'll definitely be able to get down the mountain before dark. Since God is keeping us on the mountain a little longer, we should get ready. Let's eat our fill first so we'll have energy to go down the mountain, and then we can play cards and games, okay?"
Since they were bored anyway, why not? It would drive them crazy if they didn't find something to do in this narrow cave. So everyone took out the food from their bags and wolfed it down. Then, those who had brought playing cards took them out and the group squeezed together to play cards.
Zhao Qiang leisurely ate his bread while watching others play cards. Yang Shiyun took a sausage, ate a little bit, and then gave it to Zhao Qiang, saying, "Let's go down into this cave and take a look. There might be other discoveries."
Zhao Qiang swallowed the bread in one gulp, then took a big bite of the sausage. "Okay, I'll go get some water."
Xiao Baihe stood up: "I'll go too."
Yang Shiyun said, "It's perfect that you're leading the way; we've never been there before."
Xiao Baihe said, "Actually, this cave is easy to enter. There are three forks in the road to the water source. Besides the marks on the ground, you can also remember the directions. Just follow the left-hand cave entrance each time to reach the water source."
The ground was marked by the occasional footprints left by villagers fetching water. Following the principle of only going through the left-hand entrance, the three quickly arrived at the water source. It was the end of a cave, where a deep, round crevice extended downwards into the earth. Spring water continuously gushed out from the crevice, forming a clear pool inside the cave. Once the pool was full, the water flowed to the other side of the cave and disappeared from view.
Zhao Qiang filled a mineral water bottle with some water. While Xiao Baihe was filling hers with water, he used his X-ray vision to examine the surrounding terrain. Within the range of his X-ray glasses, he did not find any objects like the black box. He could not see deeper into the spring, so he could only deduce from the similar smell that the spring water was rising from the underground black box.
"Ouch!" Xiao Baihe suddenly screamed. She had fallen into the pool while trying to get water. Yang Shiyun was the furthest away, and Zhao Qiang was in between. Even if she was quick, she couldn't save her in time. Zhao Qiang was looking around and by the time he reached out to help, it was too late. Although Zhao Qiang grabbed Xiao Baihe by the back of her collar, her front half was still submerged. Zhao Qiang pulled her up and she popped out of the water with a whoosh, splashing water as she jumped into his arms. She clung tightly to his waist, still screaming.
Volume 2 [640] The Treasure Emerging from the Water
【64o】The treasure that emerged from the water
Zhao Qiang shook Xiao Baihe's body forcefully: "It's alright, it's alright."
Xiao Baihe finally stopped screaming. Her soprano voice echoed loudly in the cave, piercing the eardrums. Realizing she was in Zhao Qiang's arms and her body was soaked through with spring water, her bra clearly visible, Xiao Baihe blushed and struggled out of his embrace. "Thank you for saving me." Although the pool was only a little over a meter deep, it was still very dangerous for someone who couldn't swim to fall in.
Zhao Qiang said, "Be careful, the water here is very cold, you can easily catch a cold."
Yang Shiyun squeezed through the crowd from behind to help Xiao Baihe pick up the bottle that had fallen to the ground, saying, "It's already filled with water. Let's go outside. It's quite gloomy and a bit cold here." Actually, Yang Shiyun didn't want Xiao Baihe to stay with Zhao Qiang. Based on her woman's intuition, she felt that Xiao Baihe had ulterior motives towards Zhao Qiang.
Section Chief Wang, Manager Hu, and a man in a red shirt were gambling together. They knew the game was intense, but because the cave was too crowded, no one was watching, and everyone could only listen from a distance.
"Haha, a leopard, a clean sweep!" Manager Hu became more and more aggressive, while Section Chief Wang and the man in the red shirt lost money one after another. Section Chief Wang was sweating profusely. In just a short while, he had lost nearly ten thousand yuan. Although he didn't care about a few thousand yuan, the constant losses were frustrating. The man in the red shirt, on the other hand, was much weaker financially. After losing five hundred yuan to Manager Hu with a leopard, he was penniless. He was also sweating much more than Section Chief Wang. Even so, his desire to win back his losses was irresistible.
The man in the red shirt pulled out a backpack from under his buttocks, rummaged through it, and slapped an item onto a pile of hundred-yuan bills. "I bet this is a treasure I just found in the water cave. It's worth at least a few thousand yuan."
Manager Hu was having a lucky streak at the moment. He picked up the item on the banknote, and his assistant shone a flashlight from a distance so that he could see the object in his hand. It looked similar to an ordinary mobile phone, but it was quite heavy. It was dark and the material was indistinguishable. It was definitely not a metal like iron or copper. The same thing was true when he turned it over. There wasn't a single seam in it.
Manager Hu threw what he was holding on the ground and said, "Where did you pick up this broken rock? It's worth thousands of yuan, I wouldn't even take it for five cents."
The rain outside was still pouring down, and judging from the sky, it wouldn't stop anytime soon. Some people were already sitting on the ground, dozing off. The excitement they felt when they reached the top of the mountain had long since vanished, and nobody took this so-called treasure seriously.
"A broken rock?" The man in the red shirt picked up the long black piece. "This isn't a rock at all. Have you ever seen a rock this heavy? Look at its hardness. I've hit it with a rock before, and it didn't even leave a mark. So I'm sure this is a treasure. If we're lucky, there might be a precious jade inside, worth millions."
Section Chief Wang laughed heartily, "You've lost it all, haven't you? You just pick up some random piece of junk and call it a precious gem. Well then, look at this stone of mine, it's worth millions." As he spoke, Section Chief Wang casually picked up a stone from the side and threw it over; his stone was a real stone.
The man in the red shirt angrily grabbed the stone that Section Chief Wang had thrown at him and slammed it hard against the long, black block. Stone dust flew everywhere, along with a few sparks. The blow was forceful; the stone used to smash the block shattered into pieces. The man in the red shirt picked up the block from the ground, wiped away the stone dust, and then someone shone a flashlight on it. It was perfectly smooth, without a single trace of damage.
Section Chief Wang took a breath: "Really can't be broken?" The previously drowsy crowd perked up and turned their eyes to him.
The man in the red shirt said, “You don’t know its true origin. Let me tell you. I was the last to fetch water, and you all left. I heard a gurgling sound from the pool, and then this thing just surfaced on its own. Don’t you think something that comes up from underground is a treasure? Maybe it’s a substance that has never been seen on Earth before. Whoever gets it will be rich.”
Manager Hu said, "Alright, you can just put it as a deposit of a thousand yuan." After all, it's a rare find.
The man in the red shirt chuckled and said, "I wouldn't do it for a thousand dollars now."
Manager Hu asked, "How much do you want to bet?"
The man in the red shirt said, "It'll cost at least 100,000."
Section Chief Wang jumped up and shouted, "Why don't you just die?"
The man in the red shirt, still furious after losing, retorted, "I'll take you with me even if it means death."
Section Chief Wang was also blinded by his defeat. Enraged that someone dared to talk back to him, he swiftly pulled out a gun from his waist: "I'll fucking blow you up!"
The man in the red shirt wasn't afraid of him at all. He pointed at his head and said, "Come on, come on, shoot me in the head. Don't think you're so great just because you have a gun. What are you? You're just a lackey."
Seeing the situation escalate, Li Hua hurriedly pushed through the crowd and shoved the gun out of Section Chief Wang's hand. "Section Chief Wang, what are you doing? Calm down, calm down! If you really shoot someone, so many people are watching. How will you explain this to your superiors? It's not worth it."
Section Chief Wang put the gun back into his waistband and said, "I'm done playing, I'm done playing, it's too annoying."
The sky outside grew darker and darker, not because of the time, but because the overcast sky became heavier. It seemed that the rain was unlikely to stop. The worry on everyone's faces deepened after Section Chief Wang put his gun back. Having a volatile man by their side who could draw his gun at any moment made everyone uneasy.
Silence fell, and no one spoke for a long time before someone said, "Why don't we brave the rain and go down the mountain? It's too dangerous to stay on the mountain. What if the rain keeps going on and we won't be able to get home? What will we eat on the mountain? Besides, we have to go to work the day after tomorrow, and we can't delay our return trip."
Li Hua said, "You must not go down the mountain in the rain. You all saw how the road was when you came up. It would be very dangerous to go down the mountain in the rain."
Someone said, "It's more dangerous to stay on the mountain. We shouldn't have listened to your arrangements in the first place. As the organizer, you should be responsible for the consequences of this outdoor activity. What's wrong with you? Why did you send us to such a dangerous place?"
Li Hua said, "The forum's statement clearly states that I am only responsible for organizing the event and bear no responsibility for any consequences arising therefrom. Everyone participated voluntarily and purchased insurance. Now you want to blame me? Then let's be clear: I bear no legal responsibility. Do whatever you want from now on."
Someone stood up and said, "Let's leave; we won't stay here and wait."
A few impatient people stood up with this man and rushed out of the cave in the rain, preparing to go down the mountain along the way they came. When they reached the edge of the flat land and looked down along the way they came, they were shocked and immediately turned around and ran back to the cave. It turned out that the heavy rain had washed away the road they came from. Because the place was very high, the flood had not yet reached them. However, looking down from the mountain, the ravines were full of rushing floodwaters. To get down the mountain, one would have to have wings to fly over.
Some people had originally planned to follow the four down the mountain, but seeing them return, they knew there was no way to get down. Someone said, "Let's call for help and ask the government to send a helicopter to pick us up. There's still an industrialist and a civil servant here. Even if we don't help them, we should at least help them."
Someone pulled out their phone and said, "If there was a signal, I would have made a call already. There's absolutely no signal here."
Manager Hu said, "What are you all making such a fuss about? It's just a rain. We can just wait. At worst, we'll spend the night here. I don't believe the rain will stop all night. As long as it stops, we have ropes with us, and we'll find a way to get down the mountain."
It has to be said that Manager Hu's words were much more effective than Li Hua's. Everyone immediately felt much more at ease, so they began to claim their own campsites or take stock of the food they had brought. If they were to stay overnight, they would have to prepare at least two meals. Those who had brought extra food on the way up the mountain were fortunate, while those who had only brought lunch to save time regretted it. People like Zhao Qiang, who had even gotten his lunch from Li Hua and Xiao Baihe, had no hope at all. Many people looked at the two of them with pity, especially at Yang Shiyun, who resented her for following the wrong person.
Section Chief Wang, with his arms around his girlfriend, said, "The temperature in this cave is getting lower and lower. Let's build a fire."
Someone snapped on a lighter and said, "How are we going to start a fire without firewood? The temperature is bearable now, but it will drop again at night. Most of our clothes will be wet, and we'll definitely catch a cold."
Li Hua said, "The air coming from the inner cave is more humid and cold, so we used our luggage and stones to block the path leading to the depths of the cave."
The temperature was indeed getting lower and lower, and the rain outside showed no signs of letting up. Even if the rain stopped, the floodwaters wouldn't recede anytime soon, and it was getting darker and darker. So there was no possibility of leaving the mountaintop today, and we had to spend the night here. Everyone agreed with Li Hua's suggestion and got to work. Some moved stones, and others took out extra clothes and stuffed them between the stones to block the cold air coming from inside the cave, which finally raised the temperature a little.
While there was still some light outside the cave and the flashlights still had enough power, some people ate some food, then cleared a clean spot to lie down and rest. The fatigue from climbing the mountain quickly made them start snoring.
Yang Shiyun leaned against Zhao Qiang. Zhao Qiang wasn't too panicked about the current situation. Although he couldn't control the rain, it would be easy for him to leave this place smoothly. However, Zhao Qiang was interested in the long black piece in the red shirt's hand. He planned to find an opportunity to get his hands on it and study it carefully. It would be a pity to leave now.
At this moment, the man in the red shirt was lying on the ground, using his backpack as a pillow and chewing on chocolate. The long black piece of chocolate was still lying in his backpack. Although he felt that the long black piece of chocolate he found in the pond was unusual, he couldn't believe that it was really worth a million. He had only said it casually at the time, and now the man in the red shirt had long forgotten about the long black piece of chocolate.
Zhao Qiang separated a stream of energy; he urgently needed to understand the black object, and couldn't even wait for the man in the red shirt to hand it over to him. The energy quietly penetrated the man in the red shirt's backpack, then enveloped the long black object. Zhao Qiang closed his eyes, slowly sensing the information returning to him.
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Volume 2 [641] Murder
[641] Murder
Yang Shiyun gently nudged Zhao Qiang's waist: "What are you thinking about?"
Zhao Qiang opened his eyes: "That black object."
Yang Shiyun asked, "What have you found?"
Zhao Qiang said, "It contains the same substance as 'g'."
Yang Shiyun said, "Then let's steal it."
Zhao Qiang said, "There are too many people here, we'll be discovered. Let's wait until they're all asleep tonight."
Yang Shiyun looked up at the sky outside the cave, then at the time, and said, "There's no need for nightfall; soon it will be pitch black inside this cave."
Xiao Baihe came over from the side and handed Zhao Qiang a cucumber that was preserved in plastic wrap. Zhao Qiang thanked her, broke off half of it and gave it to Yang Shiyun. Xiao Baihe asked, "Will we still be able to get home safely?"
Zhao Qiang said, "As long as we can get through this and the floodwaters recede, we'll definitely be able to go home."
That's what she said, but the rain outside was still falling. Although the rain wasn't as heavy as it had been at first, leaving was still impossible. Xiao Baihe closed her eyes sadly, hugged her knees, and fell into deep thought. Actually, leaving was just a matter of time; she just needed to worry about how to get through the time she was stuck here.
Finally, all light disappeared outside the cave, and the flashlights inside were almost out of power, plunging the world into darkness. Zhao Qiang was secretly pleased; he could make his move now. He controlled the energy, carrying the long black figure little by little, as it moved outwards. The man in the red shirt was already fast asleep, completely unaware of the backpack under his head. The long black figure detached from the backpack and hovered in the air. Because of the darkness, even if someone was still awake, they wouldn't be able to notice the long black figure quietly slipping out of the man in the red shirt's backpack.
Zhao Qiang suddenly contracted his energy, and the long, black object shot towards him. Zhao Qiang raised his hand and caught it. Yang Shiyun whispered in Zhao Qiang's ear, "Got it?" She had been keeping an eye on it.
Zhao Qiang shoved the long, black block into her hand, and Yang Shiyun was startled, exclaiming, "It's so heavy!" Her hand nearly slipped and fell to the ground.
Zhao Qiang grabbed Yang Shiyun's hand and helped her hold the long black block. Yang Shiyun's face flushed. She felt awkward being touched on the back of her hand by her brother-in-law. However, the novelty of the long black block made her quickly forget about Zhao Qiang.
“Zhao Qiang, it gives me a feeling similar to the familiar feeling we had when we were in the cave. Could these things have originally come from the same place?” Yang Shiyun quickly found the special features of the black long piece. Although the feeling it emitted was not so obvious, Yang Shiyun still felt it when she was close to it. For her, this black long piece was priceless.
Zhao Qiang said, "When the man in the red shirt said it came from under the spring, I started to think about it. Guess what it is?"
Yang Shiyun shook her head: "I don't know. I also released my energy to sense it just now, but I couldn't figure it out."
Zhao Qiang said, "That's right. Like you, it's made of a substance that can't be seen through. I can't even break it down."
Yang Shiyun said, "So powerful? Isn't it even more powerful than 'g' matter?"
Zhao Qiang said, "It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it an upgraded version of 'g' matter. Let's go and find a quieter place to study it properly."
Yang Shiyun quietly stood up: "Okay, I can't wait any longer."
There were too many people in the cave, and the two of them almost stepped on people's heads to reach the entrance. The rain was still pouring outside, and the rushing water was clearly audible. There was even a faint roar of a flash flood. At this point, it was impossible for the villagers at the foot of the mountain to come to their rescue, let alone go down the mountain. Zhao Qiang grabbed Yang Shiyun's hand, and the two prepared to use the anti-gravity device to fly away from this place.
Suddenly, there was a tremor underfoot. Zhao Qiang swayed and quickly grabbed Yang Shiyun's hand, leaving them suspended in mid-air. The swaying sensation immediately disappeared, but rocks from the nearby mountain wall tumbled down, proving that the tremor had indeed occurred.
Yang Shiyun also felt the tremor just now and asked Zhao Qiang, "What happened?"
Zhao Qiang said, "I don't know."
Yang Shiyun pointed to the ground and asked, "Has something happened down there?"
Zhao Qiang said, "It's possible. Do you dare to go down and take a look?"
Yang Shiyun gritted her teeth: "At worst, I'll stay down there and turn into a fossil with you. If I don't know what's going on down there, I'll be restless day and night."
Zhao Qiang said, "Then let's go down the same way we came and take a look." As he spoke, Zhao Qiang released energy to form a large umbrella above his head, and the two of them floated lightly to another cave. There was no one there, and the two of them went down the same way they came.
In another cave, Li Hua was awakened by the tremors underground and could not fall back asleep. He tossed and turned, his mind filled with regret. Why did he have to be the organizer? Now look what happened, so many people are trapped on the mountain with no cell phone signal. Luckily, there is this cave to shelter them from the wind and rain, otherwise, there would have been a serious problem.
Looking up at the cave entrance, darkness stretched as far as the eye could see. It must be truly dark now. The temperature was dropping lower and lower, and I was sure that it wouldn't be long before some people couldn't stand it and others caught a cold. The lack of medical care and medicine on this mountain would only make things worse.
Li Hua was restless and couldn't sleep. A faint moan reached his ears, and soon the sound grew louder. It was clearly a woman's moans during sex. Judging from the direction of the sound, Li Hua sighed inwardly. It must be Section Chief Wang having sex with the woman he brought. This kind of person never forgets to enjoy himself, and he didn't take the current danger seriously at all.
Section Chief Wang was doing it from the side, and the woman moaned and whispered, "Stop it, someone will hear us. It's so embarrassing. There are tourists just a meter away. How shameful!"
Section Chief Wang said, "This is so exciting! You just like to expose yourself, don't you? Wake up the other men later and let them all have sex."
The woman cursed, "You're a pervert!"
Section Chief Wang said, "That's right, shout louder, get everyone's emotions in check. I'm going to have sex with that woman surnamed Xiao in a bit. After I'm done with her, you should also arouse the others' lust, and then if all the men try to have sex with her and she still won't listen, I'll just shoot her."