Diez historias clásicas y conmovedoras sobre lo sobrenatural

Capítulo 16

“When you first came in and told me you had an older sister, I didn’t think much of it. But then I noticed you kept mentioning your sister and even chose times to tell me about her and your childhood. Although you spoke very emotionally, there was no real feeling in it. It was like you were telling a story and then filling in the gaps in your story. You have to understand that I’m a storyteller. A story must have a logical structure. What you just said is basically illogical. It’s like some novelists who just write and make things up randomly. When they find that some parts don’t fit with what they wrote earlier, they just add things in a forced way. It’s very awkward. You made such a logical error. Also, you said you would contact headquarters after 24 hours, and then Shi Mei said on the communicator that her group had only been in the cave for 5 hours. Logically speaking, unless they lost their memory, they couldn’t have forgotten that they had already contacted headquarters 5 hours after they actually entered the cave.”

After I finished speaking, I fumbled around for a while before pulling out a cigarette, lit it, and said, "Anyway, I don't know if I can get out of here alive, so I'll have a smoke first. If I stay in this cave a little longer, I think I can quit smoking."

"What else do you want to say? Say it." Shi Ping'er's tone was somewhat helpless.

"If you hadn't actually met those Thai, Korean, and Cambodian people, how could you have known so accurately who was who? Sister, you could only see semi-transparent shadows, their faces were barely visible, yet you knew them so clearly? Although you kept calling out your so-called sister's name, calling Shi Mei, you should know that your expression at the time was genuinely one of surprise. You weren't surprised to see your sister, you were surprised to see yourself! Based on what you told me about your past with your sister, with such a deep bond, if you saw your sister, whether she was a person or a ghost, you would have pounced on her long ago. But you seemed calmer than me. Based on all this, plus the questioning tone of the person on the communicator just now, I deduce that there is no such person as Shi Mei. Shi Ping'er and Shi Mei are actually the same person."

"Your company wouldn't be so stupid as to send someone who's never been in a cave before, just because you think, 'If my sister has been here, I want to come too,' to bring a group of non-professionals into the cave? Is that even possible? I already had my doubts when you found a way to get through that egg cave so quickly."

I waved my hand and said, "There are still many doubts, but I won't list them all. You've been here and gone, so you must know the solution. Hurry up. If you want me to die here, just say so. Although I'm timid, I'm not afraid of death. Everyone dies eventually, so be quick about it." Although I said this, I was still very nervous, afraid that she would rush over and kill me, and then leave. With her skills, killing me would be no different than killing an ant.

Notes VII: The Journey to the Ends of the Earth, Chapter Seventeen: Lies or Truth?

Shi Ping'er shook her head with a wry smile and said, "Would you believe me if I said I only understood everything when I came back here just now?"

I nodded and said, "I believe you. I believe whatever you say, I really believe you."

"Don't be childish, I'm serious." Shi Ping'er shook her head and said, "Three years ago, our organization sent me to lead Group C into this cave. The main purpose was to find Groups A and B, who had entered the cave two weeks before us and then completely lost contact. At that time, we didn't know what special significance this cave had for the organization; we just thought it was a cave with high historical value. We also didn't know how to open the cave entrance. We only learned about it recently. We used explosives to enter the cave. The organization clearly instructed us to find the first two groups after entering, obtain the information, and conduct an on-site investigation while ensuring our own safety. If there was danger, we should evacuate immediately. We also brought a lot of explosives with us in case we couldn't get out, so we blew the cave open."

After the four members of Group C, to which Shi Ping'er belonged, entered the cave, they learned from the lessons of the previous two groups and brought communication amplifiers to amplify the signal to more than 200 times that of the people who had entered before. To this end, their organization even spent a lot of money to rent a satellite and signed a short-term cooperation agreement with a domestic telecommunications company. All of this was done in complete secrecy.

After Group C entered the cave, what happened was similar to what we had just experienced. The difference was that it took them ten times longer than us to find their way through the egg-shaped cave. What happened after they got through was exactly the same as what the four shadows we had seen earlier. Shi Ping'er said that the group of people dressed in what looked like White Lotus Sect clothing that Group C had seen was exactly the same as what we had seen of Group C back then. Then they discovered a stone door that appeared suddenly. They started throwing away their belongings and running frantically out. All four of them finally squeezed through the door and were outside. After that, they continued running towards the outside. After running for a while, they found that they had almost thrown away all their equipment. However, outside the passage, they discovered that countless boulders had blocked the cave. Helpless, they had to turn back to find explosives to blast the boulders away. But when they returned, the boulders had disappeared again. The professor from Thailand almost went crazy on the spot. They had no choice but to knock the professor unconscious and take turns carrying him out. When they reached the Egg Cave, they saw the group of white figures they had seen earlier killing each other. With each white figure that fell, another corpse appeared below the Egg Cave. Then they watched as the white figures slowly turned into clear corpses, and then watched as the corpses slowly rotted into bones, and then slowly merged with the stalactites.

Besides Shi Ping'er and the Cambodian veteran, one of the others had already fainted, and the other was on the verge of a mental breakdown. We had no choice but to give him a sedative. Just as everything was settled, the Egg Cave disappeared completely in front of us like a mirage, leaving only darkness. They had no choice but to turn back, just like Shi Ping'er and me, wanting to return to this side of the passage to contact headquarters and then try to find a way out for the people outside.

When they returned, they found that the stone gate had disappeared, and twelve corpses lay at the entrance. After examining the scene, Shi Ping'er discovered that the twelve corpses belonged to the two teams, A and B, who had been sent earlier. The corpses were not decomposed and looked as if they had just died. The Cambodian and Shi Ping'er cleaned up the corpses together but found nothing of value, not even video or audio recordings. The cause of death was unknown, but it seemed that they had been frightened to death. Then the professor and the Korean man woke up. They saw the professor leaning against the wall and talking to himself. After a while, he suddenly pulled out a dagger from his waist and stabbed himself. After stabbing himself, the professor suddenly laughed. After laughing for a while, he groped his way out. The others tried to stop him, but the professor pushed them away and told them to stab themselves too. After saying that, the professor started running and disappeared from everyone's sight in an instant.

As Shi Ping'er spoke, an image flashed before my eyes: a middle-aged man with a dagger stuck in his body, rambling incoherently, then starting to run wildly in a long-distance runner's uniform...

The professor's sudden disappearance terrified the remaining three. The Korean man thought for a moment, then took out a dagger and prepared to stab himself. However, the stab went too deep and was too brutal. Before he could even stand up, he died. Shi Ping'er and the Cambodian man were not afraid to make any further moves, since they were both much more mentally strong, but they were also close to a breakdown.

Later, the two tried countless methods, but they couldn't advance or retreat. They had also run out of food and could only wait to slowly starve to death. Just as Shi Ping'er closed her eyes, she suddenly saw a light and sat up on her own, finding herself lying on a hospital bed...

"Stop, stop, stop!" I gestured for Shi Ping'er to stop telling her story: "How did you suddenly end up in a hospital bed?"

Shi Ping'er shook her head and said to me with a wry smile, "Would you believe me if I said that I only slowly remembered everything that happened before after I entered the cave?"

I looked at Shi Ping'er with suspicion without saying anything. Shi Ping'er continued, "After I woke up in the hospital, I found that some of my memories in this cave had disappeared. The only memories I had were from when we entered the cave until we saw that stone pillar. I only remembered the memories after that when you and I walked back to this door."

I nodded to signal her to continue. Shi Ping'er took out her water bottle, drank the last bit of water, shook the bottle, and said, "If we can't get out of here, we'll probably die here. There's no water or food." I took out a water bottle from the backpacks and shook it. "There's still water in here. We can hold out for a while."

After closing her eyes in the cave, Shi Ping'er thought she was surely going to die. She didn't know how much time had passed when someone grabbed her and shook her violently. She slowly opened her eyes and felt water near her mouth. In her blurry vision, she reached out and touched a water bottle, picked it up, and drank hard. After taking two large gulps, the person took the water bottle away and said, "Don't drink too much." Only then did Shi Ping'er realize that the person in front of her was the professor who had just disappeared. At the same time, Shi Ping'er noticed that although there was blood on the spot where the professor had been stabbed with a dagger, and his clothes were torn, no more blood was flowing out. In that instant, Shi Ping'er instinctively got up and tried to take a few steps back, even pulling out her dagger for self-defense. The professor quickly signaled to Shi Ping'er not to be afraid, saying that he already knew what was going on in the cave.

When Shi Ping'er said this, I suddenly became excited, and my mood improved a lot compared to before. Since she knew what this cave was all about, she must know how to get out.

The professor took out his notebook and drew several geometric shapes on it. Pointing to them, he said to Shi Ping'er, "Look, here's a circle, a rectangle, and a square." Shi Ping'er nodded but didn't understand what the professor meant. The professor continued, "This circle represents the place where we entered the cave, this rectangle represents the narrow path we took further in, and this square represents the place where we saw the stone pillar at the very end. If we look down at this cave from above, it should be composed of these three shapes, but something is missing."

Upon hearing the professor's words, Shi Ping'er suddenly realized something was missing: the egg-shaped cave we had seen.

The professor said, "When I ran out just now, I was completely broken down. I kept running forward until I reached the egg cave before I calmed down. At the same time, I felt extremely scared, so I quickly ran back to where I had been. When I came back, I found that you were no longer here, and there was no trace of anyone around. I thought I had seen a ghost. Then I suddenly realized that my wound was not bleeding and I did not feel any pain. I tried to walk back to the egg cave, but when I reached the end, I came back and found that there were some changes near the stone gate!"

Notes VII: The Journey to the Ends of the Earth, Chapter 18: The Murder

Chapter 46 of "Tangdun Strange Tales Notes"

Chapter 46 of "Tangdun Strange Tales Notes"

Author: Tang Xiaohao

The professor discovered that every time he ran a lap back, the stone gate and its surroundings would change, from old to new and then back to old. However, after running back twice, the stone gate and its surroundings did not change. So the professor started to use a watch to calculate the time it took to run back and forth. Finally, he discovered a pattern: every 12 minutes, the stone gate and its surroundings would change once, and the Egg Cave would also change accordingly. The professor kept running like this for about fifteen laps. Finally, when he ran back, he saw the stone bottle and the dead Korean lying on the ground.

As Shi Ping'er spoke to me, I took out my notebook and pen and started drawing diagrams and dates.

Not long after the professor revived Shi Ping'er, he suddenly clutched his wound and cried out. Shi Ping'er rushed over and saw that the wound was bleeding profusely again. The professor, panting heavily, told Shi Ping'er not to try any other way to save him. There was only one way to save him: carry him to the entrance of the Egg Cave...

Shi Ping'er understood the professor's intention and quickly picked him up. However, even though she was a trained girl, the professor's weight of over 150 pounds was too much for her. Helpless, she had to unpack the backpack, lay it flat on the ground, and slowly drag the professor to the Egg Cave. After dragging him there, when Shi Ping'er checked the time and wanted to drag the professor back, the professor held her hand and said, "According to my deduction, our way out is the same. I'll go back by myself now. Don't worry about me. I'll calculate the time and come back to you when I return to this time. You wait at the cave entrance. When the other side becomes the same as when we came, you can go back using the same method."

After the professor finished speaking, he slowly walked back into the depths of the cave, supporting himself against the cave wall... Shi Ping'er just had to wait for time to pass. When the timer on her watch passed 84 minutes, the opposite side of the Egg Cave returned to the way they had come from. Shi Ping'er then walked back down the Egg Cave using the same method as before. Then, gritting her teeth, she ran to the entrance of the cave in one breath. When she arrived at the entrance, Shi Ping'er found five people standing there. However, none of the five people seemed to be able to see her, but she could clearly see their faces and hear their voices. At this moment, Shi Ping'er's communicator rang. Then, a human-shaped hole was blasted open in the right cave wall at the entrance. Shi Ping'er staggered over and saw a man in black standing there, reaching out his hand to her. She took his hand and then fainted.

After listening to Shi Ping'er's account, a thought flashed through my mind—it really felt like a flash of light—and I instantly understood. I remembered Shi Ping'er's statement about finding Lao Fu's lighter, and her earlier comment about seeing five people. If I'm not mistaken, those five people should be Lai Bao and his group of five.

Just then, footsteps came from the direction of the Egg Cave. They were very chaotic footsteps, and it sounded like at least three people were running in that direction. Shi Ping'er stood up abruptly, then stood in front of me and turned back to say, "Hide. Don't let them see you." As soon as Shi Ping'er finished speaking, several dark figures appeared in front of us.

There were four people, all dressed in mountain camouflage, wearing gas masks, completely wrapped up like mummies. Each of them was fully equipped, and four of them even carried weapons. As they got closer, I gasped: "Is this an action movie? And they're all armed with assault rifles?"

Four people slowly walked over. The leader made a hand gesture, and the three behind him put down their guns. Two of them came over and began to check me and Shi Ping'er. I immediately realized that these four people were likely from the Mulin Group. When the two men finished their check and returned to the man who made the hand gesture, that man took out a device, shook it, and then took off his gas mask. After taking it off, Shi Ping'er bowed to that man and said, "Boss Tie."

The man referred to as "Iron Boss" wore black-rimmed glasses, had a scar on the corner of his mouth that looked like a knife cut, a square face, and a small tuft of beard on his chin. Iron Boss stared at me for a long time, then asked Shi Ping'er, "Where are the other five people?"

"They should still be at the cave entrance. If you didn't see them when you came in, it's probably because time hasn't cycled over yet. We'll definitely see them when the time comes," Shi Ping'er said respectfully, moving slightly towards me as she spoke, seemingly trying to shield me behind her.

"Is all the data collected?" China Railway asked.

Shi Ping'er nodded: "The data has been collected completely. Your judgment is absolutely correct. This is indeed where the memory bank is located. I also found..." Shi Ping'er was interrupted by Tie Zong with a gesture before he called someone over and whispered something in his ear. The person nodded and went back to his side. I saw Shi Ping'er grit her teeth. Then Tie Zong glanced at Shi Ping'er and said: "You know what to do. Give me a detailed report after you return to headquarters."

After saying that, Tie Zong left with the other two people, leaving one person behind beside me and Shi Ping'er, motionless like a stone statue. Shi Ping'er sighed, as if making a decision about something, and then said to the person standing next to her, "Let's do it."

The man didn't say a word, but quickly pulled back the bolt and aimed at me. I took a step back, and at that moment, the gun fired. As the gun fired, I saw Shi Ping'er kick the man's gun aside, then walk behind him and twist his hands behind his back. After hearing two sounds of bones breaking, the man swayed and fell to the ground. In the instant he fell, Shi Ping'er grabbed his head from behind and twisted it hard...

I was stunned by what I saw and couldn't process it for a long time. Before I could even swallow my saliva, Shi Ping'er took off the man's gas mask and threw it to me, saying, "Put this on!" I stared at it and realized that the person whose mask had been removed was a foreigner. Then, without saying a word, Shi Ping'er just kept taking off all the man's clothes and throwing them to me, telling me to put them on. I wanted to ask her something, but I didn't know where to begin. I only knew that Shi Ping'er had indeed saved me earlier and was now trying to help me as well. So I did as she said.

After everything was settled, Shi Ping'er took the gun that the man had thrown on the ground, pulled out the magazine, looked at it, put it back in, and fired a few shots at the foreigner lying on the ground. Then she pulled me aside, dragged the foreigner to the stone door, took out a bottle from the foreigner's camouflage uniform that I was wearing, poured it all over the foreigner, then asked me for a lighter, lit a piece of paper, and said to me, "Stay away."

After Shi Ping'er finished speaking, she threw the paper at the foreigner. Instantly, the foreigner's body burst into flames and was burned beyond recognition in less than a minute. The smell of roasting meat filled the air around us. I quickly put my gas mask back on and stood there like an idiot, watching a corpse burn in front of me. Shi Ping'er glanced at the corpse, patted it, and said, "If you want to live, come out with me now."

I followed Shi Ping'er and ran quickly toward the Egg Cave. When we got to the entrance, Shi Ping'er looked at her watch and pressed a few buttons, saying, "We still have some time. Let's wait here. I have some things to tell you."

Notes VII: The Journey to the Ends of the Earth, Chapter Nineteen: The Reunion

“From now until we leave and I’ve settled you in and you’re completely safe, you can’t ask me any questions. I won’t answer you anyway. For now, answer everyone in English,” Shi Ping’er said. I was about to say that my English was terrible, and I didn’t even know how I passed the CET-4 in college, but Shi Ping’er didn’t give me a chance to speak and continued, “You just need to answer YES or NO. I’ll handle the rest. Don’t panic. If you don’t know what to do, just stand still, like you are now, understand?”

I nodded, then quickly shook my head and said, "What exactly happened?" After saying that, I realized that wearing the gas mask was really uncomfortable, so I took it off and asked her, "What exactly happened?"

Shi Ping'er didn't answer me, or even glance at me. She just kept looking at her watch and staring at the opposite side of the Egg Cave. After I got bored, I started to take the AK47 in my hand and touch it with great interest. After touching it for a while, Shi Ping'er took it back, fiddled with it for a bit, and then handed it back to me. I looked at it, smiled, and said, "For safety, I know. I won't shoot randomly."

Shi Ping'er just frowned and glanced at me, but I could clearly see large drops of sweat streaming down her forehead. After a while, Shi Ping'er said, "Hopefully they don't find the other five people before us, or they're doomed."

It was only then that I remembered Lai Bao and the others. I took a deep breath, and my hand holding the gun trembled slightly again.

At that moment, I was actually thinking that if a battle broke out, I could use this AK47 to go on a rampage. My worries about Lai Bao and the others were completely forgotten. I was actually looking forward to such a battle. I slapped myself hard to bring myself back to my senses.

After a while, the cave opposite suddenly changed, returning to the way it looked when we came in. Shi Ping'er pulled me upside down on the cave ceiling and we slowly moved towards the other side. As we moved, Shi Ping'er said, "After we get across, you go first and I go last. We'll keep running forward, but when we get to the entrance, you stop and listen to my instructions. Once you hear my instructions, rush in. Don't fire yet. Wait for my signal."

Although I didn't quite understand what Shi Ping'er was saying, I figured out that she meant to follow orders, or rather, to follow her orders.

After we landed on the other side, we started running wildly along the narrow path. We ran until we were almost at the entrance when Shi Ping'er pulled us to a stop. Before I could even stop properly, she shoved me and said, "Go in!" I tumbled out, not running in, but falling in. After falling in, I got up and looked up to see someone lying on the ground—no, someone dressed exactly like me—and several others lying around. Just as I was about to turn back and ask Shi Ping'er what happened, a dark figure fell from the sky. Before I could even cry out, I heard a muffled thud, and the figure was knocked aside by something and landed not far from me. I got up, grabbed my gun, and shouted at the person, "Don't move! Surrender and you won't be killed! Treat prisoners well!"

Chapter 47 of "Tangdun Strange Tales Notes"

Chapter 47 of "Tangdun Strange Tales Notes"

Author: Tang Xiaohao

As I saw the person clearly, I also saw the four people behind him. They were Lai Bao, Mi Dou, and the others. They were all looking at me with a look of horror. I quickly took off my mask. In the instant I took it off, I saw the person who had been knocked away by something and landed not far from me... To be precise, Liu Chao's fist was already in front of me, and his fist was firmly held in Shi Ping'er's hand.

"Old Tang!" Lai Bao shouted, pointing at me first. Lao Fu also stood up unsteadily and looked at me, saying, "It really is Old Tang!" Zhong Sheng and Mi Dou also came over to look at me, and everyone said the same thing in unison: "We all thought you were dead."

I sighed and said, "I thought you were all dead."

Then we all asked the same question at the same time: "What exactly happened?"

While we were asking questions, I almost ignored Liu Chao. I pointed at Liu Chao, then looked at the people lying on the ground around us, and looked at Lai Bao. Lai Bao shrugged and said, "I don't know what happened either."

Shi Ping'er still held Liu Chao's hand. Liu Chao looked at Shi Ping'er and said with a cold smile, "I've been waiting for you."

Shi Ping'er's face looked rather pale, and her hand gripping Liu Chao's fist trembled slightly, as if she was about to give up. Liu Chao, on the other hand, had a rosy complexion and showed no signs of strain.

Shi Ping'er said through gritted teeth, "No matter who you are, if we don't hurry up and get out, we may never get out."

Liu Chao nodded and said, "I know this better than you do. I'm already prepared to seal this place off completely. At worst, we'll all die here."

“I don’t care who you are, or how much you know about this cave. Even if you’re going to die, you can’t drag these innocent people down with you.” After saying that, Shi Ping’er turned to us. Liu Chao looked at her and was silent for a while before saying, “This cave was sealed off hundreds of years ago. Anyone who chooses to enter this cave should know that there is only one way out. There is only a way in, not a way out. Now, even a god can’t get out.”

Shi Ping'er shook off Liu Chao's hand and said, "I have a way. I've already found a way to get out."

Liu Chao frowned and asked, "What method?"

Shi Ping'er took a step forward, and Liu Chao quickly took a step back, placing his hands in front of his chest. Shi Ping'er quickly raised her hands and said, "Don't be nervous, I mean no harm. I don't want to fight you. I just want to tell you how to get out."

Shi Ping'er opened her backpack, took out everything inside, and then placed the signal amplifier on the ground, saying, "We've calculated the time. Within the corresponding timeframe, I can contact headquarters and notify them to blast an opening outside the cave. Then we can slip out through that opening, but we don't have much time."

Liu Chao snorted and said, "Go out? Your men are probably already lying in ambush outside. If we go out, we'll all be dead. You're just trying to save your own life."

Shi Ping'er shook her head and said, "I am not with them, although you certainly won't believe me under these circumstances."

After hearing this, Liu Chao laughed twice: "Your joke is really not funny at all. Instead of asking me, ask the other people. Do they think you're not in cahoots with these guys lying on the ground with guns ready to kill us?"

Just then, the communicator suddenly rang. Shi Ping'er stepped aside and shouted to us, "Everyone, step back to the side, don't lean against the cave wall, come this way, quick!"

As soon as Shi Ping'er finished speaking, a large hole was blasted open in the cave wall next to us, and several beams of bright light shone in. Shi Ping'er nudged me with her hand and said, "Put on your gas mask! Remember what I just said."

After Shi Ping'er finished speaking, she turned to Liu Chao and said, "Don't go first, I'll go out first." After saying that, Shi Ping'er rushed out of the cave. Then we heard several screams. Liu Chao also rushed out after her. I gritted my teeth and quickly ran over as well.

The blinding sunlight after I emerged from the cave made me lose my balance and fall to the ground. As soon as I landed, a man in a black suit grabbed me and said, "What are you standing there for? Kill them!"

I turned my head and saw that Liu Chao had already knocked down the people standing outside and was fighting with the remaining two. Shi Ping'er was lying motionless on the ground not far from me, her life hanging in the balance. It seemed that the person next to me considered me one of their own.

I held the gun horizontally, pointing it directly at the man in black, and said, "Hands up!" The man in black was startled, then understood what was happening. He raised his hand and pointed the gun at me. I pulled the trigger, but found I couldn't pull it. In a split second, I realized the safety was on, but it was too late. The man's gun went off. I felt a sharp pain in my chest, then everything went black, and I lost consciousness...

Notes VII: The Journey to the Ends of the Earth, Chapter Twenty: The Recording of Shi Ping'er

When I woke up, I vaguely saw someone waving something in front of me, then excitedly shouting to the person next to me, "You're awake!" I stood up groggily, feeling a sharp pain in my head. I quickly covered it with my hand, thinking that I hadn't been shot in the head. I shook my head and looked up to see Lai Bao, Lao Fu, Mi Dou, and Liu Chao all around me. I smiled at them, coughed twice, and said, "Is there any water?"

Mi Dou quickly brought it to me, and I drank the water in the cup in one gulp and asked, "How did I get here? Where is this?"

Lai Bao pointed at Liu Chao and said, "Ask this old man."

Liu Chao sat on the edge of the bed, glanced at Lai Bao, and said, "I've already told them, so it looks like I'll have to tell you again. But I'm not going to tell you myself. I'll get you a voice recorder so you can listen to it yourself. We'll go out first, and call us when you're done listening."

After Liu Chao finished speaking, he handed me a voice recorder. I took the recorder and asked him, "What's in this?"

"It was left for you by Team Leader Shi." After saying that, Liu Chao led Lai Bao and the others out of the room. As Lai Bao closed the door, he gave me a thumbs up.

I put on my headphones and pressed play. There was a long silence, then a familiar voice came through: "Tang Dun, hearing this recording means you're awake. I'm so sorry, I can't tell you all this in person this time because I have to go. I have to go far away this time, but with Liu Chao there, you don't need to worry about your safety. He's there; the Mulin Group won't harm you. However, I also suggest you don't call the police, and Liu Chao wouldn't advise you to either. Just like I said last time, these things have already overturned everyone's views. No one will believe you; they'll just think you're crazy. First, I have to tell you something: I've known you for a long time. I guess you could say that…"

Upon hearing this, I pressed the pause button. I twisted my hand hard to prove I wasn't dreaming. After twisting my hand, I twisted my thigh and other parts of my body. After feeling pain in all of them, I cursed and then pressed the play button again.

The recording continues: I told you in the cave that when I first went in and ran out, I saw five people at the entrance. Of course, you probably guessed that those five were Zhong Sheng, Fu Qing, Lai Bao, Mi Dou, and Liu Chao. Actually, I've been hiding something. After carrying the professor to the Egg Cave you mentioned, I carried him back to the original place. After I put the professor down there, I saw you—or rather, I saw you and me. We were standing together at the entrance talking. I saw you looking at me with suspicion. I was wondering who this man was and why he was standing with me. I'll explain why this happened later, although these explanations are just our speculations.

After I put the professor down, he tried to leave the cave but couldn't. Leaving it would mean death, and a very painful one at that. He said dying in this strange place was his long-held wish—to die in a place no one would ever find. After I left, I provided all the information I had gathered to the Clover headquarters. Although I had lost most of my memory, I managed to preserve the appearances and voices of all six of you through fragmented audio and video recordings, especially yours. The headquarters then decided this was a way to verify the legend of the cave, so they began investigating your identities, professions, backgrounds, and so on. During this time, they learned that one of the secret books was in your possession. So, they decided to kill two birds with one stone: first, to bring you into the cave to verify the legend; second, to kill you after obtaining the firsthand information. The first reason was to protect the secret of the secret book, and the second was to protect the secret of the cave. Believe it or not, this was the first time I had killed someone in the cave. I believe you noticed that I was trembling all over when I killed that guard, haha…

What I just said is the real reason why I invited you non-professionals into the cave. This is the real reason, without a single lie, please believe me. Next, I have to tell you the true legend of this cave. Don't be surprised, although I know you will be very shocked, but the truth is the truth, and you saw it with your own eyes. This story traces back to the ancestor of Tianya, who created the Heavenly Book. In fact, some legends about the White Lotus Sect are true, but it was Tianya's people who led them into the cave. I can't tell you the origin of this cave because I don't know it myself; it's still under investigation. Although there is real treasure in this cave, you will never find it without the correct method. Actually, the treasure is inside the stone gate, but we can't see it, right? These are all recorded in the lower volume of the Heavenly Book. We only know that there is treasure here, and we have heard intermittently from our ancestors that this cave is the Cave of Memory. That is what we call it. Our legend is that this cave has the function of remembering, but we do not know what kind of memory function it has. Moreover, the records deciphered in the Heavenly Book say that this place is actually the database of the ends of the earth. All the exact locations of the ancient tombs and treasures recorded in the Heavenly Book can be hidden in that cave.

Chapter 48 of "Tangdun Strange Tales Notes"

Chapter 48 of "Tangdun Strange Tales Notes"

Author: Tang Xiaohao