Zhao Qiang said, "It's probably because of the different soil composition, and also because there's no water source there."
Donna nodded, but Zhao Qiang himself was full of doubts. The two couldn't find a topic to talk about for a while, so they let the raft go downstream quickly. The river was getting narrower and the current was getting faster. The splashing water added some vitality to the world. In addition, Zhao Qiang observed that the light was becoming more abundant and brighter, as if the source of the light was getting closer.
"Listen," Zhao Qiang said, pointing ahead.
"What?" Donna was always a few beats behind Zhao Qiang.
"The sound of flowing water suggests there might be a waterfall ahead," Zhao Qiang said.
Donna's expression changed: "Then what do we do? Let's get ashore."
Zhao Qiang said, "No, continue at this pace. Don't worry, I will protect you."
Donna, who had been sitting in the high, comfortable spot that Zhao Qiang had specially prepared for her, jumped down and sat next to Zhao Qiang, wrapping one arm around his waist.
The raft had been traveling for about seven hours, and now it was impossible to tell how far it had traveled through the dense forest. It had wound its way around so much that it was hard to even tell which way it was going. Naturally, it was very, very far away from the source of the river. Overall, the terrain had not changed much, but the roar of the water ahead was becoming clearer and clearer, which indicated that the terrain was about to change drastically.
About an hour later, Donna not only heard but also saw the water flow becoming increasingly rapid, before crashing down in the distance to form another waterfall. The vegetation here became shorter and sparser, and the waterfall's impact created a large amount of mist. Through the mist, she could see bright patches of light in the sky in front of the waterfall, like suns constantly illuminating this underground world. Were those lights? Perhaps this world had reached its end.
(Thanks to Id问天币 for the donation)
Volume Two [737] The End
The water rushes rapidly downwards, demonstrating the immense drop of the waterfall. At this point, the pole used to propel the raft is completely useless, and the raft is swept downstream.
"We're going to fall!" Donna screamed, clinging to Zhao Qiang in terror. She knew that this danger was nothing to Zhao Qiang. She didn't know that Zhao Qiang's super equipment was no longer usable, but she had personally witnessed him blow up the monster's head. With that skill, he shouldn't be drowning in the waterfall. But it was impossible not to be afraid in this situation.
Zhao Qiang's biggest problem was that his X-ray glasses weren't working, which greatly reduced his observation distance. He had no idea what the situation was like ahead and could only find out when the raft got closer. However, Zhao Qiang had already distributed his energy around himself and Donna's bodies, holding Donna tightly to prevent her from encountering any mishaps if they were separated.
Whoosh! The raft shot off the water, but after flying for a short while using inertia, it began to fall. In that instant of weightlessness, Zhao Qiang saw an incredible scene through the layers of mist: a patch of light in the sky, resembling a small sun, was actually embedded in a huge object. However, the time was too short; Zhao Qiang only caught a fleeting glimpse before his body plummeted downwards. Donna was shouting in his ear again, and the mist was so thick that visibility was extremely poor.
Boom! After a long fall, Zhao Qiang and Tang Na landed in the water, but they didn't get soaked. The energy shields around their bodies kept the water out, and the buoyancy of the water easily slowed their descent. After a few bounces, they successfully escaped the center of the waterfall and landed safely on the shore.
Donna got off Zhao Qiang and stood on one leg. She was dizzy and lightheaded, and didn't feel the excitement of escaping death that she had imagined. She even jokingly said to Zhao Qiang, "That was so exciting, how about another time?"
The deafening roar of the waterfall filled their ears, even louder than the one at the river's source. After all, the drop here was much greater. Standing at the foot of the waterfall felt like it was raining constantly, and they could barely hear anything else. Zhao Qiang carried Donna forward. The riverbank was lined with jagged rocks, but fortunately, with the help of his energy, Zhao Qiang managed to escape the waterfall area in an hour. Once their ears were clear and the sky was relatively bright, their vision opened up, and the two of them finally began to make sense of the place. This surprised them greatly.
"What's that?" Donna's fingers trembled slightly as she pointed further down the waterfall. A larger lake stretched across the center of their vision, and on one side of the lake, a huge object lay diagonally in the ground. Its size was not like the monster they had just encountered; it was comparable to the underground cavity itself. If it were just a rock wall, even its immense size wouldn't have surprised them so much. Moreover, its shape resembled a disc-shaped metal object, something that could not have been formed naturally.
"God, could that be a flying saucer?" Zhao Qiang blurted out his thoughts, which was also Donna's first impression.
Donna gritted her teeth and said, "No, there are no aliens in this world." Donna had once fantasized about it, but now that she was actually faced with this enormous, non-human force that could create this metal disc-shaped object, she refused to believe it.
In fact, the two were still quite far from the disc-shaped metal object planted diagonally in the ground; otherwise, they would have had no chance of seeing its full form. It was taller and larger than the World Trade Center in the United States. Zhao Qiang could not find anything comparable to it except perhaps a small town. Because it shimmered with a metallic luster, neither of them believed it could be a rock.
"Let's go take a look," Donna said firmly, she wouldn't die in peace without finding out the truth.
Zhao Qiang stopped Donna: "No, don't be impulsive. Let's find a place to rest first, and then observe it slowly." Thinking of the metal skeleton inside the large monster they had hunted before, Zhao Qiang didn't think it was safe to rush forward rashly.
Donna said, "You're so powerful, what are you afraid of? It's just an inanimate object, it can't be dangerous. Do you think it's going to pull itself out of the ground and hit us?"
Zhao Qiang smiled wryly. He knew the actual situation. All the metal machinery here should be disabled, which was enough to show that the defense here was very high. As for why the two of them managed to get close to it without any danger, judging from its current posture, it must have malfunctioned and fallen to the ground, then inserted half of its body into the rock. Many functions must have been disabled. But if they were to invade its body, it would not be as simple as just interfering with the mechanical equipment. The saying "even a lean camel is bigger than a horse" probably applies here.
"You need to let me recover my strength first," Zhao Qiang said. This was the most crucial point. Energy was a vital link in protecting their lives; if this link was broken, there would be no future. Paddling the raft and falling down the waterfall both required energy, plus the energy consumed walking along the way. Therefore, Zhao Qiang thought they should get some food first, settle down, observe carefully, and slowly make their way in. There was plenty of time; returning to the surface was definitely not something that could be done in a short time.
Donna said apologetically, "It was my carelessness. You can arrange it then. You want me to continue grilling the meat? It's a pity we didn't bring any meat down with us."
Zhao Qiang said, "I discovered there are fish here after I fell into the water."
Donna said, "Really? Why didn't we find any on the raft? There's no sign of life in this river at all."
Zhao Qiang said, "That's above the waterfall. It's different after you cross the waterfall. If you don't believe me, take a closer look."
Donna, of course, didn't believe it. She limped to the riverbank, where the water flowed gently because the river was very wide. Fish could be seen swimming around from time to time. Although the shapes of the fish were not quite the same as those of the common fish outside, they could be considered to be fish in general. There were also some other aquatic animals that looked similar but she couldn't name them. They may have come to this underground place thousands or tens of thousands of years ago and evolved differently due to different geographical environments. However, their ancestors should be of the same origin as the aquatic creatures on the ground. There was just one thing that Donna couldn't understand: why were there no such creatures above the waterfall?
In fact, Zhao Qiang couldn't figure it out either, but since he didn't have the ability to test the water quality of the upper and lower layers, there was no need to delve into the issue. Zhao Qiang first looked around. He wouldn't be staying here for a day or two, so finding a better place to rest was the primary issue.
First, this resting place needs to be well-hidden, since the two large monsters we killed earlier were no pushovers. Second, we need to determine whether the beast's metal leg bones were artificially grafted or naturally grown. Artificial grafting is more likely. If so, who performed the surgery, and is that person friend or foe to Zhao Qiang and Donna? Therefore, safety must be the primary concern, especially when Zhao Qiang goes to check the metal disc embedded in the ground; Donna's safety needs to be taken into even greater concern.
In fact, the fault zone where the waterfall is located still continues here, with hillsides of varying heights everywhere. Zhao Qiang found several holes on a mountainside covered by vegetation. He went in to investigate and found that these holes were probably formed by mutual support when the huge geological strata fractured. Some were very shallow and some were very deep, and some were interconnected. Zhao Qiang chose a place where he could go in and out at the same time, and where the vegetation at the entrance of the hole was relatively lush, and led Donna up.
Donna was a little annoyed: "Do we have to be so cautious? It's just finding a place to rest."
Zhao Qiang said, "Of course you must. You must be extremely careful while I'm gone. Never go outside the cave or make any noise. You saw the two monsters before, and there might even be highly intelligent life forms here. Before we know whether they are friend or foe, do you think we should be cautious? You don't want to lose your life here, do you? You're still young, and there are many things you haven't enjoyed yet." To prevent Donna from doing anything rash, this strong preemptive measure had to be given.
Donna remained silent. She had always regarded Zhao Qiang as her pillar of support and believed she was fearless in the face of any danger. Now that Zhao Qiang was being so cautious, she also became uneasy and naturally acted with great care.
The entrance to the cave wasn't very wide, which prevented large wild animals from breaking in. Moreover, the stone at the entrance was extremely hard, and even if a wild animal kept ramming it, it would probably take some time to break it down. Once inside the cave, it became more spacious, so it wouldn't feel stuffy. Zhao Qiang first went outside and found some dried plant stems and leaves to lay in the cave. He definitely needed to sleep, and it wouldn't be comfortable to sleep on cold rocks.
Donna stood by watching Zhao Qiang busy himself, feeling a surge of happiness. She only regretted her injured foot, otherwise she could have helped him. After making up their bed, Zhao Qiang went outside to gather some dry tree trunks, carried them back, smashed them with stones, and piled them in a corner of the cave. He planned to use them to cook food later. The temperature inside the cave was similar to outside, both rather chilly. Resting for a while was fine, but sleeping there for several nights would be unbearable. Therefore, they needed to start a fire to warm the cave. Of course, this "night" was only a conceptual one; the light here was constant, with no distinction between day and night.
Donna asked, "Won't it be dangerous if we start a fire and it produces smoke?"
Zhao Qiang said, "Yes, this cave is not 100% safe. We can't go without food and sleep to ensure safety. We can only roast more charcoal while I'm here, and when I'm not here, you can just use charcoal to keep the fire going."
Donna said, "Are you planning to stop me from going with you to investigate that UFO?"
Zhao Qiang pointed at Donna's feet and said, "I want you to come along, but are your feet going to let you?"
Donna angrily punched her foot. "There might be aliens in there."
Zhao Qiang said, "Don't worry, if it really happens, you will definitely see it, provided that we are still alive."
Donna said, "Don't say such discouraging things. We will definitely survive, but I don't know about Yang Shiyun and the others..."
Zhao Qiang paused for a moment, but quickly recovered and said, "We can't worry about that now. Let's pray for them as much as possible. You stay here and rest. I'm going to find some food. I'll go to the lake. You'll see me at the cave entrance."
Donna nodded and, supporting herself against the cave wall, came to the cave entrance. Although the entrance was well hidden by the plants, one could still see the outside clearly from the inside. Zhao Qiang walked down the hillside, using Donna's Swiss Army knife to trim the branches in his hand. He was going to make a few fishing javelins. With Zhao Qiang's agility, catching a few fish would be no problem.
Volume 2 [Chapter 738] A World for Two
The river is so wide here that it forms a lake. However, Zhao Qiang observed that the lake is no more than two meters deep and the water is extremely clear, almost to the bottom. There are small fish and shrimp on the shore, and if you walk into the water, you can find large fish that are one or even two feet long. Although he doesn't know the name of the fish, he assumes that it is not poisonous.
Zhao Qiang stood in waist-deep water, carefully watching the fat fish swimming past him. He swiftly fired his javelin, the super biochip's computing power having already factored in errors such as refraction, so the javelin accurately struck the fish. Zhao Qiang casually tossed it onto the shore, then took another javelin from his back. The school of fish in the water was large, and he soon speared another one, tossing it onto the shore and continuing to spear until all ten javelins were used up.
Zhao Qiang picked up the fish and glanced at the disc-shaped metal object downstream. The river flowed towards it and disappeared. This should be the end of the river. As for whether the water went into that huge object or into the rock rift, Zhao Qiang couldn't tell at the moment. However, he would be able to set off there soon, so he wasn't in a hurry.
Zhao Qiang returned to the cave and carried in a dead tree trunk along the way. Tang Na tended the fire in the cave while looking out from the entrance. She had seen Zhao Qiang return early in the morning, but due to her injured foot, she could only greet him at the entrance.
Donna sat on a rock by the fire, constantly turning the grilled fish in her hands. The aroma wafted from the fish, and the sizzling sound broke the silence in the cave. Zhao Qiang was also turning the grilled fish in his hands. The two of them had been sitting silently for quite a while.
"I can't believe what I'm seeing. I've read some theories before, but how could such a large cavity form underground? You know, the weight of the surface is no small number; it should have collapsed here long ago," Donna analyzed based on her knowledge.
Zhao Qiang said, "You're right, I don't understand it either, but theories are made by people, and before new theories are discovered, there are some things that cannot be explained. We are probably in the process of understanding this."
Donna said, "Perhaps you will be the one to formulate that new theory. With your talent, I think it won't be difficult."
Zhao Qiang smiled and said, "I'm not that great. I just want to live a few comfortable and peaceful days, but things don't go as planned. I've found that there's never a peaceful time around me. The fish is almost done. There's no salt, so just make do and eat."
Zhao Qiang was the first to put the grilled fish in his mouth to check if it was edible. The fish weighed a good six pounds, and apart from lacking saltiness, it tasted quite good. The fish meat was digested immediately after entering his stomach without any adverse reactions, so Donna then began to eat. Zhao Qiang discovered that the energy contained in the fish meat was no less than that of the monster's thigh meat from before, and both contained much more energy than food on the ground.
After grilling the remaining fish, Donna ate only one, while Zhao Qiang ate five. His energy was fully restored, which gave him great confidence. He began preparing to explore the disc-shaped metal object. First, he needed to prepare a lighting device, but since it couldn't be turned on, he could only use a torch. Zhao Qiang collected the grease that had dripped while grilling the fish onto his clothes and tied the grease-stained clothes to a stick, so that he could use it if he could get inside the metal object.
Secondly, he needed to prepare a weapon. Zhao Qiang was somewhat dismissive of this, but preparation was still necessary. Just imagine, Zhao Qiang had nothing of value on him right now. The only weapon he could think of was a wooden stick he had picked up from outside the cave. Using such a thing to deal with the potential dangers inside the UFO was a headache for Zhao Qiang, but he had no other choice.
Third, Zhao Qiang also needs to prepare food to take with him. First, it will take three to four hours to walk from the current location to that place. Then, he needs to leave some time to observe the disc-shaped metal object. Considering the time to return and the energy lost along the way, he estimates that this amount of grilled fish will not be enough. Zhao Qiang will need to go into the water to catch some more fish, grill them, and take them with him.
The two of them didn't rest for several hours on the raft. After eating grilled fish, Donna lay down on the haystack to rest. She originally wanted to help, but her injured foot prevented her from doing so. By the time Zhao Qiang had everything ready, Donna had already fallen asleep. Zhao Qiang lay down on the haystack next to her, and listening to Donna's breathing, he felt much more at ease.
Donna was only wearing a light shirt. Although the fire in the cave never went out, she still felt cold after falling asleep. She hugged her shoulders and shivered. Zhao Qiang moved closer to her and pulled her into his arms. Perhaps attracted by the warmth of Zhao Qiang's body, Donna turned over and reached out to hug Zhao Qiang, squeezing her whole body into his arms and rubbing her face against his chest.
"Tell me about your girlfriend." Donna was actually already awake. How could she possibly sleep soundly in this kind of environment? She would wake up at the slightest noise.
Zhao Qiang had eaten too much high-energy food, and his body was inevitably feeling a bit hot. Donna was only wearing a tattered shirt, and less than a fifth of her tender flesh was pressed against Zhao Qiang's abdomen. Now she was talking to Zhao Qiang's chest and breathing hot air. Zhao Qiang couldn't stand it. In recent years, he had become more open-minded, and his consistent belief was that too many lice wouldn't bite. There were so many beautiful Chinese women around him, but not a single foreign beauty. If he could keep Donna by his side, that would be a good thing.
The only worry was whether Donna was still a virgin. She wasn't young anymore, and she had always lived in the open United States, working as a reporter who came into contact with a lot of people. She had already been intimate with other men, and Zhao Qiang would always have a knot in his heart. However, it seemed a bit inappropriate to think about these issues now, because this was the underground world, and whether he could return to the surface was a big question. Even if Zhao Qiang abandoned Donna, who else could he go to?
Zhao Qiang's hand, which had been on Donna's back, was now pulled back. He moved his hand upwards, grasping a soft, bouncy mound of flesh on Donna's lower abdomen. Zhao Qiang's action made Donna groan softly, and she hugged him even tighter, her body trembling slightly, whether from fear or excitement, it was hard to tell.
Zhao Qiang rubbed it a few times with force. Perhaps it was a difference in race, or perhaps it was a matter of mindset, but Zhao Qiang felt an unprecedented elasticity in Donna's breasts. He lifted up the little bit of clothing covering them, and a pair of full breasts were exposed and trembling slightly in front of him. Donna pressed her face tightly against Zhao Qiang's chest, not daring to open her eyes to look. It seemed that she didn't do this kind of thing often. Was she still a pure and good girl? Zhao Qiang wondered.
"I have many girlfriends." Zhao Qiang wasn't in a hurry to do *that*; just holding and rubbing them like this was quite a pleasure.
"I guessed it a long time ago. You wouldn't have been honest with me before. What good would it do you to lie to me?" Donna said, gently licking Zhao Qiang's chest. The two of them were now completely open-minded. No matter how many girlfriends Zhao Qiang had, they were useless without them here. And no matter what was wrong with Donna, Zhao Qiang couldn't find any other women right now.
Zhao Qiang said, "Of course there are benefits. I want you to develop feelings for me, and then fall in love with me without even realizing it."
Donna laughed. "Have you achieved your goal now?"
Zhao Qiang grabbed Donna's breasts with both hands and squeezed them hard: "What do you think?"
Donna went limp. "I...I don't know..." Donna had been pleasuring Zhao Qiang the whole way, but Zhao Qiang hadn't been in a hurry to do anything to her. Now, this intimate behavior made Donna feel completely lost.
"Do you think we could live here underground forever, have children, and create a magical underground civilization?"
Donna whispered, "You wish! I don't want our children living here. The outside environment is so much better."
Zhao Qiang said, "The current issue is to have the child first. Do you agree?"
Donna said shyly, "What else can I do? You are my master, so naturally I have to listen to you."
Zhao Qiang chuckled, his hand reaching for Donna's buttocks. It was time to be honest; the question of whether she was a virgin or not would soon be answered.
Boom, boom, heavy footsteps sounded from afar. Zhao Qiang, who had just touched Donna's buttocks, suddenly released her, sprang up on the ground, grabbed a wooden stick, and ran to the cave entrance. Donna was startled and extremely displeased, but she knew there was danger, so she said nothing, hugged her naked chest, and huddled in the haystack.
Zhao Qiang peered into the cave and quickly located the source of the sound. Using the disc-shaped metal object as a reference, Zhao Qiang was currently directly in front of it. To its left was a wasteland, exactly the same wasteland Zhao Qiang had walked through before. The sound was coming from there. A huge monster was chasing two figures. Because the distance was too close, even Zhao Qiang's eyesight couldn't make out the figures. If only he had X-ray vision glasses.
Donna asked from behind, "What is it?"
Zhao Qiang didn't even turn his head: "Someone's being chased by a monster. I'm going to help. You stay here and don't move around."
Donna said, "You need to be careful."
Zhao Qiang jumped out of the cave, flew across the jungle and waded through the lake, and ran a short distance on the low plants before entering the wasteland. The plants seemed to have a natural resistance here. On one side was green, and on the other side were barren rocks, forming a clear dividing line. Upon closer inspection, these rocks were fundamentally different from ordinary stones.
Zhao Qiang didn't have time to observe these things and ran in that direction with all his might. The two humans being chased were in increasing danger. The monster would whip them with its tail and bite them with its mouth from time to time. Fortunately, the two figures were agile and dodged while running, but if this continued, they would be killed by the monster sooner or later.
As they drew closer, Zhao Qiang, who had previously been speculating whether the two humans were natives of the underground world or aliens from a UFO, felt his heart clench when he could clearly see their figures. He shouted as he increased his running speed, using his energy to lift his own weight as much as possible to increase his running speed further.
"Run this way! I'm Zhao Qiang! Don't be afraid, run this way!"
The two panicked people were startled by the shout and swerved to run towards Zhao Qiang. The monster was not slow because of its large size; one of its steps was equivalent to dozens of human steps. However, the two humans dodged its feet and were stepped on. The monster could not do anything to them for a while, but human physical strength is always limited. The two people who were running at high speed slowed down and their dodging was not as agile as before. Finally, the monster seized the opportunity and stepped down on their heads.
(Thanks to kenfeilui [2 photos] and Jiulu for their monthly tickets)
Volume 2 [739] Reunion