full moon
Five minutes later, my assistant and I were fully dressed and slowly lowered from the safety ropes.
As the shaking water waves got closer and closer to us, the deputy almost held his breath, completely unable to understand why I was making such an unethical proposal that would harm others and benefit myself.
I remained calm on the surface, but in my heart I thought, nonsense, it’s my fault that I can only beat you.
He is the only good hostage I can find before he turns into some indescribable little monster. Since we are cooperating, I have to feel safe. I can't just let the monkey get beaten without eating meat.
Sanyi and the other guys wanted to follow, but I refused without exception.
The reasons are very good:
No one can guarantee how long the strange wailing of the mandrills will last, so there must always be some good people on top ready to provide support and alert at any time, and to use themselves as bait to lure away the large group of mandrills when necessary.
Moreover, in this ritual that could end at any time, even if the mandrills were vegetarians and kind-hearted, they probably wouldn't mind drowning a few shameless bandits who had penetrated their lair.
It is one thing for one or two people to sneak by, but it is another thing for a group of people to break into the house with new and old grudges.
If you can avoid alarming the mandrills, don't make a big fuss.
As for the assistant, I can't help it. I still hope he can help me with the doggy paddle. As a necessary human-shaped paddling tool, the only position that cannot be saved is his.
The deputy saw that what I said seemed to make sense, his face turned red and then pale, and he said strangely:
"Then you can pick any one of the tough guys, no need to pick me specifically. I've heard that you always have a bad reputation when something strange happens. It's said that even the biggest plans can be ruined if you meet them."
Damn it, which bastard is slandering my innocence out of thin air? Why are you still being so feudal and superstitious?
But I'm not stupid, so I won't argue with him about such a boring issue where I will most likely lose. I said in surprise:
"Do you still have time to chat? Are you going to get in the water and work? Do you need someone to urge you to work?"
He looked like an evil contractor.
The deputy was choking, but he also knew that time was precious and he couldn't delay any longer. He had to hastily emphasize that he would only take me halfway, and if I didn't go the rest of the way, he would rather kill me directly.
I said yes, yes, yes, yes, but I just ignored it and just held on to him tightly, and shamelessly told him to swim steadily, because I had just been injured and was afraid that he would get dizzy and vomit on him.
There was more nonsense and arguments during this period, which I will not mention here.
Anyway, when we finally reached an inch or two above the accumulated water, the deputy's face turned completely black, and he didn't want to say a word to me. He had already gritted his teeth and accepted his fate.
After making gestures to confirm with the people above us, we slid into the water one after another.
The cold water slowly covered my head. The towing rope was pulling in the water. I held one end of it and was led by my assistant to swim in the water. I held the oxygen mask tightly and looked around.
The clear water gives people the illusion of being suspended in mid-air. The water temperature is moderate and can even be described as refreshing.
The deputy nodded at me in the water, and a string of tiny bubbles floated next to the oxygen mask.
To be honest, I have put away all my expressions at this moment and my heart is heavy.
The deputy acted too harmless and like a normal person in front of me.
The more he behaved like an ordinary person and the more he got humiliated and embarrassed in front of me, the more I felt an uncontrollable chill.
Because in the previous argument, I found that no matter how his words and personality were, when it came to the topic of "exploring underground", he always had only one reaction, which was to immediately stop questioning and unconditionally support the exploration.
The others also suddenly lost their voices in my deliberate provocation, without any objection or question, and just followed my lead, seemingly not considering whether my command was right or wrong, or if there were any omissions.
...It was as if there was some powerful governing force that had unified their wills in advance, leaving them without any disagreement.
Especially at this moment, the command to drive and control the deputy seemed to be just to go downward at all costs.
We hit bottom, onto the flooded crust of the earth. The nearest collapsed channel was about the width of my arm.
Upon close observation, the moss around it absorbed water and formed a strange velvet surface, making the collapsed pit surrounded by it look like a moldy and rotten barnacle, which made people feel very uncomfortable.
This doesn't really look like a passage, but instead gives people a strong sense of closure and decay.
For the first time, I suddenly had a premonition that it might be difficult for both of us to come back from this trip.
"Advisor, I'll cover you, you go forward. There are a few things that we have repeatedly checked and confirmed. You must remember them well."
The deputy tapped on the oxygen mask, bringing me back to my thoughts.
The voice behind the mask was a little muffled due to the obstruction, and somehow seemed a little strange. "Once we are completely underwater, we will not encounter any danger."
"But don't look back and don't communicate with me."
"Don't ask any questions, remind any questions, call any questions, confirm any questions, or answer any questions."
After saying this, the deputy paused for a moment, as if realizing that I had not made any sound since then, and continued a little slowly:
“There are many roads, but the road underwater will not change.”
“If you can’t find the right path and can’t tell the direction of the fork in the road, you can just dive down in the direction of the stone pillar.
The mandrill's nest can provide some oxygen, so you need to arrange the consumption of the oxygen tank according to the situation, but it is best not to stay in the nest for too long."
He thought about it again, and this time it seemed very difficult for him to remember something.
"And... I'm not sure what's at the bottom. If you can get there, just bring up something that won't change."
I was silent.
"——Counselor, do you remember this?"
In the water, due to the obstruction of the diving goggles, I couldn't see the pair of my deputy's dark eyes that had left such a deep impression on me.
There was only a faint odor in the water, exactly the same as the extractant in the small spray, which brought a different kind of stuffiness.
I don't know why, but I didn't answer. I just lowered my head and checked whether my protective clothing and oxygen cylinder were damaged. I remained silent and kept my mouth tightly shut.
The collapsed pit in front of me is actually not a good choice, because after wearing all the equipment, my whole body will swell a little more than the normal size. Diving into such a narrow pit is asking for trouble and unnecessary.
From what I saw above the stone pillar, the collapsed holes in the water are of varying sizes, and many of them are easier to dive into, so it only takes a dozen steps to walk over them.
But I pulled the traction rope without hesitation and jumped directly into the narrow pit.
It was moving very fast, as if it was being driven and had to escape from something that had become extremely dangerous.
I jumped headfirst.
Try to stretch your arms above your head as much as possible, like an upside-down onion, and grab the soft mud around you from time to time to use the force to dive down.
The barren soil during the day became extremely sticky and greasy due to the accumulation of water, and the white salt frost also melted and was hardly visible.
Only those dark red rusty lumps of soil could occasionally be hooked and pulled by my fingers, but they had also become a little loose and seemed to have softened.
I don’t know if it was because the water was full of salt dust, but the buoyancy of the accumulated water was very strong, and the guy whose abdomen was hollowed out was floating on his back.
At this moment, my movements became a bit difficult due to buoyancy, and I was basically moving down by climbing and pulling.
Honestly, I now had the illusion that I was climbing to the top of the rock more than I had when I reached the upper pillar during the day.
It would have been better if the broken limbs and white mud had not been washed away and spit out by the water flow.
I had to lower my head as much as possible to avoid putting my face directly on the incoming objects.
The deputy was still following me.
Just as he said, I went forward and he stayed behind me, crawling almost closely behind me, following me step by step as I burrowed headfirst into the ground.
The oxygen mask amplified the sound of breathing.
At this time, the consultant's voice asked softly behind me: "Consultant, do you remember it?"
My cheeks felt numb, and an indescribable chill rose up, and I shivered.
I still remember his instructions not to reply.
Grasping at the increasingly narrow dirt ahead, I calmed myself, took a deep breath, and pushed hard against the solid ground beneath my feet, pushing my body forward to prevent it from stopping.
The passage was not too long. The direction of the headlamp was a clear beam of light, and the exit was not far away. I could already hear the wailing of the mandrills, as if they were lingering in my ears.
Just as we judged during the day, this fragile crust is very thin, and currently appears to be only three or four meters wide.
In the suddenly open water ahead, a long metal chain of dull color was stretching out, followed by two, three, woven into a net, countless in number.
Yes, I can only use the irrelevant and grammatically incorrect word "dumb" to describe it.
It's not dull, nor is it rusty and harsh, but... it's like the throat has become so hoarse that it can't make any sound after wailing, screaming and howling too much.
The chains had "lost their voice," it seemed.
Some kind of information or language deeply engraved in it was hollowed out and no longer existed, so that I could only vaguely recognize the form of that unknown language, but I was deaf and blind and could not really hear or see it. As a result, I felt deeply anxious and unable to understand.
And on that huge and decaying three-dimensional web, the mandrills squatted on it, inside it, looking up.
Almost subconsciously, I wanted to look back upwards to see what the mandrills were looking at.
Soon cold sweat broke out and he stopped himself stiffly.
Through the thin layer of soil, the mandrills' wailing songs seemed to be in response to some kind of melody, making their actions full of a mysterious and ancient sense of ritual.
I drilled out of the ground with great effort, but because there was nothing to hold on to at that moment, I was unable to move forward due to the buoyancy of the water and could only float there.
It was at this moment that the gazes of those mandrills suddenly turned and stared straight at me.
The whining stopped.
I froze in place, and in a split second, I pressed down my headlamp, which was already getting hot.
Amidst the tremendous sense of oppression and fear, my mind was more active than ever before, causing my body to think ahead of me. I suddenly turned off the headlights and tore off everything on my body that could provide light.
In the dark water, only the fluorescent strips on the protective suit still reflected a faint light.
Stillness, silence.
A few minutes later, the song of the mandrill could be heard again in the dim gloom.
"consultant."
The deputy's voice came closer, and he asked from behind me, "What did you find?" There was nothing unusual in his voice. He seemed to understand that I couldn't swim and couldn't move freely. He put his palm on my back and gave me a push.
I fell down involuntarily, and got goose bumps all over my body. I knew that I would be urged non-stop without any possibility of stopping to catch my breath.
"Why does turning off the lights work? We used flashlights all day and nothing happened. What's the difference?"
There is a difference.
A voice in my head said, "But I just endured the water pressure that was increasing too quickly. I didn't answer the questions of my assistant, nor did I pay attention to the huge metal net. I grabbed a chain that was tilted downward to fix myself, and then I gritted my teeth and continued to dive.
Can't reply, can't delay too long.
Because at this moment I have slowly realized what the mandrills' reaction is. No one knows when the mandrills' ceremony will end, so I have to buy some time for the return voyage.
The actions of the giant mandrill during the day flashed through my mind, clearing away a layer of fog.
Unlike the other two people who were attacked, I seem to have found the reason why the helicopter was attacked. In this regard, the hide-and-seek player seemed to have made a big mistake, which led to misunderstanding.
In fact, they were so far away in the air that even if the flight attendants sprayed the extract that stimulated mandrills, the smell should not be able to reach them so quickly and attract the attention of the large group of mandrills.
What really alarmed the mandrill was probably the high beam, which was turned on twice at full power.
A round, extremely bright high beam that can blind people and make them cry due to its high-intensity concentrated light, and it can also make people feel extremely hot.
Through the strata and water, you don't need to use your eyes to observe, you can feel through the focused heat that an invisible and huge circle is falling on your retina and perception.
It's like... a scorching bright moon cast into the dark depths of the water.
This was a "misunderstanding" that was unexpected by the pseudo-people and not in their original plan, which led to the situation almost getting out of control.
I think the thing that the pseudo-people are obsessed with and that is hidden deep under the water is probably closely related to the Rat Palace.
It is this connection that makes the stone pillars an excellent building material for constructing underground palaces. However, people in the past may not have noticed it and regarded everything as a lucky coincidence.
It is also this connection that may have imprinted some strong warning memory on the mandrills here.
Therefore, when the "bright moon" appeared in broad daylight, it meant a serious violation of the distinction between day and night, and mistakenly indicated the arrival of "night", causing the group of dormant mandrills to fall into panic and chaos.
I have personally experienced what the disordered rotation of the sun and the moon means in the snowy mountain town, and it will be hard to forget in my life.
I think this horror about moving mice will also be imprinted in every organism that may have glimpsed the rules of moving mice, making them afraid of any representation that can trigger associations, and even overreact.
They were not attacking us at all, but the "moon" brought by the helicopter.
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