Chapter 48 Yu Jiamin picked up a stone…
Yu Jiamin picked up a stone and swung it at the wild boar carrying the bag! The stone hit its thick back with a "thud," but the wild boar only grunted and was unharmed. Instead, it shook its head, tightened its grip on the bag, and plunged into the water.
It was as agile as a large fish underwater. After swimming four or five meters, it popped its head up with a "splash," took a breath, and then submerged again, leaving only a string of gurgling bubbles.
This wild boar can not only swim, but also dive underwater. Has it become a spirit?
The other, robust sow wasn't diving; she was struggling to cross the river with her seven piglets. The piglets lined up in a row, clinging tightly to their mother's tail, their short legs desperately paddling through the water, like a string of fluffy buoys being dragged forward by their mother. They grunted and whimpered, both frantic and energetic, the splashes of water glistening in the sunlight.
If it weren't for the need to chase after the bag, I would have loved to just enjoy watching the wild boar synchronized swimming!
Yu Songchuan threw away his basket and backpack, quickly took off his shirt and trousers, and jumped into the lake, chasing after the wild boar. Yu Jiamin also jumped into the lake and swam after the wild boar.
They quickly caught up with the sow with her piglets. She was swimming with difficulty, dragging a string of grunting piglets behind her, so she couldn't go fast. The other wild boar carrying the bag was different. Like an otter, it would plunge into the water as soon as it sensed danger, swim underwater for a while, and then surface for air. Its four large hooves paddled the water very fast, splashing water everywhere, almost leaving afterimages.
He Yuanzheng raised his hunting rifle, squinted, and aimed at the sow carrying the bag. But before he could pull the trigger, the wild boar suddenly sank and submerged into the water again.
This time, it didn't surface.
Only a few ripples remained on the water's surface, slowly spreading out as if it had never existed.
The other sow finally reached the shore and climbed ashore with her seven piglets. The seven piglets immediately let go of their mother's tail, squealing "waaaaa," and stumbled after their mother as they fled into the woods. Their cries were soft and delicate, just like a group of frightened babies crying, which sent chills down one's spine.
No one chased after them.
Hunting a mother animal with cubs in the mountains is a major taboo, and will incur the wrath of the mountain god. Besides, it wasn't even the animal that stole the bag.
Yu Songchuan plunged into the water. The lake water was icy cold, and the light gradually dimmed in the depths. He had originally thought that no matter how cunning the wild boar was, it would eventually choke on water after diving for a while, and might be lying on the bottom of the lake, barely alive, waiting for them.
But after searching underwater, he found nothing.
There were no signs of struggle, no bubbles, and even the mud stirred up by the wild boar's hooves was quickly smoothed over by the water. The wild boar seemed to have been swallowed by the lake and vanished completely.
Something's not right!
Yu Songchuan surfaced and wiped his face. That cunning wild boar couldn't possibly have vanished into thin air!
There must be something hidden at the bottom of this lake!
Yu Jiamin had obviously thought of that too. The two exchanged a glance, took a deep breath, and dived back into the water.
This time, the target isn't the wild boar, but rather finding the hidden escape route.
Yu Jiajia was so anxious on the shore that she was jumping around, about to jump into the lake, but Yu Songqing grabbed her by the back of her collar and lifted her back to the shore like a kitten: "You stay on the shore, I'll go!"
Yu Jiajia went to the lake, and everyone still has to worry about her.
Yu Songqing hadn't even taken off his clothes when two figures entered the water before him and also submerged. Their hunting rifles lay on the ground, still in their clothes.
Yu Jiajia:! ! !
Why are He Yuanzheng and the others in such a hurry? Is he really that enthusiastic?
He's a soldier, and he's hunting in the mountains? I didn't see either of them catch anything.
And that suspected spy, Dr. Wu, was guarding the Dongwu Brigade and even met with someone on the mountain. What important matter could there be in this desolate wilderness that they had to discuss here?
Unless... there's something shady hidden in these mountains!
hiss……
Yu Jiajia quickly pushed Yu Songqing into the water: "Big brother, hurry up and find something!"
After Yu Songqing jumped into the water, Yu Jiajia followed him in.
Cheng Yongyi hesitated for a moment, then held onto her two nephews and waited on the shore, partly to protect them and partly to keep an eye on the belongings. She bent down and picked up a hunting rifle, so that she could scare away any wild boars that might approach.
Yu Jiajia's speed advantage was equally astonishing in the water. Like a nimble fish, she swam to the other side of the lake in a few strokes. Taking a deep breath, she held her breath and submerged, her eyes wide open, searching for anything unusual on the shore and underwater.
The lake was deeper than she had imagined, the light was dim, and her vision was blurred; she could only vaguely make out the outline of the stone walls. She groped her way forward, but found nothing but cold water and slippery moss.
After about half a minute, she finally couldn't hold it in any longer and suddenly surfaced, gasping for breath.
Amidst the splashing water, she suddenly noticed another head appearing not far away—it was He Yuanzheng's friend in black.
I hadn't looked closely from the shore, but now, water droplets slid down his refined chin. His eyebrows were as dark as ink, his nose high and straight, his lips pale, and his skin translucent white in the sunlight. He was clearly a man, yet he was so beautiful that it was impossible to look away.
But now is not the time to admire beauties!
She shook her head, and after taking a deep breath, Yu Jiajia plunged back into the water, unaware that a hint of amazement had also flashed in the other person's eyes.
This time, she no longer searched blindly, but instead explored the stone wall inch by inch.
Wild boars can't just disappear into thin air; there must be a secret passage!
Suddenly, the stone wall beneath her palm collapsed without warning!
A powerful suction force instantly pulled her in!
Yu Jiajia felt a sudden lightness wash over her as she was swept away by the current and plunged into darkness. The feeling of weightlessness almost made her scream, but thankfully, reason prevailed over her instincts! Screaming in the water would only lead to choking and death!
I was careless... there was an undercurrent hidden in this lake!
The current was swift, and she was powerless to resist. She could only tense her body, protect her head, and let herself be swept into the unknown depths.
After an unknown amount of time, the water flow finally slowed down.
Yu Jiajia struggled to steady herself and desperately swam upwards.
With a splash, she burst out of the water, gasping for fresh air, only to be met with a pair of round, pig-like eyes!
The cunning wild boar was squatting on the bank, happily chewing on half a ginseng root in its mouth. When she suddenly appeared, the boar trembled in fright, the ginseng root falling off, and it turned and ran away in the next second!
Yu Jiajia was also scared, of course.
With no one around, if the wild boar got angry, it could tear her to pieces with a single swipe of its claws! But that guy actually chickened out and turned to run. She couldn't run away, so instead, imitating Yu Jiamin, she pretended to chase after it, shouting, "Give me back my ginseng!"
Hearing the commotion, the wild boar ran even faster, its hooves kicking up dust, like firecrackers going off behind it. It charged to the riverbank and plunged in with a splash, disappearing in the blink of an eye with barely a spray.
That's not a wild boar! It's clearly a water monkey that has become a spirit!
Yu Jiajia swam ashore and looked at the few broken ginseng roots left on the ground. She pouted, tears welling up in her eyes. She held the ginseng roots in her hands and cried out, "My fifty-year-old ginseng! Oh my god!"
It hurts!
regret!
But soon, her attention was drawn to her surroundings. It was a huge natural cave, more than a hundred square meters in size, with stalactites hanging from the ceiling and a rushing underground river flowing slowly in the center. The sound of the water echoed in the enclosed space, making it seem particularly eerie.
What made her heart race even faster was that in the corner of the cave, there were more than a dozen lead boxes neatly stacked!
Dozens of wooden crates were scattered around, each secured with a heavy brass lock, the locks rusted and clearly indicating they had been stored there for a long time.
Yu Jiajia's breathing quickened, and her fingers trembled slightly! There really was something hidden here!
Whether it's Dr. Wu, who is suspected of being an enemy agent, or He Yuanzheng, their target... is here!
She cautiously approached the boxes, reaching out to touch the surface of the wooden crates. They were cold and rough, but she couldn't open them at all. She circled the cave once, and suddenly noticed that one of the crates was unlocked!
Yu Jiajia suddenly shivered when her fingertips touched the lid of the box.
A pungent smell of formaldehyde seeped from the cracks in the wooden crate, mixed with a kind of rotten, sweet, and fishy odor, making her stomach churn. She gritted her teeth and slowly lifted the lid.
With a creak, the old hinges made a teeth-grinding sound.
The box contained dozens of glass containers neatly stacked inside. The labels on them had turned yellow, but the Japanese writing on them was still faintly visible.
The glass containers gleamed coldly in the dim light of the cave. Some contained strange liquids, while others were empty, but the walls of the bottles bore strange colors, like traces of some kind of chemical reagent. Most terrifyingly, in one of the glass bottles, a human heart was floating, covered with a strange fluorescent green. The myocardial tissue had turned an abnormal grayish-white, and its surface was covered with spiderweb-like black blood vessels.
Yu Jiajia suddenly covered her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes.
This is an experimental specimen!
How could such heinous research materials be hidden in this secluded cave?
What's in the other locked lead boxes?
Could it be hiding something even more terrifying?
Yu Jiajia's hands trembled so much that she could barely hold the lid of the box.
With a muffled thud, the wooden crate slammed shut, sending up clouds of dust that floated in the dim light of the cave. Her knuckles, pressed firmly against the crate lid, turned white from the force.
The mountain wind howled into the cave entrance, icy cold, but she felt no cold.
Her body was already permeated by a deeper chill.
Tears rolled down her cheeks without warning.
She knew it all too well.
Those cold numbers in history textbooks, the yellowed photos in documentaries, and the rusted equipment displayed in memorial halls have all been transformed into this decaying wooden box before our eyes.
The wails of hundreds of thousands of souls seemed to pierce through time and space, screeching sharply in her ears.
Her throat tightened, and her heart felt as if it were being gripped tightly by an invisible hand. The pain made her bend over and curl up on the cold rock, sobbing silently.
Tears streamed down her face like beads from a broken string, unstoppable, yet she smiled.
Thanks to the ginseng that was carried away by the wild boar, thanks to the mysterious undercurrent, and even thanks to the greedy wild boar, for they led her here and to the discovery of this deliberately buried evidence of crime.
She cried for a long time until her emotions finally calmed down. She gently stroked the mottled wooden box, as if touching the souls of the dead who had not yet found peace.
"This time, the evidence will not be buried."
She jumped back into the water, trying to find an exit, but the previous undercurrent seemed to have disappeared. She tried to get out from where the wild boar had left, but she couldn't find an exit either.
She felt as if she were isolated in this space.
She was cold, her teeth chattering. Everything was preordained; perhaps her arrival was meant to unlock this long-sealed secret.
She took out a coat from her spatial backpack, wrapped it tightly around herself, and continued searching the area. In a corner, she found a pile of gold and silver jewelry.
She neither touched it nor put it into her spatial backpack.
She didn't want the gold and silver jewelry here.
She didn't even try to open the wooden boxes locked with brass locks; she didn't dare to open them, didn't dare to look at them.
I'm afraid my emotions will break down.
She wasn't afraid; she was sure everyone outside would find a way to get here.
If there truly are spirits of the dead, they will surely protect themselves.
She was very depressed, and even after a long time, she still felt terrible.
Time was flying by, the light was getting dimmer, and she felt hungry. She checked the time on the system and it was already past six o'clock.
It's already afternoon, no wonder I'm hungry.
Actually, she didn't have much of an appetite. She had always been very optimistic, but history was too cruel and sad. Being in this place, she couldn't eat a single delicious bite.
The light in the cave gradually dimmed, and no more sunlight could penetrate through the cracks in the cave ceiling. Yu Jiajia huddled in a corner, hugging her knees. The chill of the rocks seeped through her thin clothes, making her unconsciously curl up even tighter.
In the distance, the shadows of the stalactites stretched long in the dim light, like hanging swords, radiating coldness. Water droplets dripped from the stone tips, making a 'drip-drip' sound in the silent cave, each sound seeming to strike her nerves.
It's already evening.
She gazed at the dark water, so black it seemed to swallow everything.
She dared not go into the water again and began to fear the darkness.
She called out to the system, "System? Big brother? Big sister? Little brother? Little sister? Darling..." Her voice grew softer and softer as she called out, "Can you play me a song, or an animated cartoon? I'm still a little scared by myself."
The system did not respond.
The river suddenly became turbulent, waves crashing against the rock walls and splashing up cold spray. Yu Jiajia hurriedly put her coat into her spatial storage and stood up.
With a splash, water sprayed everywhere, and a pale face suddenly emerged from the undercurrent.
Water droplets rolled down his chin, his eyelashes clung wetly to his eyelids, and his handsome face, as beautiful as a lotus flower, seemed to glow softly in the dim cave.
It was He Yuanzheng's friend in black.
Yu Jiajia's eyes lit up, and she almost jumped to the riverbank, reaching out to him, "You got swept in too? Come on up!"
Even if you can't recall the name of someone you recognize in the silent darkness, you will still feel joy.
Lu Chenzhou looked up, his gaze falling on Yu Jiajia's face. She was squatting on the bank, her wet hair still dripping water, but her dark eyes were surprisingly bright, as if starlight had been scattered into them. Her outstretched hand was small, the fingertips still slightly red from being soaked in the river water, like a kitten's timidly outstretched paw.
Adorably innocent and trusting.
But he didn't shake that hand.
His slender fingers braced against the damp rocks on the shore, and with a swift movement, he easily leaped ashore. Water droplets dripped from the hem of his clothes, leaving dark stains on the rocks.
"Jiajia, don't be afraid." He smiled, his voice so gentle it could melt your heart. "I'll take you out of here."
But his eyes weren't on her. His deep gaze swept across the cave, past the lead boxes piled up in the corner, the wooden boxes locked with brass, and finally landed on a pile of gold and silver jewelry.
So that's where it was.
The "treasure" that enemy agents had painstakingly searched for for many years was hidden in this secluded cave.
Lu Chenzhou pulled a military flashlight from his pocket. With a soft "click," the blinding white light suddenly dispelled the darkness of the cave.
Yu Jiajia squinted subconsciously, her eyelashes trembling slightly in the bright light. She pointed to a wooden box: "This one can be opened."
Her voice was choked with emotion; just mentioning the box made her feel sad.
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