Zhang Cheng said in a deep voice, "Let's split up and check the other tunnels!"
"good!"
The six people dispersed and each chose a cave passage to continue their exploration.
Zhang Cheng gripped the torch tightly, his sharp gaze sweeping across the ground.
The clear footprints stretched out along the path, clearly left recently.
Before long, another iron gate appeared in front of us.
Zhang Cheng stepped forward, braced his shoulder against the iron gate, and pushed it forcefully.
After a series of metallic scraping sounds, the iron gate opened.
He didn't go in immediately, but instead raised his sleeve to cover his mouth and nose, and first put the torch inside.
The flame remained steady and did not go out.
Zhang Cheng then slipped in from the side.
The layout of this tunnel was very similar to the previous one, filled with incomprehensible instruments and bottles and jars.
Several transparent glass jars were filled with a bright green liquid, which exuded an ominous aura.
More than a dozen specially treated mummies were bound to various instruments of torture, their eyes bulging out, their faces distorted, and their deaths were gruesome.
Zhang Cheng sighed inwardly, exited the tunnel, and turned onto another fork in the road.
"Village Chief! Er Gouzi!"
Suddenly, Li Hongzhuang’s anxious shouts came from deep within the cave.
Zhang Cheng's heart tightened, and he immediately ran towards the sound.
Five or six minutes later, he found Li Hongzhuang.
Li Hongzhuang was standing in a narrow passageway, with a rusty iron ladder hanging above his head.
The old village chief and others also rushed over upon hearing the commotion.
Zhang Cheng stared at the fresh dirt clinging to the ladder, his eyes sharpening. He stretched out two fingers, picked up a bit, and gently rubbed it.
The group exchanged glances, and they all understood.
The old village chief's face turned ashen: "Go up and take a look!"
"good!"
Li Hongzhuang responded and was the first to grab the ladder and climb up.
The ladder was extremely long, and Li Hongzhuang carefully climbed it for two or three minutes, but still hadn't reached the top.
"village head!!"
Soon, Li Hongzhuang's voice came from above, filled with barely suppressed anger and horror.
"Come up here quickly! It's all bones! Piled up like a mountain!!"
Zhang Cheng took a deep breath, grabbed the cold iron ladder, and quickly climbed upwards.
After climbing about thirty or forty meters, he saw flames overhead. Peeking out, he saw a huge natural cave that had been hollowed out.
It was filled with a thick layer of stark white bones.
Li Hongzhuang held the torch high, his body trembling slightly with extreme anger.
To the left of the pile of bones, there is an inconspicuous little hole through which a faint light shines.
Zhang Cheng stepped on the white bones that made a "crackling" sound under his feet and walked towards the small hole.
There are obvious traces of fresh mud used to plug the edge of the hole.
He raised his foot and stomped hard on the edge of the hole, sending clumps of still-dry mud tumbling down.
At the same time, the old village chief and others also climbed up one after another.
As the soil around the edge of the hole was cleared away, Zhang Cheng was the first to crawl out.
Outside, it was already dawn.
He looked around, his brow furrowed. This was an orchard.
Could it be that the tiger accidentally fell into the tunnel from here and got covered in the stench of a corpse?
The old village chief and the others also emerged, their faces grim, their eyes revealing murderous intent.
The old village chief squinted, gazing at the village at the foot of the mountain, his voice icy: "Ahead, that's Jin Village!"
Li Hongzhuang gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot:
“Something’s not right! Something’s really not right! If the people of Jin Village had discovered this Japanese devil’s den, they wouldn’t have kept quiet! Also, the entrance to the den is clearly newly sealed off…”
Li Chirou wiped his face, his voice chilling: "Helping the Japanese cover up their crimes... even if they aren't Japanese, they're still die-hard traitors!"
Zhang Cheng's eyes flickered, and after a moment of contemplation, he said, "Uncles, let's not make a fuss about this for now. Let's seal this cave entrance again."
Li Hongzhuang looked at him: "Er Gouzi, what do you mean?"
Zhang Cheng's lips curled into a cold smile: "Waiting for a rabbit to run into a tree stump."
The old village chief picked up the conversation, his teeth grinding together:
"If the other party wants to completely conceal this tunnel, there are only two ways. Either they take over the entire orchard and prevent outsiders from getting close, or they completely fill the tunnel below with earth. But the area below is so vast; filling it in is easier said than done!"
A fierce glint flashed in Li Chirou's eyes: "So, whoever wants to contract this orchard is a traitor, or even a Japanese devil?"
Zhang Cheng nodded: "Most likely."
"Then, shall we go back the way we came?"
“Yes!” Zhang Cheng turned to Li Hongzhuang, “Uncle Hongzhuang, you’re good with your hands. Seal this hole back up exactly as it was, and don’t leave any flaws.”
He then addressed the crowd, saying, "Tell the villagers who are guarding the mountain stream to return to their village immediately, and make sure no word gets out!"
The old village chief added, "Remember it all. Let's pretend this never happened!"
Everyone nodded in unison, their eyes burning with the flames of revenge.
Zhang Cheng glanced one last time at the now-covered cave entrance, then turned and headed back the way he came.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
