After sitting for a while, although my body was still sore, the fatigue had lessened considerably. We continued digging, and then my spear struck a hard object again.
This time, the size of the stone we encountered was beyond what Top and I had ever imagined.
After I widened the top of the hole as much as possible, I found this hard object, but at the time I didn't think much of it and just assumed it was another large rock blocking the spear.
But as I kept moving the spear, trying to find a starting point nearby to pry it out, I discovered that the surrounding area was also a continuous stretch of hard rocks.
I felt a chill in my heart, so I quickened my pace in cleaning. Soon, Top and I had completely removed the surface layer of dirt.
I touched the stone in front of me with my hands. If I hadn't come in through this cave myself, I would have even doubted that what I was looking at was a whole stone wall.
This rock is estimated to be at least one cubic meter in volume and weigh at least several tons. At this moment, I'm so angry I could scream. Is this some kind of joke?
I thought I would be saved as long as the mud and rocks were cleared away. I never expected that such a large rock would fall down here and, by sheer coincidence, block my exit.
It's obviously impossible to move this boulder by manpower now, and thinking about this gives me another headache.
Why do I always encounter unexpected things every time I go out? Before, I encountered a ferocious beast, and I made a highly poisonous pneumatic hidden dart.
Now that I have the hidden arrow, and an insurmountable natural disaster has struck, I feel like God is just playing a cruel joke on me.
I sighed.
"Ugh... damn it..."
I silently thought to myself, "Let's just forget about it today and wait until tomorrow when it's light. It's probably already dark outside."
The boulder, which was blocking the cave entrance, actually provided Top and me with a safe place to rest.
At least today we don't have to worry about wild animals breaking into our shelter. Of course, if it has the strength to move several tons of rocks, then disregard what I said.
I don't have any firewood to start a fire, but luckily I brought a lot of smoked jerky with me when I came out. This jerky was already cooked, so it's fine to eat it for now.
We've been running around all day, and with so many headaches to deal with, we haven't even had a chance to eat a bite of food.
I shared some of the jerky with Top, and grabbed a few pieces for myself to eat with some water. This must be the first time in my life that I've slept at night without a fire.
After eating and drinking my fill, I finally felt a bit more comfortable. That saber-toothed tiger skin came in handy today; I laid it on the ground to keep out the moisture.
It wasn't cold in there, just a bit stuffy because of the humidity. But I had no other choice now; being alive today was already a huge blessing.
Top and I spent the night curled up like dogs on the leather of a saber-toothed tiger in this stone box, which was less than five square meters in size and mostly occupied by a pile of mud and rocks.
The next day, sunlight filtered through the few remaining sparse trees after the disaster, casting dappled patterns of light on the ground. Due to the rising moisture, countless rays of light, exhibiting the Tyndall effect, displayed a dreamlike charm.
I was awakened by a hoarse bird call, which sounded like crows and owls singing in a strained voice, and it was extremely unpleasant.
If it weren't for this huge rock blocking my way, I would have found the bird that disturbed my sweet dreams and given it a good beating with my blowgun.
I rubbed my still-sleepy eyes; I hadn't slept well last night. Leaving aside the uneven surface of the ground, even using that saber-toothed tiger skin as a mat wouldn't have helped.
Because of the large amount of mud and rocks inside, I couldn't even straighten my legs, and I could only sleep curled up the whole time.
The next day, I woke up with my whole body aching terribly, and my lower back felt like it was about to break. It made a cracking sound as soon as I sat up.
Top didn't care about that; it was already quite small, so there was nothing wrong with it sleeping there.
But after Top got up, I noticed it was walking with a waddling gait. It must be because yesterday's assembly-line-style tree-climbing work hasn't fully recovered its limbs.
Even with the sliver of sunlight shining in, the situation inside the stone box could be seen clearly.
The large rock that blocked our entrance yesterday was now dry and white, with remnants of soil and plant debris on it, all testifying to how lucky it was that it didn't bump into Top and me.
If I had reacted even a fraction slower, Top and I probably would have both perished at the cave entrance.
I need to think of a way to get out of here. If we stay trapped like this, we'll eventually die here.
I tried using the spear in my hand as a fulcrum, inserting it between the stone and the ground and trying to pry it open. But the ground was mud, and since it had just rained, the mud had become unusually soft.
With just a little force, the spearhead would sink deep into the ground, making it impossible to pry it open.
So I moved some flat stones next to it and started prying it with all my might. But once again I underestimated its strength; the pole bent as if it had been hooked by a big fish.
But the stone remained in place, standing there calmly no matter how hard we tried.
I wanted to see what was going on, so I pulled up some weeds near the boulder.
Lying on the ground and looking into the sunlight, you can see that the bottom of this stone is almost a flat base that takes up most of the space. No wonder I said this thing is so stable.
These rocks, weighing several tons, were already quite unusual, but now the surface underneath is flat, and they've been driven several centimeters deep.
It seems impossible to pry it open.
I failed again, and now I have to change my strategy. Since I can't pry it open, I'll try to think outside the box and crawl under it.
As long as you don't give up, there's always a way to overcome difficulties. I quickly came up with a way to stabilize the rocks and prevent them from falling into the tunnel I had dug.
I went to the base of the stone, and this time I used the machete as my tool.
Because of the large volume of material to be excavated, using this wider-bladed machete would be more efficient.
I gestured at the base of the rock and found that the part on my right was less obscured by the rock. At this moment, I could see the scenery outside through this gap.
I decided to start from the left side. Before digging, I had to dig a deep trench in the middle of the rock to make it easier to remove the excavated soil.
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