The faces of the others also turned ashen, their bodies turning to stone and stiffening on the spot. There was still a considerable amount of excrement in the corners, all of it already dried and hardened.
I felt disgusted, but not to the point of being unable to accept it. I've worked on large construction sites during summer vacations before, and this kind of thing wasn't uncommon.
Things have finally taken a turn for the better. Although these things are unsightly, I was able to glean some useful information from their dryness by poking them with a stick.
First of all, these excrements are probably from a few years ago, and some have already started to dissipate, so they must have been there for a longer time, probably around ten years.
Don't ask me how I know about such an obscure thing. I used to work on construction sites, and there you'll find all sorts of these things from different years.
When I was bored, I often heard some of my coworkers talk about their experiences with that thing. At first, I found it a bit disgusting, but after listening to it for a while, I got used to it.
Watching these coworkers analyze things so logically, I sometimes even feel that it's a waste of their talents if they don't become criminal investigators.
Now I'm certain that this is just an ordinary tunnel.
There won't be any sacrificial altars or other messy things there. I don't think any believer would defecate in a sacred place.
Considering this is one of Haru's secret bases, and the ventilation in the passageways is so good, it's more likely that it's a place for storing materials and documents.
I asked everyone to split up and search the surrounding area for any partitioned rooms or similar places, as these places are very likely to contain some of Haru's remaining supplies.
Everyone dispersed as I instructed and searched the vicinity carefully. After a while, they gathered together again, and everyone shook their heads. Clearly, my guess had failed once more.
I frowned. What was going on?
Could it be that those Haru are too idle, having nothing better to do than come all this way just to use the toilet?
This doesn't make sense; the passage is still quite long, and perhaps the answer we're looking for is just ahead.
We walked for who knows how long, and gradually began to feel sleepy. It must be quite late outside now, and our biological clocks were starting to kick in.
Looking at the still dark passage ahead, I felt we wouldn't reach the end today. So we each found a relatively flat spot, spread out the animal hides we had brought, and began to rest.
The next day, after we ate as usual, we continued our journey.
Realizing that this was probably Haru's territory and there was no danger, we quickened our pace.
The journey was uneventful; apart from some broken wooden spears left behind, it was no different from any other tunnel.
We finally reached the end of the tunnel on the second day, near dusk.
Everyone is filled with joy at this moment, because the results of their two days of travel will soon be revealed at this end.
But when we actually saw the end, Dante was dumbfounded, Su Su was dumbfounded, and I was naturally stunned on the spot.
What kind of rubbish is this?!
We've walked such a long distance, only to find a completely empty cave wall in front of us, as if the excavation had stopped abruptly here.
I was somewhat unwilling to give up, so I reached out and patted the cave wall, hoping to find another hidden layer or something.
Unfortunately, this time all that came back were solid, muffled sounds.
The cave wall now weighed heavily on everyone's minds; all their hard work had led to this outcome.
How bored are these Haru bastards? Do they have nothing better to do than dig tunnels like gold miners? No, that doesn't make sense either. These tunnels are clearly much older; they couldn't possibly have been dug by Haru.
I think that with Haru's intelligence, they wouldn't be digging tunnels for fun. But what's the problem? We haven't seen any use for these tunnels along the way.
Could it be that they just came down here to escape the heat because it's cool down there?
Right now, my mind is a complete mess, like a jumbled mess. The continuous sense of defeat is making me question the meaning of life.
Logically, both stone houses should have a mysterious stone slab, so they should have some purpose. How could this be?
"Two stone slabs...two!"
Just then, my head buzzed, a flash of lightning struck, and a bold idea popped into my head.
I swallowed hard and opened my mouth.
"No...no, this tunnel was originally just a secret passage for transporting troops. And the stone slabs inside the stone house are the gateway connecting the sinkhole to this place!"
The other two Asaida natives didn't understand what I was saying, and they remained puzzled.
Su Su and Dante were staring at me with wide eyes; this idea was too incredible.
It took us quite a while to get here. If this place leads to the stone house in the sinkhole, it's a shortcut that can be called a highway, taking only two days.
Based on this alone, Haru could use this information gap to create enormous trouble for us in our confrontation.
If that's the case, then we're already being manipulated by Haru.
We have now been successfully divided into two battlefronts, east and west, by Haru. The extremely long battlefront has made it impossible for the tribes on both sides to provide timely support to each other.
Haru, however, is different; they can rely entirely on this underground highway to maneuver flexibly around us.
Whether they are in the east or the west, they can evacuate to a safe place as soon as possible and preserve their own strength.
This is probably the main reason why Haru was able to recover his strength in a short time despite being beaten so badly.
Therefore, the stone house they were so desperate to protect now seems to have a reasonable explanation.
I returned to the end of the passage and shone my flashlight on the ceiling above me. I reached out and began to feel around on the ceiling.
Soon, a large patch of loose soil fell off as we touched it, revealing a stone slab almost identical to the one we had previously worked on.
That loose soil must have been mud before. Haru even disguised the area under the stone slab before leaving. If I hadn't guessed that, I wouldn't have discovered this flaw.
Everyone stared in disbelief. Just as I had guessed, there really was a stone slab here, and it was definitely the same kind of stone slab as before.
The stone slab has a very special material, and its warm and unique woody feel is unmistakable.
At this point, everything became clear: the purpose of this passage was to quickly transport troops.
Based on what the previous leader said, he said that Haru had rarely been seen in the last ten years or so.
There is only one reason: after the defeat in the great battle, the remaining main force of Haru had escaped to the east through this passage and integrated the two crippled forces together!
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