I heard the man's pleas and ultimately decided to rescue him.
It wasn't because I was soft-hearted, but because the man was right. In such an extreme environment, if I wanted to find a way out, I did need a partner. With my tools lost, this person was my most convenient tool.
After making the decision to rescue, I drew the dagger from my belt and walked toward the nearest vine, intending to cut it and use it as a rope to tie myself to ensure I wouldn't fall off the cliff.
The vines here are much sturdier than I expected. They feel like tree roots to the touch, and I couldn't break them even after cutting them two or three times.
While marveling at how resilient the vines were, I flipped the dagger over and began to cut them with the serrated edge of the blade.
"puff!"
I had just cut a slit in the vine when a stream of liquid suddenly gushed out, splashing all over me.
It's a green liquid that feels sticky and gooey, like egg white.
I shone my flashlight along the vines into the distance, only to find endless darkness at the end.
The presence of liquid inside these vines suggests that they are either the root system of some kind of plant or a vine.
But there's no light underground, so how do these vines grow?
I wasn't in the mood to investigate the problem in detail. After struggling for a long time, I finally sawed off a vine that was more than ten meters long.
The inside of this vine is hollow, giving it the feel of a water pipe.
I wrapped one end of the vine around a thicker stalagmite, split the other end, tied it to my body, and carefully moved toward the man.
Stalactites are formed by the deposition of calcium carbonate and other minerals.
Simply put, water containing this component drips continuously from the top of the cave, and the calcium bicarbonate in the water reacts with the water containing carbon dioxide to form calcium carbonate.
Some of this calcium carbonate is deposited on the cave ceiling, and some on the cave floor. Over time, stalactites form on the cave ceiling and stalagmites form on the cave floor. When stalactites and stalagmites connect, they form stone pillars.
The stalagmites I touched were all very dry, indicating that the stalactites here had been formed for a long time and that there was no water in the cave.
These stalagmites are hard, but also fragile. As I moved, I was also kicking them to make way.
When the man saw me move to his side, a hopeful look flashed in his eyes: "Brother, don't touch my legs yet. Break the stalagmite that's stuck around my neck. Once I can sit up, it will be much easier for me."
I shook the stalagmite that was trapping the man's neck and said with some concern, "These two stalagmites are too thick. It will be difficult to break them without tools. I can only get your legs out first and then help you stand up. Can you still feel your legs?"
The man tried to move his body: "I can't feel the pain anymore, but I can still move my toes."
I unbuckled the multi-functional belt and tightened it below his knees: "I carry an emergency medical kit with me. First, I'll pull your leg off the stalagmite, and then I'll bandage you. It might hurt a little during the process, so please bear with it."
The man swallowed hard: "Got a cigarette? I'll have one!"
I lit a cigarette, took two deep drags, and put it in the man's mouth: "Ready?"
The man, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, nodded: "Come on!"
I took a deep breath and reached out to lift the man's leg, but before I could even reach out, he cried out "Ouch!"
I was startled by the man and turned around to scold him, "I haven't even touched you yet, what are you yelling for?"
"Cigarette ash, cigarette ash fell on my face, it burned me to death!"
The man shook his head: "Come on!"
"Ready! One, two!"
When I counted to two, I took advantage of his inattention and suddenly pulled the man's leg off the stalagmite.
"Well!!!"
The man's body convulsed from my touch, and a muffled groan came from his throat.
I looked at the man's leg muscles pierced by the stalagmite, took out iodine and poured it on his wound, then pressed the sides with a triangular bandage and wrapped his leg with bandages.
My wound-bandaging skills aren't very good, but I managed to stop the bleeding successfully.
After I finished doing all that, the man's clothes were soaked with sweat, and his face was deathly pale. He said to me, "Brother, whether I leave this place alive or not, I will remember your kindness in saving my life. If..."
"I saved you to live, not to worship any gods. Don't make any wishes for me here!"
I interrupted the man, walked behind him, and supported his head: "Now try to sit up slowly and see if you can do it!"
Upon hearing my words, the man grabbed the stalagmite stuck around his neck with both hands and slowly lifted himself up.
With the combined efforts of the two of us, the man managed to pull his neck out of the stalagmite with great difficulty.
"call!"
The man, now free, sat on the ground and let out a long sigh: "I've suffered all kinds of hardships in my life. I used to do everything I could to make money, thinking that my life was the least valuable thing I had. But after walking through the gates of hell once, I realized that everything else is external. The most important thing is this life!"
To prevent the man from turning against me, I concealed the dagger I was gripping behind my arm: "Try standing up and see if you can still move."
After listening to me, the man tried to sit up, but ultimately shook his head: "I've been stuck for so long, my body is stiff, I need to rest for a while."
In this confined space, the man was my only companion. Seeing his haggard appearance, I moved a meter away and sat down: "Is your boss surnamed He?"
The man nodded: "The big boss's surname is He, but we don't usually have contact with him. It's his bodyguard, Sun Dahu, who handles our communications."
I continued, "What is your purpose in coming to Qingyun Town this time? Is it to deal with me?"
"I don't know! For us prisoners on the execution ship, the worst thing we can do is ask the boss about his purpose, so we just do whatever Sun Dahu tells us to do!"
Seeing me staring at him, the man quickly explained, "You just saved my life, so I would never lie to you! I really don't know anything; I was just responsible for following Sun Dahu and obeying his orders!"
Seeing that the man's eyes were sincere and he didn't seem to be lying, I continued to ask, "Then how did you manage to follow us all the way here?"
The man shrugged again: "Sun Dahu has been sending people to keep an eye on you. As for what methods he used, I don't know! This morning, Sun Dahu suddenly called us together and then led us into the mountains. We met the people who were watching us. It was he who led us to you."
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