The man's words truly surprised me: "You're saying He Hai has been sending people to watch us?"
“I’m just someone who sells their life. They pay me to do things, and I do whatever they ask. Do you think someone who would sell their life would be interested in prying into other people’s privacy?”
The man shook his head: "I don't know what grudge you have with the boss above, nor do I care what he wants from you. I can only tell you what I saw. As for what the boss above is thinking, I have no idea."
Seeing that the man was indeed having difficulty answering my question, I could only change the subject and ask, "Did He Hai come with you when you went into the mountains this time?"
"No! It's said that Boss He has a very special identity and is a wanted criminal by the police. He's afraid that outsiders will betray him, so he hides himself very well and only brings people he trusts with him. I only saw him once when I first entered the industry."
The man shook his head: "We usually live with Sun Dahu. He also has a younger brother named Sun Erhu. The two brothers are both bodyguards for Boss He. Sun Erhu is always by Boss He's side, while Sun Dahu takes us to handle some outside matters. I think if Boss He really did arrange for someone to keep an eye on you, then this matter was probably handled by Sun Erhu."
I offered him another cigarette: "Did Sun Dahu go into the cave when you were on your mission?"
The man took the cigarette and took two greedy puffs: "A cave? That bastard didn't even climb the cliff! They're all big, wealthy bosses, how could they possibly risk their lives with peasants like us!"
I scoffed and said, "You said you've seen He Hai before. What does he look like?"
"So handsome! Extremely handsome! He gives off a refined and cultured vibe, and the first impression he gives is that of someone from a wealthy family. What's that word again... oh right! A young nobleman!"
The man recalled his meeting with He Hai, marveling, "If Sun Dahu hadn't introduced him to me, I would have thought he was a movie star! Boss He only asked me a few simple questions and then left. Sun Dahu handled everything after that, and I never saw him again after that."
Seeing that the man knew very little about He Hai's gang, I threw my cigarette butt into the abyss: "It's about time, we should set off!"
The man had calmed down a bit by then, and he helped himself to his feet, leaning against a nearby stone pillar. "Brother, you saved my life, but I still don't know your name! Let me introduce myself, my name is Nie Guangzhi, and you..."
I squinted at Nie Guangzhi: "You're in the He family's team, how come you don't even know the basics of tomb raiding? You don't ask people's names when you're buried three feet underground, that's the rule."
"You've misunderstood. I'm not an insider. I was introduced to Boss He through an intermediary because I was involved in a lawsuit."
Nie Guangzhi paused for a moment: "Brother, we're both stuck in this cave, and whether we can get out alive is still uncertain! We've known each other for a while, so we should help each other out..."
Shh! Don't speak!
I suddenly raised my arm, making a shushing gesture, and then pricked up my ears to listen.
Seeing my movements, Nie Guangzhi lowered his voice and asked, "Young man, what happened?"
"There's movement down below!"
I pointed my flashlight into the abyss below the slope: "I just heard a sound coming from down there. It's probably someone else who got separated from us. I have to go down and check it out!"
Under the light, the shadows of the stalagmites on the ground were elongated, resembling countless sharp swords piercing the valley.
"Splash!"
The sound came again from below, like many eggs falling from a height, but much louder.
Nie Guangzhi stared at the dark abyss, licked his lips, and looked at me: "Young brother, this commotion doesn't seem like something a human could make, does it?"
I heard the sound of something collapsing below, and instantly remembered the giant snake I had seen before I fell. I scrambled upwards, yelling, "There's a monster down there! Run!"
When Nie Guangzhi saw me turn and run, he shouted after me, "Brother, are you crazy?! What kind of monster could there be in this place? It's probably just a landslide. I have a leg injury, wait for me!"
"Splash splash splash..."
As soon as Nie Guangzhi finished speaking, the sound of stalagmites cracking grew louder and louder, and it seemed to be getting closer and closer to us.
I heard the noise behind me getting louder and louder, so I turned around and shone my hand behind me. Sure enough, I saw a giant snake rapidly crawling towards us.
"Oh my god!"
Upon seeing the enormous snake head below, Nie Guangzhi let out a roar, jumped up from the ground, and then ran away as fast as he could.
I was shocked when I saw Nie Guangzhi rush past me at incredible speed: "Didn't you have a leg injury? How can you run so fast?"
Nie Guangzhi did not answer me. He quickly rushed up the hillside and disappeared in no time.
Faced with the attacking snake, my adrenaline surged, and I grabbed the rope on the ground and started climbing up.
"hiss!"
Suddenly, the sound of a giant snake flicking its tongue came from behind me, and a stenchy gust of wind swept me away.
Before I could even turn around, Nie Guangzhi suddenly reappeared above the cliff, hurling a large rock at me from behind: "Don't just stand there, keep running!"
Nie Guangzhi's stone did not harm the giant snake, but I was encouraged by having someone to help me and rushed up the cliff in one go.
In the lamplight, the large snake's body arced through the air and appeared in our sight in an instant.
"run!"
I saw the giant snake appear, reached out and tore off the vines on my body, and took a step towards the stalagmite in front of me.
"Bang!"
The giant snake pursued relentlessly, and the stalagmites as thick as a person collapsed under its impact.
Nie Guangzhi's left leg muscles had been pierced by the stalagmite. He had just managed to keep going due to the surge of adrenaline from the tense moment, but after struggling around for a while, his speed became slower and slower: "I can't do it anymore, you go first!"
With only two of us escaping, I didn't want to abandon my partner like this. I grabbed Nie Guangzhi's wrist and ran forward: "Hold on, there are stalagmites and vines everywhere ahead. If we lure the giant snake to that place, we'll have a way out!"
After hearing what I said, Nie Guangzhi turned around and glanced behind him, then shoved me and said, "Get out of the way!"
"boom!"
Just as Nie Guangzhi pushed me away, a falling stalagmite crashed down where I had just been standing, and a flying stone hit my leg, knocking me to the ground.
"hiss!"
When the giant snake saw me fall to the ground, its head suddenly stood up, as if it were about to attack.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com