When I heard Liu Guang say that the villagers wanted to see me, I quickly asked, "Can we see those two people who came into the village before?"
Liu Guang nodded: "Of course, they're all waiting over there in the square. Let's go!"
Upon hearing this answer, I quickly woke up Song Laosan. The two of them, without even washing their faces, followed Liu Guang to the center of the village.
Before I even got close, I could smell the aroma of barbecue in the air, and I could also hear singing.
In the center of this village, there is a small square with a stage that looks like a theater.
Sunlight shines down from the top of the sinkhole, providing illumination for the cave and also enabling the sparse plants below to photosynthesize.
By this time, a bonfire had been lit in the middle of the square, and not far away, people were skinning two wild boars and a bear. Several muscular men were dismantling the meat and bones, and the women on the side would skewer it on tree branches and put it by the bonfire to smoke, seemingly preparing to make dried meat.
Seeing the three carcasses of wild beasts, Song Laosan looked at Liu Guang with suspicion: "Mr. Liu, didn't you say this valley was isolated from the outside world? How could we still hunt prey here?"
"Go to the right of the cave, and there's a waterfall that flows down from the cliff. The terrain there is very peculiar; it can pump underground water up to the top of the mountain and then form a waterfall that flows down. Some knowledgeable people in the village used to say that there is pressure underground, which is called the siphon effect. The hunters in the village would put drugs in the groundwater, and after it circulated up, if wild animals drank it, they would be washed down by the waterfall!"
Liu Guang looked at us happily: "Our poison is made from centipedes and scorpions from the caves. Usually, it can only kill some wildcats and rabbits. I never expected that we would hunt such a large beast this time. The villagers all say that this good luck was brought by you outsiders."
Song Laosan's focus, however, was on something else: "You said the groundwater here can be sucked up, so could people leave through the waterways?"
"If we could leave, we would have left long ago."
Liu Guang shook his head and said, "The water over there comes up from the cracks in the rocks; there's no waterway at all."
I thought about it and it made sense. These people have been trapped in the cave for over a hundred years, like Robinson Crusoe. They must have thought of every possible solution we could think of.
I looked around but didn't see Manjing or the monkey. I asked Liu Guang, "Mr. Liu, where are the people who came before?"
Liu Guang pointed to a group of people dancing in the distance: "They should be over there! You are all guests, you don't need to participate in the work!"
After hearing Liu Guang's words, I immediately quickened my pace and ran over there.
At this moment, the villagers are singing and dancing to celebrate the harvest, with men, women, and children enjoying themselves immensely.
I stood outside the crowd and glanced over. I noticed that most of the people were wearing traditional clothing, with two figures in camouflage mixed in.
Seeing this scene, my heart sank.
These two people are wearing Type 97 summer jungle camouflage, so the equipment was definitely not provided to them by the village.
Our people don't wear these kinds of clothes at all.
Song Laosan, who was beside me, looked at the two figures with a complicated expression: "These two are not from your side. Qu Ruilin's team doesn't have this kind of attire either. It's He Hai's men who are all wearing camouflage uniforms!"
"They're not He Hai's men. He Hai's men all wear the Type 07 camouflage uniforms, which are mosaic-patterned, not like theirs!"
I've already guessed who these two people are: "Before we set off, the mountains outside Qingyun Town were closed off because two militiamen got lost in the deep mountains. These two people are probably the lost militiamen!"
At that moment, the two men in camouflage also saw us and ran quickly towards us: "Comrades, are you the people sent by our superiors to rescue me?"
I shook my head: "We also wandered into this place by mistake, but there were indeed people searching for you before we went into the mountains."
After hearing what we said, the two of them immediately showed a dejected expression.
Through conversation, I learned that the two militiamen were villagers from Qingyun Town, one named Lao Wang and the other Lao Li.
The two got separated while assisting the police in searching for a murderer. They wandered into this area inexplicably in the mountains, and when they drank water by the river, they accidentally drank water that the villagers had poisoned. After losing consciousness, they were swept downstream by the river.
The failure to find the monkey and Manjing extinguished the flame of hope in my heart.
When we pulled it out of the cat ear cave, Song Laosan had already blocked the way back with stones to prevent those Gu creatures from chasing us out.
Or rather, even if they hadn't blocked the road, the chances of the monkey and Manjing finding the cat's ear hole and successfully getting here were extremely slim.
After getting acquainted with Lao Wang and Lao Li, I called them aside and gave each of them a cigarette: "Gentlemen, you've seen the situation here. If we don't find a way to save ourselves, we'll probably be trapped here forever. We have a plan: we need to go back to where we came from, find a satellite phone, and make contact with the outside world. However, the journey there is quite dangerous, and we'll need to work together..."
Before I could finish speaking, Old Wang interrupted me, saying, "Young man, I'm not going to participate in your plan! I've already died once trying to participate in this search and rescue operation. Now that I've barely escaped with my life, I don't want to take any more risks. Besides, I believe the government will not abandon us, so I'm not going anywhere. I'll just stay here and wait for rescue!"
"Old Wang, what kind of enlightenment is this?"
Old Li offered a completely different perspective: "I think Xiao Duan is right. Since we're trapped here, we have to actively save ourselves. Otherwise, how can we stay here and live like savages? Most importantly, the people here are all remnants of the Kuomintang reactionaries. We must contact the organization and wipe them all out!"
"Shut up! Taiwan is about to be liberated, what reactionaries are left?"
Old Wang rolled his eyes: "Anyway, say whatever you want. I'm definitely not participating in your risky operation. I'll just wait for rescue here."
Old Li saw right through Old Wang's thoughts: "You want us to go on dangerous missions while you stay here and reap the rewards! Old Wang, do you really want to be trapped in this backward cave for the rest of your life?"
Old Wang remained unmoved: "I've lived in Qingyun Town for most of my life. Have I enjoyed any technological benefits? Don't try to morally blackmail me. This is my own life, and I get to decide what to do with it!"
Seeing Lao Wang's attitude, I waved my hand and said, "Forget it, since Lao Wang isn't going to participate, then the three of us will do it. We'll set off after lunch."
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