novelnext Chapter 33 Below the Cliff
Chapter 33 Below the Cliff
When the cow mooed for the third time, everyone's face turned extremely pale.
Zhou Hu glanced down below, then looked at the crowd.
"Yan Qi, find the way."
"Lin Jun, guard the entrance, watch the wind, watch the forest, and watch the way we came."
"Liu Gao, hold the rope tight. If you can't pull him back up after lowering him down today, I'll use you as a doorstop."
"Old Ding, is your leg feeling any better?"
Old Ding was still squatting there massaging his legs.
"good."
Zhou Hu nodded and asked a question.
"Old Ding, doesn't that sound like a cow mooing?"
Old Ding rubbed his leg, his face expressionless.
"picture."
"But it's not a cow."
These words startled Liu Gao, turning his face pale.
He wanted to say something, but in the end he swallowed hard and chose to keep quiet.
Zhou Hu immediately made the decision.
"I, Yan Qi, will go down."
"Lin Jun, Liu Gao, keep the hair."
"Old Ding is in charge."
"The person is down there. Once we find them, we'll bring them up directly."
Lin Jun nodded without saying a word.
Liu Gao was a little anxious.
"Since Brother Qin has already gone down, what am I supposed to do up here? I also..."
Zhou Hu turned his head and glanced at him.
"You have strength, and you bear great responsibility."
"When pulling someone up, there needs to be someone standing firmly behind the rope."
"Also, there's only half a door left, so going down now won't do any good."
Liu Gao opened his mouth, but couldn't refute it.
In the end, he could only stand by the rope, clutching half a door panel, and mutter to himself:
"Alright. Being strong is a skill in itself."
Mo Qin glanced at Lin Jun.
Lin Jun only said two words.
"To live."
"I know this book. It was published in 1993 and was written by Yu Hua."
"You're acting like a complete idiot!"
"Thank you for the compliment."
After saying that, Mo Qin picked up his gun, turned around, and followed Zhou Hu down the cliff.
Below the cliff edge is a snow slope that slants out from the mountainside.
The snow wasn't thick; underneath were all gravel and frozen mud.
Yan Qi walked at the very front.
He wasn't stepping on the slope when he went down; he was probing.
The toes will tap the ground first to check if there is any hollow or slippery area under the snow before putting force up.
I felt light and steady, like walking at night in my own home.
Zhou Hu is in the center, holding an iron spear horizontally in his hand.
Mo Qin walked at the back, his white wax spear stuck diagonally in the snow, using the butt of the spear as a fulcrum to move down step by step.
The further down you go, the weaker the wind becomes.
The wind was blowing horizontally from above, but at the bottom of the cliff, the wind was suppressed by the mountain walls on both sides, leaving only a cold and damp feeling.
The strange noise stopped.
But the more it's like this, the more uneasy people feel.
Yan Qi suddenly stopped.
"There are traces."
Zhou Hu immediately moved closer.
Mochin followed suit.
There was a shallow skid mark on the edge of the snow slope, which stretched diagonally downwards, intermittently, and only stopped in front of a rocky corner below.
On the outer side of the rock corner, a large patch of snow was scraped away, revealing dark, damp rocks.
Several low shrubs nearby had broken off, and the cuts were all fresh.
Yan Qi reached out and touched the stone, then rubbed a little mud from under the snow.
"People come down from here."
"It fell down, it didn't walk on its own."
"It hit a rock first, then got stopped by some bushes, so it didn't roll all the way to the bottom."
Zhou Hu nodded.
"continue."
The three of them followed the trail and continued walking forward.
After walking a few steps, the group spotted a small piece of material on a branch.
It's the same color as the one we found earlier.
Yan Qi only glanced at it.
"It was hung down while the person was still alive."
"It wasn't a corpse that was dragged over."
"Um."
Zhou Hu responded, but there was no joy on his face.
They explored further in, and the terrain gradually narrowed.
A sheltered rocky hollow appeared ahead.
The stone hollow is not large; it is surrounded by stone on three sides and has only one opening.
There were traces of someone lying on the ground, but what was more noticeable were several semi-transparent pieces on the ground.
It looks like frozen liquid water stuck between the cracks in the rocks and the dry grass. It's whitish in color with shiny edges, like a layer of solidified glue.
It's definitely not blood, and it's definitely not ice.
When Zhou Hu saw that layer, he cautiously poked at it with the tip of his spear.
"What is this?"
Yan Qi shook his head.
"Never seen it before."
He looked down at the ground again.
"People have been here."
"Then they went inside again."
Zhou Hu looked in the direction he was pointing.
Deepest in the rocky hollow, there is a crack clinging to the rock wall.
It's not wide; only one person can pass sideways.
The stones around the crack were polished smoother than the rest of the stone, as if something had rubbed against them over the years.
Staring at that crack, Mo Qin felt a sudden heaviness in his chest.
A surge of heat welled up in his dantian, and it grew stronger and stronger.
Zhou Hu also sensed that something was wrong.
But he didn't hesitate for long and made a decision directly.
"Yan Qi keeps silent."
"I'll wait outside."
"Moqin, go inside."
Mochin looked up.
"Me alone?"
"Old Ding is weak now; you are the strongest in terms of combat power."
Zhou Hu looked at him and said, "Look at the road. It's too narrow for me to get in, and Yan Qi is even less capable than you. Once you're inside, call out to anyone you see. If you don't see anyone, or if you see something else, don't try to be a hero."
"Remember this sentence."
"You're going in to find someone, not to die."
Mo Qin nodded and took a deep breath through his nose.
"clear."
Then, he blew the tinderbox to make it brighter, turned the white wax spear sideways with the tip facing backward, and squeezed himself into the crevice.
The crack was deeper than expected.
At first, it could only fit one's shoulders, but after walking a few steps, it gradually widened inside.
The ground was covered with gravel and shallow puddles, which were cold and slippery underfoot.
Occasionally, snowmelt drips down from the cracks in the rocks, drip-drop, drip-drop, the sound is extremely soft, but in this place it sounds jarring.
The further in you go, the warmer it gets.
To put it another way, it's like a row of huge heating pads in a stone house that has never seen the light of day.
When Mo Qin took the third step, the heat from his dantian began to surge into his chest.
By the fifth step, sweat had already broken out on my back.
Further inside, he could actually hear breathing!
The sound was long and deep.
It sucked in all at once, as if a section of the air in the entire crack had been drawn away.
It was expelled all at once, and then it felt like a surge of heat was slowly pushing in from the darkness.
Instinctive fear made Mochin stop in his tracks.
But it's too late to turn back now.
As the torchlight shone out, a larger cavity appeared in front of us.
The area was not small, but the light was only enough to illuminate a few wet stones at the feet and a little further ahead on the ground.
Just because the eyes can't see clearly doesn't mean the body doesn't know.
What Mo Qin first felt was a sense of heaviness!
There seemed to be something enormous lying in front of us; just by being there, it was much heavier than anywhere else.
He experienced this feeling countless times in the apocalypse.
The mutated species deep within the ruins are often like this as well.
Before you even see it, your body tells you that you can't go any further.
Mochin's hand holding the gun was sweaty.
He didn't go any further; he just stood there, forcibly controlling his breathing.
The light from the tinderbox flickered.
In the darkness, the thing rose and fell once.
This time, Mochin finally saw a little bit of the outline.
It coiled deep within the cavity, its body thick and long, pressing down on the ground segment by segment, its back not rising and falling high, but pressing down very heavily.
It has no hair on the surface, but it's not like animal hide either. When the light shines on it, it reflects a slightly damp, dark color.
The most terrifying part is the section after the tail.
That place seemed to have been cut off before.
It was just a raised mass, like an old scar, with rough edges, and it didn't connect at all with the lines of the torso.
Mo Qin blinked and held his breath.
His heart was pounding, but he dared not utter the word.
The breathing sounds suddenly changed over there.
The thing took a deep breath.
The air currents all flowed in that direction at once.
Mo Qin's clothes twitched slightly, and the heat from his body carried over with that inhale.
At that moment, he suddenly realized that the other person was smelling him.
Mo Qin felt a chill run down his spine, and his scalp tingled.
But his intuition told him that he wouldn't die now.
If that thing really wanted to do something, I'm already a dead man.
The cavity was quiet for two breaths.
Then, a soft sound came from the darkness.
It looked like something small had landed on a stone, rolled twice, and then stopped.
Mochin lowered his head.
There was something extra at my feet.
This thing is about the size of a fingertip, dark in color, and its surface is neither round nor shiny, like a small piece of dried gelatinous kernel.
He didn't dare to reach out.
The breath in front of him became heavier again.
Strangely enough, Mo Qin understood what the other person meant: "Swallow this thing."
Upon understanding, Mo Qin's first reaction was that he was very disappointing.
What is this thing?
Eat it?
Will I get an upset stomach?
He wanted to curse himself the next moment.
What time is it? Why are you still concerned about whether someone has diarrhea or not?
My life is more important!
If even the present is gone, what's the point of talking about the future!
Having figured it out, he quickly bent down and picked up the object.
It feels slightly cool to the touch.
Like an old jade stone that has been soaked in a mountain spring for a long time.
With a gritted teeth, Mo Qin closed his eyes and swallowed.
It has almost no smell and is very moisturizing...
The substance slid down the throat as if it knew where it was headed.
It stopped when it reached a small area slightly below the chest.
Then, the heat in my body subsided.
Just as Mo Qin was focusing on his physical condition, a soft groan came from the other side of the cavity.
It's people!
He turned around abruptly and shone the tinderbox in that direction.
Beneath the stone wall, a person was half-leaning and half-lying down.
The man's clothes were badly tattered, his outer robe was worn through in several places by the stone corners, and his whole body was wrapped in a layer of translucent gelatinous substance.
It appeared that there were still injuries on his legs, but the gel acted like a layer of gauze, covering the wounds and preventing them from bleeding.
The man was pale, his lips were chapped, and his hair was a mess like a bird's nest.
It was Shen Weijing!
Mo Qin's eyelids twitched.
Found it!
still alive.
Just as I was about to step forward, the breathing behind me rose and fell once more.
Mo Qin turned around instinctively.
It was slowly receding, but before it left, it let out a very long, muffled thud.
At first glance, the sound really did sound a bit like a cow.
Not daring to look any longer, Mo Qin quickly walked to Shen Weijing's side and nudged him.
"Wake up."
Shen Weijing's eyelids twitched, but he didn't open them.
"Wake up."
Mochin gave it another push.
This time, Shen Weijing finally hissed and took a breath.
His eyes slowly opened, first staring blankly, then shrinking back.
"Are you alive?"
Mo Qin was taken aback.
"nonsense."
Shen Weijing stared at him for a couple of breaths, then let out a long sigh.
"As long as they're human."
"I'm afraid of ghosts."
After saying this, his gaze began to wander, and when he saw the surrounding stone walls, he lowered his voice even further.
"Did you come alone?"
There are still people outside.
Mo Qin was too lazy to argue with him. "Can you move?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Weijing's face turned bitter.
"Be able to move a little."
"But not many."
"If you make me walk on my own, it's like forcing a civil official to perform a reincarnation act in the snow."
Mochin glanced at his leg.
It's very swollen.
But strangely, it didn't rot or turn black.
That layer of gel protected the wound very well.
Shen Weijing followed his gaze, glanced down, and lowered his voice even further.
"Don't ask."
"I don't know what this is either."
"When I woke up, I was like this, all sticky and sticky, like I had fallen into a pot of glue."
"But I must say, my leg really doesn't hurt as much as before."
Mo Qin didn't bother with that, and simply reached out and pulled him up.
With that pull, Shen Weijing immediately winced in pain.
"Gently, gently."
"This isn't saving people, it's demolishing houses."
Mochin held one of his arms, his face expressionless.
"I'm already grateful that I even made it."
"If you find it uncomfortable, then walk away."
"That won't work."
Shen Weijing answered quickly, "I'm the most pragmatic person I've ever been in my life."
Mo Qin almost laughed out of anger.
Even in this state, he still talks so much.
Just as the two reached the crevice, Zhou Hu's voice came from outside.
"Mochin?"
"exist."
Where are they?
"Found it."
It got quiet outside for a moment.
The next moment, Zhou Hu's voice was noticeably lower.
"Bring it out."
As soon as I emerged from the crevice, a cold wind rushed towards my face.
Shen Weijing shuddered on the spot, muttering to himself:
"I wasn't this cold inside..."
"Shut up."
Mo Qin led him outside, saying, "Save your breath, we'll talk about it when we get upstairs."
Zhou Hu and Yan Qi had already come to greet them.
Zhou Hu first identified the servant, then examined the leg, and finally asked a question.
"Is everything normal?"
"normal."
Mo Qin nodded, "He just injured his leg, but he's fine."
"Let's go up first."
Yan Qi led the way, with Zhou Hu bringing up the rear.
Mo Qin supported Shen Weijing and walked up the same path.
When he reached the halfway point, Shen Weijing finally calmed down a bit and began to regain his composure.
"I knew Li Shuai wouldn't let me die so easily."
"If you had come any later, I would probably still be alive."
Mo Qin turned his head to look at him.
"Where do you get your confidence?"
"Mouth."
Shen Weijing answered confidently, "My mouth may annoy people normally, but it can also save my life in a critical moment."
"Besides, if things really come to a dead end, I can still negotiate a settlement."
"Who should I talk to?"
Anyone will do.
"Even wolves from the mountains would work?"
"That depends on whether it listens to human speech."
Zhou Hu overheard a bit and coldly uttered a remark:
"The fact that you can still talk nonsense means you're not completely dead."
Shen Weijing immediately fell silent.
After only five steps of silence, he added:
"The general is right."
"I've always been a lucky person."
Mochin was completely convinced.
If only we had super glue!
At the edge of the cliff, Liu Gao lay prone, looking down.
He was the first to shout when he saw the fire extinguisher below flicker.
"Got it!"
"Brother Qin is up!"
"He actually brought someone with him!"
Lin Jun, who was originally standing in the eye of the storm, lowered his gaze upon hearing this.
Once the others arrived, she took a few steps forward.
"Shen Weijing?"
"It is I."
When Shen Weijing was taken by Liu Gao, his face contorted in pain, but he didn't stop talking.
"Brother, your shoulders are nice, but they're a bit uncomfortable."
Liu Gao stared wide-eyed.
"I'm already being lenient by carrying you, and you're still complaining?"
"I'm not being picky, I'm just telling the truth."
"If you're not happy, I can get down and walk around by myself."
"Give me a break."
"Look at you, you'd have to bow down to the snow after every few steps."
Shen Weijing was taken aback, and then actually nodded.
"That makes sense."
Lin Jun, who was initially on edge, almost lost her composure watching the two of them go back and forth.
But she quickly looked away and focused her gaze on Mochin.
It's good that everyone is alright; her brow twitched slightly.
Old Ding raised his head.
He had been fiddling with the firewood when Mochin came up, and he stopped.
Their eyes met, and Mo Qin's heart tightened.
Old Ding could see clearly that the young man had an extra fragrance about him, and his whole aura was completely different from before he went down.
After a moment, Old Ding slowly asked:
"Besides people, there's something else down there, right?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Jun also raised his eyes.
Zhou Hu didn't turn around; he just kept looking ahead at the road.
Mo Qin remained silent for a moment, and finally replied with only three words.
"have no idea."
Old Ding stared at him for a couple of moments, then nodded.
"Understood."
He didn't ask any more questions.
Mochin didn't say anything more.
But both of them knew that this was not the right time to bring it up.
Zhou Hu raised his hand at the front.
"Let's stop talking."
"We can't go back the way we came."
"Yan Qi, you've led us astray."
Yan Qi was already looking at the snow.
"Over here."
He was referring to a narrower, more sloping forest path to his right and rear.
Zhou Hu nodded.
"Walk."
Yan Qi led the way.
Zhou Hu advanced.
Liu Gao carried Shen Weijing in the middle, half a door panel hanging from his arm, panting and cursing:
"You look thin, how come you're so heavy?"
Shen Weijing leaned on his shoulder and corrected him earnestly:
"This proves that it wasn't me who sank."
"You're just being weak."
Liu Gao almost threw the person into the snow.
"Brother Qin, did you hear that? This guy has a really foul mouth."
Mochin, carrying a gun, walked at the back and replied:
"If he weren't so foul-mouthed, he wouldn't be alive today."
Lin Jun was a little further back in the group, responsible for looking after Mo Qin and Lao Ding.
It was very dark in the woods.
The torch could only illuminate a few steps ahead; beyond that, all that could be seen were the slanted, vertical shadows of the trees.
As he walked, Mo Qin noticed a warm object on his chest.
It's like holding your breath, or like a lump of undigested glutinous rice cake sitting there.
But it felt alright, even somewhat calming.
But there's no time to think about it now; we'll talk about it when we get back to camp.
At the same time, Yan Qi stopped in his tracks.
Everyone stopped at the same time.
Zhou Hu immediately put his hand on the gun barrel.
"What's wrong?"
Yan Qi squatted halfway in the snow, looking up at the woods ahead.
There are people ahead of us.
Zhou Hu took a step forward and followed the gaze.
Sure enough, deep in the forest, amidst the wind and snow, stood two figures.
One tall and one short, as if they had been waiting there all along.
Shen Weijing, perched on Liu Gao's shoulder, also saw it.
He was taken aback at first, then his voice suddenly dropped.
"They've caught up again?"
No one answered him.
The two figures ahead began to walk this way.
Zhou Hu's voice fell coldly.
"alert!"
As the two figures drew closer, they came into view.
Mo Qin also raised his white wax spear, and the air mass in his chest, like a heartbeat, throbbed.