The roar of an avalanche was like a doomsday trumpet, and the steep hillside cracked a massive sloping crack. The five of us were carried into the crack by the wave of air, and after rolling several laps in the darkness, we fell to the bottom of an unknown cavern. Huge snowboards followed closely behind to block the exit, and the choking snow foam caused everyone to cough violently, and the roar above their heads continued for a long time before it fell silent, as if the whole world had been buried by ice and snow.
"I can still squeak for breath!" The shouts of the big man with a northeastern accent cut through the darkness. I almost fell apart in pain, and I could only respond with a weak grunt. Gawa lit the flashlight, and in the beam, Luo Ning sat on the ground, but Liu Gong was unconscious - the white bone of his broken calf was spurted with flesh, glowing white in the cold light.
When the big man finished snorting at Liu Gong, shook his head and said, "It's out of breath", the air instantly froze. I grabbed the sapper shovel to dig a pit, but Gawa held my arm violently, pointed to the ground and said urgently: "Worm, fire!" The tragic scene of ladybugs burning people in the valley instantly reappeared in our minds, and we could only use gravel to build a simple stone tomb for Liu Gong. Luo Ning's suppressed cry sounded, my throat tightened, and I took the lead in reciting the words of "Mao Xuan": "The sky is white, and the march in the snow is even more urgent..." The four of them trembled and raised their right fists, the sound of oaths echoing through the hollow cracks.
When the equipment was counted, the reality became even more harsh: there were only twenty rounds of ammunition left, two grenades per person, and dry food was gone. Thankfully, Luo Ning's compass is still there. We groped our way through the cracks, the terrain continued to sink, the barometer showed that the altitude had dropped to more than 400 meters, and the underground space became more and more open. I don't know how long I walked, but the sound of rushing water came, and at the same time, the beam of the flashlight hit the rock wall, and countless small reflections flashed like stars.
"It's mica!" Luo Ning suddenly whispered. She explains these rare dark hexagonal cylindrical micas, suggesting that we have gone deep into the earth to unimaginable depths. Just as everyone was amazed, Gava suddenly fell to the ground and kowtowed in a certain direction in the darkness. The moment the beam swept by, everyone gasped for air – a nine-story "gold" zigzag wooden pagoda towered in front of them, each floor filled with dry skeletons dressed in ancient costumes, and the towers were engraved with mysterious Tibetan characters.
"Nine... Nine-story demon building! Gawa's face turned pale, and explained in broken Chinese that this was the form of funeral in the tomb of the demon king, and in his hometown of Xuewei, similar ruins had been destroyed by King Gesar. Luo Ning suddenly rushed back, trembling and making a silent gesture: "Fire ladybugs, all on the corpse!" If you look closely, the dense red points of light on the wooden tower are actually those deadly ladybugs sleeping.
We held our breath and retreated, but Gava suddenly stepped into the air and fell into the dark ditch. Layers of animal bones were piled up in the ditch, and a sharp bone stubble pierced the sole of his foot. In order to prevent alarming the ladybugs, the big man covered Gawa's mouth stiffly, I gritted my teeth and pulled out the bone stubble, and Luo Ning quickly bandaged it. Looking at the blood on my hands, I suddenly remembered the record in my grandfather's "Fragment of the Dragon Sutra" - the long burial ditch in front of me is very likely to constitute the soul-intimidating layout of "two dragons absorbing pearls".
"There's an underground river to the northwest!" I pointed to the back of the wooden tower and analyzed the crowd, "If the speculation is correct, you may be able to get out by walking along the river." But only if you have to pass through the narrow passage below the nine-story demon tower. After deliberation, we decided to take a chance. I reconnoitred on my own, and sure enough, I found another burial ditch 100 meters away, which was piled with leather boots, silk, and wooden slabs engraved with ancient characters.
On the way back, I was exploring the way ahead, the big man was on guard with a gun, and Luo Ning was holding the limping Gawa. The wooden tower is entrenched like a giant beast, and the mica rock walls on both sides squeeze the passage so that it can only pass sideways. With each step, the sleeping ladybug swarm above us seemed to wake up at any moment, and two hundred meters below the tower, we almost held our breath and moved against the rock wall. When we finally stepped out of the shadows, the deafening sound of water came to our faces – it was the roar of the underground river and our hope of survival.