Underground Ruins

We desperately ran back to the bronze door. I signaled for them to wait, and Big Head used the flashlight to illuminate the area. I saw several blurry figures climbing up where the stone skull of the tyrant was. They were bending over, seemingly searching for something.

Big Head whispered, urging me to hurry. I explained that closing the door wouldn't be enough to escape them. I mentioned that the bronze door was heavy, and there must be a mechanism to trigger its closure in the middle.

The bronze ring, not large, was tucked inside a circular hole. I cautiously pulled it, and the chain loosened. Realizing there was a mechanism, I pulled harder. However, the bronze door, despite closing slowly with the chain, emitted a "whining" sound, indicating the old bearings. In this silent environment, it was particularly piercing.

"Something's wrong," Big Head exclaimed.

I looked, and the figures climbing up resembled wolves sniffing blood, rushing towards us frantically.

I attempted to release the iron chain, knowing the iron door would stop closing. Sweating profusely, I heard Big Head and Xiao He urging me to hurry.

I focused on the gradually closing gap. As the figures entered the courtyard, seeing them clearly shocked me. Worry surged; weren't these the transformed monsters? Could they be the people from below the cycle? I quickly reassessed, realizing the ancient ancestors wouldn't be foolish enough to enter a place filled with such creatures.

As they approached, a strong, pungent odor reached me. I shouted to Big Head and the others, telling them to go ahead.

Big Head retorted, "Stop your nonsense," refusing to move.

In this critical moment, the thick bronze door's gap finally narrowed to less than twenty centimeters, and my tensed heart relaxed.

Suddenly, a withered, decaying arm extended through the gap, fingers with long, twisted nails reaching for me. Panicking, I stepped back, more arms followed, and Big Head loaded his gun, firing at them. The creatures were hit, and liquid splattered, accompanied by howls.

Behind us, the bronze cauldron shook, a terrifying low growl echoing. Subsequently, all the bronze cauldrons on both sides began shaking, as if something inside struggled to come out.

The creatures at the door stubbornly squeezed through. The heavy bronze door was pushed open slightly. I thought it was over, shouting, "It's not working, retreat!"

The three of us ran, passing through the ancient temple, back to the entrance of the cave. I asked Big Head, "Where to now?"

He rushed in first, saying, "Follow me, back to the snake cave, maybe we can get out from there."

As I was about to enter, a shadow caught my eye. Before I could react, a force pushed me to the ground. The creature, wearing a yellow fur, pinned me down. Its hands clamped my shoulders, and I saw its grotesque face, cracked skin revealing withered muscles.

Feeling helpless, I anticipated its next move, expecting it to tear my neck and feast on my flesh.

Its arm on my shoulders moved, and I flinched, feeling its long nails brush my face. Closing my eyes, I waited for the inevitable. After a few seconds, the creature hesitated, seemingly conflicted. Opening my eyes, I saw it looking at my backpack, undecided whether to touch it.

Before I could comprehend, a hail of bullets hit the creature, splattering it with liquid. In pain, it retreated, hiding behind scattered rocks.

Big Head guarded with the gun, Xiao He rushed to check on me, asking anxiously, "How are you?"

Shaking my head, I said, "Luckily, you reacted quickly, no missing limbs."

The creature, perhaps scared off, didn't show itself. Glancing at the direction of the ancient temple, I said, "This one might have been called by its companions. Let's move quickly; those things won't let us go once they're here."

Big Head hesitated but turned to enter the cave. The labyrinthine path was challenging, with low ceilings making us crawl, exhausting our waists. Sweating profusely, I suggested a break, considering their fatigue.

Big Head wiped his face and explained, "We need to keep going. This area has many dead ends, and the air is thin. Staying too long might make us suffocate. Besides, those things might have entered by now."

We resumed, crawling for more than ten minutes before finally emerging. Sitting on the ground, soaked in sweat, I asked Big Head how they navigated through the labyrinth.

Shivering, he pulled out a map made of some unknown material. The intricate underground terrain was depicted using a special liquid, focusing mainly on the West Zhou palace. The location of the ancient temple had a question mark, indicating it was not explored.

"We used this map to navigate. Without it, we would have wandered aimlessly inside. I marked each turn, thinking Han Sheng would spot them."

Xiao He glanced at the map, interjecting, "We are here now."

Confused, I stood up, surveying the surroundings. Instead of buildings, I saw many piles of soil, indicating the ruins.

"They've collapsed long ago," Big Head explained, "I believe the map's previous owner never ventured here. This map is a reference to an even older one. Let's move forward; you'll soon see obvious ruins. This was likely a vast residential area."

His analysis made sense, and the buildings, mostly surface structures, probably collapsed due to earthquakes. The area, located near the Qinling Mountains, experienced catastrophic earthquakes every four or five centuries. The last one was during the Ming Dynasty in Huayin, resulting in 800,000 deaths. The destruction here was likely due to such seismic events, compounded by the fragile rock layers formed over thousands of years.

I inquired how Big Head knew about the exit based on the map. Xiao He sarcastically remarked, "Don't just listen to his sweet talk; it's not about good fortune. That crack is on the cave ceiling, making it challenging to climb. A misstep could turn you into a meat pancake."

Despite Big Head's intention to defend his plan, I interrupted, "The traps in the Warring States tomb were precarious. Besides, we lack a map. If we go in without certainty, we might not make it out. Let's check ahead; if it's too dangerous, we can consider other options."

We were indeed at an impasse, running out of resources. The flashlights were dying, and we hadn't eaten for a while. I had a meal when captured by the Cao family, but Big Head and Xiao He were hungry.

Wanting to suggest a break, I hesitated when seeing them push forward. If either of them collapsed, our situation would worsen.

After regrouping, we continued forward, encountering more buildings. Many were ruins, some still standing due to thick walls. This extensive architectural complex had turned into ruins over time.

Both of them displayed experience, skillfully avoiding certain ruins. I asked if it was necessary to be so cautious, and Big Head explained, "Apart from avoiding the giant worm, this ruined architectural area seems to follow a peculiar formation. Without the map, we'd have wandered in circles. We previously spent a lot of time circling in place."