Yokota Shengping woke up suddenly in a heart palpitation, in the dark, he opened his eyes suddenly, and through the moonlight that came in through the cracks in the hole, he saw everything in this dark cave.

The radiation he was exposed to during the flight that night caused his body to mutate greatly.

Although he didn't have the same arm that could be transformed into a whiplash like the guy in Kuribayashi, Yokota's physical fitness was just as good as that guy, and even slightly better in strength and eyesight.

"You're awake." Kuribayashi's voice came from the darkness on one side.

But Yokoda was able to see his appearance clearly.

"yes, what time is it? Replace me with a vigil. Yokota said.

"No, the show is about to begin...... "Kuribayashi got up and walked to the entrance of the cave, looking out through the gap.

Yokoda knew what he was going to see, and he knew what was going to happen in a while...... But he wasn't interested in seeing it. He just closed his eyes again and said, "Look, remember to wake me up before going to bed." ”

However.

Yokota, who closed his eyes, did not fall asleep.

His mind went back to the nights of the past two years...... From the initial fear and panic, to the numbness that I am used to now. He was already familiar with most of the things in this pit. So much so that even if he didn't have to look, he could imagine what terrifying monsters would crawl out of the bottomless spiral cave tonight!

Covered in white bodies, from the size of cats and dogs to more than two meters tall, he moves swiftly and silently like the wind...... An alien that hunts in the dark in an instant.

It was viscous, like a giant slug wriggling on the ground, but its upper body was like that of a human—or simply a disgusting monster mutated from a human, hanging upside down from the stone wall, suddenly spewing acid enough to melt metal! Then crawl in droves to the clumps of melted flesh to feast on the wails of the victims......

It's completely ghostly, formless matter, just a ghost with a cold and piercing aura all over its body, floating a few centimeters above the ground, and although it is not fast, it can always find a living person.

The most tricky thing is that in the face of this kind of monster, all matter below thirty centimeters will be directly penetrated by it. He couldn't fight back, and even Kuribayashi's whip blade would pass directly through the formless body...... Unless it's sunlight or the moment "it's" attacks and retaliates.

As for the rest.

Whether it's a worm that's more than a meter long and likes to stay in puddles of water to ambush other creatures, a worm that can strangle a human arm directly with its body, or an upgraded version of the white xenomorph, the more terrifying black carapace xenomorph. It's just a part of the horrors of the abyssal night.

All the prisoners, who have experienced this horror, dig out the hanging caverns in the steepest cliffs around this sinkhole, hide in them before night, seal the exits with boulders, and pray for the dawn with weapons in their arms.

Although they themselves are some of the most dangerous prisoners.

But in the face of such monsters, they are only one link in the food chain.

……

Monthly value in the middle of the day.

The white moonlight gilded the entire bottom of the sinkhole with a cold color like a white veil.

In the darkness, seven or eight sparkling bonfires burned in all directions.

This is the bonfire lit by the prisoners who were exiled today.

After a day of running-in, they had formed a team, gathered together in twos and threes, and lit a bonfire with some discarded materials and plants found at the bottom of the sinkhole to heat the food sent by the elevator.

Of course.

Naturally, the food provided by the government to these prisoners was not delicious.

Stale bread processed by the bakery, miso and bottled water that are about to expire, rice and some cheap vegetables from the radiation zone, canned food, and some pickled products that fall somewhere between good and bad.

Of course there is no meat.

In today's era of exploding meat prices across Japan, it is naturally impossible to supply meat to prisoners.

The most, that is, some processed canned fish.

These new inmates sitting around the campfire don't realize that some of the foods they don't like today will become delicious in the future that ordinary prisoners can't enjoy!

The underworld of the Qingtian group ate the most hearty.

Almost all the canned fish, fruits, meat floss bread and cream buns in this batch of food have been snatched by them.

There are even two bags of spicy sausages.

These lawless gangsters revolve around well-fueled campfires, nonchalantly wasting food, and unscrupulously talking about how to kill the old prisoners tomorrow in order to "dominate" the prison.

"Huh?!"

At this time, one of the members of the Qingtian group was suddenly stunned, and then listened carefully and said, "There is a singing? ”

"Huh?! Did you hear it wrong? How can there be singing? The companion next to him said with a sneer, but before the words fell, he was also stunned.

"Huh? Is there really a singing!? Still from ......," the two said, turning to look into the spiraling cavern behind them.

By this time.

The singing was getting closer and closer, and even if it didn't have to be listened to, the people around the campfire were gradually hearing it.

The sound did come from the spiral cave next to the camp of the Qingtian group.

Far away, from the deep cavern at the bottom, which could not be seen during the day...... The reflection of the stone wall distorted, like the faint sound of a fly gnat intermittently.

However.

As the song got closer, the crowd began to be able to discern the details of the song.

It was some kind of crisp and unignorable ringtone.

Mixed with the sound of desolate and quaint leather drums.

Many of the women seemed to be singing......

I can't tell their age, I just feel that there is some kind of indescribable weirdness in the singing!

The song was stretched for a long time, twisted upwards and ended abruptly.

That can't be said to be so pleasant.

But the strangeness and sadness in the song give people goosebumps.

It seems like a supplication.

It seems to be a kind of praise.

But it's like a eulogy.

It seems to contain some kind of human emotion for a certain existence...... Everything mingles in this strange ancient song that seems to come out of the deepest cavern...... The sound almost pierced through time, making it seem as if for a moment one had returned to a foggy ancient place.

Wide-robed and broad-sleeved, pale-faced shrine maidens chanted in a strange and solemn manner, and goddesses and gods manipulated the monotonous and desolate bone flutes and beat the unsettling leather drums desperately......

The bell sounds.

Everything seems to have entered another unknown territory from the human world......

……

The people of the Qingtian group searched for the song and gathered around the spiral cave where the song came out.

Condescendingly, looking at this deeper cavern in the dark night.

At the bottom, some firelight seemed to be winding upwards, and the strange song was getting closer and clearer, and even the lyrics in the strange tone were becoming clearer......

Day and night, the blue moon is obscure. The bird is still sad, going back to the past

Drifting away, the heart is comforted. As if gone, God gathers the new world

The dark sky dawned, and the birds chirped. A hundred flowers bloom and pray to God

In this life and this life, the flesh is sad. The floating dream is gone, and the hatred is gone——!