The darkness in front of the underground river spreads, the air is extremely humid, and the waterfall at the source reverberates loudly, making people feel dizzy and bored. I took Dr. Nguyen Le to a drier place as soon as possible, but the rock and soil here were also soaked in water, and stepping on it would leave half a footprint. Dr. Nguyen Li was trembling, his face was extremely ugly, as if he was about to die, and it made me feel that I had to light a fire as soon as possible.

I opened the suitcase next to her. The waterproofness of the suitcase is excellent, we soaked in the water for so long that the contents of the suitcase did not get a trace of wetness. Dr. Nguyen Li tried to untie the infiltrated clothes with trembling hands, but tried several times but could not succeed, and the bleakness of the situation was unbearable to witness. I have taken out the blanket, and hurriedly stepped forward to help her unbutton it, take it off with **, and then wrap her in the blanket.

The humidity is still heavy, and the naked eye can see the mist undulating in the light. Aquatic weeds and some small shrubs grow in the underground river, but no dry natural burning material can be found. I cut a large handful of turf and wood, poured out everything in the suitcase that was safe to burn, picked up a few large rocks and piled them into a fire pit, smashed several lighters, and took oil to light them. After a busy day, the campfire finally went up, the smoke was quite large, and the smell was very bad, but it finally had some warmth.

There was also a slight wind in the underground river, but it was impossible to tell where the air flow started, and it was difficult for the skin to feel it, so it could only be judged by the slope of the smoke. I placed Dr. Nguyen Le upwind, piled damp grass and branches around the campfire, and spread out the damp laundry on the stones.

The heat of the campfire is transmitted through the air, and the mist mixes with the smoke and becomes more intense. Dr. Ruan Li's trembling gradually stopped, and his face gradually turned bloody. I melted the chocolate in the quilt, wrapped it in clothes and handed it to her, and then I took care of my own business. I don't know exactly what to do next, but it's generally a matter of following the underground river, crossing the border between the peninsula and the mainland, and finding another exit. But. The direction of the underground river may lead in all directions, where it is safe, where it is dangerous, and how to determine its position relative to the ground, all require more information.

All in all, reaching this underground river was a crucial victory, but it was far from reassuring. Dr. Nguyen Le may know something about the underground river, but something more specific. Still with her friend Gus. If we can't find Gus, we'll have to try our luck.

Moreover, the Lady in Red encountered before reaching this underground river, and the series of strange circumstances that only I could see, hinted that Area 51 was not ignorant of this route, and perhaps had some deep intentions. Seminars are not mentioned for the time being, but. Our actions are by no means secretive.

I did not share these concerns with Dr. Nguyen Li. After all, even if you say it, there's no better solution. Even if the road is dangerous and the end may be in vain, the other routes are not better.

"You can rest too, Achuan." Dr. Nguyen Li's voice finally calmed down.

I answered. Changed into dry clothes, took the melted chocolate by the campfire, and sat beside her and drank quietly.

"If Gus is here, we can bring more stuff down." Dr. Nguyen Le said, "According to the original plan, we should take the air bed. Rafting along the river saves a lot of time, but for now, we can only walk for a while and see if there is a chance to make a raft. ”

"Gus has been here, has he explored forward?" I asked, "How does he know that this underground river leads to the interior?" ”

"It was just a matter of taking samples and measuring them, and then calculating them through data and experience, and he studied geology before graduating from university, and then changed his career." Dr. Nguyen Li smiled, as if remembering the things he had acquainted with back then, maybe this Gus was indeed a good friend to Dr. Nguyen Li, but now I can't maintain trust in this missing man. No, it should be said that I am wary of anyone on the peninsula except Dr. Nguyen Lê. Even if Gus is really a good friend with a sincere heart, if he is just an ordinary person, there are countless ways to make him do things against his will. However, of course, it is impossible for me to express such suspicion and vigilance in front of Dr. Nguyen Lê.

"We don't have a map of the underground river, and we don't know where to go if we come across a fork." I just calmly ask new questions.

"It's up to you. It's at least safer here than on the ground. Dr. Nguyen Le also had a distressed expression, but quickly let go, saying, "My luck has been good. ”

Her statement is familiar to an occult expert like me. Aren't we the ones who pay the most attention to intuition and luck? Mysterious events are inherently unpredictable, and it is impossible to plan ahead for possible problems. In fact, if this underground river is also involved in the "mystery", then the data obtained from any scientific exploration will be invalid nine times out of ten.

My answer to whether or not this underground river is involved in "mystery" is actually quite clear. There must be some kind of "mystery" here, moreover, a man-made "mystery". Otherwise, the Lady in Red wouldn't be here. But if you want to ask me what exactly she wants to do, and why she hasn't been aggressive in many of the strange phenomena before, I can't answer.

In this case, what else can be done other than luck and improvisation?

If I could, I'd like to meet other occult experts here, and if I can talk, there's always a way to think of something, and even if it's not good, I can get some information. The Lady in Red was like an elusive ghost, and I felt that she was avoiding me and Dr. Nguyen Li, and that the attacks she had carried out before were not even more tentative than the power she might have, and I would rather think it was a show.

If the other party were to take it seriously and face us with the idea of killing us completely, the pressure on me would have to be at least tenfold.

I quietly pondered, tossed the slightly drier twigs into the campfire, and after ten minutes, drank the last of the hot chocolate in one go. Dr. Nguyen Li, who was beside him, stood up, took off the blanket on his body, picked up the dry inner and outer clothes and changed them. I know she doesn't want to stay where she is anymore.

"If we save on the food we brought, we can last for a week." Dr. Nguyen Le said as he filled the water bottle with water from the underground river, "Gus has tested it, and the water quality here is still within drinking standards. But. No one can predict how the water quality will change the further we go. ”

I helped to repack the luggage, and two suitcases that were once full were now two-thirds of them completely burned. I wondered what the use of the empty box would be after I had disposed of the remaining third. In fact, if there is a temporary data hedge in this underground river, you can use the fourth-level magic pattern to transform the structure to create a ship. My expected opponent is the Lady in Red. But the first few collisions, the temporary data hedging generated by her mystery, could not reach the level of exploitation.

Dr. Nguyen Le changed into a tight-fitting sportswear for easy movement and tied her hair into a ponytail with a rope, looking much younger than the researcher in the white coat she had worn before. Picking up a lighter suitcase in one hand and a flashlight in the other, he greeted me and walked along the riverbank. I hurriedly put the searchlight on my forehead. Lift the suitcase and catch up.

Dr. Nguyen Le and I are not the only creatures that move in the underground river, and plants and fungi are not scarce. And some strange creatures continue to appear in the field of vision. They are mostly quiet, vigilant, and mostly reptile. Some of these creatures are known at first glance as variants of some animals on the ground, but some are completely unseen. Dr. Nguyen Lai also seemed to be curious about this, and from time to time let out a sigh of wonder of nature.

These plants and animals all exhibit strong photoapathy, when the searchlit column of light passes by. You will always see large and small silhouettes spread out, and the leaves of many plants will curl up. When we walk here, it's like outsiders breaking into a closed village, being watched and tempted. I was also afraid. Dr. Nguyen Li looked very relaxed on the surface, but his eyes and movements were a little startled.

This unfamiliar environment is enough for ordinary people to feel the unknown and unpredictable sense of threat that is usually difficult to experience. However, it is precisely this environment that seems to have left Dr. Nguyen Li with no time to think about superfluous things. She classified all the anomalies she had seen before as abnormalities in her own mental state, and this abnormality in her mental state was the result of the erosion of Claudia White. I think she may feel that her life is short, and that she will soon become a "madman" like other patients. I wanted to comfort her and relieve her, but as an expert in the study of Claudia White, the consolation I gave as a patient would not carry much weight.

We walked like this, one after the other, deep and shallow. I could use QuickSweep to speed things up, but there was a gut feeling that prevented me from doing so. It's hard for me to articulate this intuition, it seems to have popped into my mind, a thought for no reason, maybe no evidence to prove it correct, or even disappear for a moment, but it does leave traces in my mind.

After walking for about 20 minutes, the waterfall at the source of the underground river has been completely left behind us, and we can't see it again even if we look back. The sound of the waterfall hitting the surface of the water could no longer drown out the trickle of the underground river. Dr. Nguyen Le may not really feel anything unusual, but, in my chain judgment, there are constantly human figures in this underground river swimming upstream, they are like corpses abandoned in the water, and they are quietly chilling.

The underground river acts as a huge transport pipe to transport these figures downstream. I've tried to reach into the water and salvage them, but they're like illusions, passing through my fingers. Except for running water, there is no touch at all.

As expected, the first fork in the road soon appeared in front of us, and the river was divided into two, but it was not so difficult to choose, because the depth and width of the two channels were different, and the water quality was turbid and clean. Dr. Nguyen Le led me to a wider channel, but before I turned around, I glanced at the shallower depths of the channel, where darkness could deceive my naked eyes but could not interfere with the chain judgment - in the depths of this channel, the human figures piled up like garbage, making it seem that the river was blocked there.

What is the origin of these figures? My doubts deepened. I don't know why, but even though they look like corpses, I think they're going to come back to life at any moment.

No, it should be said that even if it is alive, it is not unusual.

We searched all the way along the river, and although we did not encounter any danger, gradually the scenery became monotonous, and even when we spoke, we felt that the topic began to dry up. Mental exhaustion is more pronounced than physical exhaustion. I feel a little abnormal because I am not an ordinary person, and the mental state of the occultist is much tougher than that of ordinary people, however, my own specificity does not make me perform better than Dr. Nguyen Li. It was as if there was some kind of "mystery" that targeted and forcibly sucked my energy.

On this day, we only had a total of three hours of rest, but when Dr. Nguyen Li stepped into a new fork in the road again, she exclaimed, "How, how is it possible!" She hurried forward a few steps to a lithosphere, and looked closely at the marks on it, which I also noticed, which were clearly carved by man.

"What is this?" I asked. The trail was like some kind of symbol, but only half of it was left.

"Gus's mark." Dr. Nguyen Le seemed shocked. But I don't understand why she was shocked that Gus was missing, perhaps a sign that he had run to this place on his own. Although we were a little embarrassed when we came in, Gus, who had already been here once, could have made it easier.

"Something is happening, right here." Dr. Ruan Li's expression became serious, and he said in a firm tone.

"I don't understand." I don't quite understand why Dr. Nguyen Le was so surprised and so determined.

"I made a pact with Gus that if he didn't see us, he would never enter this underground river." Dr. Nguyen Le turned around, stared at me and said, "I believe he will keep this agreement more than any sudden possibility." ”

"Maybe he can't control himself." I say.

"If you break the agreement, you die." Dr. Nguyen Le suddenly said in a strange tone, "Whatever the reason, once he enters the underground river without encountering us, he will definitely die." ”

Her statement was almost like a curse, but talking about curses and anything else was completely inconsistent with the style of a scientist warrior she usually exhibited. (To be continued......)