Folk Strange Stories Part 1: The Witch Ancestor of Miao Township Chapter 10 Section 2: Water Ponds

After leaving the corridor, we continued further inside and unexpectedly came upon an enormous water pool. The pool was just over a hundred meters from the corridor entrance, and it was densely covered with hundreds upon hundreds of corpses. These bodies weren't all fully decomposed; some hadn't been dead for long. Due to the high humidity of the cavern, almost all the bodies had undergone varying degrees of decay, and some had rotted down to mere skeletons. The stench of death and putrid air was overwhelming, capable of making someone faint.

Holding his nose, the chubby guy exclaimed, "And this is called the 'life gate'? Damn it, just out of the tiger's den, and into the dragon's lair..." Before he could continue, he noticed everyone staring at him, so he had to give up with a disgruntled expression.

"Captain Wang, look over there," Zhang Yunwei's flashlight illuminated a long object on the ground not too far away. Old Wang followed the light and saw an old-fashioned rifle. The metallic parts of the gun had rusted completely, and the stock was almost entirely decayed. Based on its appearance, it was either a Chiang Kai-shek-style rifle from the Republic of China era or a Type 38 Arisaka rifle used by the Japanese.

"We've got this too," Li Yan used his knife to lift up a dark, rusty object. After examining it for a while, he recognized it as the legendary "Turtle Shell Cover" – a Type 14 Nambu pistol used by the Japanese.

As we moved forward, we found more things: brand-new waterproof compasses, daggers with blades rusted to the point of being metal rods. A skeleton lying on the ground clutched a feng shui compass in its arms. We even discovered the bodies of three foreigners. They hadn't been dead for long, and their features showed the distinct characteristics of Caucasians – blond hair and the outlines of white people.

Not far from each of the three bodies were two AK47 rifles with their magazines emptied and a Remington shotgun. While examining their belongings, we couldn't find their identification, but we did find a bundle of detonators and five kilograms of plastic explosive in their backpacks. The detonators and explosive were wrapped in waterproof bags and preserved very well. There were also miscellaneous items like entrenching tools, climbing ropes, miner's helmets, and more. In their pockets, we found over eight thousand US dollars.

Old Wang angrily said, "How many people did that bastard Lao Lin deceive into coming here?" The man with white hair gave him a glance without saying a word. Liu Jingsheng said, "Captain Wang, it's a shame to leave the explosives and detonators here. Take them with us, they might be useful on the way."

Old Wang nodded, turned to me, and said, "Spicy, take the explosives and detonators." Before I could respond, the chubby guy rushed over and said, "Let me take them. You guys are already carrying around twenty or thirty kilograms. I'll handle this stuff." I was wondering why this fatty suddenly became so generous until I saw him pick up the explosives, casually sling the Remington shotgun over his back, and swiftly pocket the few thousand US dollars.

Continuing forward, we arrived at the edge of the water pool. It was an underground cavern with stalactites hanging densely above us. Some of the pointed tips of these formations extended into the water. The pool was pitch-black, and its depth was immeasurable. Normally, swimming across it wouldn't be a difficult task for a few of us, but now, aside from disregarding the few lackeys, just the thought of at least three reanimated corpses lurking somewhere made the prospect daunting.

Old Wang walked up to the man with white hair and asked, "Brother, what's the plan ahead?" Before the man with white hair could reply, one of the lackeys standing behind him spoke up, "Report, I know. Will this count as an act of merit?" This guy was quite clever; he had been involved in smuggling over a ton of drugs. Now that the ringleader was dead, during the trial, they might end up with heavy sentences as accessories. If they could secure an act of merit, they might at least get a life sentence. Dying of old age in prison was still better than being executed.

"Oh? You know?" Old Wang glanced at him. He had seen enough of these kinds of things. "If you have something to say, say it. If you don't, you'll get extra charges."

"I'll speak, I'll speak." The lackey didn't want to waste this opportunity. "I've been here a few times with Mote. Once we get past this water pool, we can get out."

"Nonsense." Old Wang scolded, "But do you know how to cross this water pool? Swim across?"

The lackey didn't answer directly. Instead, he ran to two mounds not far from the bank. Lifting up two pieces of canvas, he revealed two small boats. These boats were equipped with motors and propellers. The two boats were placed upside down on the bank, covered with camouflage canvas, making them look like part of the mounds from a distance.

Seeing a glimmer of hope, everyone's anxious hearts eased slightly. Old Wang arranged for people to drag the two boats into the water. The boats weren't large; they could easily fit ten or eight people. Dividing ourselves into two groups, the boats finally set off. However, due to the need to avoid the dense stalactites, our progress was slow.