As we walked along, the shell-less flesh-colored worms were disturbed by us and hurriedly burrowed into the water, disappearing from sight. The fat guy bent down and reached into the water, wanting to catch a few, but I stopped him. The situation underwater was unclear, and excessive disturbance might lead to trouble; it was better not to stir things up if we could avoid it. Besides, I had never seen these worms before; they might be a special species that only exists here in the world, worth their weight in gold. It would be a shame for him to kill a few.

The fat guy cursed, “Look at these densely packed ones. There must be at least eighty thousand, if not a hundred thousand, in this water. What’s the harm in catching a few to take back? This trip has basically been a waste; you won’t even let me get a souvenir to remember it by.”

I replied, “These fleshy things look disgusting; how can you bring yourself to touch them? Stop thinking about these trivial things; let’s hurry on.”

With so many worms around, no one wanted to rest, so we continued along the waterway in search of the underground reservoir at the end. The water flow was steady, and there were no loud sounds ahead, indicating there were no large cliffs; we could proceed with ease.

As we moved forward, the water grew colder, and I could feel a chill spreading through it, causing goosebumps on my skin. On both sides of the waterway, we saw countless of those flesh-colored worms, most of them clinging to the stone walls just above and below the waterline, densely packed. Just looking at them made my scalp tingle, and in the water, I occasionally felt something bump against my feet.

The waterway widened, and the ceiling rose higher, forming a trumpet-shaped opening. I knew we were close and immediately quickened my pace. After walking less than a hundred meters, a shadow fell over us, and we exited the waterway. The surrounding space suddenly felt ethereal and echoed; I could tell we had arrived at a vast place. Beneath our feet was a shallow area extending forward, and as the beam from the mining lamp swept across, we saw a broad and calm water surface.

The mining lamp had options for weak and strong light; to save power, we generally chose the weak light, which could last over 180 hours but only illuminated a distance of about twenty meters. Now, the weak light was clearly insufficient, so several of us opened our gun barrels and used LED bulbs for a hundred-meter range to light up the ceiling and surroundings. Under the strong light, the general appearance of this place began to reveal itself. We could see a massive underground water cave, but it wasn’t a karst landscape; it was a volcanic rock cave. In the distance, large stone pillars hung down from the cave ceiling, plunging into the lake, resembling the enormous columns of a temple. The ceiling was only two or three stories high, and at first glance, the entire place felt like the submerged hall of a Poseidon temple, creating an incredibly vivid atmosphere, a testament to nature’s craftsmanship.

On either side of the waterway’s exit were giant rock walls displaying the unique characteristics of volcanic rock, with visible strata indicating we had crossed the sandy soil layer and reached the underground mountains of the Gobi geological depths. These rock walls were undoubtedly parts of the Kunlun Mountains that had seeped underground. Looking back at the waterway’s entrance, it felt like it had been artificially excavated. The Queen Mother of the West, in that era, could dig to such depths; one must say their civilization possessed extremely advanced engineering capabilities.

Here should be the focus of the entire underground water storage system of the ancient city of Xiwangmu, a natural small underground lake. Due to the limited range of the mining lamps, we cannot determine how large this water storage lake is or how deep it is at its center. Perhaps if we walk towards the center of the lake, the bottom could be unimaginably deep, but without seeing the open surface of the lake, it’s hard to feel any sense of awe. After observing for a moment, the胖子 asked what we should do next. There was no new plan; we still needed to look for the marks left by the “dumb oil bottle.” The previous marks pointed to this location, and beyond this was the heart of the underground lake. The subsequent guiding marks could not be carved at the bottom of the water; I felt they should be on these stone pillars.

We split up to search, wading deeper into the lake and shining our lights on the stone pillars. After walking a few steps, I found that the depth of the water didn’t change much; occasionally, it would drop to neck height, but after a few steps, it would rise again. Clearly, the bottom was uneven, but the average depth didn’t vary greatly. Soon, Heixiazi whistled, and we walked over to find that there was indeed a clear mark on one of the stone pillars, carved very neatly.

Wen Jin looked at the “dumb oil bottle” and said, “The water flow here has basically leveled off, and there are no signs of it continuing downward. I think this is the lowest point of the entire water storage project. The place we are looking for must be ahead. At this point, can’t you remember anything?”

The “dumb oil bottle” shook his head in silence, only looking at the marks he had made, his expression revealing no signs of turbulence. The胖子 then said that the ancient city of Xiwangmu could be considered a secret realm, surrounded by water during its peak period, with countless “ghost cities” forming a protective layer outside. Inside the oasis, there was year-round thick fog, only visible during heavy rain. The residents of Xiwangmu worshipped a brutal snake cult and mysticism, making this desert power seem ghostly and difficult to fathom, while the underground water storage system was as intricate and complex as a labyrinth. We had nearly exhausted our strength to reach the lowest level of this defensive structure. If Xiwangmu had anything to hide, it should be right here. Without saying anything, we should continue along these marks to reach our destination.

I felt something was amiss; the journey had been too smooth up to this point. The statues of the human-faced bird we encountered in the waterway were impossible to ignore. We had already established that these human-faced bird totems were likely warnings from the ancestors of the Xiwangmu nation to outsiders. As we delved deeper from the outskirts of Silicon Valley, every strange occurrence we encountered became increasingly sinister. Seeing the human-faced bird totem again indicated that this water storage lake was certainly not a peaceful place. Now we were all exhausted, barely hanging on, and if something went wrong, it was likely that none of us would escape.

I asked Wen Jin, “What strategy should we adopt next? Should we take a break, or send someone to scout ahead?”

Wen Jindao said, “Now that we’re here, as this fat guy said, I have no reason to back down or give up. This is the path destined for me, but we don’t all need to go. We don’t know what lies ahead; you all can rest here, and I’ll go alone. If I’m not back in two hours, you can look for other exits along the lakeshore and find a way out. Just make sure not to come after me.”

Men Youping, standing aside, said calmly, “I’m going too.” He didn’t even look at us, just stared into the darkness of the lake, seemingly unconcerned about any danger.

I thought for a moment; I had to go as well. Not to mention the slim chance of finding a way out by staying here, the way we came was already blocked. I had endured countless hardships to reach this point—wasn’t it all for this moment? Moreover, considering my physical condition, many people had made sacrifices for me to get here, including the missing Panzi and the wrongfully dead An Ning. If I shrank back now, I really shouldn’t have come in the first place. Since I chose to come, I should also see it through to the end.

The fat guy grinned, “Damn it, you guys are forcing me to go too, aren’t you? It’s safer being with you than with these rookies.”

Hearing this, a few of Uncle San’s companions were also unwilling to stay behind; they all wanted to follow us. They didn’t have much experience, and while they could handle some petty thefts, leaving them here was out of the question. They feared that we might form a clique and sneak away, so they insisted on sticking with us. The one leading the charge, called Moppy, said, “You guys are dreaming. Either one of you stays behind, or we all go together. Don’t think you can ditch us.”

Heiyingzi had been silent, watching with a half-smile. He came over and put a hand on my shoulder, though I couldn’t tell what he meant—maybe he was indicating he would join us or suggesting I stay behind.

Looking at that group, I felt disgusted. They were truly a burden; I had no idea what would happen if they followed us, and we would have to keep an eye on them. If I stayed behind, I might end up getting them killed.

The fat guy said, “Xiao Wu, you should stay. You have your whole life ahead of you. With these guys, you might still find a way out. Didn’t your uncle say this is a one-way road? I’ll accompany the big sister and little brother on this trip, and next year we’ll have one more person to offer incense for us.”

I cursed, “Cut the crap. At this point, it doesn’t matter; I’m definitely going.”

What I said was the truth. At this stage, who could confidently say they would definitely get out? For all we knew, the way we came might be the only passage, and this could just be a completely sealed water cave in the underground rock mountains. We might end up trapped here. It might not be a bad thing, allowing these mysteries to come to a complete end.

Thinking of this, I teased the fat guy and patted his shoulder, “Speaking of you, if something happens to you, your family will surely fight over your hidden treasures. It would be better for you to stay behind.”

The fat man said, “You’re looking at the renowned money-spender of Liangma Bridge, known as Fat Master. I’ve passed through countless flowers without leaving a trace, my money never stays in my pouch overnight, and I’ve been with countless women. The money I’ve spent is just enough to cover my expenses. Few can live as freely as I do, and if I’m not lucky this time, it’s still worth it for me.”

I replied, “So, you’re the most suitable for accompanying someone to the grave, completely unburdened.”

The fat man retorted, “You’re missing the point. Accompanying someone to their death depends on who it is. We’ve got a real connection here. If you’re going, I’ll have to protect you for your sake.” As he spoke, he pulled the gun’s bolt back and asked the guys for bullets, saying, “You bunch of useless fools, if the bullets are with him, they can save lives; otherwise, they’re just wasted.”

I spat and noticed Wen Jin drawing out a dagger, flipping her hair to test the blade’s sharpness. She said to me, “Alright, enough joking. Since we’re going, let’s make haste.”

Since we had to go, we no longer hesitated. We quickly took a few swigs of liquor, spread out the team, and began wading through the water, following the direction marked by the Muddled Oil Bottle. Given the number of people, I didn’t feel particularly scared looking into the deep darkness ahead, but there was an indescribable sense of unease in my heart.

What followed was a period of almost complete silence. We split into smaller groups, each person alert to one direction around the team, particularly watching for ripples on the water’s surface. The only sound was the splashing of our feet in the water. We moved neither quickly nor slowly, gradually distancing ourselves from the entrance we had come from.

Fortunately, the water here was exceptionally clear. With our mining lamps pointed straight down, we could see that the bottom was just uneven rubble, without anything particularly special. Sweeping across the water’s surface, we could roughly see the underwater situation.

Thinking of past experiences, we didn’t dare let our guard down even a little. However, as I looked at the water’s surface around us, I began to notice something odd that caught my attention.

After a while, Wen Jin brought it up, saying, “There are no insects here.”

The fat man nodded, “It’s probably because of the water temperature; this water is really cold.” It was said that much of this water had accumulated here since the cave was formed, and it had been sitting here for over ten thousand years. Everyone should definitely avoid drinking it; it might give you diarrhea.

I said, “This kind of water is called ‘old water.’ It naturally sediments and is rich in minerals. Could it be that this water contains toxic minerals, which is why those insects don’t dare to swim in?”

The fat man clicked his tongue and said, “No way? No wonder I feel a bit itchy in my backside. Do any of you feel anything special?”

No one responded. The Muddled Oil Bottle, who was at the front, turned back to glance at us, and we had no choice but to keep quiet. At this point, discussing these things was completely meaningless. The black blind man at the back chuckled; these two were like the Yin and Yang, one dark and one light, one with a cold face and the other grinning foolishly, making it quite amusing.

As we continued, we delved deeper into the reservoir’s interior. The surroundings were illuminated by our flashlights, revealing calm waters and dark patches the size of half a basketball court. This indicated that deep pits were starting to appear at the lake’s bottom, each dark patch extremely deep, and the mining lamps couldn’t reach the bottom, as if it connected to somewhere else below.

These black spots appear sporadically, in irregular shapes, and the bottom of the water is covered with small stones. These holes look as if they were dug out by something. We began to feel something was off and made a concerted effort to avoid these deep pits.

As we walked, we soon found the second stone pillar marked with symbols. The group stopped to rest, and someone sneezed; the water here was indeed cold, but I knew that wasn’t the worst part. The water hadn’t reached freezing point and was still within a tolerable range, so there wasn’t much complaining.

The mark pointed in another direction, and the symbols were different, seemingly changing their meaning. Wen Jin looked at the “Dumb Oil Bottle,” and before she could ask, he answered, “This is the last one; we are almost there.”

The last one—this should mean the last mark, indicating that the next stop would be our destination. A tremor ran through us, and someone instinctively raised their gun. Without saying a word, we immediately set off in the direction indicated by the mark. I felt a mix of excitement, fear, an ominous aura, and a tense anticipation of what was to come.

But just as I rounded the stone pillar and took a couple of steps, I felt a sharp pain in my foot, not knowing what I had stepped on. When I was a child in Changsha, I often swam in streams with my uncle, so based on the sensation under my foot, I immediately knew I must have cut it, and it seemed quite serious.

I quickly stopped and asked Fatty to help me take a look, raising my foot to see. Fatty’s miner’s lamp swept across the water’s surface and illuminated my foot. I discovered a deep gash on my heel; clearly, there was something sharp under the water. I bent down to search for it. Upon closer inspection, I noticed something unusual about the bottom of the water here.