The passage was filled with a faint smell of sulfur, the scent of recently used chemical explosives was much more controllable in terms of both smell and power compared to the previous earth-based detonators. I checked the waterproof rubber on my flashlight, which had submerged in the water. The light appeared as a bright orange in the water, a very unique color.
I put on my diving mask and checked the air gauge before sinking down. The forward passage was very low, and I crawled through the water, quickly submerging the entire tunnel.
The walls of the waterway were made of rough black slate rock, and as I moved through the water, I stirred up impurities, causing many tiny particles resembling silk and cotton to float in front of me.
I looked back at the fat guy, who was shivering continuously; the water was too cold. I gestured, “Hurry up.”
The White Snake, tall and slender, was at the back; he had to turn sideways to move smoothly through the tunnel. I signaled for them to keep an eye on the light on my oxygen tank, then lowered my head and dove down.
After swimming for a while, I arrived at an underwater canyon, about two people wide on either side, as flat as if it had been cleaved by an axe, with a large expanse in front and behind. The White Snake glided over my head, swiftly extending his long legs to begin observing.
I had a strong fear of the deep sea, meaning that if I found myself surrounded by darkness and emptiness, I would fall into extreme terror. Part of it was the panic that any object could suddenly appear in the void, and part of it was the fear of the void itself. Here, although the rock walls were jagged, at least they provided a sense of reality.
After sinking for more than ten meters, we had drifted apart. The fat guy was showing off his swimming skills to demonstrate that he was nearly as capable as the White Snake, performing various difficult maneuvers. The White Snake, on the other hand, was fully in his element; in the distorted light underwater, his skin appeared to resemble that of an aquatic creature.
Soon, he signaled from a distance. I called to the fat guy, and the two of us swam towards him, discovering that the White Snake was in a place where the walls were covered with numerous relief sculptures.
The reliefs were heavily worn, revealing many human forms, but almost all the details had vanished. There were many deep holes in the reliefs, containing rusty iron dowels.
There had been an ancient project here, with the iron dowels mostly concentrated in the lower half of the reliefs, suggesting a pathway that led to a walkway (it seemed that the reference to “walkway” was mistakenly left in by my uncle). The reliefs were decorative features on either side of the walkway.
What a poor display of sophistication, I thought to myself; they had gone to the trouble of building a tomb here, and yet still tried to show off. I followed the iron dowels, which gradually descended, seemingly endless.
A sense of unease crept into my mind as the oxygen gradually diminished. Although I had brought a few spare tanks, if this expedition yielded no results, we would essentially have to abandon this route.
Soon, we reached the bottom of the canyon, which was filled with sharp boulders that jutted out like fangs. The “relief band” then turned upwards, and at that moment, the return warning light activated.
For safety, we had to strictly adhere to the oxygen gauge’s warning and return. Just then, I saw a fish swim past me.
I shone my flashlight towards it, and the fish, startled by the light, immediately swam away, rising to the surface.
I stared at that fish in disbelief; it was one of the catfish we had previously released, and I could clearly see the signal generator on its fin.
The catfish lives in the shallows. I pointed to that fish for others, and the two of them glanced at their oxygen gauges, hesitated for a moment, and then the white snake was the first to chase after it.
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