At some unknown moment, I lost consciousness, as if returning to the womb as an infant, falling into a deep slumber.
Perhaps an instant, perhaps several hours passed.
When I regained consciousness, I found myself in a spacious cave.
Subconsciously, I looked back and saw a dark passage behind me, indicating I had reached the depths of the cave.
What had happened just now?
I was still shaken, but had no clues.
The torch in my hand had extinguished. Fortunately, the cave walls were lined with grass that emitted a faint glow, illuminating the surroundings.
Accept what comes. I had survived, after all.
I sat on the ground and rested for a moment, then looked around the cave.
The cave was vast; I couldn't see the end of it.
What kind of plant is this?
If there was anything in the cave that caught my attention, it was the faintly glowing grass.
The sheer quantity of these plants was astonishing, as if this part of the cave was their territory. They were everywhere I looked.
I cautiously took a few steps forward. The ground beneath my feet wasn't hard rock, but soft earth, like mud mixed with water.
Where is this place?
I shook my head vigorously. Perhaps the environment was playing tricks on me. These pale green plants seemed to sway towards me as if alive.
I had no desire to experience what just happened again, so I continued to explore the cave.
It seemed there was nothing here but plants.
I wondered how these plants managed to grow in a cave devoid of sunlight. After just a few steps, I noticed the grass ahead was exceptionally dense, reaching almost waist-high.
The expanse of green was somewhat oppressive.
I gently pushed aside a clump of grass and my eyes widened, almost letting out a cry!
Behind the glowing plants, a face suddenly appeared!
The face was riddled with holes, its features indistinguishable. It looked long decayed, its expression so vacant that even fear had vanished.
The skull lay on the pile of grass, untouched even by insects.
Had someone been here before?
Honestly, a scene straight out of a horror movie nearly stopped my heart!
The dead man's eyes stared blankly at me, a silent warning.
Taking a breath, I used the hunting knife at my waist to nudge the skull. The unbalanced head rolled to the ground.
Where was its body?
An accident wouldn't leave just a head. Were there dangerous creatures around?
I looked around, but found nothing.
The atmosphere suddenly turned eerie. I thought I heard a sound, but upon listening closely, it seemed like a delusion.
No!
This cave was unnervingly quiet.
Normally, such lush vegetation would be teeming with insects and small animals. Even in a cave, there should be snakes, insects, rodents, and ants.
But since I regained consciousness, the entire cave had been silent, not a single sound.
No...
Holding my breath, I detected a strange noise ahead, obscured by the grass.
*Creeeak—!*
Gripping my hunting knife, I cautiously moved forward.
The sound was like the last lingering sigh of a dying patient, a peculiar sound that sent shivers down my spine.
It carried a chilling resonance.
*Creeeak—!*
A series of sounds emanated from ahead. I was getting closer to the source.
As I walked, I emerged from the grass.
The ground beneath my feet suddenly felt softer. Before I could fully register it, I was captivated by the scene before me.
It was an open space.
The plants, taller than a person, had deliberately avoided this area. The ground was dark, as if accumulated from decaying matter.
In the center of this space, less than half the size of a basketball court, lay a man whose face was impossible to discern.
"Hey!"
I called out to the man, but remained cautious, not approaching. In such a bizarre environment, one needed to be exceptionally alert.
"Help... help..."
My pupils contracted. This man was still alive!
And he was speaking Chinese!
The man let out a weak and labored sound. His arm was twisted outwards at an unnatural angle, and one leg was bent at a 90-degree angle. I could already see bone protruding.
"Don't move, I'll find a way to help you."
In this place, encountering a compatriot made me feel an extraordinary sense of kinship, and I wanted to rescue him.
Wait!
Just as I was about to approach the man, I suddenly realized something was amiss.
Why was there such an open area in such dense, wild grass?
Why was the soil here softer and darker?
And why... was there precisely a man lying in the center, waiting for me to save him?
"Help... help..."
The man continued to utter muffled whimpers.
Listening to his cries for help, I paused, then took out a half-eaten piece of dried meat from my backpack and tossed it towards the man.
*Thwack—!*