After Xivil confirmed multiple times, she issued orders.
Professor Gudyv and Hathaway were instructed to continue operating the miniature drill.
I sat to the side watching them.
Time trickled by. The sun, which had been high in the sky, gradually began to set, yet Professor Gudyv and the others had not yet emerged from the ice.
Xivil watched the setting sun with a heavy expression, seemingly lost in thought.
By this time, Hathaway was no longer visible.
The hole they had drilled was now a full two meters deep.
Xivil remained silent for a long time with a grim expression, as if a decision had been made. She then shouted into the frozen expanse, "Vice Professor Gudyv, you should come out first. We'll continue tomorrow. It's getting late, so we'll make do with resting here for the night."
Meanwhile, I had already cleared a patch of ground and pitched the tents we had brought. We decided to spend the night in front of the temple.
"Chak—"
Professor Gudyv and the others had brought windproof lighters specifically for the wilderness.
I lit a fire and happily heated up a can of food.
Although I knew that ultimately, I would have a falling out with Xivil and her group, I had to admit that using their equipment from the outside world made me feel as if I had returned to modern society.
There was no snow on the mountain today. The sky was clear, filled with countless twinkling stars.
We gathered around the campfire, eating delicious food, which made us temporarily forget our worries.
"Tap, tap."
Hmm?
What was that sound?
I suddenly heard a faint noise, so subtle that I thought it was my imagination.
I instantly became alert.
In such a bizarre place, any minute clue could lead us into danger.
"Everyone, be quiet for a moment. Listen to what that sound is?"
I quickly and quietly reminded Xivil and the others, who were chatting, and then searched for the source of the sound.
Seeing my seriousness, Xivil and the others also tensed up, and no one spoke.
The air fell silent, leaving only the sound of the wind from outside the platform.
And beyond the wind, there was indeed another sound!
The sound seemed to come from a great distance, yet I could hear it clearly.
Who was chopping something?
Just as I stood up to locate the source of the sound, it suddenly stopped.
Damn it, this place is getting weirder and weirder!
I cursed inwardly. Seemingly noticing our tense mood, Professor Gudyv smiled.
"Perhaps it's just a strange wind sound caused by the unique terrain of this temple. There's no need to be too nervous."
Professor Gudyv's explanation had some merit. Perhaps I was just being overly sensitive.
I thought for a moment and was about to pick up my water bottle to take a drink.
But then, I was suddenly reminded of that strange sound.
And along with that strange sound, there was the sound of a man and a woman talking!
It sounded like it was right behind me!
I suddenly turned around, only to find nothing there.
These two voices were elusive, and their words were muffled. I could only vaguely discern that it was some kind of primitive language.
Help... me?!
After listening carefully, I realized that the woman seemed to be saying "help me" in their primitive tongue!
And accompanying their conversation, there were horrifying roars, as if some creature was rapidly approaching them!
Suddenly, Professor Gudyv also seemed to notice, his face turning ashen as he retreated backward.
"This sound... it seems to be coming from below the ice cave we drilled!"
Hearing Professor Gudyv's words, Hathaway also became very frightened and grabbed Xivil's sleeve.
"Why don't we leave first? This place is too weird!"
In this moment of panic, Xivil displayed her composure. She shook off Hathaway's hand, then drew her pistol.
"We are staying here tonight. No one leaves!"
Then she pulled out a flashlight, holding the gun in one hand and the flashlight in the other, she walked to the edge of the ice cave and peered down.
At this point, I also bravely walked to her side and looked down with her.
Strangely, when Xivil and I reached the ice cave, all sounds had vanished as if nothing had happened.
And below the ice cave, there was nothing...
"Let's pretend nothing happened today. Everyone rest well. We still have to go down tomorrow. Even if something is trying to scare us and block our path, we'll kill it!"
After another inspection, Xivil turned to everyone and said loudly.
In the firelight, I saw a cold and ruthless expression on Xivil's face.
This was the real Xivil!
I thought these words were meant to both reassure us and serve as a warning.
If anyone faltered, I was sure she wouldn't show any mercy.
That night, none of us left. After a hasty cleanup, we crawled into our tents to rest.
We agreed that someone would take turns on watch at intervals.
Around three in the morning, Qu Xiangyun, yawning, woke me from my sleep.
It was my turn to be on watch.
I sat by the campfire, my eyes still groggy. The temple at night appeared both silent and mysterious.
After an unknown amount of time—
"Bang!"
I jolted awake. "Who's there?!"