Chapter 132: Chapter 129: This Road is Impassable

Bi Fang retreated into the corridor, winding through the paths marked on the rock walls until he found a higher sloping terrain in the corridor.

After carving an arrow into the wall, Bi Fang explained to the drone.

“Within these caves, we must be careful of rising groundwater levels. Here, it’s common to hear the water without seeing it. One step may be on solid rock and the next could unexpectedly be over a deep pool. In case of a cloudburst, it’s quite possible for the water to fill the cave overnight.”

“This scenario is extremely dangerous. In December 2009, seven cave explorers from France entered a cave at the border of France and Spain in the Pyrenees Mountains. When they reached 700 meters underground, the water level of the underground river suddenly rose, cutting off the exit route for three of them. The other four tried to rescue them without success before urgently seeking help from the outside world.”

“Later, a professional rescue team arrived at the scene. The diving team entered the cave, used explosives to blast a passage, and finally succeeded in rescuing the trapped individuals.”

[Damn! I thought getting lost was the most dangerous situation in cave exploration. Who knew there was something even scarier?]

[There shouldn’t be a sudden surge of water in the desert, right?]

[On the contrary, I think because it’s a desert, it’s more likely to have rapid water level rises. All the water would seep in from a downpour.]

[But heavy rains are rare, aren’t deserts less likely to experience sudden cloudbursts?]

[If you get flooded in such a place, isn’t that just waiting to die?]

The audience was anxious, unable to imagine what a desperate scene it would be if groundwater backfilled into the corridors.

It was like stuffing people into a sealed glass jar and filling it with water!

“Yes, it’s just waiting to die,” Bi Fang confirmed their thoughts. “If you’re trapped in a cave and the water level rises and floods in, you’ll drown. If you don’t get drowned, you’ll die of asphyxiation due to lack of air circulation.”

“Not every cave exploration outing is so lucky to have friends able to call for rescue, most victims are powerless to change their fate in such situations.”

Many viewers nodded silently.

Without a rise in water level, the intricately complex caves could drive a person mad, not to mention when they are flooded.

Find the exit against the clock, how could that be possible?

“When we ‘re trapped in caverns for various reasons, we must try our best to find higher ground to avoid similar tragedies. This corridor seems to be the highest ground I’ve come across in my recent exploration area, and I plan to make this my campsite for tonight.”

Bi Fang cleared the rocks on the ground and then started to look for scattered stones around the area, piling them at both ends of the corridor to create simple barriers.

“It’s best to block both ends of the passage with stones. This can effectively prevent some creatures from entering, especially heat-seeking animals like venomous snakes. A sleeping human is simply a natural furnace to them! Without taking measures, you can’t possibly defend against it!”

“I hope no strange creatures come in while I’m asleep.”

After partially blocking the passage, Bi Fang wiped the sweat off his forehead, held onto the drone, and after a few final words, ended the broadcast despite the audience’s pleas not to.

Gazing at the torch in his hand, Bi Fang blew out a breath.

The corridor plunged into complete darkness.

The sound of flowing water was faintly discernible, with water droplets landing on the damp ground and echoing clearly.

Bi Fang felt his own chest, sensing the heartbeat within, and slowly closed his eyes.

Next came the sound of his steady breathing.

In the dark, Bi Fang drifted in and out of sleep, sometimes even feeling water droplets landing on his own face. The sound of the water seemed to draw nearer, elusive like a shadow.

Inside an office.

Gu Qingyuan took off his glasses, pinched the bridge of his nose, and relieved fatigue.

Watching this live broadcast was truly draining, never having a moment to relax is comparable to a day full of experiments.

The application for research spots had gone through and the team was assembled. The next step was to head to the Qaidam Basin.

Once the research team arrived, even if Bi Fang couldn’t find the exit, they could send someone to dive into the pool from the entrance to conduct a rescue.

One can only hope everything goes smoothly before then.

“Drip-drop!”

A water droplet traced an arc in the darkness.

Bi Fang, slowly opening his eyes, reached to touch his cheek, which was covered in condensed moisture.

The humidity in the corridor had increased.

“Is it the third day now?”

In the darkness, Bi Fang stretched with a yawn; the fatigue from yesterday’s narrow escape had vanished, and he felt considerably rejuvenated.

He didn’t know whether it was day or night now.

Deprived of sunlight, Bi Fang had no idea how long he had slept, and determining the time was out of the question.

This was a good thing; if he didn’t know the time of day, then neither did the corpses. Perhaps the marks on the rock walls were not accurate at all but simply the wrong conclusions drawn by a group of desperate people.

Feeling his empty stomach, Bi Fang hadn’t eaten the second snake.

There was no way to replenish the remaining flower sticks; fire had become a scarce resource, and he wouldn’t start another unless necessary.

He opened the live stream and chatted with the incoming viewers before continuing towards the cave where he had encountered the giant fish yesterday.

He had mostly familiarized himself with the passageway here, with nothing new discovered.

His only hope now lay within the cave across the rock chamber.

It must be said that the cave system here was incredibly complex, with paths branching off everywhere. Without proper markings, getting lost was almost a matter of when, not if.

“We’re going back to where we saw the monster fish yesterday to see if it’s gone. Otherwise, I might have to forcibly break through its defenses,” said Bi Fang, firmly wielding a torch and marching on.

Time waits for no one; the longer he delayed, the worse his condition would become. If the monster fish was still there, Bi Fang could only apologize. [Master Fang: I advise you to be sensible!]

[Tiktaalik: Awoo, awoo awoo awoo, wuu wuuu!]

[Slowly type out a question mark?]

[You’re not right, seriously not right!]

[Here it comes, I sense there’s going to be some intense action ahead!]

The viewers’ hearts pounded fiercely.

They had all seen the monster fish yesterday; it was definitely over three meters long, bigger than any they had seen before. Was he going to fight with such a creature?

The viewers’ concerns deepened with every step Bi Fang took, as if each step heavily landed on their hearts. When a light appeared in the tunnel, their anxieties peaked!

The next second, just as Bi Fang stepped out of the exit, they realized.

On the small island in the circular current, there was nothing!

The monster was gone!

[Dang, that was super tense just now, more than a roller coaster ride!]

[An exquisite piggy boy offers 1 Big Bone to the streamer—Wu Hu, are you safe now?]

[I just hope that Master Fang can safely exit the cave!]

[Lord Mu sends 10 Spaceships to the streamer—keep going!]

Bi Fang approached the river and looked down. With the light fish swimming below and no sign of the monster fish nearby, he walked along the edge of the cave and quickly made his way to the cave entrance on the opposite side.

Lighting another bundle of flower sticks, Bi Fang pressed on.

The corridor was narrow and long, with only two forks.

For the first one, Bi Fang went left, explaining as he went.

“Caves like this aren’t too complicated, actually; it’s just the multitude of forks that can be confusing. In such a case, we only need to make good marks and follow the walls so there’s no need to worry too much. If it were a three- dimensional, complex cave, then that would be a real challenge.”

“Staying in that kind of cave is like being inside a Rubik’s cube. Even with marks, it’s tough to tell if you have been in the same place before. Don’t rely too much on your brain’s spatial memory—unless you’ve been through it multiple times, it’s very difficult to make the right judgment in the dark.”

Thanks to his previous exploration, this time Bi Fang’s search seemed particularly easy.

In less than fifteen minutes, he made a new discovery.

More skeletons, and not just one!

Just by counting skulls, Bi Fang saw at least four!

But that wasn’t the main point!

Bi Fang felt the hard, sandy surface before him, his tone grave.

“If I’m not mistaken, the exit is just across from here!”