Chapter 8: Unlocking Conditions for the Ace of Hearts: Reaching the Cave
It was a quiet night.
Inside the cabin at the mountain's base,
the group gathered around the fireplace, each holding a cup of hot cocoa, discussing tomorrow's upcoming adventure.
Danny leaned in a corner, holding his cup, quietly listening to Sarah, Juno, and Rebecca recount their past caving experiences.
Every adventure was like a rebirth, they said.
Sarah, Holly, and Beth were still novices; they clung to Rebecca's stories, listening to her tales of past expeditions, filled with curiosity and excitement.
People are always fascinated by things they experience for the first time.
It's like many high school students' first exposure to rock climbing or whitewater rafting.
The only one who felt nothing was probably Danny. If it weren't for the cards, he'd have to be insane to enter this underground cave system with them.
Similarly, if he hadn't already contained two Hillickers, he wouldn't have come on this expedition.
The main reason was that the places his other classmates were visiting were even more terrifying...
In comparison,
the crawlers in The Descent didn't seem so bad. At least they were visible and killable.
The places others were going—like abandoned monasteries, isolated islands, psychiatric hospitals... and some were even planning trips to Southeast Asia, places like Thailand.
Setting everything else aside, the black magic practitioners in Southeast Asia alone made Danny hesitate.
Danny stopped overthinking and placed his hand on the AR-15's barrel. Juno was right about one thing: maneuvering through tight cave passages with a rifle strapped to your back was absolutely foolish and could easily get you stuck.
If only he had storage space.
Then he'd trade with arms dealers and carry an entire arsenal, maybe even explosives...
Only then could he soothe his anxious mind and insecure heart.
As if sensing Danny's thoughts, one of the 54 cards flew out from the deck in his mind.
[Ace of Hearts]
[Function: Item Containment]
[Unlock Condition: Contain a Vengeful Spirit / Witch / Demon / Malevolent Ghost]
[Contain any qualifying entity to unlock]
Danny hadn't expected this feature, but the unlock conditions seemed harsh. Just by the categories, he knew they wouldn't be easy to contain.
If ordinary ghosts also counted as unlock conditions, that would be great.
Thinking about it again, he found the idea ridiculous. Wasn't it even dumber to waste a card on an ordinary ghost?
Note: Contained items within the cards are not fixed; they can be replaced upon death.
Wait.
Danny suddenly thought of another method.
He excused himself to use the restroom and went outside the cabin, releasing One Eye and handing him the AR-15.
Although One Eye had diminished intelligence, he could still use weapons.
After One Eye took the weapon, Danny recalled him back into the card and found it indeed worked.
But there seemed to be limits and restrictions.
Only equipment that One Eye could actually use himself could be contained together into the Two of Hearts.
If he tried to contain a fighter jet, it most likely wouldn't work.
Expecting a low-intelligence mutant cannibal to pilot a jet?
More likely that pigs would fly.
Hmm, Danny's mind was very active. He was thinking—if he crafted heavy armor for the Hillickers, wouldn't their combat power skyrocket?
After all, as long as armor can be worn, wouldn't it count as equipment?
The combat power of a Hillicker wearing heavy armor versus one without was not on the same level.
If a heavily-armored One Eye, armed with a fully automatic weapon, and Three Finger in lighter armor with his bow...
With two monsters guarding Danny front and back, what underground crawlers would he have to fear?
Wouldn't that just be a straightforward sweep?
What a shame.
Since they were already here, going back now to craft custom armor for the Hillickers would mean summer vacation would already be over.
Back in the cabin.
The group of women were still tirelessly chatting about the adventure.
Danny re-seated himself in the corner. Sarah noticed Danny sitting alone and several times tried to pull him into the conversation.
However, apart from Beth, the school teacher, the others didn't really connect with Danny, and Danny had no intention of forcing it either.
He found a comfortable spot and dozed off.
Eleven PM.
Sarah was sitting next to Danny. They were still chatting, the plan to sleep early completely forgotten.
Danny woke once, but quickly fell back asleep.
Nothing to discuss—talking to them wasn't as interesting as shooting practice with Joe.
The next day.
The sky was dimly lit, and fog lingered in the mountains, reducing visibility to about a hundred yards. As the sun rose, the mist gradually dispersed.
However, the weak sunlight offered little warmth.
Everyone gradually woke and ate breakfast.
Sarah suggested taking a group photo.
Danny had no interest in being photographed and volunteered to be the photographer, knowing that in almost all horror films, the person behind the camera was safest.
Except for found-footage horror films.
In those, the cameraman really does die.
As the six women gathered and posed, Danny decisively pressed the shutter.
Juno, for once, praised Danny, saying his photography skills were genuinely good.
Ten AM.
Juno, as leader, drove the Jeep deeper into the mountains and stopped at the mountain's base.
The path ahead was blocked by dense forest and narrow trails. The vehicle couldn't go further, so they had to hike.
Danny, fully equipped, jumped out and surveyed the surroundings, noticing the trees along the dirt road were significantly taller than those outside, and there was a small stream beside the narrow path.
In such a desolate, primeval wilderness, did Rebecca, as a professional spelunker, truly not notice anything wrong?
Perhaps she did, but didn't say anything.
For a seasoned explorer, conventional routes and familiar places no longer provided excitement.
Juno, as leader, and Rebecca walked at the very front, with Sarah and Holly in the middle.
Beth was a teacher at Salem High, and Danny and Sarah were her students. As their teacher, she naturally felt protective of them.
This was Beth's second caving expedition. She taught Danny and Sarah lessons from her last trip, just like she would in class, and told them to stick close to her once they entered the cave.
Danny couldn't help but mutter,
"Seems like the teacher's maternal instincts are kicking in."
Sarah laughed: "What do you mean maternal instincts? Miss Beth has always treated us like her own kids, hasn't she?"
The group hiked along the mountain path until noon.
Midway, they even found the carcass of a deer, which had died brutally, half-eaten, with its antlers still intact.
Wild animals wouldn't eat only half, nor would hunters leave the antlers behind.
In fact, something was clearly wrong here.
Juno and Rebecca were still excitedly leading everyone to take photos with the deer carcass.
Danny calmly took pictures of them.
After photos, they continued forward.
Danny also noticed the source of the small stream—a clear river flowing down the mountain, gurgling over moss-covered rocks.
The group followed the stream for a while longer and finally arrived at what Juno claimed was "Boreham Caverns."
The cave entrance was on a flat clearing, surrounded by dead, skeletal trees forming a stark contrast to the lush green forest below.
The entrance was an irregular oval shape, covered in moss.
Danny stood at the edge and glanced down. The cave dropped vertically into darkness, its black entrance like a gaping maw waiting to devour those foolish enough to enter.
Most people truly wouldn't be able to find this ominous place.
Clearly, Danny and Juno were the fated ones this time.
And he knew exactly what was waiting below.
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