Chapter 10: The Collapse of the Expedition
Juno hadn't expected Danny to intervene at such a crucial moment.
Just as the tunnel collapsed, she thought everything was over. How much strength did it take to use an entrenching tool to prop up and support a collapsing passage?
Holly stared in stunned silence before saying, "I take back what I said earlier. You're legit."
Sarah felt a bit defensive of Danny, thinking it wasn't up to Holly to judge him.
Danny didn't care about their evaluations. He broke free from Beth's embrace and said,
"Beth, you and Sam need to calm down. The most important thing now is figuring out how we get out. The path behind us is blocked."
He knew Beth's emotions were running too high.
Sam still looked shaken.
It wasn't until Danny brought up the problem that everyone realized the seriousness of the situation. The collapsed and blocked tunnel meant they were completely trapped inside.
Rebecca spoke up at this moment, "Everyone, calm down first. According to the cave maps, this system should have three other exits. We still have hope."
Her intention was to reassure everyone. The odds of finding an exit through three different passages were still quite good.
At this point, Juno, seeing she couldn't hide it any longer, revealed the truth.
"Rebecca, the maps and guides are useless."
Rebecca felt a bad premonition. She questioned, "Juno, are you joking?"
Juno's face was pale: "I'm not joking. Actually, this isn't Boreham Caverns. It's an unmapped cave system."
At these words, everyone else's expressions turned anxious.
Rebecca couldn't help but demand why Juno would do such a thing.
"I'm sorry, I just thought a mapped cave wouldn't be challenging enough, so..."
Rebecca finally lost her composure and cursed.
Only as a professional spelunker did she know how dangerous an unmapped underground cave could be, not to mention the exit was now blocked.
Looking at Sarah and Beth, both were clearly terrified.
Sarah and Danny were both novices.
This meant everyone might be trapped and die in this dark, sunless underground cave.
The only one present who seemed relatively excited was Holly. She enjoyed thrills, and the current situation suited her perfectly.
Danny took advantage of their argument to observe the situation.
He only had one feeling.
Suffocation.
Rock walls closed in from all directions, further compressing their living space.
It was even darker and more confined here, with a foul smell mixed in, and faint sounds like scratching.
After the argument,
they chose to face the immediate problem.
That was to pick a tunnel and explore it to see if there was a way out.
As leader and feeling guilty, Juno naturally went first, while Danny was placed in second position—a recognition of his abilities.
Since the collapse, Sam refused to be last.
Finally, Rebecca volunteered to bring up the rear.
So the group once again squeezed into the narrow passage, constantly exploring. The further they went, the smaller the space became, coupled with the enclosed nature.
As newcomers, Sarah and Holly had lost their initial enthusiasm and instead felt claustrophobic.
Fortunately, the predicament didn't last too long.
Everyone soon reached an open chamber, but there was no path ahead—the cliff below was bottomless, so they'd have to use ropes to cross the chasm.
This didn't stump them.
They still had climbing gear in their packs, and with safety ropes properly secured, everyone could cross safely. Rebecca did this easily.
While securing the rope, she suddenly discovered an old climbing anchor, which meant an expedition team had once reached this point but had failed to get out.
As Danny and the others crossed one by one, Juno, who was last, made a fatal mistake. When retrieving the climbing gear, an old anchor snapped, causing screams to echo through the cave.
Rebecca's hand was scraped bloody by the rapidly sliding rope as she caught it.
The screams and the sweet scent of blood gradually attracted certain monsters living in the underground cave.
Danny looked up and saw a pale shadow flash past from a tunnel above. He could confirm it wasn't his imagination—there really was something that had been drawn to them.
He could have given a warning, but given that there were several panicky women in the team who'd probably scream before even seeing anything clearly, he didn't bother mentioning it.
After the chasm, the path ahead was relatively stable and wider. The group arrived at a junction.
Several crude markings were carved on the rock wall.
The symbols indicated this cave system had two more exits.
This was the only good news so far.
Danny looked at the markings. He always felt they looked more like territorial markers than directional guides.
Juno took out a lighter and tested both tunnel entrances. After detecting oxygen and airflow, she was about to scout ahead, but Holly rushed in first.
As impulsive as ever—only at first it was excitement, now it was tinged with fear.
This rush predictably led to trouble.
Hearing the screams from inside, it sounded like a broken leg.
Juno and Sarah rushed in to help. Danny's hand had quietly produced a card.
Three Finger.
Without hesitation, he chose to fuse. His strength, senses, and vision all increased exponentially.
Only this sensation could give Danny peace of mind in this oppressive environment.
Juno and Sarah carried Holly out. Holly had a broken leg. Given the current situation, she wouldn't receive treatment, which meant this leg was finished.
Sarah was mumbling about seeing a monster, while Juno insisted it was just a hallucination.
Sarah was nearly hysterical at her dismissal.
"Believe me, that wasn't a hallucination! That thing looked human, but it wasn't wearing clothes, its skin was pale gray, and it had fangs!"
The already panicking team now had two injured and one close to breakdown.
Sarah, who had the lowest stress tolerance, had already pressed close to Danny. She was genuinely crying—no one had expected a simple exploration trip to turn into this nightmare.
If Sarah continued talking like this, even without a monster, mass hysteria would set in. Just as Juno was about to silence Sarah, Danny spoke.
"I believe you."
Everyone looked at Danny.
Sarah looked as if she'd found validation. That feeling of being believed was something others couldn't understand, because as the first person to see the creature, no one wanted it to be a hallucination more than Sarah.
But it wasn't a hallucination—it was all real!
Danny's expression remained unchanged as he said, "Because I saw it too."
The cave suddenly fell silent.
If this was true, then not only did they need to find a way out, but they also had to constantly guard against inhuman creatures. What was most terrifying was they currently didn't know what kind of creature this was.
Just as the team was on the verge of collapse,
Danny took off his pack, unzipped it, and pulled out several Glock pistols, infrared laser sights, and extended magazines.
Since he'd come this far, how could he not have made preparations?
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