Interactive Fiction: The Right Choice After Unemployment

Chapter 6 The Cave
11.5% for option one, 19.2% for option two, and 69.3% for option three.
Zheng Zhuo was a little surprised by the number that jumped out.

……

【Option [-]】

【Take a tour of nearby attractions】

……

"Will so many people choose to go sightseeing?"

He scratched his head.

"The hearts of all human beings are too big..."

"……and many more."

Zheng Zhuo re-read the information he wrote down.

When obtaining [Sightseeing and Landscape] information, the progress bar increases the most, with 3%.

This is the one that has grown the most.He didn't pay much attention himself.

"Haha... Is this the reason? It seems that I can understand what 'all human beings' are thinking."

Zheng Zhuo began to believe in the voting results.He pocketed the paper and pen and left the hotel.

……

…………

………………

The waterfall springs in the southwest of town are not hard to find.It is lower than the town and only a 15 minute walk away.After arriving at the entrance of the town, Zheng Zhuo didn't even need to ask other people - he could vaguely see the water vapor around him when he looked into the distance.Listen carefully, and you can hear the slight sound of water.

Zheng Zhuo followed the direction of the sound of water.The closer you get to the waterfall, the more obvious the sound of the water.Soon, he arrived there.

Calling this waterfall spring a "scenic spot" is a bit reluctant.What appeared before Zheng Zhuo's eyes was a deep pool of about fifty square meters.The three-meter-high waterfall falls from the edge of a slightly higher cliff.The water is neither strong nor urgent.

"I really haven't seen a few waterfalls."

He shaded the sun with one hand and said.

"I ran to such an inexplicable place. It's still such a small waterfall... I feel bad. If it is smaller, it can be called an artificial lake drop landscape."

Zheng Zhuo looked around. The word "spring" is even more nonsense-he didn't see any spring at all.In the pool, there are only splashes from the waterfall.

He moved closer.

"The surrounding vegetation is more lush than that around the town... ah."

Zheng Zhuo pushed aside the lush bushes, only to find that he was not the only local tourist.

On the side of the cliff slope where the waterfall is located, a woman with long wavy hair and a graceful figure in a red skirt and big sunglasses is taking pictures while sightseeing.The shutter clicks and clicks, shooting waterfalls for a while, and taking selfies for a while.

Zheng Zhuo looked at her, then at himself.That woman looked more like a tourist than herself in a hoodie and jeans.

And it's much like it.

"(Compared to her, I'm like a day laborer who is absent from work and comes out to be lazy...)"

Zheng Zhuo began to think about whether he should make some disguise on his appearance.He was not sure whether appearance had any effect on the efficiency of intelligence acquisition.

At this time, a black shadow moved beside the waterfall.

"Ok?"

Zheng Zhuo turned his gaze back to the waterfall.On the side of the waterfall, a young man stepped forward on slippery stones.

That young man was also dressed more like that than Zheng Zhuo.He was carrying an oversized hiking bag, was wearing a jacket, and on his feet were professional hiking boots.

"It turned out that there was another tourist. There are quite a lot of tourists around here... Uh, is three people too many?"

Zheng Zhuo couldn't help talking to himself.

While he was sighing, the young man pushed aside the long grass beside the waterfall.

Zheng Zhuo saw a dark hole that was less than a person's height exposed.

"That is……"

He hurriedly looked down at his records.

There is.When I asked yesterday, the store manager said that there is a semi-open underwater cave near the landscape.

"(That's the underwater cave. So, the other party is a cave explorer?)"

Zheng Zhuo wanted to see more clearly, so he continued to walk forward.Unexpectedly, the ground ahead was more slippery than he had imagined.Zheng Zhuo's sneakers stepped on the muddy ground and made a loud "crack".

Zheng Zhuo hurriedly raised his head.The fashionable woman who was still taking pictures on the slope just now was still posing for selfies in various poses.She and Zheng Zhuo were separated by a pool of water, and it seemed that she didn't hear him at all.

And the young man turned his head.Seeing Zheng Zhuo, he smiled, nodded, and continued walking into the cave.

"(Seems like a gentle guy. Can I ask more from him?)"

"(...I need more information.)"

Zheng Zhuo kept his balance carefully, and approached the entrance of the cave.

He decided to ask the explorer first about the situation.He thought that the other party's understanding of the status quo must be different from that of the boss.On him, more other information should be available.

……

"Ha... ha... too, it's too slippery... I... I should wear spikes... no, this kind of ground... spikes... will it work..."

It took more time than the explorer, and Zheng Zhuo, who was out of breath, finally came to the entrance of the cave.

He sticks his head out.I saw the light of the flashlight from below, presumably it came from the explorer.

"Well... what should I do?"

The cave is wet and slippery, and it doesn't look easy to walk.Zheng Zhuo didn't bring any lighting equipment, and the sneakers on his feet were already covered with mud.

"Follow up and ask? It's a bit dangerous. Waiting for him to come out...will it be too long?"

Why don't you vote?
Just as Zheng Zhuo was thinking this way and was about to open the voting page, he caught a glimpse of a rusty diagram on the side of the hole from the corner of his eye.

Ok?
Zheng Zhuo pushed aside the vines and moss covering it.There are sketches of the structure inside the cave.

"Wow... like an ant nest, densely packed... it's too complicated."

Zheng Zhuo subconsciously wanted to take out his cell phone to take a picture, but he found nothing in his pocket.

"Yeah, I don't have a cell phone now."

Without the weapon of civilization, it is really inconvenient.Zheng Zhuo sighed in his heart, took out a pen and paper, and drew a rough map.

"..."

It is too difficult to draw a schematic diagram of a cave with twists and turns and branches.Zheng Zhuo spent 5 minutes and only memorized the relatively simple first half.

How long does it take to paint the second half?
This is no longer testable.

Because Zheng Zhuo did not continue to paint.

Halfway through the painting, he heard a muffled sound coming from the depths of the cave.

……

bang -- bang -- bang --

The echo reverberated in the cave, and even spread out of the cave entrance.

"what happened!?"

Zheng Zhuo was shocked.He stuffed the pen and paper into his pocket and looked into the hole.

Total darkness.

What could still be seen just now, the light of the flashlight disappeared.

"Hey, hey! Are you okay!?"

Explorer had an accident?

Regardless of the slippery feet, Zheng Zhuo slid inwards along the hole and landed on the first inward bend.

The cave was a little more spacious than he had imagined.Water oozes everywhere.

He peered into the depths.Through the light cast by the entrance of the cave, Zheng Zhuo saw several forked roads before him.The space below one of the forks is slightly larger, and a person can be seen faintly there.

"(hiss……)"

Zheng Zhuo looked back.Fortunately, this section of the cave is quite open, and at this distance, I can still climb back.

He jumped down towards the fork.

"(However, if you carry a person on your back, it's a bit hard to say whether you can climb up...but you can try it. Wait.)"

The explorer may also be a phantom like the boss and his daughter!
It was only at this time that Zheng Zhuo thought of this belatedly.

"(That's right! What am I doing——if it's a phantom, maybe there's no need to save it at all!)"

He acts before he thinks.

"(No, ah—in short, it's all down! Let's get people up first!)"

While his heart was in a mess, Zheng Zhuo landed next to the fallen shadow.

Big hiking bag and jacket.The one who fell was indeed the explorer.

"Hey, are you alright? Call me back, whether you're a phantom or something!"

Zheng Zhuo lifted him up and turned him over.

however.

Just now.

A faint light flashed in the explorer's arms.

"Varied--"

It's a shining knife!The explorer was not in a coma at all—at a very close distance, Zheng Zhuo saw that the other party changed from his gentleness just now, and showed a fierce look on his face.

He held a knife and stabbed at Zheng Zhuo!

"what are you doing!"

Zheng Zhuo subconsciously pushed hard.The ground full of stagnant water played a role, the opponent suddenly staggered, the knife brushed Zheng Zhuo's waist upwards, and made a slash.

however.

Before Zheng Zhuo could relax.

A layer of silver-white light appeared on the surface of the knife.

Chill.

An invisible edge shot out from the surface of the knife, stabbing Zheng Zhuo's right shoulder.

Zheng Zhuo only felt a chill on his shoulders.The rust-smelling liquid splashed onto his cheeks.

"Goo—you bastard—!!"

Zheng Zhuo covered the wound and kicked forward forcefully!
He kicked the explorer man squarely in the stomach, unable to maintain his balance anymore, and fell backwards.Zheng Zhuo also fell to the ground.

Zheng Zhuo's luck is obviously better.Behind him is a solid rock wall, but behind the explorer is a downward passage.The explorer man scratched the ground a few times indiscriminately, and finally slipped down.

Taking advantage of this gap, Zheng Zhuo hurriedly dodged and hid on the side of the narrow stone wall.

……

Huha, Huha.

In the dark depths of the cave.Zheng Zhuo heard his heavy breathing.

The right hand is cold.The shoulder seemed to be torn from the inside, and the pain was terrifying.

What was more frightening than these was that he heard movement.

The movement of boots on water.

The explorer is still conscious.He is climbing.

"..."

Zheng Zhuo didn't say anything.

A faint light appeared in the cave.

The [Collective Subconscious] interface was opened.

With the help of the bright light that only he can see, Zheng Zhuo looked at the map in his hand.

The interface also automatically came to 【Subconscious Voting】.

……

【problem】

[Suddenly encountered an attack in the cave!The danger is approaching, what should we do? 】

【Option [-]】

[Run backwards, enter the spacious passage, and leave along the way you came.The road is easy to walk, the distance is short, but there is no shelter behind. 】

【Option [-]】

[Continue to hide.Wait for the opponent to approach and fight, trying to sneak attack the opponent. 】

【Option [-]】

[Enter the fork road on the left.The map shows that the road ahead is narrow and the distance is medium. The first entrants can block the passage to prevent the later entrants from entering.There is an air chamber at the end, which can stay for a certain period of time.The follow-up is not finished, I don't know if it can lead to the exit. 】

【Option [-]】

[Enter the fork on the right.The map shows that the road ahead has many twists and turns, the road is difficult to walk, the distance is long, and it is easy to get lost, but it can lead to another exit. 】

【Option [-]】

[Preemptive strike.While the opponent has not climbed up, take the initiative to attack and try to subdue the opponent. 】

　After [Option 1], [Option 1], [Option [-]], [Option [-]] and [Option [-]], you can leave a message in the form of [this chapter says]. A message under [-] id counts as [-] vote.

　　票数统计截至至2022/11/5日晚20：00.
　　Finally, please recommend tickets~
　　


(End of this chapter)