endless route

Chapter 15 15. Teammate Missing
Zheng Yun had a dream. He was sealed into the underground corpse lake and submerged in the pitch-black water. No matter how hard he struggled, he could not escape through the ice.

Cold, biting, depressing, suffocating, deep and dead silence, no light source, constant feeling of drowning, and seemingly nonexistent screams in the ears.

Zheng Yun was terrified, but the water was pitch black, he couldn't even distinguish up, down, left, and right, and he didn't even know which direction the ice was in, so he could only struggle indiscriminately underwater.

I don't know how long.

Several flashlights shined on the ice.

A series of dark yellow beams of light plunged into the lake from Zheng Yun's back, went straight to the dead silent and muddy bottom of the lake, and when they swept past Zheng Yun's side, they illuminated his surroundings.

Only then did he find out.

Countless corpses were piled up in black, gathering in groups like deep-sea fish in the dim yellow and cold lake water, floating slowly with themselves as the center of the vortex.

From just now until now, they have been silently opening pairs of empty eyes, quietly watching themselves in the dark, watching their desperate struggle.

Two people stepped onto the ice.

Zheng Yun could see the soles of the visitor's shoes through the ice, and he beat the ice under the water desperately, shouting for help, but the only sound coming from his throat was the sound of gurgling water.

He chased their footprints and pressed his palm prints under their feet. As long as they lowered their heads, they would be able to see the fingerprints under the ice and see themselves in the lake.

But the two didn't bow their heads.

They went straight to the depths of the frozen lake.

No matter what, Zheng Yun couldn't make any noise to attract attention, and all his struggles fell silent in the turbid lake water, just like the thousands of corpses around him, he could never escape from this treacherous underground corpse lake.

……

"Zheng Yun, wake up first, and then go to sleep after entering the room." Liu Ming's voice sounded from beside his ear.

Zheng Yun looked sideways, half asleep and half awake, and saw that the off-road vehicle had parked in front of a small hotel. The architectural style was almost the same as that of La Maine Town.

Stilt building.

Rainforest.

Aged wooden signboard.

"What is this place?"

Zheng Yun immediately asked alertly.

"The town Huzi is looking for is engaged in fruit distribution and wholesale. Don't worry, there are us Chinese here." Liu Ming got out of the car and opened the door of the co-pilot.

Zheng Yun got out of the car and looked around. This town should have been a gold rush town before, but there are several modern factories in the west, and a row of trucks waiting for goods parked at the door.

Hu Ruihua and the others just stopped the car, and they took Damona upstairs, and Xiao Li moved the car to the side and started to boil water for dinner.

"Are you okay?" Liu Ming asked, he felt that something was wrong with Zheng Yun, and his eyes were a little confused.

"It's okay, just get some sleep." Zheng Yun shook his head, waved to Liu Ming and walked into the small building.

"Brother Zheng, let's sleep on the first floor." The skinny young man led Zheng Yun into the room behind the bar, which was next to the stairs, so he could hear any movement immediately.

Zheng Yun looked around.

A smell of insect repellent herbs.

This place is in the tropical rainforest, the weather is hot and there are many mosquitoes, there are three layers of screens on the windows, and the legs of the double bed are also a bit higher, trying to avoid insects as much as possible.

The environment is very simple, the area is not small but very empty, there is a bed and a table, not even a latch, but there is a box of contraceptive tools beside the bed.

Zheng Yun fell asleep.

As long as there is a bed, nothing else matters, he just needs to sleep well now.

……

Sleeping at a stretch until morning, Zheng Yun has been wandering in nightmares, one moment is the underground corpse lake, another moment is the white mist of the cave, and the scenes are getting weirder and weirder.

He dreamed that there was a river under the white mist.

The river will lead to the depths of the rift, and after a cliff waterfall, there seems to be an attic in front of it...

"Zheng Yun, something happened!"

"Wake up, something happened."

Shaking violently, Zheng Yun opened his eyes and saw Hu Ruihua's face in front of him. His expression was terrified, and he was even more nervous than when he was walking on the ice lake.

"what happened?"

Zheng Yun immediately sat up and saw Song Wan standing behind Hu Ruihua, her face was also a little pale.

"They're all missing."

Hu Ruihua took a deep breath, and said anxiously: "I fell asleep like you, and when I got up, I found that everyone else was gone!"

"Who is missing?"

Zheng Yun didn't turn the corner.

"Everyone, I am the only one left in the search and rescue team, and your little brother Liu is gone. They drove away, and only two of the three cars remain."

Hu Ruihua still had the walkie-talkie and mobile phone in his hand, and he probably searched around, but he couldn't find anyone, so he came over to wake him up.

"Gone? Where's Damona?"

Zheng Yun finally came to his senses, his brows were deeply frowned, and a cool feeling ran down his back.

Let's not talk about the search and rescue team.

It was absolutely impossible for Liu Ming to leave without saying goodbye. He had no reason to leave alone without saying a word.

"They're all gone, and so is Damona. She's still wearing a tracking device. I know where she went, but I don't know where the others are."

Hu Ruihua's face was gloomy, this time was different from before, it was their teammates who disappeared, and walked very strangely, without even saying hello.

"Where's Damona?"

Zheng Yun already had a premonition, and the moment he thought of the answer, his whole body shivered.

"She's back to the mine again." Hu Ruihua answered, which was exactly the same as Zheng Yun's guess.

"..."

Zheng Yun took a deep breath.

The weirdness of this incident is beyond imagination, the teammate disappeared mysteriously, and Damona entered the mine again.

There are two possibilities. The teammates found that Damona was missing, so they drove after her, but they had no reason not to wake up Hu Ruihua and themselves.

He and Hu Ruihua were the core of this temporary team. Even if they were tired and fell asleep, the others should not set out alone.

So this guess is not necessarily correct.

Then there is still a possibility that other people, like Damona, entered the mine with Damona for some reason or under some influence.

Not very likely.

Because there is no common ground.

I and Hu Ruihua were the ones who went the farthest down the mine and had the deepest contact with Damona. If other people were affected, there was no reason for the two of them to be spared.

Song Wan never went to the mine from the beginning to the end, but the search and rescue team Xiao Li was the same. Since Song Wan is still here, why did the search and rescue team Xiao Li disappear?
There must be other reasons.

But they can't think of it for the time being.

"Your car is still there, let's go back and look for it?" Hu Ruihua's expression was serious. This matter was out of control and he had to respond immediately.

"Okay." Zheng Yun nodded, looked at Song Wan who was standing aside, and said, "Why don't you stay here?"

"I'll go too, I can help, and I can climb rocks." Song Wan said seriously.

Zheng Yun was slightly silent.

His impression of Song Wan was still that of a college student who could speak French. This matter was too dangerous, and he didn't want Song Wan to be in danger.

The water is too muddy.

There is no need for her and Liu Ming to have sex.

But for a while, Zheng Yun couldn't think of how to arrange Song Wan. It was indeed dangerous to let her stay here alone, and Zheng Yun was not at ease.

"Brother Zheng, I can go. If something goes wrong, I will be responsible for it. Brother Liu is missing. I shouldn't just do nothing." Song Wan said again.

"Hey, why don't I go first, Zheng Yun, wait here for my news." Hu Ruihua sighed.

"Let's go together, follow me closely on the road, and react smarter." Zheng Yun looked at Song Wan.

Song Wan nodded.

The three of them stopped discussing too much, walked out of the hotel and got in the car to set off. Hu Ruihua stepped on the accelerator in the driver's seat, and the off-road vehicle sped along the rainforest path at high speed.

It was just dawn.

Less than [-] kilometers away, after a total of ten minutes, the off-road vehicle passed through the town of La Maine again.

This was the third time Zheng Yun looked down on the town. The bonfire at the entrance of the tavern on the main street had just been extinguished.

(End of this chapter)