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墨書 Inktalez
"Alright, I'm going right now. Don't be afraid, just wait for me!" Gu Bei turned and left, but quickly returned, holding several intertwined vines that he had woven into a reinforced rope. He tossed it down.
Ye Xiaohan dragged her injured leg over to the vines while Gu Bei secured the other end to a large tree.
"Don't move. I'll come down and carry you." Gu Bei tightened the vines and gave them a tug, confirming that this makeshift 'rescue rope' was sturdy enough.
Just then, an unexpected change occurred.
Ye Xiaohan felt the ground sway beneath her. At first, she thought it was an illusion, but the second jolt was more intense, forcing her to crouch down to maintain her balance.
As the ground shook, a large amount of humus was dislodged, revealing what lay beneath.
It looked like brownish soil but hinted at something ominous. Ye Xiaohan placed her hand on it, her eyes widening in surprise.
The textures above and below were completely different; the upper layer was soft and organic, like every sparsely populated jungle. The lower layer, however, was hard—more like rock than soil.
"What is this?" Ye Xiaohan picked up a nearby stick and began to probe deeper into the underground layers.
Gu Bei climbed down along the vines and, upon seeing this scene, was equally astonished. "It seems like this upper layer was artificially added?"
"Do you think so too?" Hearing Gu Bei's similar assessment made Ye Xiaohan even more certain. Unlike her, Gu Bei had a genuine background in combat zones and had systematically studied various environments.
His judgments were usually correct.
"So someone went through great lengths to fill this area with a layer of topsoil, disguising it as ordinary ground," he continued. "And it's right in the so-called forbidden zone of the Bandits."
Such an obvious cover-up practically screamed that there was something suspicious here—an invitation for others to investigate further.
"Let's dig a little deeper and see what they're hiding," Ye Xiaohan said, her excitement growing. The thought that it could be something the Bandits were deliberately concealing made her eager; whatever it was, it had to be something they cared about.
If it turned out to be their secret, that would be even better.
Ye Xiaohan raised the branch in her hand, intending to use it as a makeshift shovel to uncover whatever lay beneath.
"I'll do it; you should rest over there. You twisted your ankle," Gu Bei insisted, blocking her path and refusing to let her continue.
Ye Xiaohan ignored him completely and dug vigorously. "If anyone needs to rest, it's definitely you! I only twisted my ankle, but you can't find a single uninjured spot on yourself."
She was not the type to just stand by and scream; compared to Gu Bei, she was in much better shape.
Gu Bei knew he couldn't persuade her, so he relented. However, during the digging process, he tried his best to work faster than Ye Xiaohan, hoping to do more of the work himself and lessen her burden.
"Hey? There's something here!" Ye Xiaohan exclaimed as her branch hit a hard object. At first, she thought it was a rock, but soon realized something was off.
Rocks couldn't be this smooth and square; this was a piece of stone that had clearly been processed.
The stone was too large for them to move easily, but after considerable effort, they managed to shift it aside.
Once cleared, they found a hole barely big enough for one person. Gu Bei jumped down to take a look and discovered a long passage behind it. After taking a few steps inside, he could still feel the air circulating within.
This was a passage with an exit.
Ye Xiaohan and Gu Bei exchanged glances before jumping down together. They landed carefully on one foot, cautiously protecting their injured ankle.
The passage was narrow, but it was still possible for a person to pass through. Ye Xiaohan took note of the traces left by human activity on the surrounding rock walls; in some places, the surface had become smooth due to long-term friction.
It was clear that people frequented this area.
"This forest is supposed to be off-limits, right? Why are there signs of activity here? Is it frequent?" This was highly suspicious. Due to the presence of the Bandit Hideout, there shouldn't be anyone else around, nor would anyone accidentally wander into a restricted area.
Thus, the only ones entering and exiting this passage must be those associated with the Bandit Hideout.
"Don't you think this passage seems to be sloping downward?" Ye Xiaohan patted Gu Bei on the back, asking with curiosity.
She had sensed it since earlier. The angle of the slope was rather exaggerated. While it wasn't a straight drop of one hundred eighty degrees, it was close to ninety degrees. In several spots, it might have even exceeded one hundred twenty degrees.
It felt less like they were walking and more like they were falling.
Gu Bei nodded; he shared the same feeling. "Indeed, it's strange. I wonder where this passage leads?"
He regretted bringing Ye Xiaohan here so recklessly. If there were dangers inside, given the current situation, he couldn't be sure he had enough ability to guarantee her safety.
But he knew Ye Xiaohan's temperament; if he suggested turning back now, she would never agree. Even if the path ahead was uncertain, they could only choose to continue onward.
"There's a breeze!"
After walking for an unknown amount of time in the dark, without any source of light, their pace was exceptionally slow. Just when Ye Xiaohan felt as if a century had passed, she sensed a gentle breeze on her face.
In the murky passageway, a sudden rush of fresh air invigorated Ye Xiaohan.
Following Ye Xiaohan's guidance, Gu Bei quickly found a crevice in the mountain wall. However, upon closer inspection, they realized it wasn't just a gap; a large rock was blocking the passage. Since it wasn't completely sealed, air was flowing through the space between.
"An exit?"
Ye Xiaohan's eyes sparkled with excitement, and even in the dim passage, her joy was evident.
"I'll give it a try!" Gu Bei said as he pushed against the large stone blocking the exit, but it didn't budge.
Gu Bei gritted his teeth and exerted all his strength. Unfortunately, he still couldn't move it.
"Hold on, let's see if there are any mechanisms around," Ye Xiaohan quickly stopped Gu Bei from trying again, worried that he might worsen his injuries before finding an exit.
Ye Xiaohan and Gu Bei searched carefully around them. Sure enough, on the left side of the stone, they discovered a simple lever mechanism.
It was a basic setup with just one support and a metal rod for leverage.
However, during their attempts to operate it, they soon found that despite its simplicity, the device was indeed effective.
The two of them worked together to pry open the massive stone little by little. Fresh air began to flow in, and light from outside started to seep through. After creating a small opening, Ye Xiaohan leaned in to look outside and was instantly stunned.
"This outside..." Ye Xiaohan exclaimed as she made way for Gu Bei to take a look as well. "This is at the foot of the mountain! I remember this place; I was brought up here when I was captured at Bandit Hideout!"
Gu Bei also realized that the exit of this passage was right at the foot of the mountain!
"Hurry, let's get out!" Ye Xiaohan urged excitedly as she lunged forward to help pry open the giant stone.
The two of them worked hard and finally managed to move aside enough debris to create a narrow gap that Gu Bei could squeeze through. They rushed out eagerly.
"It seems this passage is a shortcut."
As they looked at the exit, they felt a sense of being reborn.
"Are they trying to hide this shortcut?" Ye Xiaohan quickly made the connection. "This shortcut is their bargaining chip, but if the enemy finds out, it could become the source of disaster."
Once someone learned about this shortcut, they could launch an immediate surprise attack on the Bandit Hideout, catching them off guard.
The Bandits had been able to defeat armies multiple times and terrorize several nearby towns because of their advantageous terrain. Without it, it would be like cutting off all four of their legs.
Therefore, they had to keep it hidden from outsiders.
According to Ye Xiaohan's speculation, even many women and children in the Bandit Hideout were unaware of the shortcut's existence. The fewer people who knew about it, the safer it was.
This was also why Gu Bei had been able to hide in the forbidden area for so long without being discovered.
"What’s that over there?"
Ye Xiaohan squinted her eyes, noticing something lying on the ground not far ahead.
As soon as she finished speaking, she saw Gu Bei change his expression and hurriedly pick her up, rushing toward that direction.
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