"Are you rested? We're ready to enter the cave!"
Nie Xiaoyu, after organizing their gear, looked at Wan Yunting and the other five, including Gu Luotang. Huang Jingshan nodded with a smile, "Alright, let's go in. I can't wait to see what's inside."
Nie Xiaoyu turned to Gu Xiaozhuang and the others. Little Zhao also nodded, indicating they were ready.
"Doctor Wan, you and your group follow behind us," Nie Xiaoyu said, turning back.
"Okay."
Wan Yunting didn't try to be a hero. After all, he had to look after Gu Luotang, Qi Miaomiao, and Wei Renxin. Naturally, he let Nie Xiaoyu and Gu Xiaozhuang's soldiers take the lead. Everyone turned on their flashlights, and Little Zhao went in first to check the cave's environment.
The temperature was cool, and the terrain sloped downwards. It was a natural cave with a large interior. The ground was covered in a lot of droppings. Little Zhao, holding his flashlight, looked closely and then heard a squeaking sound from above.
He immediately raised his flashlight to the cave ceiling. On the strangely shaped rocks, a cluster of black bats were roosting, densely packed, making Little Zhao's scalp tingle and giving him goosebumps.
"How is it?"
Gu Xiaozhuang asked when Little Zhao emerged.
"There are many bats on the ceiling. As long as we enter carefully, we should not disturb them," Little Zhao said.
"Ah, there are bats..."
Gu Luotang and Qi Miaomiao's faces turned pale at the mention of bats.
"Can you handle it?" Nie Xiaoyu asked them, turning his head.
"We can," Gu Luotang said with determination, nodding.
Seeing this, Nie Xiaoyu prepared to call everyone into the cave. Just then, Huang Jingshan on the side said with a nervous expression, "Aren't you going to ask me if I can handle it?"
His words left Wan Yunting and the others speechless. They turned and gave him a sideways glance, "You're a grown man, what are you afraid of with bats?"
"I have trypophobia!" Huang Jingshan shouted.
"The bats are on the ceiling, they're not going to attack you. Turn off your lights later, don't talk, and enter cautiously. Let's get past this section with the bats first," Little Zhao instructed.
"Okay."
Wan Yunting and Wei Renxin nodded, then looked at the pale-faced Huang Jingshan. "Are you alright?"
Although Huang Jingshan was scared, he said helplessly, "Do I have a choice?"
"No."
Qi Miaomiao shot him a look and huffed.
Wan Yunting smiled and said to Nie Xiaoyu and the others, "Let's go in, no problem."
"Let's go, everyone be careful, and watch your step. Don't just focus on the bats and forget there might be other things underfoot..." Nie Xiaoyu said, already leading the way with Gu Xiaozhuang and the others, holding their flashlights and carefully entering, reminding everyone to watch their footing...
"Come on, keep up..."
Wan Yunting, following behind, nudged Gu Luotang, Qi Miaomiao, and Wei Renxin, and Huang Jingshan, and quietly urged them to follow Nie Xiaoyu and the others into the cave, with four soldiers providing rear guard...
"Shh, everyone be quiet. It's only this section with bats. Be careful everyone..."
Little Zhao, at the front, lowered his voice and turned to Nie Xiaoyu and Wan Yunting behind him. Everyone also lightened their steps, following closely.
However, seeing bat droppings everywhere on the ground, emitting a foul odor, made Gu Luotang and Qi Miaomiao instinctively cover their noses, sticking close to Wan Yunting. Qi Miaomiao even grabbed his arm. Wan Yunting looked at his senior sisters and then lightly squeezed Gu Luotang's arm, signaling her to stay close.
Seeing the man voluntarily take her left hand, Gu Luotang felt a little thrill in her heart and followed closely behind him...
Behind them was Huang Jingshan. He held his flashlight but dared not shine it at the bat colony above. Yet, he could clearly hear the bats squeaking, a sound that made his scalp crawl.
Without looking, everyone could imagine what a dense bat colony looked like, which made Huang Jingshan even more nervous and scared.
They walked through this short section for a full two minutes. Little Zhao saw fewer bat droppings on the ground, indicating that there were no bats in this part of the cave. He stopped and turned, shining his flashlight at Wan Yunting and the others behind him, and whispered, "There are no more bats here. Everyone be careful..."
"Okay..."
Huang Jingshan, following behind Wei Renxin, heard that there were no more bats ahead and excitedly quickened his pace. However, his flashlight beam flickered and immediately caught sight of a patterned snake writhing in a crack in the rocks nearby...
"Ah, there's a snake...!"
Huang Jingshan was so startled that he jumped up, and his sudden shout also frightened Gu Luotang and Qi Miaomiao, making them scream in response.
This time, Wan Yunting and Nie Xiaoyu's expressions changed. They all shone their lights towards Huang Jingshan's position and indeed saw a patterned snake, as thick as an adult's arm, clearly a python.
Squeak... squeak...
However, what was even more terrifying was that the screams of Huang Jingshan and Qi Miaomiao had completely startled the bat colony on the ceiling. Instantly, a mass of black bats flew down, crashing around.
"Quick, squat down..."
Wan Yunting shouted, immediately pulling Gu Luotang and Qi Miaomiao down to a crouch. Nie Xiaoyu and Gu Xiaozhuang also crouched down, nervously watching the bats flying everywhere. However, none of them hit anyone. The bat colony was flying out of the cave...
Soon, the squeaking of bats dwindled. Seeing all the bats flying out, Wan Yunting and Nie Xiaoyu breathed a sigh of relief.
"Huang Jingshan, how can you be more timid than a woman?"
Wei Renxin turned on his headlamp and said grumpily to Huang Jingshan, who was trembling beside him.
"You scared me to death..."
Qi Miaomiao also patted her pounding heart, having nearly lost her wits from Huang Jingshan's commotion just moments ago.
"There was a snake..."
Huang Jingshan pointed towards where it had been, but the disturbed python had already disappeared.
After all, in places with bats, there are usually snakes, as bats are their food.
"Look at you, you've got no guts." Wei Renxin huffed speechlessly.
"You..."
Huang Jingshan was about to retort when Wan Yunting quickly intervened, "Alright, stop arguing. It's good that everyone is fine."
"Is everyone okay?"
Nie Xiaoyu looked at Gu Xiaozhuang and Little Zhao. They all shook their heads, saying it was just a false alarm.
This species, the large-footed myotis, does not attack humans.
"Alright, Little Zhao, Little Gu, you continue to lead. Everyone follow closely."
Nie Xiaoyu didn't want to waste time, as they were here to rescue the tunnel workers trapped in the underground river.
"Let's go, everyone be careful. If you find anything else, don't make a fuss,"
Wan Yunting told Gu Luotang and Qi Miaomiao to follow behind Nie Xiaoyu, and also said to Wei Renxin and Huang Jingshan, "Saving people is the priority."
Wei Renxin nodded, too lazy to argue with Huang Jingshan.
"Tch."
Huang Jingshan, disliking Wei Renxin's attitude, rolled his eyes. Wan Yunting patted his shoulder and smiled, "Alright, let's go."
"If I wasn't afraid of delaying the rescue mission, I would have argued with him." Huang Jingshan said indignantly, feeling that he was not a timid person.
"Yes, yes, yes. But we need to get inside quickly and find those tunnel workers. Once we rescue them, you two can argue however you want," Wan Yunting said, slinging an arm around Huang Jingshan's shoulder with a smile. "But it's not appropriate to argue now, is it?"
"I know."
Huang Jingshan turned and gave him a sideways glance, but he was still very displeased.
Wan Yunting patted his shoulder, smiled, and said no more, nudging Huang Jingshan to keep up with the group...