noveltune Chapter 793 508: Out of Contact
Chapter 793 508: Out of Contact
The path at the bottom of the gorge is even more difficult to navigate, full of gravel beds that hurt one's feet. A stream of moderate width meanders out from the depths of the valley, its waters murmuring.Looking up, the cliff walls on both sides tower into the clouds, slicing the sky into a narrow line.
The group's location feels like a crevice forcibly cut out from the mountains by an axe.
The surroundings are extraordinarily quiet, apart from the sound of flowing water, hardly any other noises can be heard; not even the chirping of insects or birds.
Hua Weiguo scrutinized both ends of the gorge and asked the guide, "Elderly local, have you ever heard if there's anything special about this gorge, or any legends related to it?"
The guide shook his head and hung the canteen back on his waist, "There's nothing special about this place, we hardly ever come here. It often floods here, so there's no time to outrun when it happens."
"In previous years, several people came here looking for the Tibetan antelope, and they all ended up dead. I heard at the memorial service, they couldn't even find the bodies."
The guide's words sounded an alarm in Qi Yun's heart; no wonder he had been reluctant earlier.
Hua Weiguo frowned, "Now it's a clear day, would it flood even when there's no rain?"
"Exactly!" The guide made an exaggerated expression, "That's the bizarre thing! Sometimes on a sunny day, without even a drop of rain, suddenly there's a rumbling like thunder in the valley, and water appears from nowhere, rising fast! Within minutes, it's up to a person's chest!"
"The old folks say there's a connection to the Yin River below, and some say it's the dragon king turning over... I can't explain it."
He spoke more and more softly, finally waving his hand, "Oh, forget it, just be extremely careful yourselves. If something seems wrong, immediately run to higher ground! I... I'll go ahead and wait for you up there."
With that, he lingered no longer, grabbed the vines, and nimbly climbed up like a monkey.
Before visiting Kunlun and Qinling, Qi Yun surely would have scoffed at such legends, but now, after witnessing so many unimaginable happenings, he maintained a respectful caution toward inexplicable phenomena.
The guide's mention of the Yin River and the dragon king turning over might refer to some unknown geological phenomenon — no one can be sure.
"You all heard it."
Qi Yun turned around to face the group, his tone serious, "This gorge poses a risk of sudden flooding; we're pressed for time and must conduct our search quickly, but safety comes first."
"For every kilometer we advance, we must set rock anchors on the mountain body, secure ropes so that should danger arise, we can climb to higher ground immediately using the ropes."
The group nodded in agreement, as matters of life are not to be taken lightly.
The team set forth once more, moving cautiously along the left side of the stream on the gravel bed.
Every stretch they cover, Brother Quan's group would choose a spot on the rock wall that has cracks or protrusions to drive in rock anchors, attaching carabiners and slings.
This process takes up some time but is necessary.
By the time they reached the bottom of the gorge, it was already late in the day, so they hadn't covered many kilometers before the light dimmed.
Having found no useful clues along the way, the team decided to set up camp for the night and resume the search the next day.
About thirty meters away from the stream, in a recessed part of the rock wall, lies a suitable camping spot. The ground here is more solid sandy soil, backed by a stone wall, with unobstructed views on both sides for observing any changes.
The group took off their backpacks and started a fire to cook.
After a simple meal of noodles, everyone rested.
During the night, Qi Yun was worried about a sudden flood in the middle of the night and couldn't sleep soundly. Ultimately, he got up and substituted the lookout for Old Eagle, letting him rest.
The night passed peacefully. The team prepared their gear at dawn, extinguished the fire, and continued upstream along the stream.
With the preparation from the previous day, today's pace was slightly faster, and Brother Quan's team set anchors more swiftly.
Yet the gorge seemed endless, always presenting monotonous gravel beds, rock walls, and murmuring water sounds. That pervasive sense of oppression made it hard for anyone to truly relax.
Approaching midday, the gorge ahead began to change.
Here the gorge no longer presented one path but was divided by an additional mountain forming two branches.
The left side appears to be the main route of the stream, with a relatively wider channel and steadier flow, the rock walls on both sides are further apart, providing a more open view.
The right side is noticeably narrower, less than half the width of the left, more like a gorge forcefully carved out by water flow, with dim lighting inside, and only a small stream flowing out to merge with the main river.
The group paused to observe the two paths.
Qin Sizhi suggested taking the left side, while Ignacio believed the right side might hold possibilities. Seeing they couldn't reach a consensus, Qi Yun simply decided to split into two teams.
"Now we'll divide into two groups, searching in both directions. Old Yao, the Professor, myself, Old Eagle, Old Bai, and Da Pao in one group, Brother Quan, you lead the other."
"Keep communication open; if any danger arises, don't hesitate, evacuate immediately!"
They were using high-performance professional radios with antennas that could cover ten to twenty kilometers even in this gorge terrain.
The group swiftly allocated supplies and equipment, and once everything was prepared, they parted ways at the fork in the path.
Qi Yun's group took the relatively narrow path on the right. Upon stepping in, the oppressive feeling was even more noticeable than before.