When we told the students about the strange phenomenon in the corridor, everyone looked dazed. Liang Yingwu sighed, “Let’s rest first, then think of a way out.” Sitting down, a wave of hunger washed over me. I felt for the compressed biscuits in my pocket, resisting the urge to eat. Calming my mind, I started to analyze the strange occurrence. I believed that whether the rope hanging in mid-air was a shared hallucination between Liang Yingwu and me, or something real, this corridor had proven not only to have the ability to deceive but also to possess genuine “power.” This power could resist the combined pulling force of Liang Yingwu and me, keeping the rope perfectly still. This force, from the moment we noticed something was amiss at the entrance of the Cave of Bones until we reached the second corridor and saw the rope in mid-air, was felt clearly by both of us. Together, we exerted a force of about a hundred kilograms, yet the rope didn’t move an inch, revealing just a hint of this power. Besides holding the rope, what else could this force do? Was it confined to the corridor, or could it extend into the Cave of Bones? No one knew. What was more troubling was that the rope had initially been straight under the tension between Liang Yingwu and me; when did this third force intervene, and we didn’t feel a thing? I shared this conjecture with Liang Yingwu, who remained silent.
Lu Yun, however, offered a completely different perspective. “There might not be a force holding the rope. If the corridor can affect our sight and touch, could it also influence other senses?” As soon as Lu Yun spoke, there were gasps in the darkness. Her suggestion was that Liang Yingwu and I, along with the watching students, might have all been under an illusion. If that were true, our last shred of trust in ourselves would be gone. The scariest part was that such a theory indeed had real-world possibilities. If all our actions here were not entirely under our control, what I saw as lifting my hand might be an illusion, believing I was running hard when I hadn’t moved at all, or reaching to rub my eyes when I might actually be digging them out… I couldn’t imagine further.
“The possibility Lu Yun mentioned does not exist; we don’t need to consider it when looking for a way out,” Liang Yingwu’s deep voice broke the silence.
“Why?” Not just me, many asked Liang Yingwu together.
Liang Yingwu didn’t answer, lost in thought in the darkness. Suddenly, Lu Yun laughed, her profile illuminated by the weakening flashlight beam. I hadn’t seen someone smile in a long time, and seeing Lu Yun’s smile sent a strange shiver through me. In a slightly altered voice, she said, “Because if it’s as I said, none of us would get out alive!”
Her words sent a shock through me; she was right. If we couldn’t control ourselves, how could we even talk about escaping the cave? Liang Yingwu seemed to nod, though I couldn’t see clearly in the darkness, and he still didn’t speak. This was the most unstable moment for the students since we got trapped. Lu Yun’s tone had already started to worry me, and how these students, not known for their strong nerves, would react in this life-and-death situation, especially not knowing about the cannibalistic horrors that had occurred here, was unpredictable.
With the faint light from the flashlight, I glanced around. Jiang Wei seemed to be clutching his hair tightly, while Zhu Zili had buried his head between his knees, squatting in a ball. Bian Xiaogui and Fei Qing were huddled together, trembling. Yet, at this crucial moment, Liang Yingwu remained silent, contrary to his usual approach.
“What are you thinking? Say something to boost morale, so we can keep thinking of ways out,” I whispered to Liang Yingwu.
Liang Yingwu actually sighed, though he quickly suppressed it, but indeed, he was sighing. “You saw the rope just now; what else can we think of?” I finally understood why Liang Yingwu was so downcast. The “straight rope forward” strategy was a brilliant plan, and because it worked so well, it forced the hidden force to reveal itself. However, this revelation meant Liang Yingwu understood that this mysterious corridor was now openly “declaring war” on us. Our previous explorations were attempts to understand the corridor’s oddities and find a way to use external tools to navigate out. But now, with the force revealed, it was clear that even tools would be futile. Under these circumstances, any further strategy would yield no better results, and attempting more sophisticated tests might even risk retaliation from this mysterious power.
“I understand your thoughts, but I believe my conclusion is exactly the opposite of yours.” Unlike Liang Yingwu, I didn’t deliberately lower my voice because I wanted everyone to hear what I was saying. “Indeed, if we continue to explore the tunnel with various methods, there might be dangers. The force that grabbed the rope earlier was a mild expression; if it were to become violent, it might grab our necks instead. However, our chance lies here. If we retreat from the tunnel now, we will surely starve to death. Since we are facing death either way, why not keep exploring the tunnel, keep provoking that force, making it unable to hide anymore? Just grabbing the rope in mid-air isn’t enough; we need to expose it more. Only when the danger fully reveals itself can we see everything clearly and find a way out. To survive, we must first face death – this is what we must do now!” For the first time, I didn’t shy away from mentioning “death” in front of the students because at this moment, I needed to use death to stimulate their courage.
“I see your point, you’re right.” Liang Yingwu nodded at me, having freed himself from the brief confusion. As for the others, they were evidently moved by my words. I didn’t need to look at their faces to feel the emotions in their eyes; the boys had a sense of determination, while the girls showed some admiration, thinking, “Mr. Liang is right, this journalist named Nado indeed has a broad experience. Perhaps only those who have faced death can speak like this.” Alas, it seems I can be self-absorbed in any situation. However, coming up with another method as effective as “walking forward with the rope taut” is not easy. Perhaps future readers of this story might come up with many methods, but as the saying goes, “those involved are often the last to see clearly,” which holds true here. The darkness seemed to have clouded our minds. We discussed for a long time, during which we conducted two of our hourly explorations. Now, only one flashlight with a faint light remained, along with four batteries. Liang Yingwu decided that once we used up two of the spare batteries, we would keep the remaining two for emergencies and not use them even if we were to walk the tunnel. The slight disregard for life that my words had inspired in everyone two hours ago had quickly faded in the endless darkness and stomach cramps. The pressure on everyone was growing, and He Yun Kai even picked up a skull, shouted, and threw it hard; the skull hit distant bones, making a “clattering” sound. Liang Yingwu stopped He Yun Kai in time, and I knew he, like me, was deeply concerned about the students’ emotions. Everyone’s mental endurance has its limits, and I wondered who among these 14 would be the first to break down. It wouldn’t be me, nor would it be Liang Yingwu, but someone would eventually.
