Cruel Heart

Liang Yingwu also sped up, covering the last few meters of the passage with large strides and entered the large cave ahead. His flashlight swept around, assessing the situation. As I moved forward, I also directed my flashlight towards that area, but from my angle, I couldn’t see much; most of the light fell on Liang Yingwu’s straight back. At that moment, I distinctly felt his body shake. Although his flashlight was shaking, I was certain I hadn’t mistaken it; Liang Yingwu had seen something that made his whole body tremble. My heart tightened. This was a normal reaction for someone in such a confined, dark space encountering an unexpected situation. Importantly, I knew Liang Yingwu, whose composure was far better than mine; even if Mount Tai were to collapse in front of him, he wouldn’t react this way. These analyses flashed through my mind in an instant. A few more steps would reveal what was happening. However, after his initial shock, Liang Yingwu made a gesture that confirmed there was indeed a problem. He raised his left hand, signaling for those behind to stop. This was likely an instinctive reaction since, under the circumstances, no one would retreat because of such a gesture. Moreover, I believe most hadn’t noticed Liang Yingwu’s unusual behavior. Following closely behind Liang Yingwu was He Yun Kai, who completely ignored Liang Yingwu’s signal, either not seeing it or not paying attention. He took a few steps forward, his flashlight sweeping over something ahead, and then he stood frozen, letting out a low “ah” of shock. This was a sharp intake of breath, typically only heard when someone is frightened. Within about 10 seconds, all of us had entered the cave. Flashlights swept across the space, and with a series of “clangs,” several flashlights dropped to the ground. Then came screams; all the girls, after a moment of shock, screamed in unison, and even Zhu Zili and Zhao Gang, among the boys, cried out. The rapid airflow through their vocal cords created a continuous, echoing scream in the dark cave. My heart pounded as I tried to swallow, calming myself down.