Mysterious Country 1: Mist-Shrouded Champa,Volume 4: Chapter 6: Explosion

Sima Hui saw something abnormal. There was no time to find the searchlight. In his haste, he could only pick up the camping lamp beside him. Using the weak light of the LED, he looked forward. He saw outside the cockpit a giant eye staring wide open, as large as a cart wheel. Its eyelids slowly opened and closed, its expression wooden. It seemed to be peering through the cockpit window, spying on the six living people inside the Mosquito transport plane.

Sima Hui saw it clearly. He knew in his heart that this was an extraordinarily thick and massive “ground dwelling dragon lizard.” Because it lived year round in dark and damp caves, feeding on various phosphorescent creatures, its eyes had not only failed to recede beneath scales but had actually evolved. Its eyes protruded outward. Apart from the tail length, its body could grow to over five or six meters. Its skin was thick and rough. Normally it could hibernate for months without moving, like a wooden carving or clay statue. At this moment it had been attracted by the light inside the “Mosquito special transport plane.”

Although the people carried firearms and hunting knives, the dragon lizards of the Myanmar deep mountains, regardless of size, all carried strange poison. They could capture people with their gaze within a hundred paces, extremely difficult to guard against. Therefore no one dared to provoke them. Once a ground dwelling dragon lizard attacked, it was far more terrifying than encountering crocodiles in the marsh.

Sima Hui saw the situation was not good. He hurriedly extinguished the camping lamp in his hand and told the others in a low voice: “Nobody move!”

Yu Feiyan and the others all knew clearly that ground dwelling dragon lizards possessed “dynamic vision.” They were extremely sensitive to light and moving objects. Naturally no one dared to move slightly. They heard something heavy slowly writhing on top of the cabin roof. They estimated another massive ground dwelling dragon lizard was crawling up and down on the Mosquito special transport plane. They all immediately turned off the micro light signal lamps on their bodies.

The entire cabin instantly became pitch black. Only some scattered specks of phosphorescent light suddenly appeared. Those were the night moths that had been flying and colliding chaotically in the grass before the expedition team entered the transport plane. Attracted by the light, they had flown onto people’s bodies. Despite the rain, they had still picked up much phosphorus powder. And quite a few moths had followed them into the cabin interior.

Sima Hui thought the reason the dragon lizard was wandering nearby and not leaving was probably because there were still remaining night moths in the cabin. He was about to wipe off the phosphorus powder stuck to his body when he suddenly heard a cracking sound from the roof above.

The Mosquito transport plane that had slept in the underground marsh had its wooden structure long soaked through with damp rot. How could it withstand the massive and heavy body of this ground dwelling dragon lizard? The parts previously shot through by the large caliber hunting gun were all pressed until they cracked open.

The ground dwelling dragon lizard’s thick hind limbs were trapped in the cracked opening. Unable to free itself quickly, it struggled desperately by thrashing its tail. The transport plane was shaken until it nearly fell apart. Even more tiny grass lizards took the opportunity to slip in through the gaps.

The people were in the darkness, their eyes unable to see. They only felt grass lizards crawling up their legs and onto their bodies. They had no choice but to raise their hands to swat them away.

Right at this moment, they suddenly heard a light sound from that earthquake bomb. Although the sound was not loud, Sima Hui’s hearing was keen. Judging from the position, it seemed the shock bomb’s detonation fuse had been opened. A chill of fear rose in his heart. He knew it must be the “Green Tomb” hiding in the transport plane secretly making trouble. This time the trouble was immense. The heavy shock bomb with boundless power would explode within minutes. The consequences were unimaginable.

Sima Hui urgently wanted to know what method that “Green Tomb” was using to hide under everyone’s noses without being detected. He disregarded the giant dragon lizard still wandering outside the cabin. He immediately shook his flashlight bright. But with one sweep, apart from the six survivors, where was there any extra person in the transport plane? Yet the fuse at the tail of the shock bomb had indeed been quietly activated by a “person” in the darkness.

Yu Feiyan and the others, seeing this, were all shocked beyond words. They all said this time they were certainly doomed. The bomb loaded in the “Black Snake” was not comparable to the “Grand Slam” that could blow an entire mountain flat. But its volume was already sufficiently astonishing, almost exceeding the Mosquito special transport plane’s maximum load limit. At this moment, even if everyone grew several more legs, it was absolutely impossible to escape the danger range of the explosion shock wave in such a short time.

The millennia old mist that never dispersed in Savage Mountain, the raging tropical storm system “Pagoda,” the bottomless cave like an earth telescope, the dragon lizards, crocodiles, and Burmese pythons inhabiting the marsh, the heavy earthquake bomb loaded in the Mosquito transport plane, and the “Green Tomb” hiding in the darkness spying on everyone’s movements. Wave after wave of dangers and countless inexplicable mysteries pushed the bodies and spirits of these few survivors of the expedition team to the edge of near collapse.

Everyone knew in their hearts that survival was impossible. For a moment they looked at each other in dismay, all frozen in place, no one moving. But within a few short seconds, the same thought emerged in all their minds: “Run! Run as far as possible!”

The so called “cornered beast still fights.” Rather than waiting to be killed, being blown to dust and ashes together with this Mosquito transport plane, it was better to flee as far as possible. Perhaps they could still leave behind an intact corpse.

Sima Hui shouted to the others: “Don’t just stand there. Hurry and retreat!”

Yu Feiyan warned: “The wetland south side has deep and dense water plants that can slow the explosion shock wave. Everyone run south after leaving the transport plane.”

Seeing the seconds tick away, everyone only wished to get as far from this earthquake bomb as possible. But to leave the Mosquito transport plane, they first had to deal with the two ground dwelling dragon lizards coiled outside the cabin. At this moment they had no choice but to steel their hearts and engage in direct conflict.

Luo Big Tongue took the lead, grabbing the four barrel hunting gun and pressing it through the broken hole in the cabin roof. He aimed at the dragon lizard’s belly clinging to the outside of the transport plane and fired. Although this hunting gun couldn’t compare to anti materiel weapons, at close range its power was extraordinarily great. With a bang of gunfire, the smell of sulfur and gunpowder was like mist and clouds. That massive and thick ground dwelling dragon lizard was immediately blown tumbling to the ground, its belly torn and intestines spilled, blood flowing everywhere.

At the same time, the ground dwelling dragon lizard outside the cockpit was also blown into two pieces by the dynamite the Russian White Bear threw out. But though dead, it was not stiff. It still stared with its protruding blood red giant eye. Beneath the eyelid, it suddenly flipped. A bloody arrow shot out from the corner of its eye, flying through the broken hole in the cabin.

Ground dwelling dragon lizards excelled at camouflage. They often lay motionless like rocks or rotten wood, waiting for prey to pass by. Then they would strike unexpectedly, shooting poisonous blood from the corner of their eyes to attack. The blood in their eye sacs was extremely poisonous, and the speed was remarkably fast, making it difficult for people to dodge.

The Russian White Bear had not expected that the dragon lizard, blown into two pieces, could still launch a sneak attack. Despite his quick reaction, poisonous blood splashed into his left eye. The pain made him howl and wail like a beast roaring. His mind was still somewhat clear. He knew that once the poison entered through the eye into the brain, there would be no saving him. Driven by intense survival instinct, he endured the heart piercing pain and forcibly gouged out his own left eyeball.

The poisonous fluid that the Russian White Bear dodged splashed onto the several people behind him. The Mosquito transport plane contained a massive bomb bay. The six people inside were extremely cramped and crowded. In the narrow cabin they could only stand sideways. Turning around was very difficult. How could they escape? In the end, they were all splashed by the poisonous blood.

Fortunately, the poison mostly landed on backpacks and clothing, not touching skin. But the tall and large Cheglov rolled and struggled in pain, using too much force. He knocked A Cui, standing behind him, quite hard. A Cui, struck by him, hit the back of her head on the hard iron shell of the earthquake bomb. Blood immediately flowed out. In the panic, no one knew how serious the injury was.

The group had not yet left this Mosquito transport plane, yet in an instant, two members had been severely injured in succession. But seeing the situation was critical, with no time to delay, no one dared to hesitate. Yu Feiyan kicked open the cabin door, carrying her Uzi submachine gun to lead the way. Luo Big Tongue carried A Cui on his back. Sima Hui called for Karaweik to support the blood covered White Bear. Each grabbed signal candles, closely following Yu Feiyan, disregarding the depth of their steps, desperately fleeing toward the area with dense marsh plants.

Although the Russian White Bear was as strong as an ox, having lost one eye and being severely injured, with some poison entering his brain, even his mind became disordered. He suddenly became frenzied and bloodthirsty. In his delirium, his bloodthirsty animal nature was triggered. His heart only wanted to kill. He noticed both arms were being held by people. He immediately circled back, putting his two fan like large hands around Sima Hui and Karaweik’s throats.

Sima Hui was desperately dragging him to flee the Mosquito transport plane. His spirit and lifeblood were entirely focused on the heavy bomb behind him. How could he have guarded against this fellow suddenly attacking? But Sima Hui spent every day on the edge of life and death, always quick and alert. Karaweik, though young, spent every day climbing trees and drilling through mountains. His movements were as nimble as a monkey’s. Both were agile in response. Sensing the Russian’s iron pincer like hands grabbing toward their necks, they hurriedly shrank back and dodged aside.

Cheglov’s hands caught empty air. He immediately drew his hunting knife and turned to slash. Sima Hui had no time to stand up. He rolled eighteen times on the spot, dodging the blade. He saw White Bear’s face was a bloody mess, his remaining single eye showing fierce light. He knew this man’s mind was lost, already like a mad dog. Once entangled by him, it would be a fight to the death. He shouted for Karaweik not to stop, to hurry and escape.

Karaweik, seeing the Russian’s appearance like an evil spirit from hell, was already terrified out of his wits. His body went limp and his legs went soft. He didn’t know what to do. Only upon hearing Sima Hui’s shout did he come back to his senses. He immediately ran in the direction where Luo Big Sea and the others had fled.

Who would have thought that although the Russian Cheglov’s mind was completely disordered, he had killed people like cutting grass all his life. He was no different from a Soviet made killing machine. The methods of killing were almost his instinct. He noticed someone fleeing and knew it was too late to chase. In a roar, he threw the hunting knife in his hand with all his might.

The military curved hunting knives used by the expedition team in the jungle, also called “mountain opening knives,” all had thick backs and thin blades, short handles and long bodies, wide in front and narrow in back, formed from a single piece of spring steel, extremely sharp. The hunting knife thrown from Cheglov’s hand was as fast as thunder, as swift as lightning. One heard a metallic wind wailing. It spun through the air, slicing horizontally toward Karaweik’s head. Where the sharp edge passed, it immediately cut a human head into two halves. The knife’s momentum did not diminish. It still flew forward several meters before falling to the ground.

As Karaweik ran forward, he was suddenly struck by the swiftly approaching blade from behind. Though his body and head were separated, due to momentum, his feet still did not stop. He actually ran another three or five steps before that headless corpse heavily fell to the ground.

This sudden tragedy happened far too quickly. Sima Hui saw Karaweik had died so violently under the Russian’s knife. He had no time to save him. Though life and death are impermanent, and no one can predict them in advance, he couldn’t help but burn with rage, blood rising to his eyes, killing intent stirring in his heart. He saw the Russian White Bear had already turned and pounced toward him. He thought secretly, “Today either you die or I live.” He immediately dodged the attack while also gripping his own hunting knife in his hand.

Though Sima Hui’s heart was filled with anger and hatred, facing a powerful enemy, he still remained calm. He knew the Russian was tall with long arms, like a wild beast. And having served many years in the Soviet army, judging from his posture in every movement, he must be skilled in combat and fighting. Even if Sima Hui’s shoulder weren’t injured, in a wrestling match with the other party, he probably wouldn’t gain any advantage. Moreover, with life and death at stake, he sought only a swift resolution.

Sima Hui set his measure in his heart. He would not engage the Russian in frontal entanglement. Instead he feinted, dodging to the Russian’s left side. White Bear lunged and missed, then turned to grab. But Sima Hui’s footwork was agile, absolutely not making frontal contact. He slipped away to the Russian’s right side. That Russian White Bear was tall and bulky. His body was somewhat clumsy after all. After only three or two exchanges, his footsteps were already in disarray. His center of gravity unstable, he was immediately tripped to the ground by Sima Hui.

Though the Russian White Bear fell heavily, he also grabbed Sima Hui. Sima Hui hadn’t expected the other’s hands to be so fast. He was pulled into a stumble and also fell to the ground. He knew he had encountered an unprecedented powerful enemy. But his heart burned for revenge, showing not the slightest intention of retreat or fear. He leaped up, once again gripping his hunting knife and throwing himself forward.

But just at this moment, the thick smell of blood on the Russian White Bear attracted a crocodile hiding in the marsh. It opened its bloody maw and bit Cheglov’s legs, slowly dragging him backward. Crocodile mouths had saw like conical teeth. Their biting force was extraordinarily strong. Most of White Bear’s body was swallowed. He immediately felt pain piercing to the marrow. How could he struggle free?

Under the intense pain, the Russian White Bear’s throat made heh heh sounds. His mind actually cleared. He knew that in such circumstances, there was absolutely no way out. And he feared being dragged into the mud marsh by the giant crocodile, suffering the torment of being bitten and chewed. It would be better to end it himself. He felt the bundle of dynamite explosives he carried on his body. So he steeled his heart and pulled the detonator cord.

With the explosion sound, flesh and blood flew in all directions in the marsh. Sima Hui immediately lay flat to dodge. Though he had witnessed countless deaths on the Myanmar battlefield, seeing this scene still couldn’t help but shock him to the core. He deeply felt that the most brutal things in the world were nothing more than this. He raised his eyes and looked. He saw signal candle light flickering ahead. It turned out Luo Big Sea, carrying the injured A Cui on his back, had closely followed Yu Feiyan, running wildly through the deep grass for a stretch. They didn’t know what had happened behind them at all. Only when they heard the Russian White Bear detonate the explosives on his own body did they realize something had happened. They slowed their steps and turned to look.

Sima Hui asked himself in his heart: “I don’t know how much time has passed. It seems to have already exceeded the proper time limit. Why hasn’t that huge thunderbolt in the Mosquito transport plane exploded yet?”

He had no time to think further. He hurriedly rushed forward to regroup. Yu Feiyan and Luo Big Sea saw only him alone following behind. They felt strange in their hearts. They were about to ask when, before their words left their mouths, they suddenly heard a thunderous explosion like shaking heaven and earth. The bottom of the Savage Mountain giant rift valley, thousands of feet deep, suddenly experienced a violent explosion. It was truly like “stars and stones colliding, heaven and earth shattering.”