Mysterious Country 1: Mist-Shrouded Champa, Volume 3 Chapter 7: Crash

Mysterious Country 1: Mist-Shrouded Champa, Volume 3 Chapter 7: Crash

At a depth of roughly two to three hundred meters within the Wild Man Mountain giant rift valley, several blinding beams of light shot out from the thick fog. The intense light swayed uncertainly in the darkness, while simultaneously, strange creaking and groaning sounds like withered trees emanated from underground. Listening to the movement, it was as if something in the abyss was rapidly climbing upward.

Sima Hui determined that the light source appearing in the dense fog was definitely not biological light. Light emitted by organisms or minerals generally belonged to chemical cold light, with persistent brightness but no heat generation. For humans, this was the most ideal type of light source. However, the swaying light rays in that fog were extremely dazzling, incomparable to ordinary searchlights. They seemed to come from some kind of electrical light source with heat generation. Could it be that within this underground rift valley, cut off from the world and never seeing daylight, there was hidden a “high-intensity lighting device” that could still operate to this day? That “Mosquito Special Transport Plane” missing for nearly thirty years, in such a cold and damp environment, should have long ago been corroded into a dilapidated wreck. Moreover, transport planes certainly would not be equipped with such high-intensity searchlights. Therefore, the light source emanating from the fog could not possibly come from the “Mosquito” that had crashed many years ago. Everyone’s hearts were filled with unspeakable horror, not knowing what might emerge from the depths of the fog. But after holding their breath and peering intently for a while, they saw those several beams of light suddenly extinguish. The bottom of the rift valley became silent once again, as if nothing had ever happened.

A danger becomes a danger largely because people cannot foresee its true form beforehand. Sima Hui also knew that encountering this kind of matter, mere speculation was useless. One must see with one’s own eyes. After brief discussion with the others, he decided to descend into the dense fog with Yu Feiyan to investigate what exactly was there. They immediately brought weapons, tied “camp lights” using light-emitting diodes as light sources to their bodies, and took focused-beam flashlights, climbing down by grasping vines and following creepers. As the distance to the surging fog grew closer, they faintly saw within the misty expanse a massive, dimly yellow black shadow emerging.

Because the invasion of the tropical storm “Pagoda” was intensifying, the fog in the underground rift valley of Wild Man Mountain was still slowly lowering. By the time the two reached the vicinity, the fog was no longer too dense. Sima Hui, using the flashlight beam, carefully examined that massive black shadow and discovered that it was actually a modified transport plane entangled by countless withered vines. This transport plane had a blunt, rounded nose, its fuselage shaped like an elliptical cross-section, with wings in a trapezoidal distribution, narrow in front and swept back in the rear. What was completely different from ordinary transport planes was that its entire body was constructed of wood and plywood.

The fuselage of the transport plane bore a conspicuous “Black Snake” marking, identical to the aircraft photographed at the air force base. Judging by the structural model, it matched the British Air Force’s missing Black Snake “Mosquito Special Transport Plane.” Because the “Black Snake” belonged to a modified special transport plane, its cargo hold loading capacity had been deliberately expanded according to mission requirements, and the fuselage had undergone extensive modifications. It differed greatly from the common light “Mosquito Special Transport Plane,” so determining its “identity” by comparing photographs was not difficult. Historical records from that time showed that after this transport plane fell into the rift valley, intermittent communication sounds came through the radio waves. While desperately calling for help, the pilot had also confirmed that the “Black Snake” had descended into the fog, after which all contact with the outside world ceased.

But only now, having seen it with their own eyes, did Sima Hui and Yu Feiyan learn that this “Mosquito Special Transport Plane” had not actually fallen to the deepest part of the underground. Instead, it had been caught by resilient ancient vines and was suspended in midair within the Wild Man Mountain rift valley, never having landed. Because the “Mosquito” differed from other military aircraft, being entirely constructed of lightweight “Balsa” wood, with high-power liquid-cooled engines, fast flight speed, long endurance, and without any reduction in payload capacity. Moreover, the Mosquito aircraft had strong survivability, able to adapt to various demanding mission requirements. In the complex and variable weather conditions of the Myanmar mountain region, it could demonstrate its outstanding superior performance. This “Black Snake” modified special transport plane, when it lost control and fell, was affected by the accumulated air currents within the rift valley, causing the fuselage to remain largely intact. It appeared not to have suffered serious damage.

The expedition team had risked their lives to enter Wild Man Mountain precisely to search for this special transport plane and bring back the “cargo” in its cabin. Now unexpectedly discovering that the missing transport plane was hung by tangled vines in midair within the rift valley, this meant they would not need to go deeper into the fog-covered, danger-filled bottom of the cavern. This could not but be considered unexpected good fortune. But Sima Hui and Yu Feiyan did not feel fortunate because of this. Instead, they vaguely sensed an ominous premonition.

Yu Feiyan looked at the cabin, pitch black and utterly silent, and asked Sima Hui in a low voice: “Do you feel that something is not quite right about this transport plane?”

Sima Hui grasped the vines hanging from the cliff face, staring at that “Mosquito Special Transport Plane” for a while. He had already noticed some extraordinary and eerie aspects. He answered casually: “It is not quite right. It is too new… as if it had just crashed.”

In fact, this transport plane had crashed in the deep mountain cavern nearly thirty years ago. Yet the erosion of time and the harsh underground environment had left no trace upon it. The paint on the fuselage was as fresh as new, and perhaps even the engines were still warm.

Recalling how earlier, outside the Wild Man Mountain giant rift valley, the group had seen a ghostly aircraft shadow pass at low altitude. At that time, there had been no light inside the cabin, and the propellers were stationary. The expedition team had tracked its flight trajectory to this point. According to logical deduction, that transport plane falling from the clouds should be this “Black Snake” caught by the withered vines in the rift valley. But the British Royal Air Force’s “Black Snake” Mosquito transport plane that had carried out special transport missions, there was only the one that had gone missing in Wild Man Mountain over twenty years ago.

Yu Feiyan could not help but harbor suspicions in her heart: “Could what we saw earlier truly have been an illusion? Yet various signs all indicated that the transport plane before us had indeed crashed not long ago. What did the missing Black Snake transport plane encounter in the fog? How could it possibly fly through the air with absolutely no power?”

She also wondered if the constant and unchanging energies of time and space had been twisted and overturned within the underground fog, causing the “Black Snake” transport plane to appear in this ghostly and inconceivable manner? Additionally, where had the pilot in the cabin gone? And what about those several blinding beams of light that had emerged from the fog earlier, and that strange, continuous creaking sound from the deep underground?

Although Yu Feiyan was widely experienced and knowledgeable, in this situation, she was as if lost in a fog, unable to distinguish east from west. Because these matters were, after all, quite distant from the tomb-robbing activities she was accustomed to. Moreover, the situation they now faced seemed to belong to “supernatural phenomena,” things that scientific knowledge and physical laws could hardly explain. Several thoughts flashed through her mind in succession, but she quickly overturned them herself. She had no choice but to ask Sima Hui again: “How could such a situation appear in reality? Are we perhaps in a nightmare?”

How could Sima Hui not wish that the experiences of these past few days were merely a nightmare? But the faintly aching wound on his shoulder constantly reminded him: “Although the matters before us are bizarre beyond belief, they are completely ironclad facts.”

Hearing Yu Feiyan’s words at this moment, after brief deliberation he replied: “It is definitely not a nightmare.”

Sima Hui responded thus with his mouth, but in his heart he pondered: “This statement also needs to be considered from two sides. In ancient times there were the four dreams of ‘Butterfly, Handan, Southern Branch, and Millet,’ and later there was the Dream of the Red Chamber, all metaphorically suggesting that all worldly affairs are like dreams. It is evident that living in this world is itself dreaming. Carefully thinking about it, this statement indeed has some truth. The distinction between dreams and reality is originally very vague. It’s just that what we have encountered in this lifetime… are all nightmares.”

Sima Hui had always been extraordinarily bold. He decided to first take a look inside the cabin before speaking. He performed the “Immortal Hanging a Painting” technique, his feet gripping the withered vines, his body suspended upside down and extending downward, both hands gently pressing upon the top of the cockpit of the “Black Snake” special transport plane. Then he used the focused-beam flashlight he carried to examine the conditions inside the cabin. Wherever the flashlight beam reached, the dual-seat cockpit was completely empty. Except for several places where rainwater had leaked in due to impact damage, there was not even half a ghostly shadow.

The entire Mosquito transport plane was entangled by vines and creepers, suspended in midair within the underground rift valley. The vine plants hanging down from the cliff face, the thicker ones resembling pillars in temple halls, were extremely resilient. But after all, they were not steel cables. Their load-bearing capacity was approaching its absolute limit. Sima Hui pressed both hands upon the cockpit top at the nose of the plane and sensed the transport plane swaying precariously in the wind and rain, as if it might break free from the ancient vines’ constraints at any moment and continue falling toward the deeper depths.

Sima Hui did not dare to be overconfident. He feared falling together with the transport plane into the fog-covered valley bottom, meeting an ending of destroyed plane and dead passengers. Seeing that there were no clues in the cockpit, he turned the focused-beam flashlight to illuminate the wings of the “Mosquito.”

But just at this moment, a heaven-shaking and earth-splitting sound came from above. It turned out that the wind and rain triggered by the tropical storm “Pagoda” were too ferocious. The rock strata structure at the edge of the giant rift valley was fragile, unable to withstand the impact. A large-scale collapse occurred. Torrents of mud and rock poured downward, continuously falling toward the depths. Luo Dahai and the others who had remained above to provide support, seeing the perilous situation between the cliff faces where no one could remain, were also forced to grasp the withered vines and flee downward.

Luo Dahai shouted at Sima Hui while fleeing downward: “Get out of the way!”

Sima Hui’s feet were hooked on the vines. Hearing the shout, he curled his body to look upward. He felt a gust of fierce wind rushing toward his face. In the darkness, he could not see what was falling. He hurriedly pushed against the fuselage with his hand, using the momentum to swing his body outward. A massive chunk of tree roots immediately crashed heavily onto the transport plane. Shattered rocks and muddy water splashed in all directions. The Mosquito special transport plane, struck by tremendous force, had a large section of its top torn open. It then abruptly sank downward. Several of the withered vines缠绕 around the fuselage simultaneously snapped.

In the fleeting instant of a spark from flint, Yu Feiyan had already realized the situation was dire. The cliff faces on both sides rose straight up and down. Once a collapse occurred from the heights, there was absolutely no room to dodge or maneuver at the upper parts of the ancient vines. If they tried to climb along the cliff walls to escape deeper inside, even if they did not fall and be smashed into powder, they would be struck by the tumbling rocks until their brains spilled out. She saw that the “Black Snake” special transport plane was also about to fall into the depths. She immediately called for everyone to quickly hide inside the cabin. At least the transport plane’s outer shell could temporarily withstand the impact. Moreover, the “cargo” in the cabin absolutely had to be retrieved. Otherwise, all the friends of the Mountain Forest Team, Old and Young Group, would have died in vain.

The cabin doors on the “Black Snake” transport plane’s fuselage were originally open. In their desperate flight for their lives, the four people had no time to consider more. They scrambled to get inside. Sima Hui and Yu Feiyan, being closest, dodged into the front cockpit. Before they could even close the canopy, two more withered vines at the front of the special transport plane snapped. The nose suddenly sank downward. The occupants inside abruptly lurched forward with it. Everyone could not help but cry out simultaneously, their hearts nearly jumping out of their mouths. They immediately grabbed the cargo securing straps inside the cabin.

Yu Feiyan darted into the cockpit. Still recovering from her shock, she first used the searchlight to look around and discovered that the various instruments and control devices on this transport plane missing for over twenty years actually showed not a speck of dust or trace of rust. At this moment, only one thought remained in her mind: “How is this possible… what year is it now?”

Sima Hui saw Yu Feiyan sitting in the pilot’s seat with a worried expression and asked: “Do you know how to pilot a Mosquito transport plane?”

Yu Feiyan had once piloted relatively simple “Martin” type seaplanes at sea, but she had never touched a British Air Force Mosquito transport plane. She shook her head: “I do not. Besides, how would you start it in midair?”

Sima Hui thought to himself: “In any case, death is certain from both sides. But I have lived for over twenty years and have never piloted a plane to this day. Before dying, I might as well fly one once for the satisfaction.”

So he said urgently: “You don’t know how to pilot yet you dare to occupy the seat?”

Without allowing further discussion, he pulled Yu Feiyan aside, squeezed his way into the pilot’s seat, grasped the control stick and pulled it backward.

Luo Big Tongue at this moment also poked half his body in from the back. He did not want to die like this. Although death has been universal since ancient times, dying this way would be most unseemly. Perhaps he had made a few “model airplanes” in the past and thus considered himself half an expert: “Actually, this is not difficult at all. If you tie a bone to the control stick, even a dog could fly it.”

While instructing Sima Hui on how to operate, he stretched his arm out to randomly press all sorts of switches.

Yu Feiyan saw that these fugitives were completely acting recklessly. She cried out in alarm: “Are you seeking death?”

Before her words had finished, the large mass of rock and mud that had collapsed from above came sliding down with a thunderous crash, immediately crushing more than half the fuselage. The withered vines and creeping plants broke one after another. This British Air Force “Mosquito Special Transport Plane,” nose down and tail up, amid the desperate screams and frantic cries of the passengers, plunged headlong into the depths of the clouds in an attitude almost approximating a vertical nosedive.