Mysterious Country 1: Mist-Shrouded Champa,Volume 4: Chapter 8: Collapse

After the violent explosion at the bottom of the Savage Mountain rift valley, the sawtooth grass in the marsh was all destroyed by the chemical defoliant. And beneath the entire marsh, there was an even more special spore type plant. It formed a silkworm cocoon like barrier. All plants and amphibious reptiles in the marsh were entirely parasitic on this cocoon layer. The highly efficient chemical defoliant caused the cocoon to wither and die rapidly. The speed was so fast it was unexpected. At the same time, it completely exposed the bottomless abyss beneath the Savage Mountain rift valley. As the vegetation died, the vast mist surging in the abyss also gradually disappeared into the darkness.

The group looked down for a while and discovered that the plants at the bottom of Savage Mountain seemed to be precisely the source of the dense fog. But the nearby marsh was continuously collapsing, not allowing for more observation. They had no choice but to retreat into the distance as quickly as possible.

After experiencing this series of sudden changes, Sima Hui had formed some outline of the entire matter in his heart: presumably, the deepest part of the Savage Mountain rift valley concealed some astonishing secrets. But the millennia old mist that never dispersed had isolated this place from the world, forming an insurmountable barrier. Only by using specially made chemical defoliant could the underground plants that created the fog be destroyed. As early as over twenty years ago, someone had already manufactured earthquake bombs containing chemical defoliant. And risking their lives, they piloted Mosquito special transport planes deep into the valley bottom. But this operation failed at the final hurdle. The surviving crew members all perished in the fog.

But what species were these massive vegetation that produced the dense fog? Sima Hui and the others had no knowledge. The various plants and animals in the deep mountain jungles of northern Myanmar numbered in the tens of millions. Currently, the species that had been classified and identified were less than one or two tenths of the total. The vast majority still belonged to realms that the world had never heard of or seen.

Additionally, the various strange phenomena that appeared in the dense fog, the explorers who disappeared within it, and what secrets were buried in the underground abyss covered by spore plants? These many questions remained incomprehensible, completely beyond everyone’s expectations.

Sima Hui pondered: perhaps entering the deepest part of this subterranean cave could unravel these mysteries. If it were according to Sima Hui’s usual nature, he would certainly find some excuse to go down and explore thoroughly. But he had no such mood now. The cruel memories of his years in Myanmar were almost all lingering nightmares. Now he only wanted to get as far from this ghost place as possible.

The four disregarded their exhaustion and injuries, dragging each other along, wading through mud and water all the way, fleeing toward the edge regions of the rift valley bottom. This giant rift valley sunk deep in Savage Mountain was a vertical cave narrow at the top and broad at the bottom. The bottom was extremely vast and deep. The violent winds and rain brought by the tropical storm system “Pagoda” caused the underground to fill with accumulated water. Rainwater continuously seeped through rock layer cracks inside the rift valley. The areas inside the mountain body previously blocked by mud and sand sediment were now all connected. So they inferred that the surroundings of this cave were certainly not surrounded by iron walls. Since large quantities of rainwater were falling, there must be many ground cracks and rock fissures in the mountain roots. Now the mist had completely dispersed. As long as they waited for the heavy rain to stop, they could try to follow the earth veins and find a path to escape Savage Mountain.

But heaven would not grant people’s wishes. The four fled in panic, hurrying as fast as they could. They hadn’t gone far when they suddenly felt their feet sink. They all fell forward. It turned out that the cocoon like plant beneath the marsh was withering too fast. The rapidly collapsing abyss had already submerged the ground where they were standing.

Sima Hui and the others fell to the ground. Where they reached was all mud. No matter how they used their hands and feet, they could hardly struggle free from it. They all slid along with the rotten mud toward the depths of the cave below the marsh.

This bottomless abyss like cave bottom was covered with ancient trees with tangled roots and interlocking branches. Although they had completely withered, only the remaining wreckage had not yet thoroughly decayed. But their forms were still preserved. The branches and trunks were even as thick as pillars and beams. Dense and layered, it was like an underground forest. Probably countless years ago, water veins had sunk, causing it to sink from the surface to this place.

Sima Hui and the others couldn’t control themselves. They slid along to a relatively flat area. Fortunately, there was mud and rotten wood everywhere, so they didn’t suffer severe injuries. The group regathered. Raising their lamp to look, they saw they had fallen onto a large mushroom rock shaped tree canopy. Beneath them was an ancient tree ten or more arm spans thick. The center was hollow and could shelter people. So they dodged inside. They heard the sound of mud and stones flowing and rolling beside them still unceasing. The root veins of the spore plants hanging into the earth’s depths were also successively toppling down. At this moment, even if they had heaven spanning abilities they couldn’t climb up. They couldn’t help but cry out in bitterness.

Luo Big Tongue kicked the tree hollow in anger, cursing: “This time it’s really fucking solid. Even if we turned into birds we couldn’t fly out.”

Sima Hui thought in his heart that the marsh collapse area was very large. The exits were not necessarily all blocked by mud flows. Those spore plants destroyed by the chemical defoliant had countless roots extending deep into the earth. Perhaps they could climb up by grasping those roots that hadn’t yet broken. But he saw that everyone was already utterly exhausted. Moreover, A Cui’s head injury was not light. If they forced action, accidents might occur. He said: “I didn’t expect the deepest part of the Savage Mountain rift valley to be like this. I think this place could be considered a small paradise. Better to rest and recover here for an hour or two, then think of other ways.”

Yu Feiyan sighed lightly: “Hundreds of millions of years without seeing sunlight, thousands of years without living people coming. It truly is a ‘paradise’ where lone souls and wild ghosts hide from the world.”

After speaking, she took out some compressed dry rations and distributed them for everyone to eat. She also concentrated on inventorying the remaining equipment. They discovered that illumination equipment and ammunition were severely lost. The remaining food would only sustain these four people for another half day. She couldn’t help but feel vaguely worried.

Although the wound on A Cui’s head had healed, she had lost much blood. Her body was already thin. Now she could no longer support herself. She quickly fell asleep on her backpack.

Sima Hui saw tears hanging at the corner of A Cui’s eyes. He knew she was grieving Karaweik’s unexpected tragic death. Even in dreams she still couldn’t forget. He gently used his finger to wipe away her tear traces. But when it came to himself wanting to sleep for a while, he couldn’t close his eyes for a long time.

Luo Big Tongue and Yu Feiyan were the same. Their three people’s nerves had been in a state of extreme tension for a long time. Moreover, they were still in a dangerous situation at this moment. The hope of escaping and surviving was still uncertain. So it was difficult to suddenly relax. They could only sit dryly guarding a dim camping lamp. Therefore they didn’t deliberately arrange for anyone to keep watch.

Sima Hui thought: “If only that mathematics teacher who taught me back then were here. That teacher of mine not only taught mathematics, but she also had a special ability. As long as she spoke in the classroom, the students’ upper eyelids would fight with their lower eyelids. It was practically like being hypnotized. They would fall asleep as soon as she spoke. Thunder from heaven couldn’t wake them.”

His mind wandered through random thoughts for a while. After all, he was deathly tired. Finally he became drowsy. His consciousness gradually blurred. Just as he was between half dream and half wakefulness, he noticed something abnormal beside him. The expedition team had over thirty personnel total. Only six people who entered the Savage Mountain giant rift valley alive. After the earthquake bomb in the Mosquito cabin was detonated, the chemical defoliant rapidly diffused, causing the entire marsh to collapse. The survivors trapped here, including himself, were only four people. But he didn’t know from when, in the weak lamplight of the camping lamp’s LED, there was faintly one more person.

Sima Hui saw that person hugging their knees, sitting motionless beside him, not knowing what they were looking at. He was astonished in his heart: “What the hell, seeing ghosts, who is this person?”

He wanted to try hard to see that person’s physique and face. But the light was so dim it was almost impossible to open his eyes. Though the distance was close, it was only shadowy and indistinct. He fundamentally couldn’t see clearly.

Sima Hui’s heart was full of confusion. He remembered that inside the Mosquito special transport plane cabin, everyone had discovered that Green Tomb had infiltrated the expedition team. But they only heard its voice, never saw its form. It was just like a ghost trailing behind them. Could it have appeared here now? Sima Hui made not a sound. He raised his hand and grabbed that person’s shoulder, wanting to see the other party’s face clearly. But who knew that person also suddenly stood up. They were almost face to face with Sima Hui. Because they were too close, the features on that blurred face were hard to distinguish. In a haze, he only saw a pair of eyes like black holes.

When Sima Hui touched that gaze, it was like being stabbed in the heart and lungs by a block of ice. He immediately felt a wave of cold terror. Every pore in his body was cold. He was about to draw his hunting knife. But the camping lamp in the tree hollow went out. Before his eyes immediately fell into complete darkness. The surroundings also immediately became silent.

By the time Sima Hui turned on the flashlight hanging on his body, he saw the other three partners sleeping deeply. There was no other human figure nearby. His entire body was soaked through with cold sweat. In his heart he couldn’t help but suspect that just now was a dream of Nanke. It is said that dreams are the resonance of the mind’s thoughts. Any unusual dream must have an unusual omen. This dream came strangely. Who knew what good or ill fortune it presaged? Although Sima Hui was a military man and didn’t particularly believe in the netherworld, he still couldn’t help but feel like a thorn in his back, always feeling a cold draft at the back of his head.

At this moment, Yu Feiyan and A Cui and the others were also roused. Sima Hui told them what had just happened. Finally he said: “If it’s not because my mental pressure is too great, suspecting ghosts born from darkness, then this underground forest definitely has something strange. In short, this place is absolutely not suitable for lingering.”

Everyone guessed that this underground forest was probably the very bottom layer of the Savage Mountain rift valley. It must conceal many unknown secrets. The danger within naturally needed no explanation. Now hearing Sima Hui’s words, they all felt a sense of imminent peril. No one wanted to stay too long. After brief rest and recovery, they changed the battery for the camping lamp. Steeling their spirits, they set out.

Sima Hui raised the searchlight to clear the path ahead. Yu Feiyan carried her Uzi submachine gun, walking with A Cui in the middle. Luo Big Tongue held the large caliber elephant hunting gun to bring up the rear. The four followed closely together, using the compass to identify direction. Passing through patch after patch of trees, they groped their way forward toward higher, drier ground.

This deep buried underground forest ruin was everywhere extremely quiet and serene, with thin mist drifting. The group hurried along in panic. Arriving at one place, their path was blocked by a fallen ancient tree. Sima Hui approached, raised the searchlight and swept it across. He was about to find a place to detour around when he suddenly saw hidden in that jagged withered wood cluster, a pair of eyes scarlet as blood. The gaze was suffused with evil energy.

Sima Hui’s thought flashed: “So there was an ambush here!”

He knew that striking first might not necessarily be strong, but striking last would certainly suffer. At this moment there was not half a moment’s hesitation. He had already fiercely chopped with the hunting knife in his hand. Where the hand rose and the knife fell, he heard a clang, as if striking some hard object. The shock numbed his tiger’s mouth.

At this moment, the three people behind Sima Hui also caught up. Everyone held their weapons and fixed their eyes to look. They saw under the searchlight a dazzling golden light. It turned out to be a python cast from gold. The golden python’s eyes were inlaid with rubies. Caught in the light beam, it appeared with strange waves flowing, its expression vivid, almost no different from a living thing. Peeling away the withered branches nearby, they discovered it was a relief on a gold brick. The brick body was unusually large, different from ordinary standards.

Everyone couldn’t help but exclaim in wonder. They were even more curious how this gold brick could be here. They casually brushed away nearby branches and soil and discovered that above, below, left, and right of this gold brick were all gold bricks. It was actually an entire wall built from gold.

On the towering gold wall, layer upon layer of reliefs were cast, inlaid with exotic colored gems. They transformed the living creatures of the universe, the majesty of gods and buddhas, the legends of epics, and glorious holy wars, all into brilliant and splendid traces, permanently fixed within. Its transcendent grandeur and magnificence were sufficient to deliver a heavy blow to humanity’s pale and meager imagination.

Translation Notes:

Nanke dream (南柯一梦): A classical Chinese allusion from a Tang dynasty story about a man who dreams of a glorious life as a governor, only to wake and discover it was all a brief dream while an ant nest was being stirred. Used to describe dreams that seem real but are illusory, or the vanity of worldly ambitions.

Ten or more arm spans (十来围): A traditional Chinese measurement using the arm span (围) to describe the circumference of large trees. Ten arm spans indicates an enormous, ancient tree.