This was a small vegetable farm that mainly supplied vegetables to the nearby towns. The trucks that came to collect the vegetables would transport them to the big cities. There weren't many houses here, but there was a lot of stuff. There were two or three warehouses filled with all kinds of fertilizers and farming tools. The team members found a tricycle and a wooden flatbed truck here.
After using the original owner's tools to repair them, they set up a smokeless stove in the valley. They found some vegetables that weren't too old to chew on the vegetable field and started preparing dinner.
The few of them sat around the pond to rest. The three drivers were in charge of cooking. The mission was to be carried out after dark. Only then would the giant bird not see them on the nest.
The green smoke slowly spread out on the ground. Just as the water in the pot was boiling and before the rice could be put in, a sudden sound came from the end of the mountain path. It sounded like a boulder was rolling down, and there was even a hissing sound.
Swoosh … Huang Quan and the six team members jumped up together, raised their guns, and aimed into the valley. After a while, there was no more sound. Huang Quan looked at the end of the valley hesitantly. The unknown represented danger and uncertainty. He didn't want to complicate the issue, so he only left the three drivers here to guard the military vehicles. If they were attacked, there would be no way out.
The valley wasn't that big. It was surrounded by mountains on three sides, and the exit was facing the col. At the end, they only saw a smooth and steep mountain wall blocking the exit. They didn't go back to check, but now they had to go back to check.
The six fully armed team members and Huang Quan carefully walked to the end of the valley. It was less than 100 meters, and all they saw was a dead end. The towering mountain wall blocked their way, and there wasn't a single path in sight. It was as if the sound from earlier was just an illusion.
Huang Quan didn't believe that all ten of them were hallucinating at the same time. He carefully looked at the mountain wall. At the foot of the smooth mountain wall, layers of moss piled up, a mixture of fresh green and yellow. The mountain wall slowly spread out on the ground, and the boulders were like screens supporting the ground. The mountain wall was wide at the bottom and narrow at the top. When it was two or three meters above the ground, it became sharp, like an irregular machete standing on the ground.
Walking on the ground covered with dead branches and leaves, the seven of them searched for every suspicious spot. Finally, they saw a cave behind a mountain rock. The cave was not high, and they had to bend down to enter. Standing at the entrance, they could see a bright spot inside the cave that was glowing with white light.
Everyone knew that the cave was the same. After passing through the cave, they would arrive at a place with natural light, but they didn't know what was on the other side.
Huang Quan looked at the cave and the surrounding rock walls. He concluded that the other side of the cave didn't face the direction of the bird's nest. The biggest possibility was that it was still the back of the mountain.
Turning on the tactical flashlight hanging from the muzzle, Huang Quan left one team member to guard the cave entrance, and led the other five into the cave. The entrance was very small, and they had to bend down to enter. After entering the cave, they realized that the cave was quite spacious. The two meter wide space allowed two people to walk side by side. If they stood up straight, they wouldn't be able to reach the top of the cave even if they stretched out their hands.
The light inside the cave was dim, and the flashlight was like a sword of light patrolling the cave. The rock walls of the cave were jagged and crisscrossed. From time to time, sharp rocks would catch the team members' clothes and equipment. Walking in the cave, no one made a sound. They didn't know what was waiting for them in front of them. The only sounds in the cave were the echoes of leather shoes stepping on the rocky ground and the team members' heavy breathing.
Suddenly, one of the team members staggered, and his body became unstable. He rushed forward a few steps and hit his head on the mountain rock, making a "dang" sound. Four tactical flashlights were pointed at the team member and the ground under his feet.
"F * ck … I don't know what I stepped on."
The team member was fine. He adjusted his helmet and explained. Under the flashlight, a pile of black stuff was piled up like a small hill. There was a big pit at the top, and the sole of a military shoe was left on it.
Before they could recognize what it was, a strong stench hit them in the face.
"F * ck … it's sh * t!"
A team member cursed loudly. Wasn't it a pile of sh * t on the ground?
Hearing this, everyone was relieved at first, but then they tensed up again. This pile of sh * t was loose and soft, with a lingering stench. It looked abnormally fresh, and it was most likely left behind today. To be able to shit out such a big pile, what could it look like?
Huang Quan sighed. The road ahead was not good. The biggest possibility was that it was a wild beast. The only wild beasts that could survive were mutated beasts. He knew how powerful mutated beasts were. Whether it was the Big Black Fish or the Great Blackbird, they were all mutated beasts. Rifles and pistols were not much stronger than sand.
"Captain, do we still go forward?"
The team member who stepped on the sh * t rubbed the sh * t on his right foot and asked Huang Quan. The others looked at Huang Quan and waited for him to speak. Huang Quan did not answer. He used the flashlight on the Type-92 Pistol to carefully observe the surrounding rock walls.
Under the flashlight, Huang Quan found some animal fur scattered on the protruding rock walls. He picked up a handful of it. The fur was rough, crystal clear, and flashed white.
"Captain, look in front …."
A team member pointed at the road in front and reported to Huang Quan. Under the flashlight, the ground in front was covered with piles of sh * t. Some were dry, some were wet. Regardless of whether they were dry or watery, they were all trampled into a pulp. Hoof prints formed a small path on the ground.
"Could it be that we ran into the toilet of something?"
Another team member looked at the piles of sh * t in front of them and said. The others could not help but laugh.
"You guys stay here …. I'll go scout …. If anything is wrong, retreat to the entrance of the cave. If anything comes out, lock it down with firepower. Someone bring the heavy machine gun over."
After saying that, Huang Quan did not wait for his team members to object. He stepped on the countless sh * t and walked to the other side of the cave. After two steps, he saw four team members following him. Huang Quan stared at them, but they did not retreat. They avoided his gaze and did not move.
Huang Quan did not say anything. The five of them stepped on the sh * t and walked out of the cave. With a squeaking sound, they reached the other side.
When they reached the entrance of the cave, they bent their waists and slowly felt their way out of the cave. When they got out of the cave, they were shocked. What they saw was another valley. This valley was a valley within a valley. It was several times larger than the one outside. It was still surrounded by mountains. The foot of the mountain was not as steep as the outside. Halfway up the mountain, it gradually became flat and formed a slope. The slope was covered by a thick layer of soil.
In the valley, almost all of the mountains had been reclaimed. In the rumbling fields, countless vines covered a sea of green. The team members with sharp eyes could recognize that those plants were sweet potato vines. In the sea of green, there were large pits with yellow soil.
Other than the sweet potatoes, some people saw bamboo racks on the flat land in the middle of the valley. The bamboo racks were also covered by plants. Dried cucumbers were still on them. Some of the racks had been knocked over. The bamboo racks were covered by plants. Occasionally, yellow flowers could be seen blooming between the plants.
It was not all cucumber racks. The purple flowers were lentils. Some places were planted with tomatoes. These tomatoes had either fallen to the ground and rotted or hung on the branches as dried fruits.
Almost all the plants were eaten by animals, except for a large piece of land planted with chili peppers. Small chili trees grew loosely, and green and red chili peppers hung on the branches. It seemed that the animals were not very interested in spicy plants, so they didn't even want to touch them.