The Nanjing Yangtze River Tunnel was located between the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge and the Nanjing Third Yangtze River Bridge. It was also an important road connecting Jianye District and Pukou District.
Before the apocalypse, it was once the best tunnel construction in Huaxia.
However, after more than a thousand years, the entrance of the tunnel had been buried by various ruins and was covered by a thick layer of river sand. Even though Guhan and Misaka Mikoto were standing right above the entrance of the tunnel, they could not see any trace of the tunnel at all.
"It's below here. My sword energy has found a huge space under the soil!"
In order to find the exact entrance of the tunnel, Guhan shot his sword energy into the ground. Finally, he found a huge space at a certain location. It was probably the entrance of the tunnel.
As a result, the precious Sword Maidens had all turned into hoes and shovels, digging an extremely deep hole in the ground. Looking down from the hole, the inside was dark and empty, and no one knew what was inside the tunnel.
"Take this with you!"
Guhan took out two small nasal plugs from his dimensional pocket and gave them to Misaka Mikoto. He then stuffed two into his nose.
"What's this?
Is there water in it? "
Misaka Mikoto was stunned when she saw the two small nasal plugs. She did not understand why Guhan gave her these things.
"These aren't waterproof nasal plugs to stuff your nose. They're high-oxygen breathing plugs that allow us to breathe in pure air."
Guhan explained, "Don't be fooled by their small size. Putting them in your nose will not only purify the toxins in the air, but it can also release oxygen. Sword bearers like us can survive in a toxic or anaerobic environment for a full twenty-four hours."
"So that's how it is!
I didn't expect human science to have developed to such a level. Unlike us, the Freedom Metropolis, it's been almost six hundred years and our technology hasn't improved at all! "
Misaka Mikoto exclaimed. She then stuffed the nasal plugs into her nose. Both sides of her nostrils were stretched out, making her look like a pig's snout.
"Get ready, we're going down!"
Guhan said calmly and was the first to jump into the hole. Misaka Mikoto smiled bitterly but she followed Guhan and jumped down.
…
"President Ju, there's a communication from the headquarters of the First Defense Front." Ju Wudao, who was patrolling the guards and evacuation facilities in Yuzhang City, received a report from his secretary.
"First Defense Front Command Center?
Why are they looking for me?
Could it be that Yuan Kou has begun his attack? "
An ominous premonition surged in Ju Wudao's heart. He immediately said, "Bring him in, bring him in now!"
"Yes!"
The secretary pressed a button on his personal terminal, and Ju Wudao's personal terminal rang. Ju Wudao immediately picked it up. "Hello, I'm the chairman of the Sword Committee, Ju Wudao. Why is the headquarters looking for me?
Did Yuan Kou attack? "
"Sir, Yuan Kou hasn't moved. The First Defense Line is still safe!" The person in charge on the other end of the communication hurriedly reported.
"Then, why are you looking for me?" Ju Wudao frowned. What was the commander of the first line of defense doing?
"Sir, four swordsmen who came back from outside the city said they must see you. They also said that they're your disciples and sons. We can't confirm it, so we can only look for you!"
The person in charge's words were full of doubt. Obviously, he did not believe that the four people were Ju Wudao's disciples and sons. However, since the other party was so certain, the person in charge had no choice but to report to Ju Wudao personally!
"They came back from outside the city!
Could it be that brat, Lu Ren, is back! "
Ju Wudao's face lit up when he heard the news. However, he quickly recovered and said sternly, "Ask them to wait for me in the headquarters. I'll go over now."
"Yes!"
…
"Oxygen content 5%, chlorine 3%, nitrogen 60%, carbon dioxide 20%, and other harmful gases 10%. The probability of death is high. Don't breathe it directly." This was the answer that the air detector told Guhan.
The air in the tunnel that had been sealed for many years was no longer suitable for humans to survive in. If it were not for the high-oxygen breathing plug, Guhan would probably be poisoned to death before he could pass through the tunnel … Personal shields had no resistance against toxins. Many swordsmen did not die in the hands of Yuan Kou. Instead, they died of various poisons. Therefore, the high-oxygen breathing plug and various toxin-detection equipment became essential items for swordsmen. This was also the reason why Guhan carried these items in his dimensional pocket.
"How is it? How do you feel?
Can you adapt to the environment in the tunnel? "Guhan asked Misaka Mikoto who was next to him. Misaka Mikoto nodded, indicating that she could adapt.
"Then let's continue to ask for money!"
Guhan took out his flashlight. The tunnel that had not seen light for hundreds of years was once again illuminated. Unfortunately, the light from the flashlight was too dim. It could only illuminate a small area around Guhan. It was impossible to illuminate the entire tunnel.
After hundreds of years, the original surface of the tunnel could no longer be seen clearly. Instead, it was replaced by a layer of floating soil about the thickness of a finger … The floating soil was formed by the accumulation of dust over the past hundreds of years. It looked like thin snow in winter.
"Looks like this tunnel experienced a calamity during the Great Calamity!"
After walking for only a few hundred meters, Guhan saw more than ten abandoned cars on the road. Some of the car doors were still open. It was obvious that the owners had escaped in a hurry and did not even have time to close the car doors.
Through the car door, Guhan saw a doll that was mostly covered in dust in the metal frame of the car … It was a cute anthropomorphic sheep doll. Guhan had seen it on the Archaeology Channel before. It was a very famous cartoon from before the apocalypse, Happy Goat and Big Big Wolf. It was said that people loved this cartoon very much. It was the pride of Hua Xia's cartoon, and it was deeply loved by Bilibili's audience. There was a saying that went, "My childhood was Happy Goat and Big Big Wolf. That's great!"
There were other cars that were not as lucky as the owners of this car. They did not open the car doors. The pale bones were sitting in their seats, but the skulls were missing.
Guhan took a look. There were four sets of bones in the car, and all of them had lost their skulls. Looking at the smooth knife marks on the broken parts, Guhan was sure that their skulls had been cut off by an extremely sharp blade. In other words, they had died in the hands of Yuan Kou. Otherwise, they would have had time to escape from the car.
What made Guhan feel the most pity was the small set of bones in the backseat of the car.
It looked like she was only a seven or eight-year-old girl when she was alive. She was wearing a torn floral dress with lace edges. It was obvious that the owner of this set of bones was a little girl who loved to look good.
Seeing this, Guhan felt an endless pain in his heart. It was sad and lamentable. If Yuan Kou had not appeared, this child would have grown up, enjoyed a perfect love, had children, and lived a happy life. She would not have used her bones to tell Guhan about her tragic experience a thousand years later.
"Should we bury them?!"
Misaka Mikoto and Guhan were both saddened by this tragic scene. This was the difference between free people and Yuan Kou. Free people saw humans as their own kind, but in the eyes of Yuan Kou, humans were completely different, even if Yuan Kou was a human in their original world.
"This …" Guhan hesitated for a while. It was not that he could not bury them, but there were so many skeletons in the tunnel. If he were to bury all of them, he was afraid that even a few days would not be enough.
Therefore, logically speaking, Guhan did not want to do that.
However, when he saw the torn white lace dress, Guhan's heart softened. Since he had met her, he should give her the home she deserved!
"Alright!" Guhan nodded. "But this is the only time. We really don't have time to waste here!"
"I understand. I haven't been this soft-hearted for a long time!"
Misaka Mikoto nodded. Ever since the apocalypse, she had been through countless hardships and was used to seeing death. She would rarely be softhearted by the sight of human bones.
This was also because the Longsword Tunnel in Nanjing was sealed. Neither humans nor Yuan Kou had entered this place. That was why there were so many intact skeletons here.
If it were outside, the human bones from the apocalypse would have been blown into gravel by time and wind. They would have become calcium in the soil.
Guhan gently pulled on the car door. The originally locked door was easily pulled open. Guhan gently lifted the little girl's skeleton and placed it on a piece of ground that had been cleared at the edge of the tunnel. There was a layer of soil next to her. As long as the soil was covered, the little girl would be able to rest in peace.
"Wait, this is …" When Guhan was moving the bones, he suddenly realized that the skeleton's pelvic cavity was shaped like a funnel … Guhan's face turned pale when he realized that. He hastily filled the cavity with soil and left the place with Misaka Mikoto … What bad luck. How could such a ridiculous thing happen to him when he was being kind?
As Guhan and Misaka Mikoto went deeper into the tunnel, there were more cars and skeletons in the tunnel. There were many more people who were in a worse state than the previous family. Misaka Mikoto obediently did not request to bury them.
After struggling for about three kilometers, they reached the middle of the tunnel. The road ahead was blocked … Two buses were flipped over on the ground, completely blocking the road that was not wide to begin with. If they wanted to pass through here, they would have to climb over the buses.
It was not a difficult task. However, when he saw the bus, Guhan suddenly felt his heart palpitate. It was as if there was something terrifying hidden in the bus.