Chapter 0 Wedge Tiger Mouth
2016, Xingyuan City, Xijing Province. Mendaoniu Village, Foping County.
This is a branch of the Qinling Mountains. It is summer now. The mountains are dyed into a layered green brocade by the vegetation in midsummer. Fresh green, tender green, dark green... layer by layer, under the setting sun, this green brocade is stained with a layer of golden glow, which makes people sigh at the majestic beauty of nature.
Mendaoniu Village is located on the border between Xingyuan City and Chang'an City. It is far away from the bustling city. The villagers live a life almost isolated from the world. It is hard to imagine that there is no online shopping or large-scale games here. There is not a single car in the whole village, and there are only two tractors for more than ten households. The bus only runs once a day, from 8 am to 6 pm - it is the only way for the whole village to communicate with the outside world. Because almost no one here uses mobile phones, it is not that there is no signal, but the signal is still at the speed of 3G.
It is like a quiet girl who stays quietly in the mountains, making a living by grazing and farming, leading a hard but peaceful life in the secluded world.
It gets dark very late in the summer, and there is still some light around 7 o'clock. Three lights quietly light up on the hillside more than 50 meters away from the village.
"Second brother, are you serious about walking down here?" The leader was a middle-aged man with a dark face with a hint of purple, a white towel wrapped around his head, and a black double-breasted short jacket.
He frowned deeply on his square face and looked at a young man in his twenties with a bald head and bare upper body next to him and asked.
"What the hell!" The young man stood up anxiously and whispered, "The hoof prints are right here! Uncle, a sheep costs hundreds of dollars!"
"Second daredevil..." Before he finished speaking, another thin middle-aged man took a puff of his cigarette and said faintly: "This is a tiger's mouth..."
"The things that are down here, just don't come up."
His face was filled with undisguised fear: "It has been passed down from generation to generation that one cannot go into this cave. Besides, it's going to rain soon..."
As if to prove his words, the brightness of the sky dimmed a little. A few dark clouds came from nowhere and quietly spread over the mountains. The sky, which was usually full of stars, was not even a star today.
The evening wind was growing stronger, blowing the layers of leaves on the forest, like waves of the sea, urging everyone to hurry home.
"Uncle San!" Er Ganzi's voice was a little choked with sobs: "My family is counting on them..."
"It's a piece of cake!" Before he finished speaking, the second uncle stood up. He took a deep breath and said, "Next!"
Everyone looked at him. He grabbed the thick rope beside him - about three fingers thick, one end was tied around the tree, and the other end was thrown directly in front of him. He gritted his teeth and said to the others, "What are you afraid of? The second son is relying on this little fortune to marry a wife. We elders will help if we can. Let's make it rain soon, Krima!"
After this was said, no one objected and the four of them looked down at the same time.
Boom... At this moment, the first muffled thunder sounded in the sky, illuminating the area below... a pitch-black hole!
The hole was about 20 meters in size, surrounded by dense clover. Below, one could vaguely see the bottom of the pit, which was also covered with grass, about 7 or 8 meters high. A narrow path spiraled down from the edge of the hole.
It was a real narrow path, only about one and a half feet wide, so people definitely couldn't walk on it. But it was no problem for sheep, after all, clover was one of the most favorite grasses for sheep.
The second brave man gritted his teeth and was the first to grab the rope and swing down. Just after he went down, the third uncle pursed his lips and looked at the second uncle: "Is it really dripping?"
"Get off!" Uncle put out his cigarette and said through gritted teeth.
"There's a living thing in the tiger's mouth!" Uncle San lowered his voice and said through his teeth, "There's something underneath! You're a jerk, why are you following the turtle?"
The second uncle glared at the third uncle and was about to speak. Suddenly, they both froze for a moment and then looked down suddenly.
Just now, they...heard a low roar with an echo.
This is coming from the hole.
Living off the mountain, they not only farmed, but also occasionally made mountain products to sell. But… at this moment, their backs were quickly covered with cold sweat, and their hands holding the ropes were shaking.
Because... they had never heard this voice before!
Moreover, they bet that this was definitely the sound made by a large beast! It was impossible for a small animal to make such a loud roar!
Finally, this sound...came from the cave.
“You idiot!” Uncle San’s hair stood on end, and he immediately shouted down: “Run back!!!”
However, before they finished speaking, they gasped at the same time and their eyes almost popped out.
Er Ganzi was impatient. He had just come down the cave and, relying on the rope, he had already walked to a place where the light could not reach. But just now, the rope tied to Er Ganzi was desperately lowered!
"What are you looking at?" Second Uncle's voice was shrill, and he grabbed the rope. However, he was not strong enough to pull it back! The rope was still falling down quickly!
His palms were rubbed so hard that they burned, but the second uncle didn't dare to let go of the rope. He didn't even dare to think about what happened to the second uncle below. He shouted loudly, squatted down, and pulled the rope desperately. However, his body also slowly moved towards the cave entrance!
“Ah——!!!” A scream came from below, and Er Ganzi’s terrified voice rang out: “La’e! La…La’e!!!”
"Help..." Second Uncle's temples bulged, his teeth clenched tightly. He suddenly shouted, "Help!"
Uncle San woke up as if from a dream, and rushed over and grabbed the rope. With the strength of the two of them, they were able to stop the rope from being lowered. However, at this moment, the more than 20-meter rope had been fully lowered. And... it was stretched straight!
Below... there is something, fighting with them for Er Ganzi's body!
"You thief..." The muscles on the arms of the two farmers were all bulging. It was hard to imagine how strong that thing was. They could only desperately pull the rope that represented their lives.
Suddenly, with a "bang", the rope snapped. With two screams, the second and third uncles fell to the grass.
Boom! At the same time, there was a loud thunder in the sky, as if... some evil ghost was about to come out!
"Thief!" Second Uncle yelled, immediately got up, and rushed to the edge of the pit to look down. Third Uncle followed immediately, anxious.
However, this one look made both of them speechless.
Even breathing stopped.
In his pupils, which had shrunk due to extreme fear, he reflected a terrifying scene at the bottom of the cave under the lightning: a monster of unknown size was standing at the bottom of the pit, staring at them!
It was very big... at least three meters tall, and covered with silver hair - they were not sure if it was because of the lightning or its own color. Its eyes were red. Its open mouth was full of blood, and its teeth, as sharp .
Boom! There was another thunderclap, and the huge monster trembled all over, then retreated into the darkness without looking back.
Dead silence.
There was only the increasingly dense thunder in the sky and the sound of violent waves of trees in all directions. After five seconds, the third uncle suddenly raised his head and said in a trembling voice: "Mandrill..."
"Mandrill! This is a mandrill!"
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly stood up and ran towards the village like crazy.
My second uncle trembled and followed without saying a word.
I didn't feel it before, but now I just feel the scattered lights in the village are so warm. Running all the way, the second uncle only felt the wind passing by his ears, and his mind was blank. When he ran back home desperately, he closed the door and the bolt fell down with a thud. Then his body softened and he squatted down like mud.
He ran too fast and lost some strength. Now his calves were shaking. He crossed his hands, which were shaking slightly, and pressed them against his forehead in a fist shape. The only thing in his mind was what he had just seen.
What is it exactly?
I am familiar with this mountain range, but I have never seen such a creature before! It is almost as big as a tiger! And...and how can it live in a cave?
"What are you doing?" The house was made of adobe bricks, and the yellow mud walls showed signs of cracking. The wooden door frame was full of the vicissitudes of time. A plump woman came out of another room holding her child in dissatisfaction, frowning and saying, "You woke up the child..."
"Call the police..." Before he could finish, his uncle's trembling voice rang out from his throat, and then immediately became louder: "Call the police...Call the police immediately!!"
Then he rushed to the phone like crazy and dialed 110.
Boom... Outside the house, the heavy rain finally poured down. The silver line between heaven and earth enveloped everything in darkness.
