SDIWD - Chapter 118
Chapter 118
The air in the cave wasn't foul; the original facilities were likely still operational, providing excellent ventilation. The passage continued to wind its way downward. With a clear goal in mind, the two of them moved much faster than their last visit, reaching the point of their previous exploration in just over two hours.
Ahead was another fork in the path. Unlike the previous ones, however, this time the smaller path on the right was carved out of the right-hand wall. Just as they were about to continue down the main passage, the spirit animal that had been following them suddenly wriggled forward and moved toward the smaller path.
"Is it trying to lead us somewhere?"
Hua Mu was a little surprised.
"Let's follow it and see."
The other passage was extremely low and narrow, and the air was clearly not as fresh as in the main tunnel. Bai Zhen stopped Hua Mu and covered her face with a damp cloth before they proceeded.
Hua Mu felt a tightness in her chest, and the increasingly low ceiling made her feel slightly panicked and sweaty. Bai Zhen was already completely hunched over as she walked, looking like she was having a difficult time.
The passage had a noticeable slope, first ascending and then descending. Bai Zhen quickly realized the purpose of this tunnel—something had likely happened to this section of the main passage, forcing them to carve out a new path from the side wall later on.
After fifty or sixty meters, even Hua Mu had to bend over to walk, and Bai Zhen, carrying the basket, could only move in a crouch.
With one hand holding onto Bai Zhen and the other steadying herself against the cave wall, Hua Mu suddenly touched something with a texture distinctly different from rock, which gave her a terrible fright.
"Whoa, what is this!" she couldn't help but scream, leaning heavily against Bai Zhen.
The Sentinel immediately shone the torch over. Amidst the dark rock, a milky-white object was exposed. Its surface had a metallic sheen, but the cross-section revealed a fine, honeycomb-like texture.
Bai Zhen recognized it at once. She wrapped an arm around Hua Mu and said, "Don't be nervous. This should be the skeleton of a sapient creature. It's not dangerous."
Although not dangerous, it could significantly affect the abilities of Sentinels and Guides. The bones of sapient creatures were natural spirit animal shielding materials. While better and cheaper artificial substitutes existed now, in the past, important facilities often relied on embedding these bones to ensure security.
Bai Zhen finally understood why her perception had diminished—it wasn't just within the experimental base. The people back then had gone to great expense to bury the bones of sapient creatures throughout the entire mountain.
No, perhaps this so-called mountain was entirely man-made. That would also explain why there were no signs of animal intrusion in the central part of the mountain.
Hua Mu was still shaken. "Why would there be sapient creature bones inside a mountain?!"
It had scared her so much she almost...
Bai Zhen could see that Hua Mu's prolonged time in this claustrophobic environment had made her extremely tense. She subconsciously kissed her forehead and soothed, "Don't worry, Miss. I'll protect you no matter what happens."
Ah! Why did she suddenly kiss her!
Hua Mu's attention was successfully diverted. She felt a mix of shyness and dissatisfaction—with the cloth over her mouth, they couldn't kiss properly. How annoying!
But their current situation didn't allow for romantic dallying. She said stubbornly, "Al-alright, I'm not that timid. Let's just get out of here first."
Fortunately, this section wasn't long. After about a hundred meters, they saw the exit. The exit was quite high off the ground, and Hua Mu, not paying attention, nearly fell straight down.
The journey had been terrifying. By the time Bai Zhen lifted her down from the opening, she was drenched in a cold sweat. She had been too nervous to even speak much. As soon as she was back in the main passage, she plopped down on the ground.
"I thought I was going to fall to my death!" she gasped, pulling off the damp cloth. Bai Zhen set down the basket and took out a small mat for Hua Mu to sit on.
"Miss, let's rest for a while."
"Okay, okay, I'm a little hungry anyway." Hua Mu was eager to rest. She took the torch from Bai Zhen and said, "And it's so cold in here, I'm freezing to death."
The cave's temperature was already low, in the teens at most. Having broken out in a sweat, Hua Mu was now starting to sneeze.
Bai Zhen quickly draped all the extra cloth and her jacket over Hua Mu, then took out the heating pot, lit some charcoal, and started boiling water. Hua Mu shivered uncontrollably. It was only after Bai Zhen held her and warmed her by the fire for a while that she gradually recovered.
"Miss, are you feeling better?"
Hua Mu sniffled and nodded. "Much better. I can't believe I could get this cold in the tropics."
Bai Zhen let her go so she could continue warming herself by the fire. She then lit a candle in the small lantern, and the passage gradually brightened, allowing them to see their surroundings more clearly.
This place was very different from the cave they had been walking through before. Although the walls still had the texture of rock, parts of the ceiling now exposed metallic materials, with distinct light strips embedded in them.
After replacing the torch, Bai Zhen used the light to look around and quickly discovered the reason for the small side passage—the main tunnel was blocked by a massive metal door.
Bai Zhen investigated briefly, and by then the water was boiling. Hua Mu added the sago and dried goods to the pot, and soon a rich aroma filled the air.
Good food really could lift one's spirits. Hua Mu took a deep breath, and her earlier tension and anxiety eased considerably.
Luna and Hati were gathered to one side, seemingly grooming the other spirit animal. Hua Mu paid them no mind and called Bai Zhen over to eat.
"Are we almost there?"
With the hot congee in her stomach, Hua Mu's body finally warmed up completely.
"It should be..."
Bai Zhen drank her congee slowly, her brow slightly furrowed. Although their progress had been smooth so far, her expression had not relaxed.
Hua Mu patted her shoulder, feigning a lighthearted tone. "Alright, this means we're halfway there. Isn't that great?"
"Mmm..."
The Sentinel was sullen and preoccupied, and the Young Lady didn't like that one bit.
"Bai Zhen."
"Hm? What is it, Mi— Mmph!"
Hua Mu pouted and leaned in for a kiss, only stopping when she was breathless.
Bai Zhen was caught completely off guard by the sudden kiss, and for the first time, she was left dizzy and disoriented.
"Mi-Miss..."
Hua Mu wiped her mouth grandly, a triumphant look on her face.
"How about that? I win this time, right!"
"This..."
Bai Zhen didn't understand what she was talking about, her face flushing red with shyness.
"You always use your bigger lung capacity to bully me. Not this time, huh?"
"I didn't..."
"Hmph, I say you did, so you did. I've figured you out, you know. You're actually super dishonest, hiding everything from me, with a whole pile of secrets."
"...Miss."
"We've come this far. You can finally tell me what it is you wanted to confirm, can't you?"
As clever as Hua Mu was, once her suspicions were aroused, Bai Zhen never thought she could hide it from her.
"Miss, you've probably already guessed, haven't you?"
Hua Mu pouted, dissatisfied. "Since you know I've already guessed, what are you afraid of now? Why don't you just confess everything?"
Even so, it was hard to know where to begin. Bai Zhen hesitated for a moment before finally saying slowly, "Before I awakened at twelve, I always thought I was just an ordinary orphan. But after being sent to the Tower, I started to understand some things. I understood how I was different from others, and I began to realize that these differences might not just affect me personally."
"Later, I learned about the genetic modification project, and from it, I discovered the reason for my differences. I wasn't born through normal means at all. That's the only possibility that could explain my abnormalities."
"I've investigated many things over the years, but just as I was getting close to the truth... I backed down. Miss, I'm not the kind of person you think I am."
Neither upright nor courageous.
"And how do you know what kind of person I think you are?" Hua Mu was a little angry; Bai Zhen had a knack for making her angry. "I've never been disappointed in you, not even now. Do you think I like you because of your background, or something else?"
Setting aside the Sentinel's feelings for her, just her face and body... ah, she would never regret falling for Bai Zhen!
"I know you're not that kind of person, Miss, it's just..."
It was just that a background like hers carried too many uncertainties. Even though she had lived the life of a normal Sentinel for her first twenty-odd years, what would the future hold?
She couldn't be sure.
Most importantly, this matter had forced her to recognize her own cowardice and weakness. She was terrified that this version of herself would hurt Hua Mu.
This time, in resolving to come and investigate, she hoped for change, and she hoped for redemption.
"There are no 'it's justs'. The way I see it, the most annoying thing about you is that you keep everything bottled up inside. Can't I give you confidence? Can't I be your pillar and your support? We're... we're the closest people to each other now. You may not have parents, but you have a family now."
For someone as awkward as Hua Mu to say so much of her inner thoughts in one go was a decision she had made after days of contemplation. She might not be able to do anything tangible for Bai Zhen or change the past, but at the very least, she couldn't let so-called pride and shame cause a misunderstanding.
She had to make Bai Zhen understand that she only ever cared about her as a person; to let her know that she liked her for who she was; and to make her fully realize her own determination—things were already like this, Bai Zhen could forget about getting rid of her.
Bai Zhen smiled, as if in relief, yet also as if she had expected it.
"I knew you would say that, but for some reason, I was still afraid. Miss, what you're about to see will definitely not be pleasant. Please, prepare yourself."
Hua Mu looked completely unconcerned, patting her chest. "I've been through thick and thin. I'm not that fragile!"
The two rested for a bit, packed up their things, and then continued forward.
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