Magic Space: Struggling to Survive in the Apocalypse-Chapter 86: Difficult Solo Survival 10

Evelyn Ford continued to move deeper inside. The further she went, the lower the temperature dropped, and the air seemed to grow thinner. She quickly took off her mask to breathe.

Evelyn Ford swapped her boots for a pair of hiking boots. The soles had anti-slip treads, which would be safer. Once her breathing steadied, she put her mask back on and continued moving deeper.

Damp, cold wind assaulted her in gusts. Even through her insulated coat, she could still feel a faint chill.

Moss grew on the cave walls. ’Even with a mask and gloves, it’s best not to touch anything carelessly,’ she thought. ’Contact with mold spores could cause an infection.’

This kind of infection was no ordinary matter. It could be a kidney infection or a respiratory infection, both of which could be fatal.

Evelyn Ford put on her night-vision goggles. The further in she went, the more useless the light from the cave entrance became. After about thirty meters, she came to a huge pit. Evelyn Ford lay on the ground and peered down. A mass of dark water sat completely still below. The pit was enormous, and the far side was obscured by stalactites, leaving her unable to see anything.

There were some ledges along the side that she could use to climb down. Evelyn Ford hesitated for a few seconds before deciding to go down and have a look.

She slowly made her way down the stone wall. The drop from the edge of the pit to the pool of water below was probably ten meters.

Evelyn Ford smelled a strong, fishy odor coming from the water. Just before she reached the surface, she released a kayak. It floated steadily on the water, which didn’t move at all. Evelyn Ford used her paddle to brace herself and slowly stepped into the kayak. Once she was steady, she slowly crouched down.

After waiting a few minutes to confirm the water was safe, Evelyn Ford slowly began to paddle toward the other side.

The stalactites on the ceiling were simply nature’s most magnificent masterpiece. Evelyn Ford had only ever seen pictures of karst caves online. Seeing it in person for the first time, the feeling of awe was completely different.

"Ah..." Evelyn Ford shouted again. This time, the echo was much louder and lasted for quite a while.

Evelyn Ford adjusted her flashlight and continued to paddle forward.

A few hundred meters on, the waterway branched into many tributaries, each leading into a new cavern. Evelyn Ford decided to head down the widest one. The further she went, the colder it got. She sneezed and couldn’t help but shiver.

This cavern was damp and gloomy. Even someone as bold as Evelyn Ford felt a little creeped out. Just then, she thought she saw something glowing green up ahead. Evelyn Ford squinted; it was too far to see clearly. She quickly paddled the kayak over. As she drew near, she could see a large stone platform. It was about twenty square meters, and on it lay seven or eight skeletons. The green glow was emanating from them.

Evelyn Ford shone her flashlight on the bones, observing them carefully. ’Based on the degree of skeletonization, these people have likely been dead for three or four years, maybe more.’ There were some backpacks nearby. Evelyn Ford used her trekking pole to hook one and pull it over.

"Sorry for the disturbance," she muttered. "No disrespect intended."

Evelyn Ford glanced at the backpack’s contents: a rusted dagger, an empty water bottle, a flashlight, and a box that once held cold medicine.

On the ground, there were also things like life jackets and swim rings. Evelyn Ford looked at the water and guessed they had swum over.

’The water in this cavern is stagnant, with no current or signs of life. I scanned it earlier and didn’t see any fish or other creatures. Swimming across should be safe enough, but there’s always the risk of contaminated water causing harm.’

There were also a few empty tin cans on the ground. Looking at the greenish skeletons, Evelyn Ford suddenly felt her scalp prickle.

’The humidity and temperature difference in the cavern must be what made the bones turn green.’ But looking at the two empty eye sockets in their skulls, she felt as if needles were pricking her back.

After walking a lap around the stone platform, Evelyn Ford took her flashlight and began to inspect the stone wall behind it. There were no stalactites here. The wall was extremely smooth, almost like marble.

Evelyn Ford took off a glove and touched the wall’s surface. Her hand remained dry, with no condensation, but the surface of the wall felt... off.

Evelyn Ford took out a cloth and wiped it gently, but nothing changed. Then, an idea struck her. She took out some alcohol, dampened the cloth with it, and wiped the wall again. This time, something on the wall appeared.

A map materialized on the stone. Evelyn Ford’s eyes widened. A thousand thoughts raced through her mind, but after calming herself, she studied the map closely and found it was impossibly complex.

Evelyn Ford took out several flashlights, illuminating the stone wall as if it were daylight. Then she took out her phone and photographed the map. To avoid any mistakes, she mentally traced every single line.

’Could the location on this map be somewhere inside this cave system?’

’But this large system contains countless smaller caverns. How am I supposed to investigate them all?’

Evelyn Ford wiped down the entire wall. Aside from the map, she found nothing else—no hidden mechanisms or secret passages.

She also checked the floor of the stone platform inch by inch. She even looked behind the skeletons, but still found nothing. ’It seems the location on the map isn’t here.’

Before leaving, Evelyn Ford took out a very large bag and placed the skeletons inside. She planned to take them out of the cave and find a place to bury them.

Leaving the stone platform, Evelyn Ford returned to her kayak. She took out a boxed meal and ate it, then continued on her treasure hunt.

After paddling for a while, Evelyn Ford suddenly saw a few small bubbles rise to the surface ahead. She immediately shone her flashlight on the spot and saw two white things swim by in the water. They looked like earthworms, but they definitely weren’t; Evelyn Ford could see they had fish-like tails.

They moved incredibly fast and quickly disappeared from sight. Evelyn Ford scanned the water’s surface with her light again but didn’t see the creatures anymore.

Evelyn Ford continued paddling forward. When she reached a fork in the waterway, she chose a path at random. ’It’s up to luck now,’ she thought. ’Whether or not I can find the place on the map depends on if Lady Luck is on my side today.’

Just then, a swarm of bats suddenly flew out from a dense row of small black holes in the ceiling above her.

It was the first time Evelyn Ford had ever seen so many bats—there had to be thousands, maybe tens of thousands. She quickly ducked, covering her head and staying completely still in the kayak.

The bats poured out of their nests, their cries utterly chilling.

After about half an hour, Evelyn Ford finally lifted her head. The kayak was spattered with bat droppings, but she paid them no mind. Her gaze was completely captivated by the bat nests, which looked like a honeycomb.

’Perhaps my arrival disturbed them, causing them to flee in a panic.’

Evelyn Ford guessed they wouldn’t be back for a while. She shone her flashlight on the nests. They were about twenty meters above the water. Her only option was to use her phone to zoom in on the scene and take a picture.