Reborn Action Star: Starting in Hollywood

Chapter 594 Finally Found the Target
"How come the supplies are intact and not moved at all?" Henry asked in surprise.

Canned beef, canned fruit, self-heating rice and other supplies were neatly arranged on the ground, but the quantity was not large.

It can only support four meals for Meng Tao and five other people.

According to the rescue team's previous prediction, Meng Tao and others were unable to obtain oxygen tanks from Camp 6 and return because rising groundwater flooded Camp 6.

Then they should have waited for rescue at Camp 6, which is close to Camp 7.

There is food here that is necessary for their lives. Meng Tao and others have been in the cave for 15 days and have been trapped for at least 10 days. It is impossible for them to completely ignore the supplies in Camp 7.

Then the only answer is:
There were insurmountable obstacles ahead, and Meng Tao and others were trapped and could not reach Camp 7 at all.

Thinking of this, both of their expressions became more solemn.

"Let's go and take a look ahead." Lin Yuan took the lead and walked forward.

"Damn it! It will be difficult if the road is blocked." Henry followed helplessly.

After walking forward for more than half an hour, the two stopped: there was no road ahead, and the waterway blocked the way forward.

Henry immediately took out the map, took a look at it and said, "There used to be no water here, but it has been filled up by the rising groundwater."

Lin Yuan looked at the location Henry pointed to on the map. If this area was flooded, he could easily calculate using a scale that the winding passage ahead, at least 1900 meters long, was filled with water.

Such a long distance, coupled with the need for decompression, would be impossible to get through without the support of a large number of oxygen tanks.

"It's over. We may not even be able to find Meng Tao, let alone rescue them." Henry's face turned ugly.

Lin Yuan knew what he meant. Even if they moved the oxygen tanks from Camp 6, it would be difficult to rescue Meng Tao and others.

And if the oxygen tanks at Camp 6 were used up, he and Henry would be trapped and die there.

Now we are in a dilemma.

"Don't worry, we'll think of another way." Lin Yuan took the map from Henry.

He carefully looked back and forth at the map, trying to find another passage to bypass it.

But nothing was found. The deeper they went underground, the fewer roads they found. Most of them were unexplored tunnels, so it was not suitable to drill through them randomly.

"Idol, how about we go back first? After we get more oxygen tanks from the temporary camp, we will use a large number of oxygen tanks to flatten this waterway." Henry said this obviously without confidence.

He knew that what he said was obviously of no reference value. By the time enough resources were gathered at the temporary camp, Meng Tao and the others would probably be dead.

You have to know that they have been trapped for more than 10 days, and they can't hold on by relying on the three camps with the poorest supplies, No. 8, 9 and 10.

The food in Camp No. 7 was only enough for Meng Tao and others to have four meals.

The number of people at Camp 8 and Camp 9 must be even smaller.

As for Camp No. 10, as far as Henry knew, there was no food at all, only a tent and some first aid medicines.

In addition to the food shortage, Lin Yuan was also very worried about the mental state of Meng Tao and others.

Their headlamps must have run out of battery by now, leaving them in complete darkness.

Being over 2000 meters underground, with no food and no light, what's the difference between that and being buried alive and waiting to die?
Lin Yuan had only been underground for two days, and he had enough food and drink, and there was lighting, but he could not help but feel the oppression becoming increasingly unbearable.

We can't wait any longer. Perhaps this is already the limit for Meng Tao and others.

Lin Yuan pointed to an undiscovered passage on the map and said, "Do you know about this F passage?"

Channel F is an unexplored channel located 50 meters above the current main channel. Judging from its direction, it is possible that it goes around the top of the main channel to the back, avoiding the flooded waterway.

Hearing Lin Yuan's words, Henry's eyes widened. "Idol, don't tell me you're planning to go down Channel F! I explored this channel three years ago. It's very narrow. I almost got stuck and gave up because I didn't dare to go any further."

"The directions of other channels seem unlikely to connect to the road behind. The possibility of this F channel seems very high," said Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan pointed to another channel, Channel K, which extended in the opposite direction from the main channel and said, "Look, isn't it very likely that Channel F and Channel K are connected?"

“I am certainly aware that many Kalonos Cave explorers have suspected that the two undiscovered passages are the same.

"But it's so narrow, even narrower than the birth canal we came through. No one dared to bet on whether it was truly connected. If it was a dead end, we'd be completely doomed," Henry said anxiously.

"I want to give it a try. This is the only way to save Meng Tao. If we give up this method, we can only declare the rescue a failure at this moment." Lin Yuan said.

"Lin Yuan, do you know what is the most terrifying way to die in cave exploration?" Henry asked very seriously.

"I know what it's like to be stuck in the cracks of the stone wall, unable to move forward or backward. Feeling buried alive, waiting for the final moment in despair. This is a double torture of the body and mind." Lin Yuan replied.

In his previous life, he had also watched the 2009 documentary about the Nut Putty Hole incident.

At that time, he watched the documentary and saw how the victim, John Edward Jones, experienced 27 desperate hours and eventually died in the crevice of the cave.

Over the years, he has been to the sky, the sea, jumping off waterfalls and climbing tall buildings, but he has never dug a hole in the ground. It has to be said that this was largely due to the nut putty hole incident, which cast a huge shadow in his heart and made him swear never to dig an underground cave to commit suicide.

But today he had no choice but to enter the Kalonos Cave, which was much more dangerous than the Nut Putty Cave, and he was also preparing to take the same risky action as the victim John Edward Jones.

"You know that, but you're still planning to take the risk? If you're really stuck, I absolutely won't be able to save you. Even if I go find someone, there's no way I can get you out." Henry advised earnestly.

“Henry, I know you mean well, and I appreciate you worrying about me.

I also knew how dangerous this behavior was and what I would face if I failed.

But I really can't just watch Meng Tao die like this.

I know he must be in great pain now, but he must be waiting for me to save him.

I can't let him down," Lin Yuan said.

Seeing Lin Yuan's persistence, Henry could only smile bitterly and said, "Okay, if you insist on doing this, I can't stop you.

To be honest, I really envy Meng Tao. Having a super-rich brother like you who is willing to risk his life for himself. "

"Because Meng Tao treated me the same way, I actually owe him more." Lin Yuan said.

Not long ago, in order to give him a better chance of survival, Meng Tao signaled the fire tornado to fall in his direction.

This incident is still fresh in his mind, and Lin Yuan cannot give up on Meng Tao at this moment.

Without further ado, the two began walking towards Channel F.

Henry led the way in front, and Lin Yuan followed behind.

"Ha~" Henry opened his mouth and yawned loudly while walking.

Lin Yuan looked at his watch and it was already 2 o'clock in the middle of the night.

Their schedule today was really rushed. After arriving at the temporary camp at 4 pm, Lin Yuan had been working non-stop without even a moment's rest.

He completed two dives, laid the guide rope, and made the journey to Camp 7.

Lin Yuan might be able to endure such a long period of high-intensity exercise, but it was obvious that Henry's energy had reached its limit.

"Henry, you've worked really hard today. Take me to the entrance of Channel F later, then have a good rest. I'll go in and explore by myself." Lin Yuan said.

Henry said with all his strength, "Idol, I can still handle this. Although I don't have the courage to go deep into the cave with you, I can still follow you and give you the news."

Seeing that Henry was quite persistent and would never give in, Lin Yuan said no more.

Everyone has his own persistence. Just as Henry could not persuade him not to explore Channel F, he could not refuse Henry's kindness.

Along the way, Lin Yuan saw Henry pinching his thighs many times to refresh himself, which can be regarded as the foreign version of the "thigh-pricking" method.

After about 10 minutes, the two finally arrived at the entrance of Channel F.

It is called a passage, but it actually looks more like a gap.

Unlike the narrow "birth canal", the birth canal is an irregular round hole that seems to be able to be drilled through.

Channel F is an extremely narrow gap between two large rock formations, and the first reaction to it is:

Is this also considered a channel?

Is it possible to get into this kind of crevice?

This crack gives people a very intense feeling of mental oppression, which makes people feel uneasy at the first sight, as if the upper and lower rock layers will close together at any time and crush people completely.

This doesn't look like a passage at all, but rather like an extremely cruel torture device.

No wonder Henry said this place was more torturous than the birth canal.

Lin Yuan felt a sense of resistance from the bottom of his heart and was absolutely unwilling to get involved.

But no matter how unwilling he was, he had to bite the bullet and go in.

Before Lin Yuan entered Channel F, he picked up four or five round stones the size of quail eggs from the ground and held them in his palms. Then he gritted his teeth, lay on the ground, and squeezed into the gap.

As soon as I entered Channel F, I felt the squeeze immediately.

Lin Yuan felt his back and buttocks were under pressure from above and below, and every time he moved, he was rubbed forward.

Crawling in this gap and being squeezed is a very desperate and oppressive feeling.

In other places, as long as you try hard, there will be some effect, even the slightest bit.

But more than 2000 meters underground, no matter how hard you try, the thick rock wall will not move at all.

There are unshakable rock walls above and below, and the feeling of being trapped between them is simply despairing.

After crawling forward more than 20 meters, Lin Yuan knew that he had come to an area not marked on the map. It was completely unknown whether he could move forward or what would happen.

So Lin Yuan said, "Henry, this is already an unknown area. I will go forward by myself. Don't follow me."

"Okay! I understand. If you need anything, just call me and I'll be here waiting for you."

Henry's voice came from not far behind.

Lin Yuan didn't hesitate at all and continued to move forward bit by bit.

Soon, he felt greater pressure from above and below, so great that he couldn't breathe and expand his chest fully.

Normally, he would have to stop moving forward.

But Lin Yuan knew that if he gave up here, it would be tantamount to sentencing Meng Tao and others to death.

So Lin Yuan continued to move forward bit by bit, even though it was quite difficult.

In the pitch-black cave, there was only a faint light from the headlamp, and the rustling sound was particularly harsh.

Lin Yuan recalled the information he had just seen on the map.

The F channel and the K channel are facing each other and at the same height, so there is at least a 70% chance that they are connected.

The length of the unexplored area is about 200 meters. That is to say, if it is really connected, Lin Yuan can reach Channel F by climbing through this 200-meter area.
But even being connected is not enough, the width must be wide enough for people to pass through.

Feeling the increasing pressure on his chest and abdomen, Lin Yuan stopped and looked at the dark gap in front of him.

He stretched out his right hand and used his thumb to eject a stone that had been held in his palm.

With the master-level flying knife technique, the stone shot out quickly.

But the stone did not shoot straight forward, but flew upward at an angle of 15 degrees for more than 5 meters, hitting the upper rock wall with a crisp sound.

"Boom!"

After the stone hit the upper rock wall, it did not stop, but shot straight to the lower rock wall at an angle, making another crisp sound.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

After four strikes, the stone lost all its kinetic energy and stopped moving.

"Lin Yuan, what happened?" Henry shouted anxiously from a distance, as if he heard the sound of stones knocking.

They were already a short distance apart, and Henry's voice was obviously a little softer than before.

"Nothing, I'm just exploring the route." Lin Yuan said.

These four knocking sounds from near to far were exactly what Lin Yuan needed.

From the speed, angle, distance, and collision time difference of the stone, we can actually calculate the width of the gap ahead.

However, Lin Yuan is not yet so amazing that he can determine the location by just listening to the sound and knowing a series of data.

Although he couldn't get the data, his extraordinary intuition gave him an unreasonable conclusion:
That is the gap in front, and it has not narrowed further.

This is enough for Lin Yuan. He doesn’t need to do math problems, so why does he need so much data?

It is enough to know this conclusion.

So Lin Yuan continued to move forward bit by bit.

This process is really painful, every minute is torture.

Fortunately, the gaps between the rock walls did not narrow, and in some places they were even slightly looser, allowing him to relax and take a few deep breaths of air.

After struggling forward for more than 20 minutes, based on the distance calculated, the road should be almost through.

At this moment, his uneasiness grew: whether it would work or not, the answer would soon be revealed.

Unlike the open caves on the ground, there is no wind in such underground gaps. Otherwise, he would have been able to judge whether it was unobstructed by the flow of air.

It's like it's covered by a black cloth, and there's no accurate answer until the last moment.

Just when Lin Yuan thought he was about to find out Channel F, his palm touched a wet liquid.

"Pfft!"

water?
Puddle?

There is a big puddle at the end of Channel F?

Even someone as mentally strong as Lin Yuan felt a little overwhelmed at this moment.

Didn't he expect that after overcoming so many hardships, the final result would still be a failure?

Is this really going to kill Meng Tao and the others? There's not even a shred of hope left!

The feeling of powerlessness and failure surged into Lin Yuan's heart, making him feel quite depressed.

Lin Yuan took a few deep breaths and told himself to stay calm.

After calming down, Lin Yuan suddenly realized that the presence of a puddle did not mean the end of the situation.

Today he experienced two deep water pits caused by groundwater seepage in a row, so when he saw the pits, he instinctively thought that he had to dive.

But in fact, this is not the case. The puddle in front of us is definitely not caused by rising groundwater.

Because the height of Channel F is 50 meters higher than the main channel, the distance is so close.

If the groundwater could reach here, the main passage below would have been inaccessible long ago.

This is most likely formed by water seeping down from the loose soil and rock wall above. If this is the case, the puddle ahead may not be deep and the distance is not long.

Lin Yuan would never give up until he got into the water and tried it out.

But whether the underwater passage is wide enough to support him crawling and how long it is are all unknown.

Lin Yuan estimated how long he could hold his breath and told himself that he could only go underwater and move forward for 2 minutes. If he couldn't find a way out, he would have to return the same way, otherwise he might really be suffocated to death underwater.

So Lin Yuan held his breath, gritted his teeth and dived into the water.

As soon as he entered the pool, he felt much more spacious.

This wasn't a huge puddle, confirming his guess.

It was like an S-shaped toilet drain pipe. Although Lin Yuan could not open his arms and swim freely, he simply twisted his body and swam less than 5 meters and soon emerged from the water.

Such a short section of waterway?
Lin Yuan, who had emerged from the waterway, saw water seeping down from the rock wall, dripping onto the water surface.

As he expected, this small puddle was just a common underground water hole formed by water seeping from above.

This discovery made Lin Yuan feel relieved.

Because Henry had told him before that there were adventurers at both ends of Channel F and Channel K, shouting at each other.

Try to judge whether the two channels are connected by hearing each other's voices.

But no sound was heard, so Henry expressed cautious pessimism.

In Lin Yuan's opinion, the existence of this puddle blocked the propagation of sound, which resulted in the shouts from both sides being unable to communicate.

But why doesn’t this puddle appear on the map of Channel K?

Because the K channel has not been explored to this point, but is blocked by a narrow "ghost gate" in front.

"gate of hell"……

When Lin Yuan thought of this name, he got a headache again.

There is really no such thing as a random name for an underground cave.

It is a place that is narrower than the "cervix" of the "birth canal".

Lin Yuan's mood at this moment was quite contradictory.

If there is no "Gate of Hell" ahead, it means it is not the K channel, and he is likely to walk into an unknown area and lose his way.

If there is a "gate of hell" ahead, he may not be able to climb over it and be stuck there.

What a dilemma.

But now that he has come this far, he will never give up halfway, but will move forward resolutely.

Just before moving forward, he dived down the S-shaped puddle again and returned to the F tunnel.

After surfacing, he immediately heard Henry's anxious cry: "Lin Yuan! Lin Yuan! Can you hear me?"

"Henry, I'm here. Don't worry!"

"Why didn't you reply to me just now? I thought you had an accident!"

"At the end of Channel F, there's an S-shaped puddle that blocks the propagation of sound. I was planning to continue exploring, but I swam back to tell you because I didn't want you to worry."

"Luckily you remembered to come back and tell me, otherwise I would have been really scared."

"I know you're very tired, so you should get some rest while I'm leaving. If I can reach K Pass, I'll go directly to Camp 8, which will take at least six hours round trip. Take some rest during this time, and don't worry about me!"

"Understood! Good luck!"

After briefly explaining a few things to Henry, Lin Yuan dived into the puddle again.

After coming out from the other end of the S-shaped passage, after climbing a few meters, the tunnel once again turned into a very oppressive gap.

This feeling is exactly the same as in Channel F. Lin Yuan absolutely does not believe that these two channels are unconnected. The feeling of torture is exactly the same.

After moving forward bit by bit for another 10 minutes, Lin Yuan suddenly felt the pressure in his chest and abdomen increase significantly.

His body was completely stuck, and when he tried to push forward, he felt a sharp pain in his ribs.

He can no longer go forward...

Is this the "Gate of Hell"?
Yes or no?
But it seemed that no matter whether it was true or not, he couldn't get through it.

Lin Yuan looked at the dark gap in front of him, but he had a feeling that dawn was coming.

We have overcome countless hardships to finally get here. If this is the "gate of hell", then victory is just around the corner. How can we give up?

As long as this is the "gate of hell", then nothing is impossible even if it costs some price!

Lin Yuan still had one last stone in his hand, and he threw it forward.

"Boom!"

……

"Boom!"

"Tuk!"

It stopped after three sounds.

The first sound was hitting the upper wall, the second sound was hitting the lower wall, but the interval between them was obviously longer. The third sound was still hitting the lower wall, and it was quite weak.

This shows that the passage ahead is in the shape of a ladle with a flat top and a curved bottom, and is obviously quite spacious. Therefore, after the stone hits the lower wall, it jumps up and falls down weakly, making a "thump" sound.

This terrain is exactly the same as the situation before the "Gate of Hell" on the K channel of the map!

Lin Yuan is 8% sure that this is the "gate of hell"!
Victory is truly within reach.

So Lin Yuan endured the severe pain, dug his arms into the ground, and kicked hard with his legs.

A sharp pain shot through his right ribs.

"click"

Accompanied by the sound of broken bones, Lin Yuan squeezed through the "gate of hell"!
After passing through the narrowest "Gate of Hell", he lay on the ground gasping for breath.

In order to rescue Meng Tao, he really tried his best. The pain in his chest and abdomen told him that he was injured.

"System, assess my injuries." Lin Yuan muttered to himself.

Golden system text appeared before his eyes:

The host's chest and abdomen were under pressure exceeding their limits, causing fractures in the fourth rib on the right and the fifth rib on the left.

Seeing the system's text, Lin Yuan immediately felt relieved.

Fortunately, it was just a fracture, not a broken bone.

At this price, it is totally worth it in exchange for passing through the "Gate of Hell".

With his body's recovery speed, his athletic ability will only be slightly reduced in the short term, and he will be fully recovered in a day or two.

So he stopped resting and crawled forward quickly.

After climbing forward for another 15 minutes, Lin Yuan finally got out of the gap.

He immediately searched around the gap, and when he saw the "K Channel" sign left by his predecessors, he was completely relieved.

Lin Yuan immediately followed the map and began to move quickly towards Camp No. 8.

He was very fast and arrived at Camp 2 in just 30 hours, 8 minutes faster than expected.

When Lin Yuan saw the orange-red tent, he immediately quickened his pace.

He rushed into the tent and did not see Meng Tao and others.

But the empty cans scattered on the ground seemed to be the best news, which cheered him up.

found it!
He finally found the trace of Meng Tao and others.

(End of this chapter)