The first thing Ning Xiaofan did when he returned to his residence was to knock on the door, summon Fatty, Hou San and others together, and then inform him about the departure at 3pm. After the notification, he didn't care how Fatty and others prepared.
, he went back to the room, set the alarm on his cell phone to 40:00, laid down on the bed after getting dressed, and soon fell into a deep sleep...
Ning Xiaofan didn't sleep for long, but after about two hours of deep sleep, not to mention the effect, he also regained a lot of energy.
It only took Ning Xiaofan 10 minutes to get up, wash up, and pack things.
Stepping out of the room, Fatty, Hou San and others were already waiting in the hall. A group of people were bragging and chatting happily. Looking around, Yang Hai was also among them. It seemed that he had got it.
The little goblin's notification came to meet up.
Ning Xiaofan stepped forward and said hello to everyone, and said: "Everyone, check the equipment to see if there is anything missing? After checking, report to me one by one."
Fatty and others were very experienced and knew that there were many dangers deep underground and there was no room for any mistakes, so they all carefully re-checked their equipment.
Soon, everyone finished checking, and the fat man was the first to respond: "I'm fine."
"I have no problem." Hou San responded.
Next, Zhang Chun, Chen Biao, Lao Wang, Xiao Shanzi, and the newly joined Yang Hai responded one after another.
Of course, when everyone was checking the equipment, Ning Xiaofan, as the team leader, also checked himself. After checking, he followed the rules and said: "I'm OK too."
After the equipment was checked, Ning Xiaofan glanced at his watch. There were still minutes left before the agreed departure time. At this time, footsteps could be heard outside the hall. Following him, he saw Aunt Xiang coming to the hall carrying a backpack. She had already
She changed into outdoor clothes and looked quite good at practice.
"Aunt Xiang, you're here." Ning Xiaofan stepped forward and said hello.
Aunt Xiang responded with a smile: "Well, everything is ready. When we are ready, we will set off...
Ning Xiaofan nodded, then turned back to signal Fatty and others to pack up their equipment and set off.
The group of people left the hall, but did not go out to the passage. Instead, they came to the iron door at the end of the passage.
Originally, Ning Xiaofan didn't know what was behind the iron gate. However, when discussing the departure with the little goblin this morning, he learned that there was a passage behind the iron gate, and that in Area H, each team's accommodation
There is such a passage to the ground everywhere.
Ning Xiaofan took out a magnetic card that the little goblin had given him in advance and swiped it on the chute next to the iron door. He heard a "click" sound and the latch behind the iron door bounced open. He reached out and pushed it.
The iron door was pushed open
Behind the iron gate is a descending staircase. Every three meters or so at the end of the wall on one side of the staircase, a pale energy-saving lamp hangs, illuminating the staircase.
This spiraling staircase is relatively simple. It was probably made from local materials and was not even polished. It is bumpy, uneven, and has some bumps.
Ning Xiaofan and his party went down the stone steps. It took them more than ten minutes to reach the end of the stairs. What they saw was a man-made tunnel with uneven walls on both sides.
When we reach this tunnel, there are no lights. The tunnel is deep and dark, and we don’t know how long it is.
Everyone turned on their flashlights and helmet lights and walked forward along the tunnel. Soon after, they could faintly hear the sound of running water. After walking for a while, the sound of running water became clearer. Under the illumination of the lights, the sound ahead
An underground river appears.
The tunnel has reached the end, and there is no way except for this narrow underground river. Ning Xiaofan is not surprised by this. He has learned from the little goblin that this tunnel has been blocked by underground water due to water seepage.
The river was flooded, so we had to walk a long way by water.
Fortunately, the flooded area is not deep, just enough to cover the calf, so there is no need to take out the rubber boat.
Everyone waded all the way, and after almost an hour, they came to a cave. The area of this cave was relatively spacious, and strange-shaped stalactites could be seen everywhere. Most of them were submerged in water. However, the southwest location of the cave was higher and exposed.
A small piece of open space can accommodate everyone to stay temporarily.
Everyone went to the open space above the water. While resting, Ning Xiaofan went to the water's edge to measure the water depth. He found that the underground river water accumulated here was much deeper, almost up to the waist. It was obviously not feasible to continue wading on foot.
It turned out to be real, so he ordered Lao Wang to take out the rubber boat.
After Lao Wang inflated the two rubber boats and everyone was almost rested, they pushed the two rubber boats into the water and then took two rubber boats down the river.
Although you are going down the river, the water in this flooded underground tunnel is not urgent, but rather gentle. If you just drift, the speed is like a snail, and you have to rely on paddling to speed up.
Everyone rowed forward, and after a short distance, this artificially dug tunnel seemed to have come to an end. It was replaced by a naturally formed cave, which was much wider. Along the way, you could also see the sides and top of the cave or bulges.
Or hanging stalactites.
Following the route displayed on the tablet, we entered this naturally formed cave, which meant that we were not far from the outpost of the grotto. After paddling downstream for less than half an hour, there was a faint light coming from the front, and we could hear diesel power generation.
The rumble of the machine.
The outpost has arrived.
The so-called outpost is the last artificial place in the sinkhole and the last micro-base where the prospecting team can receive human support.
This outpost is set up in a wide cave. Ning Xiaofan once heard the little goblin briefly introduce the situation of the outpost, and knew that the outpost is a transit point leading to the mining area. No matter which passage from Area H enters the mining area,
In the end, they all have to transit through the outpost. In addition to being equipped with 10 permanent personnel stationed for a long time, this outpost also has a small warehouse, a medical clinic, and several board rooms for the prospecting team to rest.
Entering the cave, you will see a permanent staff member holding a flashlight to guide everyone to paddle the boat to the shore.
Similar to the cave we passed earlier, most of this cave is penetrated by underground rivers. Looking around, except for areas with artificial buildings, it is surrounded by water.
Ning Xiaofan also knew that the original cave was not only spacious, but also relatively dry. There was no underground river at all, and the penetration of the underground river water happened three days ago. According to the information revealed by the little goblin, a big event occurred underground.
The area collapsed, causing the gushing groundwater to flood most places. The deepest part was more than two meters. If the artificial buildings of the outpost were not built on higher ground, this outpost would probably no longer exist.
Moreover, due to the large influx of underground rivers, the passages for people to walk have been completely submerged. In other words, all prospecting teams must face a problem, which is to reach the other end of the cave from underwater.
It is possible to swim under the water. The problem is that this submerged natural channel has not been fully explored. We don’t know how long it will take to swim under the water, and we don’t know if there is a place to stay during the dive. This is
This is also the information that Ning Xiaofan wants to know most right now.
At this time, Ning Xiaofan and his party came to a wooden house under the guidance of the resident staff.
The lights in the board room are brightly lit. Apart from folding chairs, there is no other furniture in the room. It looks like a conference room, and there are already people in twos and threes sitting on the chairs in the board room, all of whom are foreigners.
There were eight men in total, smoking and chatting. Judging from the wet marks on the trousers of these foreign men, they must be a prospecting team that had just arrived.
In addition to this prospecting team composed of foreign men, there is also a man in his 30s who is wearing outdoor clothing and has an Asian face. This man has a work badge on his chest and should be a regular employee of this outpost.
resident staff.
After Ning Xiaofan and his entourage entered the boardroom, the staff member greeted him with a smile: "Everyone, please sit wherever you like...
After Ning Xiaofan and others took their seats, the staff member continued: "Let me introduce myself first. My surname is Chen, Chen Li, and I am the person in charge of the outpost..."
This time, the staff member spoke in English, obviously taking care of these foreign men. Fortunately, Ning Xiaofan, Aunt Xiang and Fatty's English skills were not bad, so there was no need to worry about not understanding.
"Okay, now there are two prospecting teams here. I won't wait for the other teams. Let me introduce the situation here to you first..."
There is no need to go into details about the situation of the outpost. The person in charge named Chen Li mainly explained the difficulties faced in the upcoming trip.
According to Chen Li, the underground passage was not simply submerged by the underground river, but the collapse of the unknown cause three days ago not only caused geological changes, but also caused the passage to be blocked, three of which lead to caves.
The passage at the other end was buried by collapsed boulders.
Regarding this geological change, the outpost has sent several staff to dive into the passage many times to explore. So far, no exit to the other end of the cave has been found.
After Chen Li reported the current situation, he called the leaders of the two prospecting teams to send people to the warehouse to collect the diving equipment.
To say that Base 3 responded quickly enough, after the mining channel at the outpost was flooded, Base 3 was notified and immediately dispatched a group of divers to the outpost. Otherwise, Ning Xiaofan and others
Even when I come here, I can only look at the ocean and sigh.
At the moment, Ning Xiaofan arranged for Lao Wang and Xiao Shanzi to receive the equipment, while he himself asked the person in charge, Chen Li, to download the channel plan.
After downloading the channel plan to his tablet, Ning Xiaofan gathered Aunt Xiang, Fatty and others together and began to study the route after diving.
