The four of us entered the mountain around nine o'clock in the morning, and walked until after three o'clock in the afternoon. We saw that we had reached the foot of the extinct volcano. Looking up, we could see it halfway up the mountain in the distance.
A cave entrance with a red flag hanging outside.
Officer Hu told us that the entrance to the cave was the entrance to the excavation site. It was originally a cave dug by a prospecting team for prospecting. Unexpectedly, the miners accidentally discovered the extinct volcano while digging the cave.
The belly of the mountain turned out to be hollow, with an empty cave inside, and in that cave, an ancient ruin was discovered.
Now that the destination is close at hand, we simply stopped rushing and rested for a while at the foot of the mountain to prepare for the final climb.
From morning to noon, and then to afternoon, everyone was exhausted. Since the destination was close at hand, we simply stopped rushing and sat on a huge rock at the foot of the mountain to rest and drink water.
Preparing for the final climb.
During the break, I asked Officer Hu about the police call in the morning.
In this regard, Officer Hu told us that in the past two years, because the archaeological team has been making more and more noise at the excavation site, people from all over the country now know that an ancient ruin has been discovered here. After the news spread, some people with ulterior motives
People also started to come here.
Before this time, Officers Hu and Mu had gone to the mountain to investigate several times because they had received alarm calls about outsiders breaking into the excavation site. They even caught three people trying to sneak into the excavation site.
A thief who takes cultural relics.
Therefore, Officer Hu and others were already accustomed to this call to the police, so we did not have to worry too much about the situation there.
I nodded and stopped mentioning the matter. After a while, everyone picked up their equipment again and started the last leg of the journey.
We were silent all the way, and after walking on the mountain road for more than an hour, we finally arrived near the cave.
But after seeing the cave, I felt a little strange, because except for the flag at the entrance, the cave looked like an ordinary cave. The inside of the cave was pitch black. If I hadn’t heard from Officer Hu before,
Having said that this is the entrance to the ruins, I might still think that this is just an ordinary cave.
Looking at the pitch-black entrance of the cave, I couldn't help but murmur in my heart. It stands to reason that the archaeological team has been conducting archaeological work in this cave for a year or two, but why until now have they not only hung a flag at the entrance of the cave?
, but no other logistical equipment was arranged nearby. Even if they were afraid of being too ostentatious and attracting people with malicious intentions towards the ruins, they should have installed some lighting equipment in this cave, right?
So I asked Officer Hu: "Officer Hu, are you sure this is the case? In the past two years, the archaeological team has been working in this environment?"
Officer Hu also had some confusion on his face. He took out the flashlight from his bag and said to me: "That's not right. When I came last time, they had already installed lights in this hole? There are lights in the hole?"
The fuel in the diesel generator should still last the archaeological team for two months."
At this time, Officer Hu had already turned on his flashlight and shined a light near the entrance of the cave. Following the light of his flashlight, we saw a row of outdoor lights hanging on the rock wall inside the cave. However, we didn’t know
Whether it was broken or for some other reason, all these lights are out now.
Lin Qianyi and I looked at each other and both felt something was wrong, as did Officer Mu. He patted Officer Hu on the shoulder and whispered in his ear: "Old Hu, could something happen inside?"
"Are they the intruders they mentioned on the phone? Isn't that impossible? There are also security personnel in the archaeological team. With them here, how could something big happen?"
"It's hard to say..." Officer Namu turned around and said to us: "You two, the situation inside is unknown now. Lao Hu and I will go in first to check the situation. You two will wait outside now."
Lin Qianyi and I are not really staff of the Academy of Social Sciences. We have no power, so how could we listen to Officer Mu’s advice. So we both shook our heads almost at the same time, and then expressed that we would go down with them.
.
Officer Mu curled his lips, probably thinking that we might drag them down. But Officer Hu on the side said at this time: "Hei Mu, you said that the situation inside is unknown. If the situation here is really caused by outsiders,
Then it’s not safe for these two people to be outside. Maybe those who come to cause trouble have accomplices guarding the outside? I think it’s safer to let them follow us.”
"Okay." After hearing this, Officer Mu stopped insisting, but he still reminded us to follow closely behind them. If there is any accident, we must not panic and follow the command in all actions.
After explaining everything, Officer Mu pulled out his pistol and, as the vanguard of the team, took the lead to get into the depths of the cave, followed closely by us, following one by one.
Each of us held a strong flashlight in our hands, and the flashlight light swept across the deep cave at the same time, illuminating the scene inside clearly.
I was walking at the end of the team, looking at the rough passages on both sides, and I felt quite emotional. Everything in the world is unpredictable. Who would have thought that there would be an ancient relic buried in such a mountain? And it is said that there is one.
An ancient city? I don’t know what the ancients thought. It would be a bad idea to build a city in the heart of an extinct volcano. I don’t know how the ancients could build a city without gunpowder using their technology.
A city was built inside the mountain.
The deeper we went, the more uneasy the surrounding silence became. The sound of our footsteps and even our breathing echoed clearly in the empty passage. I wanted to speak several times to break the tense and depressing atmosphere at the moment, but
The words came to my lips, but I didn't dare to say them out. The situation at the ruins in the cave was currently unclear, and I was deeply afraid that the movement on my side might alert outsiders who might appear inside the ruins.
But at this time, there was someone who couldn't stand this deathly silence more than me, and took the lead to break it.
Officer Hu suddenly said in a low voice: "Heimu Mu, can we say a few words? If we continue to be suffocated like this, let alone someone attacking us, I will be suffocated to death first."
Officer Mu, who was walking in front, turned to look at Officer Hu, and then said: "It's almost here, can't you hold on?"
Officer Hu ignored him and continued: "We both have guns, do we use them so carefully? Besides, with the flashlights in our hands, if someone really wanted to, they would have seen us long ago."
"It's always good to be careful."
"If you are worried, just go ahead." Officer Hu gradually slowed down, looked back at Lin Qianyi and me, and lowered his voice and said, "Two of you, do any of you want to chat?"
Lin Qianyi shook her head, but I thought of something and asked, "By the way, Officer Hu, what dynasty are the relics found here?"
In the information Gao Liang gave us, although it was mentioned that this is the ruins of an ancient minority kingdom, the specific minority was not explained in detail, so I will ask this question here.
But I forgot that we are now staff of the Archaeological Research Institute, so theoretically we should already know the answer to this question.
I didn't think about this problem until Officer Hu looked at me with a strange look, and quickly made up for it: "The two of us were also temporarily sent to investigate. The leader has not told us the specific situation here.
.”
After Officer Hu heard what I said, he withdrew his puzzled expression, and then an embarrassed smile appeared on his face: "Comrade Lin, to tell you the truth, I know nothing about archeology and history.
Although I have come here many times, I still can’t tell what kind of ruins this place is..."
At this time, Officer Mu who was walking in front suddenly replied to us: "I heard from the archaeological team that this place seems to be the ruins of the Dian Kingdom."
"Is it the ancient Dian Kingdom?" Lin Qianyi suddenly interjected.
After a pause, Officer Mu nodded and said, "Yes, that's the name."
"Sister Lin, do you know this ancient...Dian Kingdom?" I asked curiously.
Lin Qianyi explained: "The Ancient Dian Kingdom was an ancient kingdom established by ancient peoples in the southwest border more than 2,000 years ago. Together with the Loulan Ancient Kingdom and the Yelang Ancient Kingdom, it became China's three mysterious ancient kingdoms. This country is in China's historical records
There are very few records, and it is only slightly recorded in Sima Qian's "Historical Records". However, shortly after Sima Qian included it in the classics, this ancient Dian Kingdom disappeared overnight, and there was no trace again. No one knows what this country is.
What’s wrong, no one knows where its citizens have gone.”