Chapter 115: Deep Within the Dongyan Cavern

At this moment, Uki suddenly made a sound—reckless to the extreme! Chen Cao spun around abruptly, and with the crack of a musket, a brilliant flash of light illuminated the scene.

Uki was hiding behind a young native man, half-naked from the waist up, clad in animal skins below, his muscular frame evident. Uki only poked out half his head; when he saw Chen Cao glance back, he quickly withdrew it.

Countless dwarven archers had their bows fully drawn, aiming at Chen Cao who was barely a dozen meters away. The towering spearman had already thrown his spear behind him, ready to hurl it.

The young native regarded Chen Cao with a half-smile that was neither friendly nor hostile. The light from the torches held by native soldiers beside him cast eerie shadows on his face, contorting it into a grotesque and menacing expression. Naturally, he waved at Chen Cao, and several native spearmen immediately began escorting a few captives out from the crowd.

“Boss!” Stanny looked at Chen Cao, his voice laden with despair. It was a complete rout.

Jared trembled all over, his head drooping; one of his arms sagged limply—clearly broken.

Chen Cao blinked, puzzled that neither Karissa nor Brenda was in sight.

There was no doubt now: he had been betrayed by Uki. Chen Cao felt a wave of frustration but still gripped his pistol tightly. The natives seemed wary of the gun in his hand; unlike before, the dwarf swordsmen did not recklessly advance.

At this moment, the young native stepped deliberately out of the crowd toward Chen Cao, a victorious smile playing on his lips. He carried no weapons, evidently confident and unafraid.

Approaching Chen Cao, he spoke in flawless Mainz dialect: “Greetings, stranger. Welcome to the Moshu tribe. I am Sangla, a warrior of this tribe. Lay down your arms—I promise not to harm you!”

His smiling face glanced repeatedly over his shoulder, clearly confident that Chen Cao was trapped.

Chen Cao stared at the young native. To resist meant certain death by a barrage of arrows; to surrender offered a slim chance of survival. So, he discarded his pistol, clasped his hands over his head, and crouched down.

But as he lowered himself, a hard object flew at his head, striking with a heavy blow. Darkness enveloped him. “Do you know what fate awaits those who enter the tribal sacred grounds? Death!” The voice was Sangla’s, but Chen Cao no longer heard it.

When Chen Cao regained consciousness, everything was pitch black.

“Am I dead?” He shook his head heavily, pain throbbing. Yet those who die do not feel pain, he recalled. He moved slightly, feeling as if his body were weighted with lead. After fumbling around, he found something to lean against. A voice nearby was singing—astonishingly, a folk tune from Dachen!

“My home lies in the northeast, upon the Songhua River...”

The voice was hoarse yet powerful, tinged with despair. The cheerful melody was twisted into something deeply unsettling and bittersweet.

Chen Cao sat there, massaging his aching head. Confirming he was alive, he tried to locate the source of the voice within his limited range and called out in Mainz dialect: “Who are you?”

The figure in the darkness replied, laughing: “Who am I? Ha ha ha! Who am I?” Though Chen Cao spoke in Mainz, the reply came in the Dachen tongue.

“A madman!” Chen Cao thought. To survive in such a confined space, one would go mad or die. But he remained undeterred, switching to Dachen: “Are you from Dachen?”

“I am! I am from Dachen. Seems you are as well?” The dark figure's tone was hoarse but earnest.

Relieved it was not a madman, Chen Cao exhaled and asked, “How did you come to be here?”

There was a scratching sound as the man fidgeted with the wall, then a melancholy answer: “You shouldn’t ask how I got here, but how to survive. You must find ways to amuse yourself, or you’ll lose your mind!”

Chen Cao stayed silent, but the man kept rambling: “Cockroaches are good, but they’ve become scarce recently. Crickets too—don’t know why. Protein’s scarce, so I’ve had diarrhea lately. Luckily, I ate a ground rat last time; still some left in me. Ha…”

Chen Cao listened, stomach churning. He was certain this man was not only mad but severely so. He tried to stand, but as he straightened his knees, a heavy blow struck his head.

“Feels good, right?” The man in the dark seemed delighted, moving about in the cramped space. “Sometimes getting knocked out is good—it means you’ve spent hours asleep!”

Chen Cao rubbed his head and sat cross-legged in the darkness. “You’ve been here a long time, haven’t you?”

“Ah ha, longer than most. What’s your name?”

“Chen Cao.”

“Chen Cao, a proper Dachen name. You truly are from Dachen!”

The man brightened: “I’m Lu Tianming—‘Lu’ for the continent, ‘Tian’ for ever-ascending skies, and ‘Ming’ for tomorrow’s light!” He spoke at length to pass the endless time.

“Oh.” Chen Cao responded but said no more. He knew that with someone either mad or half-mad, questions were pointless. His priority was to determine their location and find a way out.

Lu Tianming kept babbling: “How did you get here? Ugh, damned savages. They took my wife, stole my freedom—these inhuman beasts!”

Chen Cao had no intention of engaging further, but when Lu mentioned his wife being taken, Chen Cao’s ears pricked up. In his mind appeared Karissa’s gentle, fair face and her enchanting, innocent blue eyes.

In a low voice, Chen Cao asked, “Lu Tianming, what do you mean by ‘taken your wife’?”

Lu Tianming’s sobs choked his words: “My student told me—they’re sending her to the breeding ground, ugh… and then…”

Chen Cao’s heart sank like lead. Karissa’s fate looked grim indeed.

“Your student—is he a young boy?”

“How did you know?” Lu Tianming stopped crying, surprised.

Chen Cao said coldly, “I know because once I’m out, I’ll skin him alive. He lured us into this trap and got me captured!”

“No, no, no!” Lu Tianming protested vehemently. “Uki is a kind boy. He did it to save his mother. You can’t blame him!”

“To save his mother by sacrificing others’ lives? Have you lived in modern civilization? Or has this place muddled your mind?” Chen Cao retorted, leaving Lu speechless.

Silence fell between them, heavy and profound, broken only by their breaths.

After some time, Chen heard faint shaking nearby, followed by cracking sounds, then the unmistakable noise of chewing—loud and clear in the dark.

He knew no other higher animals were present in this cramped space besides himself and Lu Tianming. The chewing must be Lu’s. Imagining Lu eating bugs made Chen’s stomach rumble. Hunger reminded him he was still human. No matter what, he had to eat—even if it meant begging.

Having faced countless life-and-death situations, Chen knew survival stripped away all shame. Without hesitation, he said openly, “What are you eating? Can you share some?”

“Uh, sure! Beetles. Want some?” Lu Tianming brightened at hearing Chen speak again and was generous.

“Ugh!” Chen retched and fell silent.

Crack, crack—again and again. Chen imagined the revolting sight of Lu chomping on beetles.

He lost track of time. Eventually, Lu seemed full and fell silent, soon softly snoring. Chen, half asleep from hunger, drifted between waking and dreaming.

Just as silence returned, faint rustling sounds came, followed by a loud thud—something was thrown into their cell.

Startled awake, Chen immediately stood and instinctively dodged toward the noise. Lu Tianming, however, was less fortunate; a startled cry came from him.