Chapter 17: Entering the Apocalypse, Part 2

The cave had appeared once again!

Even now, I have yet to grasp any pattern governing the cave’s appearance and disappearance, so it is no surprise that I cannot predict when it will show up or vanish. I had already braced myself for the worst, prepared to spend countless hours figuring out how to summon the cave again. Yet here it was, emerging on its own—how could I not feel a surge of delight?

Had Chang’an or Mazao been here, they might have seen the cave as a harbinger of misfortune. But to me, this was nothing short of a lucky omen.

I lifted the wooden cover, and once again, the dark, profound entrance revealed itself before me.

Unlike last time, I was now alone at night, observing the cave in solitude—a world apart in mood. Chang’an once worried that “filthy things” might crawl out from below, a fear I could not empathize with then. To me, during the daytime, in the presence of Chang’an, this space seemed filled with the breath of mundane life, a place ghosts would never dare to tread.

But now, this space felt transformed into a magical domain, incompatible with reality. The distant city’s clamor faded completely from my consciousness. Anything occurring here was my exclusive “tale of the strange.” No other witnesses could confirm it; no matter how I told the public, no one would believe. In other words, this was a realm where demons and monsters ran wild unchecked.

This time, there was no Chang’an by my side to stop me, no Agent Kong suddenly knocking to interrupt.

What would happen if I went downstairs and pierced the ceiling above the cave with a hole? I imagined it eagerly. But if that caused the cave to disappear, it would be disastrous—and the downstairs room was inhabited. I did not want to shatter this fragile, solitary mystery. If I startled outsiders, the cave might shy away once again.

I set my backpack down and took out a wired camera and a selfie stick. I connected the camera to my phone, secured it to the selfie stick, and extended it into the cave’s depths. Then I glanced at my phone.

Contrary to my earlier assumption, no image appeared.

It seemed the wired camera was useless; the cave’s signal-blocking mechanism worked regardless of wired or wireless devices. But then, why was the human body unaffected by this electronic interference? Could it be that the human form holds a special status amid such supernatural phenomena?

A scientist might seek a more rigorous conclusion, but I was content to accept this mystical explanation. I retracted the camera and stick, switched my phone to video mode, turned on the light, and extended the selfie stick into the cave once more.

After filming for about a minute, I retrieved my phone and lowered my gaze to review the footage.

I had already anticipated that electronic devices might fail in this eerie space, as many horror stories describe. Yet this exceeded my expectations—the phone had successfully captured the scene beneath the cave.

The scene matched the first impression that Chang’an and I had: it was indeed a basement.

A rather spacious basement, roughly two-thirds the size of a classroom. Naturally, no doors or windows adorned the walls. The interior was unadorned, with bare concrete floors and walls. Shelves, empty and gray, filled the space like those in a shuttered convenience store.

Most shelves were deserted and thick with dust; a few held yellow cardboard boxes, their flaps open wide. There were hardly any places to hide—no sign of monsters, ghosts, or any other strange entities.

Or perhaps the electronic device simply could not capture ghosts? Or maybe there were tiny creatures, as small as insects or rodents? When dealing with the supernatural, common sense is of little use.

Suddenly, I noticed something odd in the footage.

At the far end of the basement, near the wall’s base, something seemed to reflect light.

I pressed my eyes close to the screen, trying to discern what it could be. But it was too small and too far away to make out. It wasn’t a matter of angle—it simply eluded clarity.

I could barely tell that it was unlikely to be broken glass or anything like that, especially since no glass or other reflective items existed in the basement.

That thing was starkly out of place.

When I hadn’t noticed it, it was easy to ignore, but upon discovery, it radiated an inexplicable presence. Though it was merely “something indistinct in a dark basement,” it was like a black ink blot on white paper. My attention was wholly captured.

What was it?

I mulled over this mysterious feeling before putting the phone away.

Well, having looked, it was about time to go home—impossible.

This was barely an appetizer, a mere tease. It only whetted my appetite. I was practically drooling, and you wanted me to leave? Not a chance.

Next, I would venture deeper into the cave.

—

I had considered the dangers that might await me.

The least threatening would be physical harm.

Exaggerating a bit, even if ten Godzillas suddenly appeared in the basement, I had my secret weapon—my “second form”—and was invincible by nature.

But if a malevolent ghost with inscrutable powers appeared, that was a different matter. Should it attack my mind or cast a curse, I could not guarantee my resistance. After all, I had never faced such metaphysical assaults before.

The gravest threat was the entrance vanishing while I was inside, sealing me in forever.

Perhaps there were smarter, subtler ways to investigate the interior without risking myself. But was there really a better method than physically exploring with my own body? Words, drawings, videos—I had no desire to experience this mysterious realm through such dull means. I wanted to measure the space beneath the cave with my own feet, breathe its unreal air with my own lungs. That was why I came here.

Frankly, I knew my rationality was severely diminished at this moment. To me, driven by the pursuit of adventures beyond reality, the cave held an irresistible charm. I could not resist it with reason. No matter what, I had to explore it.

I fixed my gaze on the stairs descending beneath the cave, then stepped forward, placing my right foot on the first step.

It felt like stepping into a deep, murky quagmire. My foot had entered a space beyond reality; a tingling ran through me. I took a deep breath, lifted my other foot, and continued downward.

Step by step, I descended the stairs, while the floor around me gradually rose until it passed over my head.

—

I couldn’t help but look up—the real world was now a square opening above me. I struggled to pull my gaze away, then extended my right hand to summon the “Firefly.”

Orange-red specks of light floated in the air, shining brightly. As expected, the Firefly couldn’t be summoned outside the cave; it could only exist when I was inside.

One after another, the Fireflies appeared, soon numbering twenty or thirty. Under my command, they dispersed throughout the basement, intensifying their glow until the place was illuminated as if by daylight.

My feet touched the basement floor, and I scanned the surroundings. No monsters, no ghosts, no strange phenomena for now. This space was entirely within my perceptual grasp. There was no tangible danger, not even a single insect; it was a place where life seemed extinct.

After a brief pause, I moved straight toward the far end of the basement.

Soon, I discerned the object that had reflected light in the footage.

Resting by the wall was an irregularly shaped, hard object, entirely black, about the size of a ping-pong ball. Though black, its material resembled jade, which explained the faint reflection under light.

I picked it up and examined it closely. This black jade-like stone was not only visually similar to jade, but it felt smooth and warm to the touch, except for some sharp edges that could easily cut if handled carelessly.

Judging by its appearance, it seemed more like a fragment broken off from a larger jade piece than an intact object.

I looked around again but found no sign of the main piece or any other fragments.

Refocusing on the black jade, I noticed something strange. Despite the basement floor feeling cold, this stone radiated no chill, nor warmth—almost as if temperature was irrelevant to it.

What on earth was this?

I studied it more intently.

Then, something extraordinary happened.

The moment I concentrated all my attention on the black jade, its darkness seemed to capture my gaze like a black hole swallowing light.

Before I realized it, I could no longer move my eyes—not even the slightest twitch. The black jade began to grow in my vision. Whether it truly enlarged or my face involuntarily drew closer, I could not say.

In an instant, the black jade filled my entire field of view, and my mind felt as if it were plunging headlong into it.

Then, in the pitch-black void where I could not even see my hand, a gray mist began to materialize.