After we returned to the tent, everyone was so excited that we couldn’t sleep. Even though we were all quite exhausted, we kept crawling in and out of each other’s tents, venting our emotions. That night, as far as I remember, only Old Grant was sleeping; everyone else was so immersed in excitement that they stayed up all night.

However, thinking back now, I find it strange that after so much discussion, not a single person brought up that question: decades ago, why did the Japanese go through so much hardship to transport a plane underground? What was their purpose?

The exploration records here were specially locked in a coded iron box, clearly highly classified, so much so that even the transport personnel weren’t qualified to see them. Judging from the industry, it’s clear that at first, they were conducting ordinary geological surveys here, and during the exploration, they must have discovered something, which then led them to do such an incredible thing.

Why? I suspect that everyone must have had this question in their hearts at the time, but they all knew that bringing it up for discussion would have been completely meaningless then. So, everyone chose selective blindness.

V. The Cave

The following days were spent in anxiety and anticipation. The entire engineering corps was mobilized for a carpet search. We offered to help, but the colonel firmly refused, without giving us any reason. At the time, we didn’t think too much about the meaning behind the refusal, naively believing it was a protective measure. As grassroots experts with our status, we were indeed spoiled in the local area, so we could only keep discussing and wait for news from the jungle.

Twelve days later, materialism triumphed. It was said that a squad of engineers discovered an abandoned road on a mountain five kilometers away. Following the road for another three kilometers, they found a large structural cave in a mountain hollow, shaped like a fissure and at least thirty meters wide. The entrance was covered with a concealed tarp, covered in fallen leaves, making it impossible to spot at first—someone only discovered it by accidentally stepping on it.

The cave entrance was quite large. About twenty to thirty meters in, the initial section was a vertical shaft. Since they didn’t have enough equipment, the engineers didn’t go deeper. But it was very likely the entrance.

At noon, the colonel sent out a notice, saying it was almost certain, and that we’d head over the day after tomorrow, so we should get ready.

Most people were instantly thrilled, while some started to get nervous. Caves are the world’s fifth extreme; geological exploration often requires entering caves, and we knew the dangers. Everyone immediately got into work mode, each doing their own tasks, with no unnecessary words. The whole camp was filled with an orderly atmosphere.

Looking at Old Grant, he seemed a bit disgruntled. Over the past few days, I’d grown more and more impressed with Old Grant. With something this exciting, you couldn’t see any change in his expression. He was still the same, his old face with a half-smile, as if nothing mattered to him. While everyone else was busy preparing, he didn’t move at all, just stood on the steps watching us.

Seeing him like that, I was a bit curious. I always felt like he knew something I didn’t. The way he looked at us wasn’t exactly friendly, either.

Actually, every era has its own typical kind of person, and Old Grant was exactly the kind unique to that time. They were very smart, and in the early days after liberation, they’d witnessed many things they shouldn’t have, so they knew a lot of truths beneath the surface, and also knew they were powerless to change them. Such people are sensitive and cunning, and they enjoy the feeling of being the only sober one among a crowd of drunkards, but never bother to wake anyone else up.

Of course, this is something I concluded looking back years later. At the time, I was just curious about people like him, much like kids today are drawn to those unconventional young idols, always wanting to get close and become one of them.

So, at dinner that night, I found a few chances to go over and ask him if he had any thoughts.

At first, he just smiled at me and said nothing. Later, after I handed him a few cigarettes, he finally spoke. After a few puffs, he told me he felt something was off about this whole thing.

First, that cave must have been found before we arrived. Otherwise, there’s no way they’d have transferred so many people here so openly. With a five-kilometer search radius, and them being here for so long, would they really have only just discovered it now?

Second, there must be branching tunnels below that cave, otherwise there’d be no need for so many people.

He didn’t know what tricks those people from 723 were playing, but the fact that they weren’t telling us directly clearly meant there was more to it. In short, a lot of things were very strange, especially the business with the plane—it was just too far-fetched. He had a bad feeling about it.

After saying this, he patted me and told me to be extremely careful from here on out.

I didn’t really agree or disagree with Old Grant’s words, and my impression of him dropped a bit—I felt he was overthinking things. Sure, this was no simple matter, otherwise there wouldn’t be such a big operation. And even if there really was a problem, I figured there must be a reason for others to keep it from us.

I didn’t have the mind to think too much about it then, and I didn’t take his last words to heart. That day, we finished preparing our gear, rested the next day, were even issued guns, and on the third day, we set out with a platoon of engineers toward that mountain hollow.