I'm having a blast in Marvel!

Page 7

Ignoring the pain in his buttocks, he struggled to his feet and carefully made his way along the rock wall for about ten meters. After rounding a bend, the space in front of him suddenly opened up.

This is a fairly spacious natural cave, probably about half the size of a basketball court. The cave ceiling is very high, with many strangely shaped stalactites hanging down. In the dim light coming in from the cave entrance, they look like the skeleton of some ancient giant beast, baring their teeth and claws.

He can finally stop.

Chu Hang collapsed onto the ground with a thud, his back against a huge, cold rock. He felt as if all his bones had been removed, and he went completely limp. He gasped for breath in the damp, murky air of the cave, the relief of surviving the ordeal washing over him like warm seawater.

He pulled out the high-energy compressed biscuit he'd seized from the Hydra captain—the one that smelled of meat—from his backpack and took a huge, forceful bite. The biscuit was dry and hard, making his gums ache, but the rich aroma of grains and meat made it feel like the most delicious thing he'd ever eaten. He wolfed down most of it, then unscrewed the water bottle and gulped down several mouthfuls of icy snow water. Only then did he feel the fire burning in his chest gradually subside, and his lost strength begin to slowly return.

The abrasions and cuts from tree branches on his body had stopped bleeding and started to scab over thanks to the self-healing factor, leaving only a tingling itch.

He pulled a lighter from his pocket, and with a "click," a small cluster of orange flames leaped in the darkness, dispelling a small patch of unsettling darkness and bringing a touch of warmth and security.

Using the faint firelight, he eagerly pulled out the precious map from his pocket and carefully spread it out on the dry ground.

The map was roughly drawn, but it contained all the key information. At the very center, a large red pencil cross marked "Fabrik" (factory) resembled a venomous spider coiled in the center of a web. From it extended over a dozen densely packed dotted lines, covering the entire mountainous area, each marked with German words and dates. This was clearly Hydra's patrol network in this region. Chu Hang carefully examined his escape route and realized he had just passed through the largest gap between two patrol routes.

"Damn, it's fate!" Chu Hang looked at the map, breaking out in a cold sweat again. He now understood just how lucky he had been. It was like being an uninvited guest on a meticulously crafted chess game, who had stumbled upon the only path to survival. Had he strayed even slightly off course, he would have been like a fly caught in a spider's web, plunging headfirst into the arms of another patrol team.

He then carefully took out the dark blue cube from another pocket.

In the flickering firelight, the energy block, no bigger than a fist, appeared even more mysterious. The flowing light within it seemed to become more active and profound as the firelight reflected off it. He could clearly feel a pure, powerful force, as if from the very beginning of the universe, imprisoned within this tiny space.

How exactly do you use this thing?

Chu Hang looked at it over and over again, even trying to turn it on like a TV by pressing an imaginary switch, but of course, it was completely useless. He then tried to concentrate, hoping to establish some kind of mental link with it like in novels, but apart from making himself dizzy, the energy block didn't even bother to give him a response.

"Damn it, a high-tech product, and it doesn't even come with an instruction manual! Thumbs down!" he muttered under his breath, shaking his head helplessly. It seemed he'd have to figure out how to use it later.

He carefully wrapped the energy cubes and map in oilcloth and stuffed them into his innermost pocket. This was his greatest asset for survival, far more valuable than his MP40 submachine gun.

Just then, he faintly heard shouts and barking from outside the cave. He immediately moved closer to the crack in the cave entrance and peeked out. In the distance, he saw several beams of flashlight beams swaying back and forth in the forest. The sounds seemed much farther away and were moving in the opposite direction from him.

It seems the stream tactic worked. They lost track of him.

Chu Hang let out a long sigh of relief, completely relaxing.

He's safe, at least for now.

An indescribable sense of exhaustion, like a flood bursting its banks, instantly swept over his entire body. He felt as if his eyelids were weighed down by two pieces of iron, and all he wanted to do was lie down and sleep for three days and three nights straight.

No, I absolutely cannot sleep!

He pinched his thigh hard, the sharp pain instantly waking him up. Falling asleep in this desolate, remote place was practically tantamount to sticking his neck out and waiting to be chopped off. The pursuers outside could turn back at any moment, and who knew what unknown dangers lurked deep within this cave?

His strong will to survive overcame his exhaustion. He struggled to his feet and decided to thoroughly explore the cave before resting, to make sure it was 100% safe.

He carried the loaded MP40 submachine gun in one hand and a small lighter in the other, carefully making his way deeper into the cave by the dim, flickering light.

The cave was deep, and the ground became increasingly rugged, with loose rocks scattered everywhere from the cave ceiling. The air grew increasingly damp and cold, and the distinct sound of dripping water echoed in the empty cave, amplified into an eerie rhythm that pounded on his tense nerves.

He walked for about fifty or sixty meters when a bend appeared ahead, blocking his path. He stopped, pressed his body tightly against the cold rock wall, and like a gecko, slowly, little by little, poked his head out.

Behind the corner, the cave space became more spacious, like a huge underground hall, with the darkness in the distance seemingly bottomless.

Just as he was about to step over, his ears suddenly caught a very unusual sound.

The sound was very soft and faint, almost completely masked by the dripping sound of water.

But Chu Hang's body froze for a moment. He was 100% certain that it was neither the sound of wind nor the sound of water.

It was the sound of a heavy metal object being dragged across a rough rocky surface.

"Hiss... La..."

The sound was intermittent, filled with a kind of teeth-grinding quality, as if someone was dragging a rusty, incredibly heavy iron chain, moving slowly in the dark depths of the underground hall ahead.

Chu Hang's body stiffened like a stone in an instant. The lighter in his hand fell to the ground with a "thud," extinguished by a drop of water falling from the sky, and the last glimmer of light disappeared.

The surroundings instantly plunged into a suffocating, pure darkness.

His heart began to pound uncontrollably once again, each beat like a heavy hammer slamming into his chest.

There are other people in this cave!

Chapter 10 There are living creatures in this cave!

Chu Hang's mind went blank for a moment.

That crisp "click" was like Death pressing the switch to begin his countdown. The last glimmer of light vanished, and the entire world was utterly swallowed by boundless darkness and cold.

Nothing can be seen.

In this environment, the eyes become the most useless organ; no matter how wide you open them, all you see is a pure, unsettling blackness. Meanwhile, the other senses are magnified countless times in that instant.

He could clearly hear his heart pounding wildly, the sound so loud it was like someone was drumming in his ear, making his eardrums ache. He could feel the icy air rushing in from all directions, greedily sucking away the last bit of warmth from his body. He could also smell the damp, earthy scent in the air, a smell that seemed to belong to a graveyard.

But the most deadly thing was that voice.

"Hiss...la...hiss...la..."

That damned, metallic scraping sound of dragging a heavy object didn't stop with the disappearance of the light. On the contrary, in the deathly darkness, it became clearer than ever before, like someone holding a rusty saw, sawing at his nerves, stroke by stroke, right next to his ear.

The sound continued, and... it seemed to be getting closer and closer to him!

Chu Hang's body was as stiff as a piece of wood frozen in ice. He could even feel the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end.

Seriously, officer? We just escaped Hydra's encirclement, and now we've stumbled into some prehistoric monster's lair? Could this cave be some deranged serial killer's secret base? Isn't that how it always goes in the movies? A reclusive madman who loves turning unlucky souls who wander into his territory into all sorts of bizarre works of art.

Or perhaps... Hydra is conducting some secret experiments here, raising a monster that can't be exposed to the light of day?

Countless scenes from horror movies flashed wildly through his mind, each one enough to scare him to death.

He gripped the MP40 submachine gun tightly in his hand; the cold, metallic feel was his only comfort. But he knew perfectly well that in this pitch-black darkness, it was practically useless—just a stick for fire. He couldn't exactly close his eyes and spray bullets into the darkness, could he? That would only reveal his position and serve no purpose whatsoever.

How to do?How to do?

A strong will to survive forced his almost-dormant brain to start thinking again.

Calm down! You must calm down!

He took a deep breath, the icy air making him cough, but he forced the sound down his throat. He tried to control his wildly beating heart, commanding all the muscles in his body to slowly relax from their stiffness.

He gave up looking with his eyes and instead focused all his attention on his ears.

He carefully tried to distinguish the sound.

"Hiss... La..."

The sound was heavy and rhythmic, but the pace was slow, and... it seemed to be mixed with a very faint, suppressed gasp.

It's the sound of a person breathing!

This discovery eased Chu Hang's tension slightly. As long as it wasn't a monster, there was always a way to deal with it, as long as it was human.

But then, an even more chilling thought popped into his head.

Would a normal person drag a heavy iron chain around in such a horrible place?

Just as he was lost in thought, the friction sound suddenly stopped.

The entire cave fell into a deathly silence once again.

Chu Hang's heart leaped into his throat again. He held his breath, barely daring to exhale, standing motionless like a statue awaiting judgment.

The unknown is the scariest thing.

Time seemed to stretch out infinitely at this moment, with each second feeling like an eternity.

Just as Chu Hang was about to be driven mad by the suffocating silence, a hoarse, weak voice, clearly in pain, suddenly rang out from the darkness not far ahead.

"Who...who's there?"

Chu Hang was terrified and almost cried out.

He almost instinctively wanted to answer, but the words caught in his throat. He didn't know who the other person was, whether they were friend or foe. What if they were a Hydra prisoner? Wouldn't he expose himself if he opened his mouth?

But if I don't answer... and the other party has a weapon and fires randomly in the dark, it would be too unfair for me to die.

Chu Hang made a quick decision. He lowered his voice and cautiously replied in English, "A friend. I'm just... looking for a place to hide."

His voice echoed softly in the empty cave.

There was a few seconds of silence in the darkness.

Then, Chu Hang heard a sigh of relief, followed by a sharp "clang," as if some metal object had fallen to the ground.

“Friend…” the hoarse voice repeated, its tone filled with exhaustion and a hint of incredulous surprise, “Thank God…”

As soon as he finished speaking, Chu Hang saw a tiny spark burst forth from the darkness ahead with a "snap".

Immediately afterwards, a small, orange-yellow flame flickered and lit up, dispelling a small patch of darkness around it.

It was an old-fashioned kerosene lamp.

In the dim light, a familiar black face, covered in sweat and pain, came into his view.

“Gabe Jones?” Chu Hang exclaimed in surprise.

The man lying on the ground, struggling to light a kerosene lamp, was none other than Gabe Jones, the black teammate he had only met once in the barracks in the Howling Commandos!

Gabe Jones was clearly surprised to see Chu Hang here. His big eyes were filled with shock and ecstasy. He opened his mouth and exclaimed excitedly, "Chu? My God, it really is you!"

"What are you doing here?" Chu Hang asked as he quickly walked over.

As he got closer, he saw Gabe Jones's current miserable state.

His left leg was caught in a huge, rusty animal trap! The thing looked like a steel mouth full of fangs, its sharp teeth deeply embedded in his calf, and his military trousers were stained dark red with blood, a horrifying sight.

Beside him lay a thick iron crowbar.

Chu Hang understood instantly.

That hissing sound of metal scraping wasn't from a chain at all; it was Gabe Jones dragging that damned bear trap, or trying to pry it open with that crowbar!

"Damn it, which bastard put this animal trap here!" Chu Hang cursed, then immediately squatted down to check Gabu's injuries.

“I don’t know either,” Gabe Jones said, wincing in pain and covered in cold sweat. “I got separated from you guys after I parachuted and was looking for a place to hide. As soon as I entered this cave, I stepped on this damn thing. I’ve been here… for almost two hours now.”

Chu Hang frowned deeply as he looked at the simple yet incredibly sturdy bear trap. This thing closed with the immense force of a spring; once it snapped shut, it was virtually impossible to pry it open by hand without specialized tools. Gabe Jones' ability to hold out against it for two hours with a crowbar was already quite an achievement.

"Bear with it!" Chu Hang said in a deep voice.

He put the submachine gun aside and grabbed the two "iron jaws" of the animal trap with both hands.

“Chu, don’t waste your energy,” Gabe said weakly, shaking his head as he watched him struggle. “This thing… is too tight. I’ve tried, it’s just…”