Chapter 60: Listening to Thunder

We were inside a tent that had a back door leading outside—a spot the few of them usually used to relieve themselves. There was no restroom below, so they couldn’t just go anywhere.

Having finalized the plan, Researcher An deliberately cranked the diesel generator to full power to mask the noise of us moving the large water jar.

“Is it really necessary to be that loud? Are you done yet? Can I come in?” Chen Jiansheng called from outside, his voice barely audible over the generator’s roar.

“Don’t! Not yet!” An shouted back. “We’re halfway through. The equipment needs to run at full capacity. We’ll call you when we’re ready.”

Chen mumbled something inaudibly, and just then, two strange calls echoed from somewhere nearby—“coo... coo...” The sound was reminiscent of some bird, or perhaps a chicken.

“Why would there be chickens down here?”

“Hongjie? Hongjie?” I called out twice when I noticed her zoning out.

“Probably some kind of pheasant or something, nothing to worry about,” she deflected, pointing at the water jar. “Forget about that and let’s get started.”

We began our operation.

First, we emptied the water from the jar, pulled aside the leather flap of the back door, and placed a shovel inside the jar.

Then, the four of us started rolling the heavy jar outside. It was so heavy that lifting it was exhausting, so we could only rotate it little by little, rolling it forward.

There was a foul smell near the back. Li Zheng warned us to watch our step and avoid any places with wads of toilet paper, so we wouldn’t accidentally step in feces. Researcher An looked a bit embarrassed and gave a sheepish smile.

Thunder continued to rumble outside; I hoped it wasn’t raining, but more importantly, I prayed the thunder wouldn’t stop. If it did, my plan would fail.

The large jar was extremely heavy. Not long after we started, Li Zheng was gasping for breath and complained, “Carrying this beast, where exactly are we supposed to go? If we have to walk another hour or two, forget getting caught by those people—we’ll all be dead tired before then!”

I surveyed the surroundings and deemed the conditions acceptable. I told them we didn’t need to go further; we’d just work here. I pointed to a patch of open ground.

After clearing some loose stones, I picked the spot and began digging with the shovel. Fortunately, the soil was soft and free of large rocks. Digging was a tough job, so the men took turns; Li Zheng and I alternated for over an hour to dig a pit.

The hole was just the right size to hold the water jar we had rolled over.

---

Together, we pushed the jar into the pit. Researcher An wiped sweat from her brow and whispered, “Do you really think this will work? What if we end up wasting our effort and still get caught?”

Hongjie frowned at this and snapped, “Every trade is like a different mountain; if you don’t understand, don’t talk nonsense. If you can’t say anything helpful, at least say something hopeful.”

Hongjie was outspoken and fiery, while Researcher An was timid. After being chided, An’s cheeks flushed, and she didn’t retort.

“Go ahead, Yunfeng. Since the chief taught you, I trust you,” Hongjie said, shooting me an encouraging look.

I nodded, took a deep breath, and warned them not to speak and disturb me. Then I jumped into the jar.

Digging a pit in the earth and burying the jar underground—this vessel functioned like an echo collector, somewhat like a primitive bamboo tube sound device. The difference was that while the bamboo tube used a string as the medium, the water jar used the ground itself. The louder the thunder, the clearer the echoes transmitted beneath the surface. It was like setting off firecrackers inside a cave: the sounds spreading into dead-end and open paths, then returning with different echoes.

In tomb raiding circles, this method is called “listening to thunder.”

Legend has it that skilled earth masters could also “listen to the wind and objects,” but achieving that required extensive training.

All around was silence.

“Boom!” Spring thunder cracked.

“No, not enough yet. Please, heavens, give me more,” I crouched inside the jar, intently listening to the echoes beneath, silently praying for more thunder.

“Boom! Boom!”

Researcher An and the others likely felt nothing on the surface, but I could hear the subtle shifts in the echoes. A faint smile curved my lips.

Seeing my eyes open, Hongjie looked at me expectantly and asked, “How is it?”

I climbed out of the jar, carefully recalling the direction the thunder’s echoes came from. Bending down, I used a small stick to draw a triangle in the dirt, its apex pointing southwest at a 45-degree angle.

I looked at the triangle and said, “The echo from that direction is different. It’s very likely connected to the surface.”

Hongjie nodded. “At least now we have a rough idea and won’t be wandering blindly. So, what now? Do you two want to go on your own or come with us? But I must warn you, Yunfeng and I still need to find people and rescue them.”

---

Researcher An pondered for a moment, but Li Zheng quickly made up his mind.

“Xiao An and I need to go back and find Old Xu. Since we know the general direction, we won’t go with you. Let me say something hopeful: if we all get out safely, you’re welcome to visit us in Hong Kong. You can find me at No. 36 Times Square in Causeway Bay.”

After exchanging some polite words, Li Zheng handed me and Hongjie a flashlight for light. Then the four of us separated.

They were headed back to find their companion Old Xu, while Hongjie and I went to look for the others. I sighed inwardly, hoping both groups would make it out alive.

---

“Hongjie, are you sure this is the place? Why is no one guarding it? Are the others really locked up here by that old man’s group?” I asked, looking around.

On the ground lay a round stone cover. Lifting it revealed a ladder beneath. It seemed those who came here before had climbed down that ladder. What struck me as odd was that no one stood guard, no sign of anyone—a completely unprotected spot. It hardly looked like a secret holding place; if anything, it resembled a large rat hole.

“Yes, it’s this place. When we split from the boss earlier, I took note. They stopped right here,” Hongjie said confidently.

I said, “Alright then, since no one’s watching, let’s go down and take a look.” Saying this, I bit down on the flashlight and led the way down the ladder, with Hongjie following close behind.

Once we reached solid ground, I shone the light upward; the ladder was about seven or eight meters tall. The stone walls of the hole looked weathered, not freshly carved—most edges were worn smooth.

I asked Hongjie which way to go. She looked around and firmly pointed to the left.

Surprised by her certainty, I asked, “Hongjie, how do you know? Have you been down here before?”

She shook her head. “No. Just a guess. We have to pick a direction. This is what you call a woman’s sixth sense—it’s often surprisingly accurate.”

I thought to myself, well then, let’s see if your so-called sixth sense is right.

We would find out soon enough.