It gets darker the further you go.The calf's hoof-like leaves of the big sloth grass cover the sky and the sun, and there are spiky vines growing within reach.The roots of the giant trees are like giant clawed octopuses, and the tentacles-like aerial roots cut off the road like a fence.There are also ugly nodules attached to the roots, which are nature's natural barriers.There is a thick swamp under their feet, and horned poisonous snakes often swim past their feet.
Unexpectedly, a centipede will fall from the sky and coil around their wrists, and blood-sucking leeches will rain down on them overwhelmingly.I thought I would have escaped from Polotar's clutches by escaping here, but the despair never left.
"I'm going to kill you, Zama."
Nora suddenly uttered wild words.She stared at the void for a while and laughed, and then flirted with that disgusting Yang An, her mind became more and more insane.
Among the crowd, only Kako continued to open the way with an axe.But this "wild child" who has been dealing with the smoky rain all year round was also exhausted after two or three hours of continuous fighting.The sound of cutting branches and leaves came from four or five hundred meters away from them. It seemed that someone was approaching them secretly.Kako was exhausted, he leaned against the tree trunk and asked:
"What should I do? At this point, is there any other way?"
"What should we do?! What do you think we should do?" Yang's eyes were bloodshot, and he stared at Kako fiercely and asked back.
"I think we'd better sit here and die."
A beam of sunlight pierced straight into the ground.The light beam is surrounded by a pitch-black dense forest, and in the swamp around the dense forest is a cloud of steam-like insects floating, even if wearing a veil, the insects will still sneak in through the gaps.Can no longer go forward.
Although the road is rough, Duoduo is very energetic.It lay on Norla's back, and from time to time reached out to pick nuts from the branches.In the embrace of the dense forest, with the whispers of nature in my ears, Duoduo's wild nature is revived.
Yang laughed and said, "It's all to send this guy back to his hometown. Only the four of us will die here. Hey! Little beast, you must be very happy when Norla is your wife!"
In this way, everyone ushered in their first night in the jungle in a state of hesitation and helplessness.Kako felt that the ground was dangerous and planned to climb a tree for the night.He looked up and saw that there was a tree nest made of branches in the tree.This is the gorilla's nest, but the habit of gorillas is to change places to make their nests every day, so they are not afraid of causing trouble.There really is no better place to sleep than this.
the next day--
A group of people ushered in the dawn amidst severe diarrhea and insomnia.The miasma in the forest caused cholera, and after only one night, dark circles climbed into their eye sockets.The four dragged their bodies forward as if they had lost their souls.
They were all covered in mud, the men had unshaven beards, and even the lady Norra was tainted with a foul smell.When they got here, they found that the surrounding giant trees were all dead, and the surrounding fields seemed to be dominated by parasitic plants.This is a wonder of virgin forest that can only be seen in Panama, Sumatra and Central Africa.
The reason why the big tree dies is because the parasitic wood and vines of plants such as figs and grapes are wrapped around the branches of the giant tree, sucking up the nutrients of the tree.Those big trees are still tall and straight on the surface, but in fact they are as light as bamboo cages, and they will shake with a whirrrrr when they are patted casually.A thick vine connects hundreds of dead trees in series, and when one tree is shaken, hundreds of other trees are also shaken, as if the whole forest is trembling, like kelp groups floating in the sea.
The forest was trembling, and the four of them thought it was a dreamland.
By noon they found what appeared to be tracks left by wild elephants.The footprint was a small coffee-colored pool of trampled tree stems and leaves.There were several fallen bushes ahead of the trail, and a path just wide enough for the elephant to pass.
Do you want to follow?But going further is the "devil's urinal", that trail seems to lead to hell.
Fatigue combined with despair turned men into beasts.Yang advocated that men should "enjoy" Norla together, but this proposal was rejected by Kako's fist.Kako's condition is not necessarily very good, he is breathing disorderly, looking at Norla with bloodshot eyes, his appearance is extremely ugly.
Day three—
Yang developed pneumonia-like symptoms from that day on.Helplessness, despair, and the harsh environment full of mud and miasma make people feel physically and mentally exhausted.The Grim Reaper stretched out his hand towards the man, and Yang developed a high fever. He could only lean on a branch with one hand, while the other half of his body leaned on Zama's shoulder and staggered forward.
Going forward, the surrounding environment changes accordingly.The large mammals are gone, and this is the world of reptiles such as pythons and iguanas.The types of plants are also quite different from before. There are rows of strange-shaped giant trees, and the aerial roots are no longer hanging, but facing the sky.
The ground under his feet trembled.Is this the soft soil here, or a precursor to the occurrence of mudslides?Thinking that there was no sign of the giant beast in this area, everyone couldn't help worrying.Who knows if two steps forward will cause a sudden landslide?So every step is as careful as the last step.All kinds of crises are just the tip of the iceberg of the "devil's urinal", and the depths of the forest are getting darker and deeper.
The five of them walked to a valley where the temperature dropped sharply. Yang quietly took Norla to the grass and asked, "You don't want to go back to Mozambique?"
The question was so sudden that Norla was dumbfounded.Norra behind the veil seemed to be thinking about her current situation.Why did it become like this?There were tears in her eyes and a look of resentment.
"What's wrong? Why don't you speak?"
"I'm so tired, I don't want to say anything."
"No! There's only one way to get us home now. To the base in Polotar. Do you understand? That man wants you!"
As he said this, Yang's eyes were wide open, and he looked like an evil lizard, but he staggered, and his illness had already turned him into a skinny corpse.Norla felt a chill running down her spine, and at this time Zama and Kako were catching turtle fish and were not by her side.
"If you don't listen to me, we will be caught and killed by that Polotar sooner or later. We might as well give up early and go back to him. At that time, there will definitely be a chance for us to escape. Do you understand? Now give You have a choice, go back, or stay here to die for those two guys?"
"What are you talking about, I don't understand at all."
"Don't play dumb, I'll take care of those two bastards tonight. Once my fever subsides, I'll do it when it's my turn to keep watch."
Yang said as he approached Nourla step by step.Facing Yang's scorching breath, Nora didn't panic.Probably the reality is desperate enough, and things will be turned against each other, but it gave her the courage to deal with the villain in front of her.Just as she was about to avoid Yang's attack, the ground under her feet began to tremble uncomfortably.At this moment... Yang suddenly let out a scream.
It's a lot!I saw its canine teeth turned outwards and made a sharp cry.Duoduo's lips were stained with Yang's blood, and it was anger that ignited its wildness.Yang panicked and raised his gun to shoot, but Duoduo swooped down the pistol.So the two hugged each other and rolled on the ground.
Sudden!There was a thud from under their feet!
what!In this forbidden area where giant beasts are nowhere to be found, there is such a stunning scene!
In the blink of an eye, the ground in front of him suddenly began to sink.Norla's feet softened, and she squatted on the ground, her hands firmly grasping the vines beside her.After securing safety, she looked around and saw that the entire forest was sinking.The treetops move down inch by inch, and the sunlight that has been tightly blocked is like countless slender stripes, shooting into the forest through the gaps in the dense leaves.
Centipede-like cracks spread across the ground, and the gushing groundwater flowed downhill.Why does the trunk stand upright as before?Presumably the trunks were closely connected with the climbing vines so that instead of toppling over, they slid straight down into the abyss.While thinking this way, the scene that appeared in front of him ran counter to the speculation.
The gushing groundwater washed away the soil layer, exposing the entire root of the tree, which is a branch root about several feet long.It is obvious that the ground is sinking, but the scene in front of them gives people the illusion that the roots of the trees are floating out of the ground.What kind of tree is this?It can have such strong roots that go deep into the ground.Norra looked at these strange plants like a monster.At this time, she heard Zama's shout.
"Ah! This is Deep Well Root!"
This kind of African tree rooted more than 20 meters underground should have been extinct in the early days of the black slave era.
Looking around, the surrounding field of vision becomes very wide.
The sudden collapse brought strong winds and blew away the fog on the ground.The three of them suddenly held their breath, and the dense forest that had been covered by the mist in front of them sank into the ground here as if it seemed to have no end.
And what appeared in the eyes of everyone was...
"Devil's urinal"!
The three fell into an almost selfless excitement.Thanks to the natural barrier of the dense forest, the expedition team could not get close to the "devil's urinal", and now the wall of the secret realm fell into the ground by chance and coincidence.In this way, everyone will be fortunate enough to see the true face of the "devil's urinal"!They held their breath and concentrated, wanting to see clearly what kind of strange scene it was in the crater in front of them.
However, the undercurrent formed by the mixture of mist and insect clouds still surrounds the cliff, and countless cracks on the ground also disappear halfway.Where is the end?The mystery of the Demon Realm cannot be guessed by human beings.It seems that the only way to find out is from the gaps between dead branches and old roots.Those pyramid-shaped lateral roots supported the dead branches and rotten leaves on the ground, and now the dead branches fell to the ground, looking from a distance as if the valley was covered with countless cobwebs.The worm cloud flowed with the wind and rushed towards the dead branches.Throughout the ages, apart from the three of them, no one has ever been lucky enough to witness this spectacle emerging from the "Devil's Urinal Pool" in the Great Secret Realm.
Watching this situation, the three of them were filled with emotion, only to find that Yang and Duoduo, who had just huddled together just now, had disappeared—probably because they fell into a crack in the ground.Norra was so sad that she wove a wreath of red vine flowers and gave it to Dodo who came to help her.She kisses the wreath and then throws it into the catacombs.
Although the pain of bereavement made Norra disheartened, the group must escape from this collapsing boundary as soon as possible.The joy of breaking into the secret realm intoxicated the three of them.This feat, unprecedented and unprecedented, made them feel the majesty above nature.But now is not the time to enjoy it.Escaping from the secret realm and returning to a place where there are people is the most important thing in front of you.
Having said that, how is that different from here in Congo's "Great Ape Habitat" to the south?Looking to the north, the north is a cliff. The American Geological Association should explore on the cliff... They discussed for a while, but no definite result was reached.If we continue to "break through thorns and thorns" and move forward with a mountain axe, I don't know how many months it will take to reach our head.Moreover, their bodies are getting weaker and weaker, and I am afraid that they will become dinner in the belly of the giant python in just two or three days.
"After much deliberation, there is no good idea."
Norla found that the mountain ax had been cut open, so she sighed and said.She winked at Zama.Zama and her had a tacit understanding, and seemed to understand Norla's intentions, and said to Kako in a low voice: "Kako, I discussed it with Norla in private. Can you leave us alone and go by yourself?"
"Why do you want me to go alone?" Kako asked in surprise, "Zama, your words are really abrupt, I don't understand what you mean."
"I think so. You have a lot of experience. I believe you can escape to a place where there are people. But the two of us can only be your drag. At that time, three people will die here. So I beg you, Leave us alone tomorrow and go alone."
"So that's the case." After hearing this, Kako hesitated, "I know, I can go alone. But what are your plans for the future?"
"Go to the Devil's Urinal, just me and Nora."
"What did you say!" Kako asked in surprise, "Could it be that you want to take that landslide to death?"
"You're right, we intend to carry out our original intention. This expedition was originally the result of my own will. Of course, I have to eat the bitter fruit I planted by myself. Norra decided to go with me, but you are mine My friend, I can't bear to let you be implicated."
Kako turned to Nora.Her eyes full of despair were watching her lover with a slight smile.Perhaps among all human beings, only these two people will regard this strange secret place as the cemetery of their romance. In their eyes, the terrifying and weird "devil's urinal" is so beautiful.Kako looked at the pair of lovers who were determined to die, and had nothing to say.
It was almost dusk, and the dense forest was filled with lifeless darkness, and from time to time, the sound of giant pythons crawling around them could be heard.Suddenly, Kako slapped his thigh and said, "Zama, I have a good idea! Why am I so stupid, I didn't think of it before."
"Oh? What did you think of?"
"We can use 'Kintefwetefwe' on the vine!"
"..." Zama and the others obviously didn't understand Kako's meaning.
"'Kintefwetefwe' means bridge of nature in Congolese vernacular. Oh wow, why didn't I think of that before?"
Livingstone described "Kintefwetefwe" in detail in his expedition journal.
On the river near Manuaima, you can see the phenomenon of gathering grass to form a bridge.The vines growing on both sides are connected together and become a natural bridge.These natural bridges hang down on the river bed and are very soft to step on. It feels like stepping on a futon. Pedestrians are like walking on snowdrifts, moving forward step by step.
There are vines and vines that are several times taller than a person everywhere.These vines are very strong attached to the rock.
The bridge of nature brought a glimmer of life to the three.Zama led Norla up the natural bridge made of vines. They had never imagined that they could stand on a high place overlooking this dense forest, and they couldn't help but be fascinated.The sea of trees extends to the other end of the horizon, but it is full of shade, and there is no impurity that destroys this green harmony.They used the natural bridge to get out of this green swamp.
Stepping on the bridge of nature, they moved ten times faster.Bypassing the slope on the north side, they finally came to the top of the cliff.
Looking down, the "devil's urinal" looks like a gray sea.On the cliff, the setting sun was burning like blood.This place is just an isolated island in the Virunga Mountains. Compared with the miasma-ridden wetland, this place is just a scorching wilderness with no grass growing!
In the urinal, the red soil that can only be seen in hell was scorched to pieces by the heat.There are a few places that look like grass, but when I get closer, I find that they are quicksand.Every rainy season, there will be a quicksand river here, and the hot sand in the river will sink into the cracks when it reaches the cliff.
"Thank you, Kako, without you, we really don't know what to do."
"Yes, thank you very much."
Zama and Norra expressed their gratitude from the bottom of their hearts.They had not had a drop of water for a long time, and their tongues were thirsty.Thanks to Kako finding water from the clay layer at the bottom of the Quicksand River, he also collected some thick branches during the previous journey, and built a small shed for the two to escape the heat.So, with Kako's help, they escaped the heat and drank water.Kako made some simple traps with tree trunks to catch wild birds to feed everyone.But there is another problem that is very troublesome. They haven't eaten fresh fruit for a long time.If this continues, there will be a risk of sepsis.
On the afternoon of the sixth day, a plane flew over them.The plane looked like it was from the American Geographic Society they had been waiting for.The three frantically waved their coats and dropped a communication tube from the plane.They hurriedly picked up the communication tube, opened it, and saw the words "tomorrow afternoon" written on it.The suffering is finally coming to an end and it is finally possible to return to Mozambique.Norra cried like a wronged child.
Perhaps because of the strong stimulation, Norra's Lata disease relapsed again.And this time Kako was also there, and Zama couldn't hide it from him.That night, Zama stayed up all night, taking care of Norra.
Poor Norra, even if you can go home, what will you do in the future?If this disease is not cured, people will definitely be regarded as a lunatic.
Zama, thin as a match, squatted in the darkness, staring at the campfire.Today's Norla is yelling obscenities, and the beautiful and youthful Norla is dead.Beside them is just a slut who makes the lustful people feel lustful.Even if he could be saved, what was rescued was just an empty shell of Norra... At this moment, a phantom appeared in front of his eyes.He saw a bison.
Zama remembered the scene when they hunted bison in the wilderness not long after they set off from Kotanrog.Under the command of the leader, the bison panicked and remained calm in the face of the predator's raid, but some bison still fell under the intertwined firepower of the hunter.At this time, other bison will jump over desperately and use their horns to push the fallen companion to death.This is "friendly killing" performed to relieve the pain of companions. For doctors, there is also euthanasia performed in the name of love.
The hounds roared mockingly away from the campfire.At this moment, he felt a ghost watching him.In a moment, the dreamless sleepiness hit Zama, and he made a decision in his heart that no one knew about.
The next morning, not long after the sun rose, Norra stood on the edge of the cliff and began to draw the landscape of the "devil's urinal".Zama quietly approached behind her.The steaming heat enveloped Nora like a flame.Zama only felt that his head was hot and his eyelids were burning.Even if he fell into hell, he still wanted to send Norra to heaven. He closed his eyes and let out a roar that was almost desperate.
But when he saw Norra, he became hesitant again.Just when strong love sprouted in Zama's heart, his legs stepped into quicksand unintentionally.All of this seems to be a secret decision, the murderer will be buried in the ground, and the victim will live.Zama didn't know how dangerous the dry quicksand was, and gradually, his body sank into the sand bottom.In a few seconds, Zama disappeared from the ground.
Zama disappeared, he disappeared from this world.It seems to be the curse of the secret place "Devil's Urinal Pool", and even Norra doesn't know the truth about his disappearance.
Notes:
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