Chapter 212: A Danger Noodle
Han Yu’s gaze darted from wall to wall, heart still hammering in his chest from the recent discovery of the nest.
All around him, the walls of the enormous cavern were riddled with holes—dozens, maybe more. Some were tiny crevices that wouldn’t even allow a mouse through. Others yawned wide, large enough for a grown man—or an elephant—to crawl inside.
Hope sparked within him. One of these had to lead out. They had to. After all, if a creature large enough to make that nest could come here, there must be a way out for someone of his size.
He turned toward the stream first, his logical mind reminding him that water always followed a path. If it came in and went out, there had to be a viable route. But as he crouched near the trickle’s entrance and exit points, he felt his heart sink. Each waterway was a narrow slit in the stone, barely wide enough for a rat to slip through.
"Figures," he muttered, shoulders slumping.
His attention returned to the holes. Among the larger ones, only five looked promising—each roughly man-sized or larger. Most were situated high up, well above ground level. Han Yu decided to start with the lowest one, a hole just a meter off the ground.
With some effort, he hoisted himself inside and began to crawl. The air grew stale and the stone pressed in tight, the path shrinking with every meter. After several minutes of awkward, scraping shuffles, the tunnel narrowed so much that he could no longer move forward. He was forced to wriggle back out, shoulders aching and dust caked in his hair.
"Useless," he muttered.
He moved to the next. It was larger and maintained its width for longer, giving him a flicker of optimism—until it ended abruptly in a sheer drop. Peering down into the blackness, Han Yu could see no bottom.
"Yeah, no thanks."
He backed out quickly, muttering curses. Two more attempts followed, both equally fruitless. One narrowed into a crack barely the width of his shoulders; the other curved into a dead end after a few dozen meters. They were viable sure, if he wanted to turn into a meaty mush after he hit the bottom.