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Chapter 252: Chapter 28, Episode 4: I Toll The Bell For Myself

The law of nature was too broad, which made it seem chaotic, but it never forgot the punishment of the weak. Was it nature or a twist of fate? The Third Airborne Brigade led by brigadier general Massud had been the very unit that poured napalm bombs over Hama city. Water punished the Third Airborne Brigade, who had punished 15,000 lives with fire. Bells didn’t ring by itself. Someone would ring the bell while others listened.

This exists because of that.

This happens because of that.

Without this, there is no that.

When this dies, that dies too.

Clotho controls the thread of fate.

Lachesis measures the thread of fate.

Atropos cuts the string on the loom.

Birth, growth, and death were the same. Who could dictate human affairs like they were cutting the corners of tofu! No human would toll the bell for others. They would toll the bell for themselves. The action was romanticized or criticized based on coincidence and the situation.

The very person who had caused the natural disaster was not in a desirable situation himself. The strong currents had dragged the unconscious Black Mamba underground in a flash. A medium-sized excavator with a folded bucket and arm could enter and leave the opening of the fault, which had widened as a result of Black Mamba’s fireplay.

Grrrr—

The water that flowed through Kaparja Valley swirled into the large gap.

Black Mamba rode on a steep slide pool inclined at 45 degrees. The sound of 1,000s of tons of water pouring at 100 kilometers per hour reverberated. A human’s body was weak as a leaf. He rolled and flipped around like a spinning toy toward the dark underground.

If the cave had a rugged terrain, there was no way he could survive. If the cave’s cliff was any steeper, he would’ve turned into a rice cake, or a stalagmite would’ve pierced his body. The smooth, straight surface had saved Black Mamba.

The favourable trip ended quickly.

Woosh—

The majestic sound of a waterfall echoed underground. A large underground cave under a 200-meters thick bedrock received the oncoming water with its jaws wide open. That was a place where tectonic shifts caused deeper rock cracks, and melted limestones escaped into the groundwater.

Grrr—

The water, which had hastily carried Black Mamba along, enjoyed its free-fall into the lake that was 150 meters below ground.

Crash—

The black air spat out a human-like figure. The being, which had enjoyed his brief freedom in an unsightly position, dropped helplessly on the water’s surface.

What would happen if a human fell onto the water’s surface from a height of 150 meters? If it were a large water surface area, the damage was comparable to the damage sustained from falling onto the ground. Water was weak against shear resistance, but surface tension would take form on a large water surface area. The shock that Black Mamba received was comparable to the shock a frog felt when someone grabbed its hind legs and slammed it on the ground.

Splash—

The being, who was flung into the underground lake, started sinking deeper.

“Hgh!”

After receiving an overwhelming shock to his body, his consciousness returned. He instinctively moved his hands and feet to stay afloat on the water’s surface. His neurons connected back to reality.

“What the hell?”

The extraordinary Black Mamba mumbled like an idiot. His mind gradually awakened after wandering in the fog. His body felt stiff and was tingling all over as though he was beaten up with sticks. Absolute darkness with no lights, the roar of a waterfall that fell from the distant sky, and a chill that penetrated his skin—it was a moment where he questioned his identity and whereabouts.

The acute pain stimulated his mind even more. He patted the back of his head with his right hand. There were two large bumps, and blood scabs were found tangled in his hair.

I lost my consciousness.

He recalled the large lump of iron that had passed by and bashed his head. It was a blow that would’ve shattered his head. He’d survived thanks to the huvluv he had eaten in the Sahel, which gave him iron-like qualities.

The darkness, strange sounds, stuffy air, and seclusion intensified his anxiety. Anxiety was a self-preservation mechanism that took over when one’s awareness couldn’t distinguish time and space. One felt anxious because they couldn’t fix their egos in place. It was the fear of time and the fear of places. Humans eased their anxiety through two behaviors, by escaping reality or reorienting reality. Black Mamba obviously belonged to the latter.

He refined his mind with breathing exercises.

Woosh—

A wave of fresh mint whirled around his head before it went to his spinal cord. His head felt cold, and his back turned hot. His spinal cord released numerous glowing particles. Blood quickly flowed as it expelled energy and oxygen. His stiff body loosened up, and his hearing senses returned.

After most of his senses returned, his night vision activated. Two blue glass beads burned in the darkness. The blue lights floating on the water’s surface acted as light reflectors. It was the luminescent bacterias that lived underground. When he looked through the low-magnification night vision goggles, a blurry green world appeared before him.

He’d reorientated his location. His anxiety disappeared, and courage swept in. Unlike the water that was cold as ice, the cave’s air was warm.

“Where is this place?”

He couldn’t figure out the unfamiliar place. He could remember everything up until the dam’s explosion and his head injury. The neurons and synapses quickly signaled each other to get a hold of the situation.

“It’s an underground cave.”

His brain, which had collected information, finished its calculations and came to a conclusion. The process and progress were omitted, but it was certain that he had been pulled into an underground cave. He immediately conducted a physical examination on himself. Except for the heavy blow that he had received on the back of his head, there were only minor bruises and abrasions.

“My clothes! Tsk tsk.”

Black Mamba clicked his tongue after examining his appearance. His entire upper body was naked. His uniform shirt, bulletproof vest, and linen tank had all disappeared. His backpack and helmet were missing too. The Glock he’d attached on his ankle vanished along with its holster. His pants were torn to the point that it only covered his upper leg area. It was fortunate that his private part wasn’t dangling outside.

Clearly, all the weapons and food in his backpack had disappeared. The remaining weapons were the secret pouch around his wrist, the Kukri wrapped around his left chest, and the Gorgon in his hand. He’d lost all his chemical weapons, leaving behind only cold weapons. His heart ached from the loss of the reconstructed Dragunov.

His left hand was wrapped firmly around the Gorgon despite the strong currents. He’d held onto it so tightly that the handle made of specialty resin and natural rubber had imprints of his fingers. The back of his head turned cold at the thought of the water pouring out from the exploding dam. He was proud of his hand for not losing its grip on the Gorgon amid the currents that moved faster than a BMW bike. Laughter escaped him. It seemed as though he was born to be a warrior, after all.

Something touched his leg. It was a lifeless being, which was why its approach had escaped his notice. Rather, his senses were not functioning properly yet. He shoved his hand into the water and picked up the inanimate being.

“F***!”

It was a slimy corpse with all of its bones shattered. The two sloppy holes where eyeballs had fallen out from glared resentfully at him. He threw away the body in his hand. He raised his visibility. He saw many objects floating around the underground cavity. It was either charred or torn bodies. 100s, no, countless were floating around. The waterfall falling from mid-air kept throwing up corpses.

“Aaah, is this retribution for all the lives I’ve taken?”

Still trapped deep underground, he let out a sigh. However, he wasn’t in a situation where he could lament leisurely.

Grrr—

The water roared. A water hurricane rose and flung itself aggressively in one direction. It sought a new exit by breaking down weaker walls with pressure.

He moved his hands and feet to escape the vortex but failed. Water was not Black Mamba’s strength.

Grrrr—

A dark hole with gaping jaws came into view. It was the pathway to hell.

“Nigimi Jotto!”

He moved his hands and feet desperately. He struggled to resist the strong currents. The cave was right before his eyes.

Woosh—

He swung the Gorgon and wrapped it around a protruding rock near the cave’s entrance.

“F****** hell!”

He swore again. He had only managed to wind a single round around the rock. One round wasn’t enough to create a knot. The Gorgon was released in vain. A black entrance swallowed Black Mamba.

Dong-bang-bull-pae? Yeah, right. I’m on a train to hell despite all the boasting. Kekeke!

He laughed. There was a saying that one could survive a tiger as long as their mind stayed alert, but the currents were nothing like a tiger. While a single punch could destroy a tiger, he could do nothing against the rapid currents.

He didn’t fear death. His teacher had said that those who were bound to do many things wouldn’t die easily. There were still many tasks for him to complete.

If he continued to be dragged along, he might end up in a strange underground world like the one in Jules Verne’s novel. Of course, Jules Verne did not know that even the Himalayas, which had the thickest crust on Earth, was less than 70 kilometers in height. 120 kilometers below ground wasn’t a separate world where strange creatures resided, but a mantle where rocks melted into liquid form. He had no intention of being pulled into a mantle where his bones would melt. He waited for a chance to whip out his Gorgon.

“Uuk!”

Splash—

Surprised, Black Mamba shoved his head underwater. The cave’s ceiling had suddenly lowered. He nearly headbutted with a stalactite. It was a steep limestone cave. There were stalactites all over the cave’s ceiling.

He was not a tourist. He was an uninvited guest on the train to Hell. Stalactites weren’t a treat to the eyes, but a life-threatening weapon. If he collided with a stalactite while speeding close to 100 kilometers per hour, even his iron head would not be able to survive. Like an obstacle race, he had to avoid the stalactites to preserve his brain fluids. Black Mamba repeated the motions of ducking and raising his head as though he was playing Whac-A-Mole.

“Ugh!”

The water velocity was also high-risk. Surprised, Black Mamba shattered a standing stalagmite with his fist. His stomach nearly ripped open. The cave’s floor was covered with stalagmites like awls. He was in a s***hole of a situation in which he had to avoid the floor’s stalagmites and the ceiling’s stalactites while being swept away by the currents moving at 100 kilometers per hour.

Caves made his teeth chatter. He’d survived being trapped in a dark cave for seven months in Bang Tae San. Those days when he had to live on rotten snake meat and scorpions felt like a nightmare. Thanks to those experiences, he had gained night vision and supernatural senses, which was life’s blessing in disguise.

Black Mamba tried to wrap his Gorgon around the stalactites but failed every time. He couldn’t find the right time due to the rapid currents. The stalactites and stalagmites threatened his life every time he seized the opportunity.

The battle for survival continued. He would have prayed if he had a religion, but he was born unlucky. He continued to rattle on four-letter swear words. He would have long been dead had he not trained to balance his body in Chun Saeng Mountain.

Besides stalagmites and stalactites, a more dangerous feature to look out for in caves were cave bends. If he didn’t move with the currents at the right timing, he’d be tossed to the cave’s wall, splattered like a frog. The back of his head grew tense with every bend. He’d prefer to fight the entire Syrian Army 100 times over.

Black Mamba was a stubborn, tenacious person who had survived seven months being trapped in a cave as a teenager. Although the situation was agonizing, he’d resisted until the end. He shattered small stalactites and stalagmites, while avoiding large ones. When cave bends approached, he kicked the water with his four paced movement to assimilate with the currents. F****** hell streamed out from his mouth. He felt like he’d go mad if he didn’t curse.

Frankly, Black Mamba was not in a position to complain. He was the very person who had caused the calamity and exploded the dam. Even the normal stalactite cave turned into an underwater cave because of his fireplay. He got what he deserved. Although the air was stuffy, fortunately, it flowed through the cave.

That didn’t mean he could relax, either. He didn’t know what would happen to him if he was continuously dragged underground. He would die the moment he ran out of breath. The oxygen density was slowly decreasing. He started to feel cold.

A Paranthropus’ strength wasn’t infinite. The combination of accumulated damage, ice-cold temperature, and the lack of strength consumed his energy quickly. He became a starved and exhausted human called Alice, who was being pulled into Wonderland through a rabbit hole.

Even then, he was hungry. He subconsciously patted on his back. There was no way his backpack was there. He dozed off in a few blinks. It was due to the lack of oxygen. Memories of Hae Young’s hot body, Jin Soon who looked at him like he was an everlasting sunflower, and Edel’s lovely face passed. He also recalled the gold he’d thrown aside.

Damn, gold will only come if I survive this.

He recalled his warm mother and his kind father. His throat felt congested. His father had told him, an eight-year-old boy at the time, to protect his mother. The thought of his father weighed on his chest. His father had acted as the pillar of stillness so that they wouldn’t leave the wheel of life. However, he hadn’t been able to protect his mother.

Mother, my poor mother! A tear rolled down his cheek, leaving it damp. His mind regained its activeness. He hadn’t been able to carry out his father’s will. He wouldn’t be a man named Mu Ssang if he didn’t fulfill his father’s will.

“I’m Dong-bang-bull-pae. I’m Park Jin Bo’s son, Park Mu Ssang.”

His scream suppressed the sound of crashing water. Somnolence quickly caught up with him. He would die if he fell asleep. He wrung out his remaining strength. He used breathing exercises to maintain his body temperature.

Crash crash crash—

It was the sound of a waterfall. He couldn’t predict the distance, but it wasn’t too far. It was an emergency. If he moved along with the currents, he would die. All kinds of troubling thoughts faded from his mind. He also forgot about his hunger and thirst. The only problem now was his survival.

At that moment, the strong currents hesitated. The cave suddenly widened. The cave of two to three meters wide expanded to four to five meters wide. The ceiling stretched two meters higher. It was his last chance.

“A cave terrace!”

He could finally gain a foothold on the surface that was slick as a mirror. A cave terrace indicated that water had passed through the cave in the past. In terms of cave structure, it was likely that another cave hole existed.

Woosh—

The Gorgon darted toward the cave’s shield, which poked out of the wall. The five-point spear at the end of his whip wrapped around the peak of the cave’s shield. The whip was secured tightly.

“Ha!”

An explosion of energy spread to all of the muscles in his body. He bounced off a stalagmite and pulled his body out of the water using the dragon’s back riding steps.

Crack—

The entire stalagmite crumbled.

Plop—

His body, which had received a significant boost, propelled out of the water like a cannonball.