Huang Shitou hurried back to the dorm, returning shortly with a flashlight in hand. "Here, use this!"

Looking at the high-tech gadget, Young Master Liu fumbled with it for quite some time before managing to turn the light on.

Truthfully, he had never seen a switch like that before.

He shone the light into the pitch-black cave, searching inside. However, this antique flashlight had a limited beam radius, casting light only about thirty meters in before the darkness swallowed it whole.

From this vantage point, though, he couldn't make out anything specific. It was just utter blackness inside, the stone walls appearing smooth, as if polished by that massive boulder.

"Looks like this rock drilled its way out of this cavern," Young Master Liu remarked.

Fan Debiao also examined the cave entrance closely before exclaiming with surprise, "Master Liu, look! This handprint... there's a small child's handprint here..."

Hearing this, Young Master Liu walked over for a look. Sure enough, there was a tiny handprint on the ground, no bigger than a third of his own palm.

Young Master Liu said, "This place seems a bit strange. Everyone, move over there to work. Don't touch this spot for now," he instructed.

Fan Debiao chimed in, "Right, did you all hear that? Head over to the other side of the hill to work. By the way, Master Liu, do you think we should report this to the Engineering Department?"

Young Master Liu studied the area for a moment before replying with some hesitation, "Mm, letting them see it wouldn't hurt. Let's see what this big hole in the mountain is all about."

"Huang Shitou, Huang Shitou, get over here. You run to the Engineering Department. Tell them we found a big hole here and ask how they want us to handle it. Say we stumbled upon a hole mid-route and ask if we should fill it or what..."

Huang Shitou was ecstatic. He loved running errands; who knew, perhaps on the way he might run into some girl and resolve his "physiological needs."

Huang Shitou was quite confident in his appearance. If not a budding young girl of seventeen or eighteen, then surely some middle-aged woman, starved and thirsty for affection—with just a little incentive, they could solve each other's problems. Why not?

Seeing the blissful smile on Huang Shitou's face, one could tell this wasn't the first time he'd engaged in such activities.

The engineering work continued, but the focus shifted entirely to the opposite side of the mountain.

No one dared touch the stone. Rumors spread through the crew that the rock had rolled down from Stony Mountain, originally intending to crush them all, but it was discovered, so it quietly rolled back.

Others whispered that the stone was intentionally placed there by the Mountain God, meant to crush the men digging into the mountain. But too much time had passed, and the stone sphere got perfectly lodged, unable to move. Later, the Mountain God, afraid of losing face, retrieved it.

Then someone suggested that the sphere was actually the Mountain God's testicle. Since they kept digging at this 'testicle,' the Mountain God got a painful ache and took his 'testicle' back.

In short, the tales varied wildly. Young Master Liu didn't have the time to dwell on it; his work points were severely lacking these past few days. If he didn't work harder, he might starve this month.

Another evening arrived, and Fan Debiao was leading the casual chatter inside the workshed.

"I'm back, I'm back," just then, Huang Shitou returned, gasping for breath. Seeing the men lounging on the straw mats, he plopped down onto one himself. "Damn it, this running around nearly killed me."

Fan Debiao quickly asked, "Shitou, any news? What did the Engineering Department say?"

"The Engineering Department said if there's a hole, plug it. No matter how big the hole, we have a big enough 'gun barrel.' No matter how small the hole, our 'gun barrels' stop shoving into it," Huang Shitou described with vivid accuracy.

"I think you ran into a big hole and a small hole, kid," Young Master Liu said, knowing Huang Shitou a bit, as Shitou had privately told him about big holes and small holes before.

For Huang Shitou, that was the most blissful experience he'd ever encountered.

While delivering the message, Shitou had encountered a widow and her seventeen-year-old daughter in a patch of woods. The widow, overcome by desire, insisted Shitou sleep with her. But Huang Shitou, seeing how beautiful the daughter was, jokingly suggested a three-way, and to his surprise, the thirsty widow immediately agreed.

Hearing this story made Young Master Liu feel a pang of envy. "Damn it, why don't good things like this happen to me?"

Fan Debiao cursed loudly, "The hell with them! Are these engineering guys just a bunch of hoodlums? Do they have 'gun barrels' that thick and long in their crew? Who among you has a 'gun barrel' that thick and long?"

Su Yougui chuckled, "Hehe, Boss, if you don't mind, we can all go together..."

Hu Beikang exploded, "The hell with you, you little sissy! You think you can prop up that big hole? Forget it, your little earthworm should go burrow in a hornet's nest."

Su Yougui immediately jumped up, ready to fight Hu Beikang. But Fan Debiao roared, "You two shameless brats! Can't you think of anything purer? Tomorrow, we'll fill that big hole. The collective power is mighty! Damn it, meeting adjourned! Dismissed! Go to sleep!"

With that, Fan Debiao was the first to return to his quarters and fell into a deep sleep. Young Master Liu, however, couldn't sleep. This cave was clearly strange, and if they just filled it up, who knew what danger might arise.

But if he didn't fill it, wouldn't he be disobeying orders? He'd get scolded again.

Damn it, take it one step at a time, we'll see what happens. We'll deal with it when the time comes.

Young Master Liu decided not to worry about it anymore.

The next day, Fan Debiao led a crew, each man armed with a shovel, ready to fill the cave.

Today, filling this single hole gathered over a dozen men because it was an assignment from the organization, meaning the work points earned would be higher.

"Start filling!"

As Fan Debiao gave the order, the men scrambled to fill the hole.

But just as the entrance was half-filled, a strange, chilling wind suddenly blew out from inside.

Young Master Liu couldn't help but shudder. "Something's not right. A cross-breeze? No, if it were a cross-breeze, this cave should have another exit, right?"

Fan Debiao ignored this, shouting, "What are you standing around for? Hurry up and fill it! Everyone who helps fill it gets five work points."

Hearing about five work points, they nearly went berserk. Five points—they probably couldn't earn that much even working a full day and night! Wooooo-woooooo, woooooo-woooooo, as the cave was buried deeper and deeper, the cross-breeze escaping from the small remaining opening above sounded like a ghostly howl, instilling panic. No one knew what was going on inside.

"Hurry and fill the last little bit at the top!" Fan Debiao yelled loudly. The sound of ghostly wailing made his own scalp tingle. He couldn't help but curse under his breath.

Finally, Huang Shitou slapped the last shovelful of dirt on top. The ghostly sound seemed instantly muffled, as if a hand had covered its mouth, and it fell silent.

"Damn it, we finally dealt with that thing," Fan Debiao clapped the dust off his hands. "Everyone gets five work points today. Now go back to work."

Everyone was joyful about the unexpected five points, but only one person was utterly confused.

That person was Young Master Liu.

Young Master Liu was pondering: If this cave had existed for millennia, it would certainly be a dead end; there shouldn't be a cross-breeze passing through. But the fact that there was a cross-breeze meant the stone opening must have been created very recently, in the last few days.

He knew this because he had already examined the soil at the entrance and the surface soil—it was fresh.

This was enough proof that the large hole had just been dug out.

But who dug it? What was the purpose of this large hole? And what was the use of the legendary Mountain God's testicle that rolled out of it?

Young Master Liu’s mind couldn't connect the dots yet.

"Young Master Liu, what are you spacing out for? Get back to work! Boss Fan gave us five points today. If you don't work, don't expect him to give you a share," said Huang Shitou. Having just returned from the engineering team last night, he hadn't even stopped to rest; hearing about the five points, he immediately dove into work.

"Mm, I'll think about this later," Young Master Liu decided internally, then picked up his pickaxe and started hacking away—Clang, clang, clang. Earning five work points today gave him energy.

Soon, sweat was pouring down his body.

However, after only a short while, Young Master Liu's shovel seemed to strike something hard, ringing sharply. When he lifted the shovel again, the front end was completely bent.

Strange. What could be that hard?

Young Master Liu looked at Huang Shitou, who was happily digging away. "Shitou, come help me dig and see what's under here. Why is it so hard?"

Huang Shitou rolled up his sleeves and spat into his palms. "We often hit rocks here. Just use a little force and the right technique, and you can dig the rock out by the root. Watch me!" With that, he exerted his full strength. Clang! The sound echoed, and Huang Shitou's shovel snapped clean in half.

"Oh my god, it's over! Today's work points are shot, and I'll probably have to pay for it too. I can't afford to replace this shovel."

Huang Shitou’s face immediately fell.

"Hu Beikang, you try. Let's see what this rock is about," Young Master Liu said.

Hu Beikang certainly didn't want to obey Young Master Liu. Both their shovels had already broken; if his broke too, he couldn't afford the replacement, so he immediately refused, unwilling to proceed.

"Young Master Liu, I think we should ask Fan Debiao for new ones. Maybe he’ll let us off the hook for the cost on account of you..."

Seeing the incredibly hard rock beneath, Young Master Liu had no choice but to say, "Alright then, follow me. Let's go find Fan Debiao and see what this thing underneath is. I have a feeling this object is related to that giant stone sphere."

Fan Debiao saw the two boys approaching and knew something major must have happened. He looked at them expectantly.

"Boss, we've discovered something huge," Huang Shitou panted, barely able to catch his breath.

"What is it? Did you find the Mountain God's other testicle?" Fan Debiao joked, looking at their ragged state. "Judging by how out of breath you are."

"How did you know?" Huang Shitou looked at Fan Debiao in confusion. "We just found it."

"The hell you did! You really found another testicle?" Fan Debiao shot upright. "Lead the way, lead the way! Hurry up and take me to see it!"

Fan Debiao urged the two toward the hillside.

The sun was about to set again.

Watching the sun sink low, Fan Debiao grew impatient. "Damn it, it's always sunset when something happens. Why do I feel like the days are getting shorter and shorter?"

Young Master Liu felt a sudden jolt. "The days are getting shorter? What's going on?" It wasn't just Fan Debiao who felt this way; even Young Master Liu felt it too. Whenever they were near that giant stone sphere, time seemed to rush by. In the blink of an eye, a whole day had passed?

Young Master Liu had an illusion—he felt as if the stone could make time flow rapidly.

"We're here, we're here! Hurry up, it's right under here." As they spoke, the three of them had arrived in front of the Mountain God's testicle. "Look, it's right under here."

"Hey, how did you know this spot was the Mountain God's testicle?" Hu Beikang curiously asked Huang Shitou.

Unconsciously, they had started calling the stone that. It was partly because it was easy to remember, and partly because they felt the name was quite elegant and apt.

"Young Master Liu said so. Can Young Master Liu be wrong?" Huang Shitou stated confidently.

Young Master Liu now held considerable prestige. Firstly, due to his unique research skills, and secondly, because Fan Debiao himself respected him deeply, making others hesitant to provoke him.

Young Master Liu found it somewhat amusing. He had only voiced a hunch, yet this fellow was insisting he had declared it as fact.

Fan Debiao's voice was tinged with impatience. "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and dig out this Mountain God's testicle!"

The men scrambled into action. Soon, a stone the size of a basketball was exposed. As the digging progressed, the Mountain God's testicle, which turned out to be the size of a small house, was finally uncovered!

"Damn it, it really is a Mountain God's testicle," Fan Debiao cursed. "Now we have two big holes—let's see how we'll plug this one with our 'gun barrels'!"

"Stop digging, all of you, stop digging. Leave this Mountain God's testicle here. Let's pause the work here for now and have you all go work on the other hills," Fan Debiao commanded.

The men dispersed, chattering amongst themselves, but Young Master Liu turned back to Fan Debiao. "I don't think these stones are that simple."

"You're right, these stones are indeed unusual. I keep getting this premonition that some of us might die here," Fan Debiao suddenly said, a hint of worry in his tone.

"Yes, and this premonition is very strong. I don't know why. Look at this stone; it seems to be undergoing incubation, maturing day by day. Today it makes a metallic sound, tomorrow it sounds like gongs and drums, until finally, it will roll away and fly up, and there will be the corpse of an infant on the stone. Isn't that just like ten months of gestation?" Young Master Liu explained patiently.

"Hey, you have a point. Now that you mention it, I have some thoughts. If this is indeed a process of gestation, what exactly is being nurtured inside? Is there something inside the stone, or are the stones themselves the result of gestation? I once heard that Sun Wukong from Journey to the West popped out of a stone crack," Fan Debiao’s imagination was running wild, reaching as far as the Monkey King.

Young Master Liu nodded. "This matter is highly suspicious. We should keep observing this large stone to see what changes occur." He then picked up his broken shovel, now in two pieces, and showed it to Fan Debiao. Fan Debiao wasn't angry; he just said, "Go down below and get a new one. Tell them you broke it accidentally while working on the excavation. I’ll cover it—if I break the tools, you don't have to pay."

Young Master Liu obediently took the broken tool to the tool shed, asking the old caretaker for a new shovel.

Huang Shitou, however, had it rough. Not only were his work points for the day docked, but half of tomorrow's points were also deducted because such behavior was deemed a clear sign of wasteful indulgence.

Indeed, when the crew went to look at the Mountain God's testicle the next day, the stone was emitting a faint glow, and when struck, a distinct metallic collision sound could be heard from within.

The rumors in the crowd intensified: "As expected of the Mountain God's testicle; it can produce such a sound when struck."

On the third day, the light intensified, and cracks appeared, mirroring the exact pattern of cracks found on the first Mountain God's testicle.

Only then did Fan Debiao begin to prepare his actions.