Though Tan Ping'er's reply was brief, it stirred an endless chain of speculation within me. In this desolate place, where did the firelight come from? — Though, the greater emotion churning inside was sheer terror.

The distant lights held no discernible pattern; some were large, some small, scattered in utter disarray. They flickered and swayed, showing no major movement, resembling nothing so much as scattered bonfires.

After catching his breath, Man Niao Niao rasped, "…That looks like burning coal!"

Coal? The word startled me, but upon reflection, it might be exactly that. The great mountains beneath Xi Du were known for their rich coal deposits. Judging by the way those phantom lights hovered, they seemed positioned high up on a sheer cliff face—perhaps that cliff was a coal seam exposure.

"But…" Tan Ping'er hesitated before speaking, "If it's coal, who lit it?"

"That’s something you wouldn't know," Man Niao Niao declared with an old man’s air of authority. "Xi Du has extraordinarily rich coal. In the sweltering heat of summer, the coal can spontaneously combust. When we were riding the sleeper bus back, passing by Ye San Guan, didn’t you notice that pile burning outside the window?"

"That… I just thought someone was burning trash!"

Man Niao Niao spoke the truth; I had witnessed the phenomenon he described many times. On hot, muggy nights in the area of Liu Chong Po near Ye San Guan, coal would indeed ignite spontaneously.

The glare from the white lights on the opposite cliff was so intense it made my eyes water. I had no choice but to instruct Man Niao Niao to look around and scout for a relatively safer place to stand. Man Niao Niao wailed, his voice trembling, "I don't dare look… I feel dizzy right now, maybe… I’m hungry!" I felt both exasperated and annoyed. Who wasn't hungry? For a fellow with such a large frame to exhibit such a pathetic, 'limp-wristed' state was truly humiliating!

Just as I was about to ask Tan Ping'er to check things out, a tremendous boom echoed from behind me, shaking the ground beneath my feet. Countless specks of mud and sand rained down from above. A powerful force struck my heels, shoving my right foot outward. Fortunately, in that critical second, I lunged sideways with my remaining foot, barely managing to regain my balance. Before I could process what happened, I heard Man Niao Niao scream wildly to my right. In my peripheral vision, I caught a glimpse of a dark shadow plunging downwards… My mind went numb, leaving no space for thought. I lunged out to grab the falling shadow, but it was hopelessly fast! Not only did the shadow plummet with frightening speed, but I too lost my footing. My upper body tilted forward, my hands flailed in the air like someone swimming, and then I fell straight down. Tan Ping'er’s cry of alarm sliced through the air, receding quickly behind me…

Man Niao Niao’s howling wail still thundered in my ears. No matter how brave this lout was, or how thick his nerves, falling into some indistinct darkness in a place like this would surely shatter the soul of any man. This is it, I thought, I’m about to be buried here with my hundred-odd pounds. Before that thought could fully settle, however, both my feet plunged violently into something soft, and my body sank instantly, leaving only my head above the surface. I blew away the fine, unidentified dust that drifted near my face and twisted my head with difficulty, searching for Man Niao Niao. After a long search, I spotted a dark mass churning not far to my right, vaguely humanoid in shape.

I wondered what kind of grotesque monster this was. Was it Man Niao Niao? Based on what I could feel, the substance burying me felt like quicksand—extremely fine and yielding!

The dark mass struggled and churned for a while before finally thrusting a head out. It was indeed Man Niao Niao. Shaking off the black sand clinging to him, he spat repeatedly, his voice hoarse as he called out, "Ying Ying… where are you?" "I’m here! Here!"

"Where? Where?" In all his frantic activity, Man Niao Niao’s lower legs sank back into the black sand. Of course, I didn't actually know if the sand was black; that was merely my impression in the gloom.

"Here!" I screamed hysterically, realizing my voice sounded muffled and breathing had become excruciatingly difficult—a sensation akin to drowning.

Man Niao Niao quickly flattened his upper body onto the mound of sand, laboriously dragging his lower legs out. He crawled toward my voice, sweeping his hands around blindly. "Where exactly… are you? Damn it, I can barely breathe…"

"Here…" My legs instinctively thrashed in the fine, dry quicksand. My voice grew fainter, a dull ache started throbbing in my forehead, and my breath grew terribly labored. My facial skin felt tight, and consciousness was slipping away. Despite this, one question persisted in my mind: Even though this quicksand has almost buried my entire body, my head is still above the surface, right? Why am I showing signs of oxygen deprivation? Moreover, Man Niao Niao is also shouting about not being able to breathe. Damn it, this certainly isn't just the quicksand; there must be something else strange at work.

A familiar scent faintly reached my nostrils. As my head swam, the odor struck my nerves like a sharp arrow… It was the smell of coal smoke! Coal smoke!

Having accurately identified that familiar scent, I quickly understood why Man Niao Niao and I were struggling to breathe—due to the large-scale spontaneous combustion of coal in this area, vast quantities of carbon dioxide (and perhaps carbon monoxide) were being produced. Since carbon dioxide is heavier than air, and this location appeared relatively enclosed, the gas must have accumulated in a thick layer near the ground, displacing the oxygen. My head was positioned right near the surface, meaning I couldn't draw in any fresh air, explaining the rapid onset of hypoxia.

Man Niao Niao was still floundering on the ground, his movements growing slower. Desperate, I yelled at him with all my remaining strength, "Get up quickly… try jumping a few times… I’m suffocating…" At this point, Man Niao Niao had lost all logical thought. He swayed unsteadily to his feet, treading on the fine sand, and strained upward to lift his head higher. I heard a long, deep gasp escape his throat, like a dead man returning to life.

"Hah—hah—" Man Niao Niao only focused on gulping air, completely forgetting me.

I prayed internally—Oh Master, great Uncle, now that you’ve sucked in a few breaths of fresh air, please find a way to save me! Unfortunately, I couldn't even manage a sound now. The space seemed to grow darker, and the few bright spots that had broken into my vision blurred, shrinking further.

Just as my mind was clouding over, and a searing pain whipped across my forehead and temples, a pair of large hands gripped the back of my head and yanked upward, nearly snapping my cervical spine. Aided by that surge of power, I exerted force with both hands and feet, shoving upward like a dying grasshopper, finally wrenching most of my body free from the quicksand. My face was flushed with heat from holding my breath. I stepped hard onto Man Niao Niao’s sinking body and used the momentum to spring upward, taking several deep, gasping breaths. The suffocating pressure in my chest eased slightly.

This situation was utterly humiliating, a perfect blend of distress and embarrassment: soft sand dragging at my legs below, impossibly precious, thin air above, and a suffocating layer of heavy carbon dioxide below my chin… This predicament was no different from being trapped in a bog!

Feeling slightly better, I looked down for Man Niao Niao, only to see the bulk of his body already submerged in the sand. His arms stretched upward in a desperate effort, his gasps of "Hah—hah—" growing more rapid. Damn it all, I linked my hands with his, fell backward, and yanked my sand-swallowed legs free. I braced my calves against his chest and strained, pulling Man Niao Niao out like a radish from the soil. He flew in an arc and crashed heavily onto the ground behind my head.

This struggle brought back a throbbing pain that circled my forehead, feeling like a red-hot chain about to slice through my skin. Long-absent golden stars danced wildly before my eyes, and the sickening pressure in my chest returned like a tidal wave. My arms and legs felt like water; I lacked the strength to stand.

I collapsed onto the ground, my body sinking again into the quicksand up to my waist. I faintly heard a rapid rustling sound from above, followed by a sharp tug on my hair. I was too weak to fight; I let the large hand do as it pleased.

"Hah—" As I was dragged by the hair onto a slightly firmer slope, I let out a sound that was like the sweetest music imaginable.