Breaking into a Hidden Underground Lake at 68: Treasure Hunting with Beauties to Strike It Rich

After entering the mountains, the two got lost and were caught in a torrential downpour and fierce mountain winds. Their clothes were soaked through, and their steamed buns had turned to mush. Just as they were losing hope, Wan Shengli slipped and fell into a hidden cave. Hu Xiaohu followed him in and discovered that vines and loose rocks concealed the entrance. Inside was the entrance to an abandoned Japanese underground fortress, left behind by the Kwantung Army at the end of World War II when they hastily retreated after their defeat.

Holding burning pine branches aloft, the two explored the fortress. It consisted of tunnels, storerooms, barracks, and an ammunition depot. Some sections had collapsed, but the main structure remained intact. Japanese slogans still clung to the tunnel walls, while rusted rifles, tin cans, and military overcoats lay scattered across the floor. After being sealed for so long, the air was damp but not poisonous.

While exploring a storeroom, they found a concealed hatch in the floor. After prying it open, they discovered a narrow passage that led to a natural underground lake. Its water was crystal clear, and schools of fish and shrimp swam through it, including carp, crucian carp, and wood frogs. The lakeshore was dry and level, with unknown aquatic plants growing nearby, and the air was rich with the fresh scent of damp grass and trees.

Feeling their way along the shore, they found a passage just wide enough for one person, with an exit leading straight into the primeval forest deep in the Changbai Mountains, a place rarely visited by people and far beyond the production team's jurisdiction. Outside the passage, towering ancient trees rose above a forest floor covered with medicinal plants such as ginseng, reishi mushrooms, and schisandra. A wild boar's cry echoed in the distance.

Overjoyed, the two caught several large fish and cooked them in an iron pot left behind by the Japanese soldiers, then devoured the meal. Afterward, they carefully made their way back to the production team, keeping the fortress's existence a secret as they planned in private: “This place is our ticket to survival!”