How could water just sink into thin air?
Streams and riverbeds are carved out over countless years, and this was high up on a mountain.
Old Hu took a long grappling hook from his backpack and hurled it with all his might toward the area where the water had vanished.
The hook and its rope sailed in a perfect arc, landing precisely in the spot. The group then watched as the hook was seemingly devoured, sinking slowly into the ground as more and more of the rope was pulled taut after it.
Alarmed, Old Hu quickly tied the end of the rope to a large nearby tree.
In just a moment, the rope was pulled completely taut, so tight they could even hear it humming like a plucked string.
"We can't cross here! The ground is sinking! It's too soft, like quicksand."
Old Hu hurriedly took a couple of steps back, then said to Zhao Rui and the others, "A few days ago, dogs from several village households vanished in these woods. I suspect this is how they got trapped."
