Chapter 84 If we don't climb out of the water quickly, we'll drown! ...

The channel was in an uproar.

How can there be so much water in the cave! Where did it come from?

[Even if you figure out where the water comes from, it's useless. Hurry up and climb up!]

The problem is, I can't climb as fast as the water is rising! Damn it, I'm freezing to death, and my bag is so heavy, I can't carry it anymore!

If you can't carry your bag, give it to me, I'll help you carry it (doge emoji)

The cave is connected to groundwater; the high tide inside the cave is likely due to rain outside, and it will recede once the rain stops.

It can't be stopped.

My ability is weather observation. I predict that the next three days will be rainy, and today is a heavy downpour, which is why the tide is rising so fast.

I'm so cold I'm hallucinating, but I can smell braised beef noodles!

I'm hungry.

If I could just have a sip of soup, I'd die happy.

Don't say things like that, it's bad luck.

Stop spamming the channel! Isn't there enough water in the cave? Hurry up and climb out!

[Die-hard leg, hurry up and climb! You'll drown if you don't hurry!]

The moment he realized the tide was rising, Fang Zhiyi reacted immediately, got up, and slung his backpack over his shoulder.

Without needing many words, Chu Zhao finished packing and neatly stuffed everything back into his bag: "Let's go."

The platform they were on was not far from the water; if they delayed any longer, it would soon be submerged.

Fang Zhiyi stood in front of the stone wall, looking up and trying to grab onto the protruding rocks above. The platform was suspended in mid-air, with no footholds around it. The nearest climbing point was 3 meters high, which was out of reach. After several attempts, he couldn't find a stable grip and almost fell.

Chu Zhao unpacked his backpack, knelt on the ground, and said, "Step on me to get up."

Now was not the time for politeness. Fang Zhiyi immediately stepped onto the rock, and after gaining his footing, Chu Zhao's shoulders slumped slightly. He used all his strength to lift himself upwards. Using this force, Fang Zhiyi leaped upwards for a distance, finally grabbing a protruding rock above. He pulled hard with his arms, and then his body suddenly soared into the air. After swaying in mid-air, he twisted his waist, pushed off the rock wall with both feet, and flipped himself onto the plane above.

If it weren't for the boost to strength and speed from the drugs used in the road survival game, I wouldn't have been able to perform such a difficult move.

Fang Zhiyi took a breath and looked down.

The water was turbulent with undercurrents, and the tide was rising rapidly. In the blink of an eye, it had reached the platform below, and one could clearly feel the damp cold rising up.

Fang Zhiyi reached out: "Grab me."

In mid-air, Chu Zhao clasped his hands together and used the leverage to climb up as well.

The foothold above was narrow, and the two people were shoulder to shoulder, pressed tightly together.

The next part of the path was a suspended cave tunnel, dark and narrow. Shining a flashlight inside made me feel claustrophobic. But there was only one path in front of me, so I had no choice but to grit my teeth and climb up.

Fang Zhiyi took a flashlight and crawled into the cave tunnel. At first, he could walk by bending over, but later the path became lower and lower, and he could only crawl.

Fang Zhiyi braced himself with his hands on the ground and slowly moved forward, his knees scraping against the gravel on the ground, sending a dull pain through him.

The crawling speed is very slow, and coupled with the limited visibility, it can be said that it moves forward little by little.

After moving for a while, their backs ached, and when they looked back, they had only gone a few meters. Both of them were covered in dirt and mud.

Fang Zhiyi, with the flashlight in his mouth, continued forward. After walking for about half an hour, he suddenly bumped his forehead against the wall with a "bang," and pebbles fell down.

He stopped what he was doing, looked up ahead, and saw two forks in the road in front of him, illuminated by the flashlight.

The underground cave routes are intricate and complex, making it easy to get lost. Fork in the road is fine, but the real danger is getting stuck in a dead end, where you're stuck with nowhere to go.

Looking at the fork in the road in front of him, Fang Zhiyi licked his dry lips.

Chu Zhao was behind him, unaware of what was happening ahead. Seeing him stop in place, she asked, "What's wrong?"

Fang Zhiyi said, "There's a fork in the road, and I don't know which way to go."

Chu Zhao peered over his shoulder and through the gap at the fork in the road ahead. The intersection was pitch black, with a pungent, earthy smell wafting from it; other than that, there was nothing else to tell.

"Make your choice," Chu Zhao said. "I trust you."

Fang Zhiyi tried hard to recall the location of the red dot representing the supply point, glancing at the passage to the left and then to the right, unable to make a decision for a long time.

The delay here was too long, and the tide caught up from behind, flooding half of the tunnel, with the faint sound of rushing water audible.

We can't delay any longer.

Fang Zhiyi made a quick decision: "The right side."

Before the tide submerged them, they plunged into the fork in the road on the right.

The passage here was also narrow and winding, and you would often bump into gravel, and soon your palms were cut and bleeding.

[Injured] [Bleeding]

[Physical strength continues to decline]

[-1]

[-1]

[...]

In caves, stamina is already depleted quickly, and now the added negative effects of injury and bleeding make things even worse.

When they reached a slightly flatter corner, Fang Zhiyi stopped and took out a small first-aid kit from his backpack. The kit contained some emergency medicines, iodine, bandages, cotton swabs, and so on.

Fang Zhiyi picked up the iodine to disinfect the wound, wincing in pain. However, the negative effects on her body had not disappeared, and her stamina was still dropping little by little. It didn't seem like much, but it added up over time. If this continued, her stamina would soon be depleted.

Chu Zhao said, "This won't work." He took the iodine and said, "Give me your hand."

Fang Zhiyi spread his hands out flat.

Chu Zhao shone a flashlight and then used small tweezers to carefully remove the pebbles embedded in the wound one by one. He watched with exceptional focus, his long eyelashes drooping and his brows unconsciously furrowing.

He looked at Fang Zhiyi, and Fang Zhiyi looked at him. When he saw that handsome and deep face, he couldn't even feel the pain in his wound.

"Alright," Chu Zhao reminded him.

He moved swiftly, using tweezers to remove the pebbles, then disinfecting them with iodine, and finally wrapping the area with bandages layer by layer.

Fang Zhiyi moved her fingers, and the bandage was tied around her palm, which protected the wound from further injury without affecting her movement.

Upon closer inspection, he noticed that Chu Zhao's hand was also injured. He quickly said, "Let me help you, give me your hand."

Now it was Chu Zhao's turn to stretch out his hand and let others wave it around.

Fang Zhiyi carefully picked at the pebbles in the wound. As she picked, she suddenly laughed, as if she had thought of something.

Chu Zhao asked, "What are you laughing at?"

Fang Zhiyi smiled and said, "I think we're like two monkeys picking lice off each other. What do you think?"

Chu Zhao hummed in agreement.

Fang Zhiyi glanced at it and realized that his joke might have been a bit too lame, so he stopped laughing and focused on treating his wound.

After the bandages were applied, he suddenly heard Chu Zhao say, "Thank you, Monkey King."

Fang's meaning: "".

Fang Zhiyi: "Pfft."

In the dim cave, the two exchanged a smile, which dispelled the somber and gloomy atmosphere.

After treating his wounds, he continued his arduous journey through the cave. As he walked, he heard the sound of water and his nose twitched as he caught a strong, fishy smell.

Fang Zhiyi initially thought it was the tide coming in, but after looking back, he realized the sound of water was coming from ahead. He took a few steps to catch up and found himself in front of a U-shaped passage, the lower half of which was submerged by groundwater.

Fang Zhiyi threw a stone down into the water, causing ripples to spread across the surface. The stone was swallowed by the water without making a sound.

I shone a flashlight on it, but the water was pitch black, and I couldn't tell how deep it was.

Should we turn back and choose another route, or swim across?

Fang Zhiyi turned around. The road he came from was just as deep and unpredictable. So much time had passed, and considering the speed at which the tide was rising, the fork in the road was likely already submerged.

There's no way to backtrack in the cave; you have to swim through.

Chu Zhao touched the water's temperature, stood up, and asked, "How's your swimming? Can you hold your breath?"

Fang Zhiyi honestly replied, "I can hold it in for one minute."

I can swim, but I'm not particularly good at it.

The last time I swam properly was probably when I took a swimming elective in college.

Chu Zhao pondered for a moment and said, "To swim across from here, you'll need to hold your breath for at least two minutes."

This is still a conservative estimate.

Underwater visibility is reduced, and the oppressive environment can easily lead to poor judgment, such as not being able to distinguish directions, and panic causing one to lose their breath.

Once you get into the water, it's difficult to get back.

Fang Zhiyi thought for a moment and said, "I can give it a try."

He stretched his limbs to warm up his body as much as possible so he wouldn't freeze as soon as he entered the water. Ready, just as he was about to go in, a brilliant idea struck him. He grabbed a roll of thin plastic bags from the supermarket, tore them open, waved them in the air, and as the bags expanded, quickly tied the opening shut and filled them with oxygen.

"Is this alright?" Fang Zhiyi asked, looking slightly pleased.

Chu Zhao: "Okay..."

Before he could finish speaking, the air in the plastic bag deflated little by little, until only a tiny bit remained, probably just enough for one breath.

Fang Zhiyi: "..."

One isn't enough? Then three or five!

He filled five plastic bags with oxygen, strapping them to his waist. "Do you want some?"

Chu Zhao nodded.

Fang Zhiyi packed two and handed them over.

Chu Zhao only took one of them.

Fang Zhiyi asked, "Is one enough?"

Chu Zhao said, "I have a diving certificate, so I'll bring one just in case."

Fang Zhiyi glanced at the cumbersome belt around his waist, then looked up to see Chu Zhao preparing to enter the water. He called out, "Wait!"

Chu Zhao stopped and asked with his eyes.

Fang Zhiyi gestured: "Take off all your clothes before you go into the water."

He had already learned his lesson; he fell into the water as soon as he came in, and his clothes and pants got completely soaked. It took him half a day to dry them by the fire.

The cave's terrain is complex and the situation is unclear. We don't know if there will be a suitable place to camp and start a fire. Being soaked will not only hinder our movement but also make us susceptible to catching a cold. It's better to take off all our clothes and put them in our waterproof backpack, putting them back on after we've passed through.

Chu Zhao thought about it and agreed. He quickly took off his clothes and pants, revealing his fair, glowing skin and smooth, understated muscle lines.

No matter how many times she looked at it, Fang Zhiyi couldn't help but blush, and she couldn't help but look at it a second time after just one glance.

Chu Zhao stripped naked and was the first to dive down to check the situation. After about a minute, a figure emerged from the water, wiped the water off his face, pointed down, and said, "You can go over there. Follow me."

Fang Zhiyi followed him into the water.

The groundwater temperature is around 0℃. As soon as you immerse yourself in the water, the chill seeps into your joints, making your teeth chatter.

I struggled to open my eyes underwater. The bottom was pitch black and bottomless, with only a beam of light shining across the water ahead.

The lights flickered on and off, and Chu Zhao turned around and waved at him.

Fang Zhiyi pushed off with both legs and chased after him.

The first part was fine; he could hold his breath. But the further he swam, the heavier he felt. The underwater tunnel was U-shaped, so he not only had to swim forward but also dive down a certain distance.

Fang Zhiyi's chest heaved as he felt the oxygen rapidly depleting. Just when he was about to give up, he grabbed a plastic bag from his waist, buried his head in it, and inhaled the oxygen inside in large gulps.

"Hoo-gurgle."

The plastic bag disappeared into the water, and bubbles floated to the surface.

After receiving oxygen, Fang Zhiyi regained her strength.

Chu Zhao swam ahead, his movements agile, like a mermaid moving through the water.

Fang Zhiyi only knows the doggy paddle, kicking his arms and legs non-stop. His swimming style is a bit ugly, but he has a strong competitive spirit.

I'm going to get first place!

Speed ​​+100%!

His speed suddenly increased, and with a powerful push of his legs, he shot forward like an arrow, leaving a white trail in his wake. As he swam, Fang Zhiyi grabbed a plastic bag to inhale oxygen, and finally, before the bag ran out, he saw the surface. He sped upwards, bursting through the water with a "splash."

Fang Zhiyi floated on the water, letting the water droplets wet his eyes, panting heavily. After catching his breath, he slowly swam to the shore, climbed ashore, and remarked, "I think I'm still more suited to land." He stomped his feet on the ground, "This is what it feels like to have both feet on the ground."

Chu Zhao chuckled softly, picked up a towel, and walked over: "Lower your head."

Fang Zhiyi obediently lowered his head, letting Chu Zhao wipe his hair.

Chu Zhao said, "You're already very capable. I thought I'd have to give you breathing exercises halfway through the journey."

Fang Zhiyi blinked: "I brought a lot of plastic bags. Besides... kissing and breathing each other underwater is too much like a scene from a TV drama."

Chu Zhao asked, "Isn't this kind of plot good?"

Fang Zhiyi said earnestly, "It's not that it's bad, but I won't let myself fall into a situation where I have to wait for someone else to save me."

Chu Zhao smiled and said, "Then you missed a chance to kiss."

Fang Zhiyi pressed his hand down: "How could that be?" As soon as he finished speaking, he gave him a quick kiss. "If we missed it, we can make up for it now."

Chu Zhao pressed the back of his head, deepening the kiss. However, it only lasted for a brief moment before they quickly separated.

There was no other way; I was still soaking wet, so I had to dry myself off and put on some clothes quickly.

After a few rustling sounds, they got dressed and set off again. Leaving the "U"-shaped passage, the road ahead gradually became steeper, with constant uphill sections.

At first, I could walk, but later I had to use both my hands and feet to climb. Climbing the hill took more energy, and the path was more difficult. By the time I reached the end, I was completely exhausted.

Fortunately, the red dot representing the supply point was getting closer and closer until it was almost within reach.

"We've reached the supply depot!"