Chapter 281 The Person Sleeping Under Water

"No, no! We're well fed. We won't fight with that guy for the fish."

The otter family nodded obediently. They listened to Stationmaster Xu and knew that if they had enough fish feasts to eat, they would not fight with the big and troublesome fish in the water.

The otter father and mother went into the water together holding the rope.

Captain Zhang said that there is a buckle on the detector, and you just need to insert the hook into the buckle and hook it to fix the rope to the instrument.

The eldest cub acts as a scout to observe the situation in the water for his parents.

With a few "splash" sounds, the three otters dived together, and Xu Ying's heart became nervous.

Time passes by every second.

A family of three otters emerged from the water. [Stationmaster Xu, we've secured the rope!]

But when the eldest cub showed up, he wasn't as lively as before and looked very scared.

The otter parents used their claws to comb the fur on its head to comfort it.

The family of three together brought the end of the rope that fixed the instrument to Xu Ying.

Xu Ying noticed the otter cub's uneasiness. "What's wrong? Was it injured underwater?"

The eldest of the cubs shook his head: [I'm not injured, I'm very strong!]

[It's just too scary underwater.]

[Stationmaster Xiao Xu, we also found the body of a biped underwater!]

Xu Ying's hand trembled as he took the rope, and goose bumps appeared all over his body. "What's going on?"

The mother otter continued: "We found the body of a female biped at the bottom of the water."

[Unlike the decaying bones of other animal corpses, this corpse looks like a living person sleeping underwater!]

——[But we have confirmed that she is not breathing.] The otter father shook his head.

Xu Ying's expression suddenly turned serious: "Okay, I understand. Thank you for the information."

The water temperature of Xishan Glacial Lake is close to zero degrees all year round, especially in the deep waters. Archaeologists have discovered well-preserved ancient remains in the high-altitude areas of Xishan.

If a person falls into an ice lake, the body will be sealed for a long time due to the low temperature, and the decay process will be extremely slow, just like putting meat in a freezer.

It is not surprising to have one or two bodies in such a large lake. It is possible that the person fell and drowned. However, according to the otter's description, the body is very "fresh" and must have died not long ago.

The eldest of the cubs still has a psychological trauma: [I was so scared that I fell on my butt.]

Xu Ying tried to comfort it with a mixture of laughter and tears: "When we get to the shore, I'll check your buttocks to see if they're injured."

"You guys go ashore first, the mission is complete~ The production team is already preparing a fish feast for you!"

As soon as he heard the words "full fish feast", the eldest of the cubs forgot his fear of seeing the female corpse.

It climbed onto the ice nimbly and slid towards the shore where the program crew was.

The mother otter followed her baby ashore first, while the father otter stayed in the waters near Xu Ying: "Master Xu, I'll stay here for a while. While you're pulling the instrument up, I'll help you check if it's unhooked."

Xu Ying was touched by the otter's thoughtfulness and smiled: "Please!"

Xu Ying pulled the rope of the instrument and pulled it up little by little.

The otters had already loosened the instruments that had sunk to the bottom of the lake.

She felt that it didn't take much effort when she pulled the rope to pull the instrument up, so she guessed that it was Grandma Taimen's filial son and grandson who was using his body to help her push the instrument to the surface of the water.

With the help of the Taimen school, the 30-kilogram cylindrical instrument quickly surfaced.

Xu Ying looked at the vast school of fish, all supporting the instruments with their bodies. Their silver scales shimmered in the sunlight, like a flowing galaxy.

Her eyes suddenly felt hot, and a sour feeling welled up in her nose.

The live broadcast room instantly boiled over, and comments flooded in like a tide:

[Oh my god! This scene is so shocking! ]

[They work together so well, it's like they've been trained!]

[I cried, the cooperation between animals is so touching]

This is the magic of nature.

"Thank you, thank you!"

Xu Ying's voice was choked with sobs as she spoke. She scattered all the fish food on her body and in her backpack onto the lake. The big fish opened their mouths wide to catch the food, then flipped their bodies and used their tails to make excited waves to express their happiness.

After dragging the instrument out, everything became easy. Xu Ying put the instrument into the storage basket hanging from the military drone.

Captain Zhang operated the drone and pulled Xu Ying and the instrument out of the lake.

The drone, like a steel eagle, slowly brought Xu Ying to the shore.

The feeling of being suspended in the air made Xu Ying hold her breath. Fortunately, there were golden eagles and snow pigeons flying around with her to relieve her tension.

Xu Ying's feet finally touched solid shore. She breathed a sigh of relief, and a cold white mist condensed in the air. This trip to the icy lake was even more thrilling than a roller coaster ride.

"Captain Zhang, please check if the instrument is damaged!" Her voice trembled slightly, and her eyes were fixed on the precious instrument held up by the school of fish.

Captain Zhang rushed forward in two steps and carefully took the instrument.

The next second, all the fishing team members saluted her in unison, their movements in perfect unison, drawing a sharp arc in the sunlight.

Xu Ying stood there in a daze, his fingers unconsciously twisting the wet corners of his clothes.

She was about to speak when she was suddenly interrupted by the warm touch of her hand.

“Here.”

A deep male voice sounded in my ears.

She turned around and a cup of steaming ginger tea was handed to her.

Qi Xiao was standing half a step behind her. His wheat-colored skin glowed with health in the sun, and worry still lingered between his thick brows.

Only then did she notice that there was a thin layer of frost on her winter clothes and her fingertips were red from the cold.

Xu Ying took the ginger tea, the scalding heat of the cup causing her frozen fingertips to tremble slightly. Before she could even say thank you, her shoulders suddenly felt heavy—a large windproof jacket had been thrown over her.

Qi Xiao's movements were quick and decisive. His strong arms flashed past the edge of her sight and he skillfully gathered her collar.

The windproof jacket still had a faint scent of laundry on it, and it instantly enveloped her.

"Put it on first." His voice was still calm as he helped her adjust her collar. "There's a full set of winter clothes in the tent. Go change into them later."

"Thanks!"

Xu Ying's eyes were clear and she gave Qi Xiao a grateful smile.

When she looked up, she met his quickly withdrawn gaze.

Qi Xiao had already turned and pointed in the direction of the convoy, but the outline of his face was particularly clear in the sunlight, and the red on his earlobe spread all the way to the side of his neck.

"Stationmaster Xu, the instrument is not damaged!"

Captain Zhang received the good news, and Xu Ying's dimples deepened. "That's great!"

However, when he thought of the "sleeping female corpse" at the bottom of the lake that the otter mentioned, Xu Ying's smile disappeared.

(End of this chapter)