Although I couldn't see clearly what the huge shadow in the water was, judging from its enormous size, it was definitely not a benevolent creature.

If we stay here, once we're trapped in this cramped space, we'll have no way out.

"Thump!"

I jumped back into the river, clutching the giant salamander's skin. Whether it was from the excitement or from having adapted to the low temperature of the cave, I didn't feel particularly cold this time.

"Splash!"

Perhaps startled by our diving, the giant creature in the water began to stir, creating waves that propelled us forward.

Song Laosan was the last to jump into the water, and swung a rope made of twisted clothes towards me from afar: "Xiao Duan! Monkey! The current here is too strong, hold on tight to the rope, we can't get separated!"

"squeak!"

Before I could reply, I heard a sharp roar behind me, sounding like a mouse whose tail had been stepped on, but much sharper than a mouse's cry.

Song Laosan was also startled by the sound, and holding the leather bag, he shone the flashlight behind him.

Just then, a wave of water crashed in, and my body spun halfway around in the water, just in time to see what was behind me.

This is an incredibly giant ancient salamander. Its head, which is above the water, looks as big as a small tricycle, and its teeth look like upright fruit knives.

Compared to other giant salamanders that are one or two meters long, it's like the difference between a Tibetan Mastiff and a Teddy Bear dog.

Perhaps attracted by the smell of blood, the giant salamander rushed into the midst of the other giant salamanders and began to frantically tear at its own kind, causing blood flowers to bloom in the water. The other giant salamanders also screamed in agony, just like in a delivery room, with the cries of babies everywhere.

Hearing the giant salamanders' screams, the monkey began to frantically thrash about as if it had wheels of fire: "Holy crap! Let's swim faster while we still have the energy, or these things will devour us alive!"

These words expressed the feelings of the three of us. I used almost all my strength to start swimming forward. The low temperature of the underground river water numbed my whole body, which just suppressed the pain of the wound.

With the other giant salamanders blocking our way, the giant salamander behind us did not chase after us, and the three of us quickly swam to the bend in the river.

To keep up with our speed, Song Laosan kept a flashlight in his mouth while swimming, shining it ahead. As soon as he turned a corner, the flashlight shone on the fence in the distance.

The riverbed was long after we turned the corner, but just a few meters away, vertical iron bars formed a fence, blocking our way.

"Oh no! Why are there fences here?" The monkey lay on the leather bag, a hint of sadness in its eyes. "Could this thing be placed here specifically to catch those giant salamanders? If so, aren't we just bait in a cage?"

"No, this thing shouldn't be a barrier net, otherwise the fish fry could have slipped through such a large gap. I think it's more like a protective device to prevent people from being swept away."

I estimated the distance of the fence and swam over first, reaching out to shake the railings. However, the fences were firmly fixed and had not rusted even in the underground river, making escape impossible. Moreover, the gaps between them were only about fifteen centimeters, making it impossible for a person to squeeze through.

Song Laosan quickly swam to my side, shone his flashlight around, and fixed his gaze on the right: "Xiao Duan, look here!"

I looked in the direction Song Laosan was shining, and to our right there was a platform above the water, and steps that had been dug out by man, and further in was a cave.

"Splash!"

At this moment, the sound of the flowing water behind us became restless, and it was obvious that it was the giant salamander making a commotion.

The three of us looked at each other, and then we all swam towards the shore without prior arrangement.

As Song Laosan shone his flashlight into the cave, I discovered that the cave had been sealed off with wood, and the giant salamander was also rushing towards us, causing waves to surge as it swam.

"Don't just stand there! Open the door quickly! Otherwise, we'll all die!"

Seeing that Song Laosan and I were in a daze, the monkey took the lead and sprinted into the wooden planks blocking the cave.

"Bang!"

With a muffled thud, the wooden plank remained unmoved, but the monkey was knocked back three or four steps before slipping and falling to the ground.

"Squeak!"

The commotion attracted the giant salamander's attention, and it began to swim faster.

Thump!

Seeing the giant salamander accelerate, Song Laosan fired a shot without hesitation.

The bullet kicked up a column of water in the distance, and the giant salamander rolled over. Instead of stopping, it accelerated.

Song Laosan's actions startled me, and I glared at him and yelled, "Song Laosan, what the hell are you doing provoking it?!"

"Do you think this bastard won't come over if I don't shoot?" Old Song said, loading another bullet into the gun. "I'll hold him off while you guys figure out how to open the door!"

Thump!

As Song Laosan spoke, he fired another shot. At this moment, Monkey ran up to my side and said, "Third Master, we can't see clearly over here!"

"then!"

Song Laosan threw the flashlight over and started backing away at the same time.

After the monkey took the flashlight, he shone it on the wooden planks in the cave. I saw light shining through the gaps in the planks, and my heart leaped with joy. I quickly reached for the bullets in my pocket: "There's only one layer of planks! We can open them with shotgun shells!"

Thump!

Song Laosan has already fired the third shot: "This thing is going to come ashore, we can't hold on any longer!"

"Click!"

As soon as Song Laosan finished speaking, I had already changed to a bullet, pointed the gun at the wooden board, and decisively pulled the trigger.

Thump!

Gunshots rang out, and a bullet ripped a large hole through the wooden plank in front of us. Monkey then fired a shot from the side. The two of us raised our gun butts and took turns smashing the hole in the plank.

"roar!"

Just as the monkey and I were smashing the wooden planks, the giant salamander's head had already rushed onto the platform and bit down on Song Laosan.

Faced with the giant salamander's attack, Song Laosan dodged to the side and was about to raise his gun to retaliate when the giant salamander slammed his head into the water.

"Third Master!"

I saw Song Laosan fall into the water, raised the gun in my hand, and fired a shot at the giant salamander.

Thump!

Gunshots rang out, and the spray of iron pellets hit the giant salamander, but it did not affect its mobility.

"Squeak!"

The giant salamander roared in pain and swung its front claw at me.

"Bang!"

In the confined space, I had no way to dodge the giant salamander's attack. I felt like I had been hit by a truck and my body was sent flying through the air.