The sudden bend in the underground river changed the direction of the turbulent water, and the cliffs on both sides of the river were replaced by a large cave, turning the sides into jagged rocks.

Exhausted from being chased by the water monkeys, we all unleashed our potential and swam faster towards the shore after seeing the riverbank ahead.

After I climbed ashore, I started pulling the rope to drag the others ashore, but I fell to the ground after only a few pulls and didn't even have the strength to get up.

Before, when I was in the water, I didn't feel that cold because of the high tension and strenuous exercise. But now that I'm out of the underground river, I feel like I've been thrown onto a block of ice. My hands and feet are swollen and painful, and even the air I breathe feels like I've swallowed a piece of burning coal. My lungs are burning, and the hard rocks beneath me feel like cotton.

Not only me, but everyone else was too exhausted to stand up after getting ashore; they all collapsed on the ground.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Song Laosan and another member of the Wei family climb out of the river and begin to manipulate their muscles, repeatedly tensing and relaxing them to generate heat. Despite the pain, they said, "Everyone, cheer up and move around while you still have the strength. Otherwise, the low temperature will cause my muscle tissue to die, and once I get frostbite, it will be difficult to recover for several years!"

After listening to me, Jiang Man dragged her backpack to her side and took out a sealed bag from it: "I have some chocolate here, everyone share it to restore our strength and energy!"

Lin Que took the chocolate from Jiang Man and handed it to me: "Big brother, our air quality monitor is broken. Will there be any problems taking off our gas masks in a place like this?"

"When we used potassium metal in the water just now, there was no explosion, which means there are no flammable gases here. There is running water in this cave, and the air should be circulating, so there shouldn't be any major problems."

I took the chocolate Lin Que handed me, tore open the wrapper, took a big bite, and chewed it: "Water monkeys get weaker the longer they stay on land. Otherwise, they will drag aquatic creatures into the water and hunt them by drowning. So water monkeys that have just come out of the water are still very powerful. Everyone, hang in there a little longer. We need to get away from this area on the shore!"

"No, I have to go back and find Qu Ruilin!"

When Wei Shengnan heard that I was leaving, she struggled to her feet: "He stayed behind to save us, and now his life is hanging in the balance. I can't abandon him!"

"Wei Shengnan, don't be silly!"

Seeing Wei Shengnan's actions, I struggled to sit up: "Qu Ruilin volunteered to stay and save people. He chose to sacrifice himself so that others could live, not so that others could continue to sacrifice!"

“My grandfather told me that Qu Ruilin is the only remaining heir of the Qu family, representing the intricate and profound art of passing on skills, and that I must take good care of him!”

Wei Shengnan stubbornly replied, "As you said, Qu Ruilin rescued people voluntarily. I have no right to ask you to come back with me to find him, but I also cannot abandon him! Our cooperation ends here. You'd better take care of yourselves!"

Just as I was about to continue persuading Wei Shengnan, Song Laosan suddenly stood up and shone his flashlight on the bend in the river: "Hey, look, isn't that Qu Ruilin?!"

I looked in the direction that Song Laosan was pointing and found a figure lying on the water's surface at the bend in the river, its clothes caught on a rock.

"Xiao Wu's body had already been torn to pieces by the water monkey, so this person must be Qu Ruilin!"

As Song Laosan spoke, he had already stepped towards the shore: "Wei girl, give me the rope, I'm going down to save people!"

"They're here!"

When Wei Shengnan saw Qu Ruilin appear in the river, she became agitated and, along with another member of the Wei family, took out a rope and ran over.

I had previously admired Qu Ruilin's actions and had stopped Wei Shengnan because I thought her chances of survival were slim. However, seeing Qu Ruilin floating in the water, I forced myself to stand up and said, "Let's go help!"

After hearing my words, Lin Que was about to stand up and grab his travel bag when he suddenly shone his flashlight over the river: "Brother, those water monkeys are back again!"

I looked in the direction the flashlight was shining and saw the water monkeys rushing back from upstream, along with Song Laosan and Wei Shengnan on the bank. They took a bundle of rope from their travel bags, tied it around their waists, and ran towards the river. At the same time, they tied the remaining rope into a knot: "You guys watch my signal. As soon as I tie the rope to Qu Ruilin, you all pull the rope together and drag us ashore!"

Lin Que saw me running towards the shore and followed closely behind me: "Brother, those water monkeys are too fast. They swim downstream, and if you swim sideways, you can't possibly get ahead of them. Isn't that just suicide?"

"We have to try to have a chance! If we don't help, they won't be able to rescue the person on their own!"

I glanced at Song Laosan and Wei Shengnan on the shore, quickened my pace, and shouted at the top of my lungs, "You few can't save people on your own. Stay on the shore and help!"

"Thump!"

I threw down a sentence and jumped back into the underground river. I had just recovered a little on the bank when I was enveloped in cold again and was swept far away by the rapids. It wasn't until the people on the bank pulled the rope that I regained my balance and swam toward Qu Ruilin.

Just as Lin Que said, swimming horizontally in the river is extremely physically demanding. When I was exhausted, I hadn't even swum halfway before my speed noticeably slowed down.

At the same time, Jiang Man on the shore shouted, "The water monkey has arrived! Pull him up!"

"Don't pull me!"

I heard Jiang Man's voice and shouted loudly. Then, I don't know where I got the strength, but I swam to Qu Ruilin's side and turned him over.

"Tear!"

Qu Ruilin was already unconscious. The rat-patterned clothes hanging on the rock were torn to shreds and swept away by the current along with me. As we drifted downstream, I fastened the rope around Qu Ruilin's body: "Done, pull..."

"Bang!"

Before I could utter a word, I suddenly felt a tremendous force slam into my back, and then my legs were pulled, and my body instantly sank into the water.

Before, when I was in the water, I was wearing a gas mask made of rat skin. Although there was no oxygen underwater, it provided good visibility. But now, without the gas mask, I couldn't even open my eyes. After being bumped in the chest by a water monkey, I immediately choked on a mouthful of water.