Chen Hao stepped onto higher ground, but his foot slipped, and his knee slammed heavily against the rocks. He didn't utter a sound, using his hands to push himself up, and glanced back at the increasingly wet riverbed. The water had already reached the spot they had just passed, and a layer of murky bubbles rose to the surface of the muddy ground.
"Luckily I ran fast," Karl panted, plopping down on the ground. "Otherwise, I'd be covered in mud right now."
Nana stood at the edge, her camera pointed forward. Her detector emitted a short beep, and the waveform on the screen flickered.
There's water ahead.
“Nonsense.” Karl looked up. “Anyone can see that.”
“It’s not a stream,” Nana said. “It’s a river, about 35 meters wide, with a current speed of 1.8 meters per second, a high sand content, and an unstable bottom structure.”
Susan walked over to her and glanced at the screen. "Can't pass?"
“Forcing our way across the water is extremely risky.” Nana retrieved the instrument. “I suggest finding a narrow spot upstream or building a pontoon bridge.”
"Build a bridge?" Carl rolled his eyes. "We don't even have enough rope to tie our shoelaces."
"If you had said less, you could have saved enough energy to carry a longer piece of wood." Chen Hao patted the side pocket of his backpack to make sure the weapon was still there.
The four walked upstream along the riverbank. The ground gradually hardened, and occasionally a few washed-out stone slabs could be seen. The wind blew from the river, carrying a damp, fishy smell.
Less than ten minutes later, the river was still wide, but the current had become even faster.
“Going any further won’t help.” Susan stopped. “At this rate, the water volume will increase as we go higher.”
"Then we'll just have to find a way to get across." Chen Hao stared at the opposite bank. "Nana, are there any shallows? Or are there any rocks we can step on?"
Nana activated the detection mode, scanned for a few seconds, and then shook her head: "The silt layer is thick, and the deepest part is more than five meters deep. There are no visible support points on the surface."
"So you mean it sinks as soon as you step on it?" Karl took half a step back.
"Theoretically, yes."
“Theory is the most misleading,” he muttered. “Last time you said there was ‘no risk of collapse for the time being,’ and I almost ended up as a swamp specimen.”
“You didn’t follow instructions that time.” Chen Hao looked at a protruding rock by the river. “Let’s stop over there and discuss how to proceed.”
The four approached the reef, and just as they stood firm, the water suddenly churned.
A dark shadow darted out of the water and lunged at Karl. He reacted a beat too slow, instinctively raising his hand to shield his face.
Susan abruptly pulled him away; the thing grazed her sleeve and crashed into the mud behind her, splashing water everywhere.
"What is that!" Karl jumped back two steps.
Nana had already raised the detector and switched to defense mode. "An aquatic creature, about two meters long, resembling an eel in appearance, with a serrated structure in its mouth."
The second one leaped out immediately, this time targeting Susan. She grabbed her pickaxe and swung it horizontally, the metal bar striking the thing's body with a dull thud, deflecting it off course.
“They’re afraid of hard objects!” she exclaimed.
"Then don't let them touch anyone." Chen Hao drew his rope gun from his waist. "Nana, distract them!"
Nana pressed the button, and an electromagnetic pulse shot into the water. The approaching third creature paused, its body twisting as it fell back into the river.
“It works!” she said, “but for a limited time.”
"That's enough." Chen Hao aimed at the nearest one. "Karl, prepare the flares."
“All ready!” Karl pulled out his magazine and cocked it with a click.
"Wait until I call three."
"Are you still counting?"
"one!"
The first one burst out of the water again, so fast that it was almost invisible.
"two!"
Chen Hao pulled the trigger, and the rope flew out, precisely looping around its head.
"three!"
Karl fired, and the flare exploded in the air, illuminating the river with a blinding white light. The startled creature thrashed wildly, but Chen Hao dragged it to shallow water by the rope.
He rushed forward, stomped on its tail, and swung the pickaxe handle with his other hand, smashing it down on its head. After three blows, the creature twitched a few times and then went still.
The other few lingered around the water's edge for a while before finally retreating back into the deeper water.
A brief silence.
Carl slumped to the ground. "I declare that I will never eat fish again."
“It’s too late for you to eat now.” Susan checked her sleeve; the fabric had a tear. “If that movement had been five centimeters off, I would have been riddled with holes.”
"Are you hurt?" Chen Hao leaned closer to check.
"It's just a superficial wound." She rolled up her sleeve, revealing three red marks on her arm, glistening with blood. "They're not deep; a little treatment will do."
"I'll do it." Nana opened the medical kit and took out disinfectant spray and bandages. "Keep still."
“You reacted pretty quickly just now,” Chen Hao said to Karl, “even though you almost got bitten.”
“What can I do?” Carl shrugged. “I can’t fly. If Susan hadn’t pulled me back, I’d be writing my will in its stomach right now.”
"Don't stand still next time." Chen Hao patted him on the shoulder. "Get out of the way as soon as you hear a noise."
"Before I could even think about it, it was already pressed against my face."
“So we have to anticipate their moves.” Chen Hao looked at the river. “These guys are probably hunters who rely on surprise attacks to catch prey. As long as we don’t get too close to the shore, they won’t attack us.”
“The problem is we have to cross the river,” Carl said, pointing to the other side. “Are we just going to wait for them to move?”
"Let's rest first." Chen Hao sat down against the reef. "That round just now was quite exhausting, let's all catch our breath."
While bandaging Susan's wound, Nana pulled up a map. "Based on the current coordinates, the nearest safe crossing point is six kilometers upstream, which would take about two hours to walk."
"Six kilometers?" Carl's eyes widened. "It'll be dark by the time we get there."
“Or we could try building a raft.” Susan stretched her arms. “The current is fast in the middle of the river, but there’s a calmer section near the bank. If we can find enough buoyant material…”
“The problem is we don’t have the tools to cut down trees.” Chen Hao looked around. “There are low shrubs all around, making it difficult to even start a fire.”
“I can provide structural calculation support,” Nana said. “If the right materials are available, a simple buoy design can be completed in thirty minutes.”
“The key is where the materials are.” Karl stood up, limped a few steps, and said, “Ouch, the spot where I was hit is starting to hurt.”
"What happened to your right leg?" Chen Hao asked.
"I don't know, it just felt like I'd been hit with a stick." He rolled up his trouser leg, revealing a bruise on the outside of his calf. "Looks like this guy didn't forget to give me a souvenir before he left."
"It's just a bruise." Chen Hao reached out and pressed it. "The bone is fine, but you have to be careful when walking these next few days."
"Take it easy?" Carl chuckled wryly. "You mean you want me to hop across on one leg?"
"Why don't you stay here and wait for us to come back?"
"You wish. If you leave me here alone, and then you find the treasure, I'll be a missing person."
“Nobody will put up a tombstone for you.” Susan put away her notebook. “It will say, ‘Here lies an explorer who was swept away by the river because of his loose tongue.’”
"You still have to have dreams," Carl said, leaning on his pickaxe. "Maybe one day I can be the protagonist."
“You are now.” Chen Hao stood up and looked at the river. “It’s just that the protagonist doesn’t necessarily live long.”
Nana completed the final scan. "The signal in the water is weakening, and no active organisms have been detected approaching."
"Does that mean they're scared of being beaten?" Karl asked.
“It’s more likely a temporary retreat.” Nana closed the device. “These kinds of creatures are usually social and territorial. We’ve encroached on their territory.”
"Should we continue forward, or take a detour?" Susan asked Chen Hao.
“The detour is too far.” Chen Hao stared at the opposite bank for a while. “Since they are afraid of strong light and impact, we can try to cross quickly.”
"How are we going to get through this?" Karl asked nervously.
"Find a narrow section of the river, set up a tethering line with ropes, and pull them across one by one. Nana will provide cover, Carl and I will cover the rear, and Susan will go first."
"What if we get attacked midway?"
"Then let's fight as we go." Chen Hao gripped the rope gun tightly. "Anyway, it's not like this is our first time fighting."
“Easy for you to say,” Carl muttered. “You all have weapons, and all I have is a pickaxe, which I use to dig rocks.”
“You can swing a pickaxe too.” Chen Hao glanced at him. “If all else fails, just yell for help, and we’ll come back to rescue you.”
“Who cares about me at a time like this?” Carl muttered. “They’re all busy running for their lives.”
"You don't trust us?" Susan chuckled.
“It’s not that I don’t believe it,” he said. “I know you all too well.”
Chen Hao didn't reply. Instead, he walked to the riverbank and used a long stick to probe the water depth. The stick touched the bottom less than a meter in, but mud immediately coated it, turning the lower half brown.
“This section is barely wide enough for a person to stand in,” he said. “Any further out, it’s not safe.”
Nana walked over and handed him the detector. "The water flow has slowed down slightly, probably because the battle just now disturbed the bottom sediments."
“That’s the opportunity.” Chen Hao looked up. “Right here, make your move.”
The four began setting up the tow rope. Chen Hao secured one end to a large rock on the bank and threw the other end to the opposite bank. The first throw wasn't enough; it wasn't until the second throw that it caught on a dead tree.
"Alright." He tugged on the rope. "Sturdy."
Susan grabbed the rope first and slowly walked into the water. When the water reached her thighs, she noticeably slowed down.
"Don't stop!" Chen Hao shouted from behind. "Keep moving!"
She nodded and continued forward. Halfway there, the water suddenly began to ripple.
"Watch out!" Nana shouted.
A dark figure rushed out from the side, heading straight for Susan. She instinctively ducked and simultaneously slammed her clipboard down.
With a snap, the thing was hit on the head and fell into the water at an angle.
Chen Hao immediately fired, the rope wrapped around its body, and with a strong pull, dragged it to the shore. Karl then added a pickaxe, completely incapacitating it.
Susan seized the opportunity to quicken her pace and finally stepped onto the other side.
"Next." Chen Hao turned around.
Nana packed up her equipment and stepped into the water. Her steps were steady, barely causing any ripples. When she reached the middle, two more streams approached from downstream.
"Left!" Carl warned.
Nana quickly turned around and fired an electromagnetic pulse. The two creatures moved sluggishly and were swayed off course by the water flow.
She successfully landed.
"Your turn," Chen Hao said to Karl.
“I really don’t want to leave.” Carl looked at the murky river. “There’s probably a lot more waiting for me in there.”
"If you don't come over, we're leaving," Chen Hao said.
"Wait!" Carl took a deep breath. "I'm coming!"
As soon as he stepped into the water, his right leg buckled, and he almost collapsed to his knees.
Chen Hao grabbed his arm. "Steady up."
“I’m fine,” Carl said through gritted teeth. “It’s just that this piece of meat is a bit unruly.”
"Hold on tight to the luggage strap." Chen Hao stuffed the rope into his hand. "Take it one step at a time, don't run."
The two walked slowly forward. The water gradually rose, reaching their waists.
Just as they reached two-thirds of the way through, the riverbed suddenly trembled.
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