Damn it, what is this!
I cursed under my breath and shone my flashlight into the water, only to find a dark, moss-like mass缠绕ing my feet.
I struggled with all my might, trying to break free, but the resistance of the river water reduced my efforts to almost nothing. Instead, the weeds tightened their grip.
I felt as if the weeds were alive, pulling me down with increasing force. In desperation, I drew the alloy knife from my leg and slashed fiercely at the weeds, finally breaking free.
Behind me, screams came from Qu Xiangyun and Xivil. Xivil had even drawn her gun and was firing into the water.
Fortunately, my early warning had alerted them, and they were not entangled by the weeds.
This underground river is truly treacherous, with hidden dangers beneath its calm surface!
Facing the constant threat of death in this underground river, the three of us displayed incredible speed. Thankfully, the weeds were not actually alive, and we managed to climb onto the opposite bank, shaken but unharmed.
Once ashore, Qu Xiangyun collapsed by the riverbank, panting heavily. I, however, was still puzzled by the thing in the water.
What in the world was that?
I had only caught a glimpse with my flashlight earlier.
Now that we were safely ashore, I turned the flashlight to its highest setting and directed the beam into the underground water.
It was then that I saw something that exceeded my imagination.
What I had thought were weeds were not the main body of the creature. They were attached to a round, half-meter-long plant, in the center of which was a gaping maw.
I could even see its sharp teeth, glistening with bits of flesh under the intense beam of the flashlight!
This explained everything. Before crossing the river, I had felt that something was missing from the water. Now it made sense; there wasn't a single living creature in the river, not even a fish in sight. They had all been devoured by this monstrosity in the water!
Everywhere beneath the ice was fraught with peril!
I thought to myself, with a lingering sense of dread, and suddenly worried about Su Yunran and Xia Liuli. How had they managed to cross this river?
I had seen scraps of flesh on the creature's teeth. Could it be that Su Yunran and Xia Liuli had been eaten by this monster when they crossed?
Clutching the scrap of cloth in my hand, I stared at the river, lost in thought. At this moment, Qu Xiangyun had regained some of his strength and approached me.
"What is this?"
Qu Xiangyun looked at the scrap of cloth with a puzzled expression. This matter was not something to hide, so I told Qu Xiangyun the whole story of the cloth.
Then, I sighed again. Rationally speaking, this place beneath the ice was full of dangers. Su Yunran and Xia Liuli, being ordinary people with no professional wilderness survival training, could not possibly survive in such an environment.
However, seeing this piece of cloth, a sliver of hope ignited in my heart. What if Su Yunran and Xia Liuli had survived? How wonderful that would be!
After listening to my account, Qu Xiangyun looked sad and said nothing, only giving me a hug.
As an adventurer like Qu Xiangyun, he must have experienced the pain of losing companions before, so he could empathize with my feelings.
Just as Qu Xiangyun and I were both feeling down, Xivil suddenly stood up.
"We should go."
This woman was a true capitalist in the field, giving us barely any time to catch our breath.
I cursed inwardly, then took a few deep breaths, suppressing my low spirits, and continued forward.
Not long after bidding farewell to the underground river, we came upon a vibrant field of flowers.
The flowers in this sea of blossoms were of every variety and color, a dazzling spectacle. Some colorful mushrooms were interspersed among them, their brilliant exteriors hiding deadly dangers.
Upon seeing this sea of flowers, my instincts flared.
Not long after arriving in this area, we had encountered a vast field of flowers.
The fragrance of those flowers had caused hallucinations, and I had almost died there, being less experienced then.
Now, the field before us was even more beautiful than the one I had experienced!
In nature, beauty often conceals great danger, forcing me to remain vigilant.
"Xivil, let's search around and see if there's another way. I have a bad feeling about this field of flowers!"
Xivil nodded, seemingly agreeing with my thoughts.
We were already short-handed, and any setback could lead to our complete annihilation.
We fanned out, facing this sea of flowers, searching along its edges for an alternative route.
But to our disappointment, after searching for a long time, we discovered that the only way forward was to traverse this field of flowers.
There was no other path.
Ultimately, with no other option, we decided to skirt along the rock face and cross the flower field, minimizing our contact with it.
Just as I was about to step into it, Xivil grabbed my arm, as if suddenly remembering something.
"Oh, right. This is for you."