I struggled to swim towards the shore, but it felt as if an invisible hand in the water was constantly pulling me down. As I swam, I clearly felt the resistance of the surrounding currents growing stronger, sweeping me forward. Initially, I was happy about this, as the current's push would allow me to swim quickly. However, this increasingly rapid flow now felt like a death knell! If things continued like this, not to mention any protruding rocks ahead, I would eventually run out of strength and be swept to the riverbed.
Realizing this, I desperately swam towards the riverbank. Perhaps heaven favored me, for there was indeed a protruding rock in the water not far from me. As I was swept towards it, I grabbed on with all my might, managing to steady myself. I rested by the rock for a while, regaining some strength. Then, with a powerful push from my lower body, I finally dragged myself onto the shore. Damn, I almost died in this underground river!
I lay on the riverbed, gasping for air. Suddenly, I felt a stinging sensation in my hands. Looking down, I saw that my hands were now raw and bleeding. I hadn't felt much in the water, but now a searing, tearing pain surged through me. This was perhaps the price for escaping the water. I lay there resting for a while until I had recovered enough. I then took gauze from my backpack and bandaged my hands simply, before observing my surroundings.
I was now far from Xibel and the others. The place I had climbed onto was a natural cave, with strange plants growing nearby. According to the plan I had made with Qu Xiangyun, I was supposed to use the river's current to flow downstream and escape this underground palace. But now, the river had become unusually turbulent. I couldn't guarantee that I would survive if I entered the water again and managed to reach the shore. Therefore, even though the environment was unknown, I had no choice but to steel myself and continue along the riverbank.
With a determined mind, I subconsciously glanced at my hands, shook off the water, and accidentally touched the protrusion on my forearm. Damn it, I almost forgot about this thing! This protrusion was the tracking chip that Xibel had implanted in me. This thing was like a death warrant, ensuring that I wouldn't betray her. I had been so focused on struggling ashore that I had completely forgotten about it. I felt the particularly sensitive protrusion, pondered for a moment, and drew my alloy knife from my waist.
"Pfft!" As the tip of the alloy knife pierced my skin, cold sweat involuntarily streamed down my face. But I gritted my teeth, not wanting to make a sound, and only breathed a sigh of relief after digging out the tracking chip from beneath my skin. Xibel, the company! The pain I suffered today, I will repay you a thousand times over in the future! I threw the excavated chip onto the ground and stomped on it until it shattered. Then, I found some medicine, bandaged my arm simply, and continued to move downstream along the riverbank.
I walked along the river for about two hours without incident. However, walking this path, I finally understood why the current in the latter half of this underground river flowed faster and faster. It turned out that this underground river was not a single entity but composed of many underground rivers that eventually converged, forming a larger river that rushed downward. Knowing this, I understood why Qu Xiangyun said that if I followed this river, I would be able to leave the underground palace. If my guess was correct, the end of this river was the sea. And Qu Xiangyun's father must have found an entrance from the seaside to enter this underground palace back then.
Thinking of this, a flash of inspiration struck me, and I realized something. This underground palace beneath the snow mountain should not be as vast as I imagined. Because we were all on this island. If the scale of this underground palace was immense and deep, it would inevitably connect to the sea.
As I contemplated these questions, I remained constantly vigilant of my surroundings. After all, although our group consisted entirely of women, Xibel and Heather were not to be trifled with. They were very useful in times of danger. Now, alone in this unexplored territory, if I encountered the spiders or insects from before, I might not die, but I would lose half my life. Qu Xiangyun's reason for telling me to follow the river downstream was precisely because the underground water was safer than the surface, with fewer monsters and demons. But unfortunately, neither of us had anticipated that the latter half of the underground river would converge into a more turbulent great river.
As I mused, I suddenly noticed a problem I had previously overlooked!