Tomb Raider: I Am Hu Bayi's Cousin

Chapter 196 Underwater Passage
Whether it's Hu Ming or anyone else, there's no longer any need for them to stay in this illusory realm.

Returning along the same route, climbing over the green rocks, the six of them arrived once again at the edge of this wind-eroded lake.

Overnight, the blood-red color in the lake had faded, and the water had returned to its clear color.

However, the densely packed fish bones, scales, and bits of flesh floating on the water's surface are still a shocking sight.

"Hiss~ Sherry, you and Akiko aren't mistaken, are you?"

"That Evil Luo Sea City didn't sink to the bottom of the sea, did it?"

Hu Bayi looked at the lake and gasped, feeling a slight sense of unease.

Holy crap, with this kind of scene, who the hell would want to go diving and searching for ruins?
This scene is almost identical to the appearance of freshly squeezed frog juice in later generations; half of the people would feel nauseous just looking at it, let alone want to go down into it.

"It must be right, it must be down here, we have no choice but to go down."

Yang Xueli's face was also a little pale. She subconsciously grasped the hand of Hu Bayi, who was standing next to her in disbelief, seeking some comfort.

After all, who can resist a girl who loves beauty?
"I made a mistake. I shouldn't have been in such a rush yesterday..."

Even Hu Ming, witnessing this scene, felt his lips twitch and secretly regretted his actions yesterday.

The glacier crystal corpse's eyeballs are inside the fish king's stomach; presumably, nothing will happen to them anytime soon. Why bother?
But it's too late to regret it now...

Hu Ming noticed that after arriving here, the changes in the ghost eyes behind him and Hu Bayi became increasingly obvious.

However, Hu Ming can still suppress the situation, but Hu Bayi and his group don't have much time left.

……

This trip can be described as a desperate gamble.

Aside from essential weapons, ammunition, lighting equipment, dyes, and other items, everything that might be a burden was discarded to avoid adding extra weight. After donning their diving gear, the six of them stood in a row on the shore.

"Before we entered Xinjiang, I asked my senior brother to cast a divination. It said that one can only find the middle way when encountering water. I used to be skeptical about this, but now it seems to be true. This trip will definitely not be in vain."

Before setting off, Hu Bayi couldn't help but sigh:

"Senior brother?"

“The descendants of Zhang Sanlianzi, the master of the house, do indeed have an inexplicable connection with the Hu family... that person is also a highly skilled individual.”

Hu Ming replied casually.

"...I'm sorry, everyone, I want to say sorry to you."

“If I hadn’t insisted on going to the Jingjue Ancient City, I wouldn’t have caused so much trouble, which has implicated you all.”

"Also, Chu Yi, A Xiang, I'm sorry, we've dragged you into this mess."

Before getting into the water, Yang Xueli said apologetically.

"Forget about apologies and gratitude. The goal is within reach, and the damned curse on you is about to be lifted. What are you worried about?"

"However, before you go into the water, I would like to give you a word of advice: please be very careful. This place has been buried underwater for more than two thousand years. Who knows what the situation is like? Don't be impulsive."

Hu Ming interrupted Yang Xueli and started moving his body.

Hu Bayi, who was standing to the side, nodded and said, "Yes, Shirley, this isn't your fault!"

In fact, ever since returning from the ancient city of Jingjue, Yang Xueli had felt extremely guilty, and had said apologies like this at least ten times. *Thump*
Hu Ming nodded to Hu Bayi and Yang Xueli, and the three of them jumped into the lake first.

After passing through the unbearable layer of fish carcasses on the surface, the water below had become crystal clear.

This wind-eroded lake is a living lake; nature has already purified it almost completely overnight.

The water was crystal clear, and you could see the pitted caves at the bottom of the lake at a glance.

However, unlike yesterday, the densely packed white-bearded fish in the lake had been reduced to fragments.

And those two striped dragons.
I reckon they're hiding in some underwater cave.

Not too deep in the lake, there's a conspicuous hole in the top of the honeycomb.

As soon as I dived in, the lake water was stirred up, and streams of dark blood, bits of flesh and scales of white-bearded fish were carried by the seeping undercurrents into the caves on both sides of the wind-eroded rock.

This is also why the wind-eroded lake can be almost completely purified overnight.

There's a hidden paradise beneath this lake.

They continued to descend, and soon the six of them reached the deepest part of the cave.

However, the bottom of the passage was blocked by a huge stone sphere.

Over the years, a thick layer of transparent plankton has accumulated on it.

Various small fish and shrimp also clung to it.

Judging from its size and shape, it should be the eye-shaped stone ball enshrined in the very center of the ancient city that the journey has transformed into.

Upon seeing this, everyone was immediately overjoyed.

This means they've found the right place; the real Evil Luo Sea City is buried in the wind-eroded cave at the bottom of the lake!
But the stone sphere was too big! It completely blocked the passage. The six of them swam around the stone sphere, but they couldn't find a gap big enough for one person to swim through.

trouble!
Seeing this, Hu Ming, who had expected it, couldn't help but shake his head inwardly and gestured for Hu Bayi and the others to step back.

Controlling his body to float not far in front of the stone ball, and waiting until no one had retreated to the safe area, Hu Ming took a deep breath and exhaled a long string of bubbles.

Wow!
Suddenly, Hu Ming moved, his muscles surging, his streamlined muscles straining against his tight-fitting diving suit.

When Hu Ming swims at full speed, his speed is frighteningly fast.

Amidst the admiring gazes of Hu Bayi and the others, Hu Ming shot through the water like an arrow released from a bow, hurtling towards the giant stone sphere.

A muffled thud underwater.

Just before he was about to hit the stone ball, Hu Ming had already adjusted his posture and, using the momentum, slammed his feet hard into the stone ball.

Once, twice, three times...

After being kicked seven or eight times, the huge stone ball finally began to shake violently.

After all, when a person is floating in water, there is nowhere to hold onto, and the fact that some material has accumulated between the stone ball and the cave wall over the past two thousand years has further increased the difficulty.

Bang! Hu Ming's final kick became the last straw that broke the camel's back, and the huge stone ball slowly fell down the cave wall.

At the same time, as the stone ball rolled, the water flow changed. A huge amount of water was driven by the movement of the stone ball and began to rotate and flow down the channel.

Now comes the most dangerous part!
(End of this chapter)