Chapter 247

The light grew dimmer as he approached the entrance.

By the time he stepped through the mouth of the cave, almost no light remained—only the beam from his flashlight carved out a narrow circle in the darkness.

The chill inside the cave was even sharper; in autumn, it would likely drop to near freezing. Even in the height of summer, the temperature here hovered around fifteen degrees.

The smell inside was far better than the rotting vegetation outside—almost fragrant.

The flashlight swept across the interior, revealing the scene: the rock walls inside the entrance were rougher than at the mouth, black moss spreading along the crevices deep into the cave.

He didn't pause, continuing forward.

Soon, after passing through the narrow opening, the space widened; the ceiling rose high—from an initial four or five meters, it gradually climbed higher, reaching over fifty meters after he walked another dozen meters. Above, stalactites of varying lengths hung densely.

Droplets of water condensed on the rocks, occasionally splashing onto the ground.

The flashlight beam revealed fleeting dark shapes—mostly insects adapted to this damp, dark environment.

As he went deeper, the ground turned to smooth rock; ahead, the sound of flowing water grew louder, and puddles on the ground became more numerous.

After another twenty or thirty steps, the cave widened again; the flashlight swept across, revealing a hidden bay of water.

The bay was irregular, nestled in a natural depression beneath the rock wall. According to official records, this was one of the entrances to the underground river.

Qin Yun walked closer and observed.

The water entrance spanned over ten meters wide, its edges thick with moss. The water was a faint blue-green, murky yet slightly translucent; when the flashlight shone down, nothing could be seen beyond one or two meters.

He reached out and touched it—the temperature was fine, suitable for him.

After briefly assessing the situation, he moved on to several other underground river entrances. Based on the route, he quickly mapped out precise distances and positions in his mind; should he complete the challenge successfully, he could choose his exit based on his exact location upon entering the water.

He didn't have to retrace his path.

Ordinary cave diving wasn't much of a challenge, since visibility wasn't blocked—sunlight easily filtered through the openings.

But here, beneath the Dashiwei sinkhole cluster, it was effectively blind diving.

Once inside, visibility would be cut off, and the only light source would be his flashlight; orientation would become impossible. For an ordinary person, entering such a cave to dive would be suicide.

Official records show that beneath the Dashiwei sinkhole cluster lies a labyrinthine network—layers upon layers, extremely complex.

Even under normal conditions, people get lost; imagine underwater, with no light or sense of direction.

Thus, the challenge's difficulty lies not just in depth, but in its internal complexity.

This underground river has turbulent currents, zero visibility, narrow passages prone to trapping divers. Due to the geography, thick silt is inevitable—and if he fails to complete the challenge within the time limit, he must return and try again.

In short, the difficulty is maxed out, teeming with danger.

Fortunately, Qin Yun's reward from his previous skydiving stunt in France was Spatial Memory.

The system's description of Spatial Memory Level 1 stated: "Photographic memory is merely the entry point; spatial reconstruction is merely the foundation." He hadn't thought much of it at first, but after later testing, he realized just how powerful this skill was.

This was the source of his greatest confidence for this cave dive.

For ordinary people, visibility and orientation are major hurdles—they rely entirely on guide ropes. Lose the rope, and they're finished. But he was different: even without a guide rope, every place he passed, every sight and sensation within his field of view, could be reconstructed spatially around him.

In other words, as soon as Qin Yun began cave diving, a 3D map of the space would gradually form in his mind, expanding with every movement he made. The wider his range, the larger the map—there was no risk of getting lost.

This ability was downright godlike.

Like a video game loading its map: areas not yet reached remained dark, but the moment he stepped into them, the terrain instantly appeared.

That's exactly how it worked for him now.

Back at the hotel, Su Huan was on the phone.

"Alright, thank you, very much. I'll tell him right away. Yeah, goodbye."

After hanging up, Su Huan smiled: "It was DJI. They've upgraded the equipment to secure the helmet internally, but due to size constraints, the battery only lasts eight hours."

"Enough." Qin Yun hadn't expected DJI to move so fast. "What about the other camera positions?"

"The other positions are modified too—they can track freely underwater, with strong propulsion and similar battery life. We've prepared ten in total."

"All three main partners are locked in. Price is three hundred thousand each, joint sponsorship. As for gear, each company says: as long as you use their equipment, they'll provide it free of charge, plus a 1. million yuan sponsorship, and they'll send professional maintenance staff on-site."

"That much?" Qin Yun was surprised. He knew his gear list was extensive—from head to toe, inside and out, at least twenty different types. Even accounting for overlapping manufacturers, there were still over ten.

Altogether, the sponsorship fees alone totaled twenty million yuan.

Su Huan stared at his shocked expression, speechless. "Have you forgotten who you are? You're the number one livestreamer on Douyin. I only agreed to this price because you said not to care about sponsorship amounts."

"Hehe, so I'm already that famous?"

Watching his clueless face, Su Huan suddenly leaned in and bit him hard—she only let go when she was gasping for air.

"Ugh, don't tease me."

Qin Yun stared at Su Huan, the villain who cried wolf, utterly speechless.

They played around, and after confirming all gear was in order, Qin Yun posted livestream announcements on Douyin, TikTok, YouTube, and Twitch.

【July 3, 10: 0 AM, Leye, Guangxi · Dashiwei Sinkhole Cluster, Challenge: 350-meter cave dive. Don't miss it.】

He also posted the livestream notice on Weibo and X.

Instantly, the extreme sports community erupted.

General viewers were just happy to see Qin Ye's livestream again. But extreme sports enthusiasts—especially divers—were stunned by the announcement.

"OMG, 350 meters? The world record is 308. Is Qin serious?"

"Holy shit, what's the Asian record again? Is Qin Ye trying to break it by a huge margin?"

"277. meters. Old Cat's record."

"Jesus, Qin is insane. He just challenged a 13, 00-meter skydive into the Heihou Sinkhole, and now he's going after the cave diving record."

"Unbelievable. Qin is just impossible."

"Shocking. If Qin Ye succeeds, he's not human."

"Holy shit, the open-circuit record is only 332 meters. How is he even going to do this?"

"Impossible. Absolutely impossible."

"Damn it, Qin Ye is gonna do it again!"

Most professionals, both domestic and international, expressed little confidence in Qin Yun's challenge.

Though Qin Yun had demonstrated superhuman aquatic abilities in the Indian Ocean—whether diving, swimming, or survival—cave diving was another matter entirely. At this depth, the human body endures over thirty atmospheres of pressure—over thirty kilograms per square centimeter. Anyone with average physical conditioning would die instantly.

And pressure increases the deeper you go; HPNS (High-Pressure Nervous Syndrome) could strike at any moment. Put bluntly: if equipment fails down there, nine out of ten deaths are optimistic.

Yet regardless of outside opinions, Qin Yun's livestream once again pushed his popularity to its peak.

Today is July 1—two days until the livestream!

Professionals from Red Bull and DJI arrived early at the cave entrance to set up. Soon, the once-dark sinkhole glowed brightly with lights.

For this livestream, Qin Yun wouldn't have time to switch camera angles, so he contacted DJI, who generously provided him a full livestream team. When Red Bull heard, they insisted on helping too.

Thus, without realizing it, his livestream crew had grown enormous.

And this would be his first-ever underwater livestream.