Chapter 252

"I forgot to mention—I may not be great at much else, but my memory is truly excellent. Even without a guide rope, I can find my way back just fine. So, if the guide rope breaks, it's no big deal for me."

Qin Yun's words sent shockwaves through the live stream.

"No way, Qin Ye, are you even hearing yourself right?"

"Good memory? Is this even about memory?"

"What does memory have to do with it? The whole route is so long, twisting and turning everywhere."

"Damn, but seeing Qin Ye so calm, he must really know what he's doing."

"That's what makes it insane."

Not just the netizens—even Su Huan didn't know Qin Yun's skill list; these were his secret weapons.

Yet a woman's intuition told her Qin Yun wasn't lying—he truly remembered the way back. So, just hearing him say that, she suddenly felt much more at ease.

"Miss Su, should we notify Qin Ye to return?"

Wei Heng said.

Su Huan thought for a moment: "Just ask him directly, but he probably won't come back."

Wei Heng naturally knew that—but he still had to ask Su Huan, letting her make the decision.

Hearing her say that, Wei Heng immediately contacted Qin Yun.

"Qin Ye, are you certain you remember the way back? If you do, would you like to return first and use the spare guide rope to reestablish…?"

Before he could finish, Qin Yun rejected it.

"No need. I've got it under control."

Seeing him say that, Wei Heng naturally complied.

On Qin Yun's end, he secured the guide rope and began crawling through the cave entrance. The pitch-black cavern slowly revealed its true form under the spotlight.

The cave was long; Qin Yun swam for nearly fifteen minutes before finally seeing the exit.

Both sides of the cave walls were heavily corroded, riddled with holes like bee hives, pitted and uneven, full of depressions. Mud had accumulated on the ground, with some stone pillars rising up from it.

Qin Yun moved entirely by swimming, never touching the mud below.

In such a deep, dark environment, visibility was already poor; stirring up the mud below would make it completely invisible.

As he emerged from the exit, a breathtaking scene suddenly burst into view—a vast abyss, like a monstrous beast, lunged toward him.

The sudden shock sent chills down the spines of the live stream viewers.

The cave exit opened onto a sheer vertical cliff, as if carved by a blade or axe; below stretched an endless abyss, utterly dark, while on the opposite side lay a striking scene.

Water surged out and plunged into the abyss, like a river waterfall—magnificent to behold.

"The entrance to the second layer of the maze lies beneath this abyss," Qin Yun stared downward, the ink-black void seeming ready to spew forth monsters at any moment.

"This waterfall differs from underwater ones—it's not formed by density differences. Here, it's driven purely by topographic drop. Though not as powerful as surface waterfalls, the currents here are extremely complex, posing a moderate challenge for me."

After speaking, the several underwater drones beside him darted forward, approaching the abyss. Their lights tore open a tiny sliver of darkness—but still, nothing could be seen.

"According to the data, the bottom of this abyss is a wide, canyon-like fissure—wide enough for me to pass through easily. Below it lies the second layer of the maze. Let's check our current depth."

Qin Yun raised his hand and glanced at the depth gauge.

"I'm currently at 185 meters. Two and a half hours have passed. I need to increase my gas flow rate slightly—even I require more oxygen at this depth."

Qin Yun adjusted the gas cylinder's flow rate, then kicked his legs, propelling himself forward with his fins like a swimming fish, descending into the abyss.

One drone had drifted far back, and viewers saw a faint light slowly sinking through the ink-black screen, the unknown below terrifyingly vast.

After descending several meters, Qin Yun didn't go straight down—he moved horizontally instead, continuously building a mental map of the terrain.

When he felt he had enough, he resumed descending.

"Damn, after all this time, I already think Qin Ye 's path is incredibly complex—yet this sinkhole is even wilder. It's a true wonder."

"Normal. Go check out some caves—you'll see it's pretty much the same."

"It just feels more complex because we're underwater."

"Yeah, swimming routes are different from walking routes."

Netizens, especially those with claustrophobia, found the scene unbearable—only Qin Yun visible, everything else pure darkness. They wanted to look away, but couldn't.

Qin Yun continued descending, another ten meters or so, until he reached the fissure's mouth. He immediately found a recess, drove in a lock, and secured the guide rope.

But just then, something suddenly tugged at his leg.

Instantly, Qin Yun froze mid-motion, his breath catching.

He looked toward the drone facing him: "I think something just pulled me."

The moment he spoke, the live stream exploded.

"Holy shit, don't scare me like that."

"What the hell?"

"2333, I'm terrified."

"OMG, is there a creature?"

Staff immediately directed the drone backward. It swiftly approached.

When the image cleared and revealed what was behind Qin Yun, everyone in the live stream was violently shaken—their very souls seemed to freeze with cold.

"A person? Holy shit, it's a person?"

"That scared the hell out of me."

"Jesus, holy shit!"

"Fuck!"

"OMG, how is there a person here?"

The live stream descended into chaos. The staff controlling the drone trembled violently, nearly falling over. All other staff were similarly stunned by the sudden sight.

For the image clearly showed a human-shaped object floating there.

Fins, helmet, oxygen tank—the shape was unmistakably human.

Qin Yun, unaware of the viewers' panic, slowly adjusted his orientation, preparing to investigate.

Meanwhile, the netizens screamed wildly.

"Holy shit, Qin Ye, don't turn around!"

"You'll die of fright!"

"Just get out of there!"

"Damn, will Qin Ye pass out?"

"66666."

When Qin Yun turned his body and slowly drew closer, the spotlight finally illuminated the object—and his heart clenched sharply.

It was instinct. Human nature.

No matter how strong Qin Yun was, he was still human. Seeing a human form suddenly in such a hellish place would shock anyone. But his superior physical and mental conditioning allowed him to calm instantly.

He quickly analyzed the situation.

He kicked his legs, swiftly approaching. Staff switched the feed to Qin Yun's primary camera; as he neared, the overhead lens zoomed in tightly.

Qin Yun examined the figure from head to toe, refraining from sudden movement—but he clearly spotted markings on the equipment.

"I think I've encountered a former colleague."

Qin Yun's calm voice echoed through the live stream.

"He was unfortunate—he died here, and his body was never recovered."

Qin Yun's composure stunned the live stream viewers.

"Damn, Qin Ye, are you even human? You see a corpse and stay this calm?"

"Grass is a plant."

"Just imagining it makes me shiver."

"Qin Ye isn't human."

"I'll have nightmares after watching this."

Qin Yun's voice continued from the live stream.

"According to my knowledge, of the four fatal incidents here, only one body was never recovered—that of the Italian diving master, Fabio Rossi."

"Anyone in diving should know him—a legendary figure who set multiple records, who ultimately perished in the Guangxi Leye Dashuiwei sinkhole. It's been ten years now."

He didn't wipe the moss off the helmet's faceplate—too strong a visual impact, might scare viewers too much.

But he reached out, grabbed the deceased's back-mounted oxygen tank, and pulled the body toward the fissure's edge.

Viewers stared, stunned by his actions.

"What's Qin Ye doing?"

"Could it be…?"

Some professionals guessed—excited, especially foreign experts, who quickly contacted Fabio's family through connections.

Qin Yun brought the body to the fissure's rocky edge, drove in a lock, and secured both the body and the guide rope. Then he pulled out a fluorescent marker and stuck it onto the corpse.

"Maybe some of you guessed—I plan to bring it back with me when I return."

The live stream erupted into chaos.