Chapter 252: Fellow Travelers

"I forgot to mention—I might not be great at other things, but my memory is genuinely excellent. Even without the guide rope, I could find my way back just fine. So the rope breaking isn't a problem for me."

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

"Holy shit, Qin Ye, are you even aware of what you're saying?"

"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 exactly why it's insane."

Not just the netizens—Su Huan didn't know Qin Yun's skill list; these were all 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 considerably more at ease.

"Young Lady 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 this, but he had to ask Su Huan—let 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 consider returning first to 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, then began crawling into the cave entrance. The pitch-black cavern slowly revealed itself 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 combs, pitted and uneven, dotted with depressions. Mud had accumulated on the ground, with several Shi Zhu protruding from it.

Qin Yun advanced entirely in a swimming posture, never touching the mud below.

In such a deep, dark environment, visibility is already poor; stirring up the mud below would render everything utterly invisible.

Emerging from the exit, a shocking scene suddenly burst into view—a vast abyss, like a monstrous beast, lunged toward him.

The sudden impact sent a chill down the spines of the live stream viewers.

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

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

"The entrance to the second layer of the labyrinth lies beneath this abyss," Qin Yun stared downward, the pitch-black scene 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 a subterranean river, driven solely by topographic drop. Though not as powerful as surface waterfalls, the currents here are extremely complex, posing a moderate challenge for me."

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

"Data shows that at the bottom of this abyss lies a canyon-like fissure—very wide, easily passable for me. Below it lies the second layer of the labyrinth. Let's check our current depth."

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

"My current depth is 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 oxygen tank's flow rate, then kicked his fins, propelling himself forward like a swimming fish, descending into the abyss.

One drone had drifted far back; viewers saw, in the pitch-black frame, a faint light slowly sinking, with utter unknown below—terrifying beyond words.

After descending several meters, Qin Yun didn't go straight down—he moved laterally, continuously constructing the terrain in his mind.

When he felt satisfied, he resumed descending.

"Damn, after all this time, I already think Qin Ye's path is incredibly complex—this sinkhole's interior is like this? Pure spectacle."

"Normal. Go look at those caves—you'll see it's basically the same."

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

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

Netizens, especially fans with claustrophobia, found the scene—only Qin Yun visible, everything else pure darkness—almost unbearable. They wanted to look away, yet couldn't tear their eyes off.

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.

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."

At these words, the live stream exploded.

"Holy shit, don't scare me."

"What the hell?"

"2333, I'm terrified."

"OMG, is there a creature?"

Staff immediately maneuvered the drone backward to capture what was behind Qin Yun; the drone swiftly closed in.

When the image sharpened and revealed the object 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 erupted in chaos. The staff controlling the drone trembled violently, nearly collapsing. All other staff were similarly stunned by the sudden image.

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

Fins, helmet, air tank—the shape is unmistakably human.

Qin Yun naturally knew nothing of this; he slowly adjusted his direction, preparing to investigate further.

Meanwhile, the online viewers in the livestream screamed wildly.

"Holy shit, Master Qin, don't turn around."

"You'll get scared to death."

"Just get out of there."

"Damn it, is Master Qin gonna faint from fear?"

"66666."

When Qin Yun's body turned and slowly drew near, and the spotlight finally illuminated the object, his heart clenched sharply.

It was instinct, a natural human reaction.

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

He quickly analyzed the situation.

He kicked his legs, swiftly closing the distance; the crew immediately switched to Qin Yun's primary camera feed, and the overhead lens zoomed in rapidly as he approached.

Qin Yun scanned the figure up and down, refraining from any sudden movement, but he faintly spotted some markings on the equipment worn by the other.

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

Qin Yun's calm voice echoed from the livestream.

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

Qin Yun's composure stunned the livestream viewers.

"Damn it, is Master Qin even human? You encounter a corpse and stay this calm?"

"Grass is a plant."

"Just imagining it makes me shiver."

"Master Qin isn't even human."

"I'll have nightmares tonight after seeing this."

Qin Yun's voice continued to come from the livestream.

"As far as I know, of the four drowning incidents here, only one body was never recovered—that of the Italian diving master, Fabio Rossi."

"Anyone in the diving world should have heard of him—a legendary figure who set multiple records, who ultimately perished in the Guangxi Leye Dashui Tiankeng, ten years ago."

He did not wipe the moss from the helmet's faceplate, as the visual impact was too strong and might frighten others.

But he reached out, grabbed the air tank on the back of the corpse, and pulled it toward the edge of the fissure.

The livestream viewers stared, frozen at his actions.

"What the hell is Master Qin doing?"

"Could it be…"

Some professionals guessed—each one excited, especially foreign experts, some of whom quickly contacted Fabio's family through connections.

Qin Yun brought the corpse to the rock wall at the fissure's edge, secured a latch, and fastened both the body and the guide rope to it, then pulled out a fluorescent marker and stuck it into the corpse.

"Maybe some of you guessed—I plan to bring it along when I return."

The livestream erupted into chaos.