Chapter 256: Extreme Return (Seek Support)

When the live stream's depth reading reached 350 meters, no one cheered.

Because at this very moment, a great crisis loomed over Qin Yun, and compared to the live stream challenge, they cared more about how Qin Yun would break the deadlock.

"I suddenly feel scared—damn, my heart is pounding like a drum."

"Yeah, I'm freaking out—hope Brother Qin is okay."

"Brother Qin probably hasn't switched to the backup yet."

"This dive has been anything but smooth from start to finish; most people would've quit the moment their guide rope snapped, let alone all the other troubles that followed."

Upon completing the check-in task, Qin Yun's mind filled with vast amounts of painting techniques.

Though he was already highly skilled at painting, he now felt as if it had become instinct—anytime he had a pen, he could effortlessly sketch whatever he wanted. Not only did he excel in every school of technique, but also in manga, traditional Chinese painting, and oil painting; most importantly, these techniques came bundled with other knowledge.

It was precisely this knowledge that constituted master-level painting skill.

For instance: geometric structure, natural form structure, human anatomy, animal anatomy, perspective, light and shadow, material texture, composition—these skills were all adjuncts to painting technique, and it was mastery of these that elevated his painting to master level.

Only after mastering master-level painting technique did Qin Yun realize that painting technique itself was merely skin-deep; these adjunct skills were the core.

But what do I even need painting technique for?

Draw for viewers on the live stream? Switch careers and sell paintings?

He now knew the system's skill rewards were completely unpredictable—anything could appear. So the appearance of painting technique wasn't surprising. At least this skill seemed more reliable than music composition.

The CCR rebreather beside his ear continued to hiss, oxygen partial pressure rising rapidly, nearing its critical limit.

His hand touched the switch for the backup air source—just a light flick would instantly switch to it.

Qin Yun began ascending, and his voice echoed through the live stream.

"CCR stands for Closed-Circuit Rebreather. It can operate for long periods by recycling gas: exhaled gas passes through a carbon dioxide absorption canister, a small amount of oxygen is added, then it's rebreathed—extremely low gas consumption."

"But once switched to the backup air source, it's an open-circuit tank—every breath is expelled directly into the water, no recycling at all. Gas consumption is ten times higher than CCR; even at the lowest setting, I can only last an hour."

Hearing Qin Yun's explanation, netizens suddenly understood.

At the same time, their tension intensified.

An hour? Remember, Qin Yun took over five hours to descend and break the record; even if returning the same way saved time, it couldn't possibly save fivefold.

At this moment, Qin Yun's mental 3D map of the underground river had a complete route—except for one break: the collapsed waterway. The original plan to exit through other hidden river outlets had now been completely abandoned.

He had no time for that anymore!

And he still had to drag Fabio's corpse back—making it even more urgent.

But the most critical issue wasn't any of that—it was that ascending from such extreme depth required decompression. Ascending without decompression was pure suicide.

So he had to stop periodically to decompress, which ate up even more time.

Qin Yun rapidly ascended thirty meters, and his body immediately sensed abnormal pressure—he halted instantly, his superior physical condition swiftly adjusting internal pressure.

For an ordinary person, sudden pressure drop would require long pauses, but Qin Yun was different—his physical condition allowed him to balance internal and external pressure in an extremely short time.

In less than two minutes, he completed the pressure adjustment, and at that moment, the CCR finally reached its limit.

"My rebreather has reached its limit—I must switch to the backup air source. I'll try not to speak further from now on; please understand."

With that, Qin Yun pressed the backup air source switch—the rebreather instantly switched over.

Simultaneously, on the live stream screen, a countdown for the air tank appeared.

59:59… 59:58…

This countdown, like a life countdown, stirred unavoidable tension.

Su Huan clenched his fists so tightly his nails nearly pierced his skin, his worry plain in his eyes, his breathing quickened.

Not just him—the entire cave operation team was gripped by tension, every face grim.

"Damn, this is making me nervous as hell."

"I'm terrified."

"Hope nothing goes wrong."

"Hahaha, this demon's finally dead."

"Serves him right!"

In the foreign comment section, those PETA fanatics reappeared, shouting wildly, instantly sparking a wave of online brawls.

After confirming his body was unharmed, Qin Yun immediately continued ascending.

After spending over ten minutes, he finally emerged outside the third-layer labyrinth. The complex terrain—dense waterways, countless caves—made viewers' scalps tingle.

"Damn, does Brother Qin remember the way back?"

"If he forgets, he's done for—no one can save him now."

"He'll be fine—Brother Qin's the king of reckless stunts."

Qin Yun followed his original route back, weaving through the caves, never hesitating at any fork—as if everything was crystal clear—until he floated before the collapsed cavern entrance.

He stabilized and adjusted his internal pressure, stared at the collapsed passage ahead, and said: "I need to pick another waterway—hope it works."

With that, he unfastened his tank and chose the nearest passage to the collapsed cavern, diving in.

The complexity inside was identical—every time he emerged from a cave mouth, he faced a new choice. Each choice led to a different outcome.

Qin Yun spent over twenty minutes here before finally returning to the muddy riverbed.

The depth gauge now read: 235 meters.

Meaning he had ascended 120 meters in just half an hour. It sounds like a lot, but the air tank had only half an hour left; even under ideal conditions, he couldn't possibly ascend another 235 meters, given all the horizontal detours.

"Damn, my palms are sweating."

"I remember the foreigner's corpse is here—Brother Qin, leave it behind."

"Yeah, dragging another corpse will seal his fate."

"I agree—your life comes first. We can always come back later."

Qin Yun soon appeared beside Fabio's corpse, unfastened the securing clips, grabbed a rope tied to the corpse's back, and began ascending.

Adding about a hundred jin of weight affected his speed, but it was still manageable.

Qin Yun rapidly ascended along the crack, and when he reached the opening, he stopped to relieve the pressure.

At this moment, the live stream's countdown had reached 27:58.

After adjusting for two and a half minutes, Qin Yun immediately shot inside, moving at breakneck speed, racing against time.

But the distance remained fixed, and his speed was evident—if laid out on paper, it was plain to see: Qin Yun could not possibly reach the surface before the oxygen tank ran out.

Wei Heng and Lu Sicheng felt a growing despair; they glanced at the woman beside them, her face pale as paper, and their own pressure mounted.

…

When the depth gauge read 58 meters, Qin Yun was extremely close to the pit's mouth.

But at that moment, the countdown hit zero, and simultaneously, the respirator emitted a "ssssss" sound. Qin Yun had anticipated this—he took a deep breath, pressed the latch, and immediately discarded the oxygen tank on the spot.

"Fuck, what do we do? No oxygen left."

"We're done, done, done."

"Only 58 meters left—can Brother Qin hold on?"

"I remember now—didn't you forget when Brother Qin was on the Wilderness Survival show? He held out for so long under ice water. The temperature here should let him last even longer, right?"

"How long can 'long' be? Ten minutes? Twenty minutes?"

Qin Yun had never tested his own limits, but although the depth was only 58 meters, if he ascended straight up, he'd reach the surface quickly—but the lateral distance was hundreds of meters, with constant undercurrents and obstructed vision, causing the time required to rise geometrically.

By now, Qin Yun could not speak a word; he could only push forward with one hand gripping Faio's corpse, rapidly kicking his limbs.

At this moment, only five of the ten drones' cameras remained; five had been damaged or lost during the live stream.

"Brother Qin, hurry, faster, faster!"

"Drop the corpse—why are you still carrying it?"

"Damn it, I'm gonna die watching this."

"Fuck, fuck!"

"Bo Lang Ge gifted the streamer thirty Carnivals—Brother Qin, you've got to hold on!"

"Chen…"

The live stream's popularity had exploded, pulling an unfathomable lead over the second-place stream; the real-time viewer count on Douyin had reached 35 million—such heat would humble even the biggest stars.

Not to mention the viewers on YouTube, TikTok, and Twitch—the combined total across all four platforms neared 90 million, almost hitting 100 million.

Soon, ten minutes passed quietly; Qin Yun continued advancing steadily.

But the online viewers outside the stream were holding their breath.

…

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