Chapter 259: Abandoning the Ship

Unfortunately, the good times didn't last long. The speedboat moved forward for a distance and then made a *pfft-pfft* sound, and then it actually died!

"What’s going on? Is it out of fuel?"

He hadn't expected the blow of reality to come so quickly. Just as they saw hope, the speedboat had to break down at the critical moment.

The crew member tried to restart the speedboat, but it moved two steps and stopped again.

"It won't work, the speedboat’s propeller is tangled by seaweed!"

But the liquid under the boat, although mixed with water and turned from ink-green to light green, was not necessarily something an average person could endure.

At this time, a crew member opened the speedboat’s side and took out two oars, laughing:

"Luckily, this lifeboat is equipped with oars. It looks like we can row our way out!"

Ye Su also broke into a cold sweat. He had just been thinking about trying to see if his body’s strength could withstand the corrosion. Since there were oars, then it was much easier.

However, everyone still underestimated the difficulty of navigating through the algae. After rotating through the rowing, everyone was panting.

Ye Su said: "This won't work! We don't know when the next wave of water will come. Now our boat can't be driven; if we get washed back, it will be even harder."

At this time, a female voice asked: "Then what do you suggest?"

Ye Su said: "We’ll take a shortcut. We’ll cut a hole directly in the octopus's internal organs and charge through."

Everyone was stunned. At this time, Professor Bill also spoke up:

"Actually, ahead of us should be the octopus's cecum. If we break through the cecum, we will soon be able to reach its ctenidia (gills), and it will also be safer than in the siphon. After all, the water pressure produced by that fierce water flow is not something an average person can endure!"

Since the leader, Ye Su, and the knowledgeable Bill had reached a consensus, no one had any objections.

Several people exerted their strength to push the speedboat toward the inner wall pointed out by Professor Bill.

This place was closer to the octopus's intestines, and the capillary network contained within was even richer.

Everyone looked at this wall covered in blood vessels and was immediately disgusted, especially the tiny blood vessels that were wriggling like little worms.

Before everyone could react, the octopus's inner wall in front of them was slashed open by Ye Su. Ye Su swung the snow-white blade fiercely, which looked even more deadly and dangerous under the light.

By the time everyone came to their senses, Ye Su had already gashed open five or six meters of the flexible meat wall. Seeing the wall behind them about to close and Ye Su about to be sealed inside, everyone hurriedly rushed forward to help hold it open.

Watching Ye Su get further and further away, everyone had no choice but to abandon the ship and follow with their weapons.

But they hadn't followed Ye Su forward for long before they found him stopped.

"Ye, why did you stop?"

Ye Su pointed ahead. Using the faint light of their headlamps, everyone realized that below was a bottomless abyss, and on the meat wall far ahead, there was reflective mucus.

Bill squeezed out from behind the crowd, looked at the environment before them, pushed up his reading glasses, and said calmly:

The difficulty now is how to cross such a long distance. Professor Bill also fell into deep thought; clearly, he hadn't expected this situation.

Just then, Ye Su suddenly turned his head and found the liquid behind them suddenly rising.

"Everyone, hurry over here."

Hearing this, everyone rushed over. The meat wall that had been propped open closed instantly, and only a very small portion of the water surged up.

It only wetted the clothes of the few people in the back. At this time, Ye Su untied an object from his waist. Everyone looked—wasn't this a harpoon?

He hadn't expected Ye Su to have brought it. Just then, the octopus began to move violently.

Ye Su was quick-witted and fast-handed; he stabbed the harpoon directly into the muscle nearby, and the knife in his other hand also slashed hard, burying the handle into the meat wall.

"Everyone, hold onto me tightly. Be careful not to fall down."

The people behind him stumbled and crashed into Ye Su. Fortunately, Ye Su held onto the meat walls on both sides, so they didn't fall.

Everyone felt the world spinning and could only subconsciously hug the person next to them. With Ye Su blocking the front, they were just afraid someone would fall off at the opening in the back.

After waiting for who knows how long, the octopus finally returned to stability. It took everyone a long time to crawl up from the ground, but the situation had turned into Ye Su facing the sky.

After Bill’s reminder, everyone understood that the culprit for the octopus's twitching just now was likely the hole Ye Su had opened.

At this time, Ye Su also came to his senses. He shook his sore hand and pulled the team members behind him up. Soon, everyone crawled out of the hole and stepped into the slippery liquid.

Ye Su counted the number of people and felt relieved to see everyone was there. But looking at everyone collapsed on the ground, after resting in place for a while, Ye Su said:

"How is everyone’s state? Can we set off now?"

Hearing "set off," everyone stood up from the ground. Just then, a crew member said with an ugly expression: "I sprained my ankle!"

Everyone fell silent. No one could guarantee they wouldn't be injured next. Once injured, the ability to survive in this cruel environment would drop rapidly.

"If I follow, I’ll just drag you all down. Why don't I stay here and wait for you!"

As he said this, the man began to sob. Given the degree of rolling just now, staying here was likely a dead end.

"Since I brought you out, I will definitely bring you back."

Ye Su reached out and hoisted the crew member up. A warm current rose in everyone’s hearts. Watching Ye Su’s figure walking forward, everyone hurriedly followed.

Professor Bill hurriedly stepped forward to lead the way. Everyone groped in the darkness for a long time, even feeling a powerful vibration in the dark.

A look of excitement appeared on Professor Bill’s face.

"That’s right, it’s here, the place where the heartbeat is most intense!"

"Professor, did you make a mistake? We are looking for the octopus's gill glands, not its heart!"

Hearing Ye Su’s question, the professor laughed: "It’s right here. An octopus's gills and heart are not far apart. What you don't know is that it has two hearts, one gill heart and one systemic heart."

Bill excitedly grabbed Ye Su and said: "Ye, hurry and cut a hole from here, and we will be able to see this octopus's heart. It’s simply hard to believe; how powerful must this heart be to resist so much pressure and pump blood throughout this octopus's entire body!"

Hearing this, Ye Su put down the crew member next to him, took out the harpoon, and threw it hard toward the top. Ye Su pulled on the rope to feel it—it was secure!

He quickly climbed upward. Perhaps because they were close to the heart, there was significantly more blood here than in other locations. The splashing blood also made the people below dodge to the side.

Because it was awkward, Ye Su’s speed this time was significantly slower.

Ye Su slashed as he moved forward. The hole he cut this time was even larger. After changing the harpoon again, Ye Su suddenly felt something was wrong.

He hurriedly shouted downward:

"Hurry, hold onto the rope!"

The confused crowd hurriedly ran toward the rope behind the harpoon. But because they were far away, several people didn't react in time, and the octopus began to shake violently again.

And in the middle of the sticky liquid, the few people without a foothold disappeared into the darkness before they could react.

Ye Su hadn't expected this situation. He had just been saying he would bring people back safely, but he hadn't expected to break his word so soon.

Ye Su swung the machete in his hand frantically. If only he could be a little faster.

It could be considered "great strength creates miracles." Under Ye Su’s frantic slashing, he suddenly felt his blade swing into empty air. He hurriedly said to the people still struggling on the rope:

"Everyone, hold on, the hole has been opened."

Ye Su slashed a few more times with all his might and finally succeeded in opening a hole large enough for one person to crawl through.

There was no time to enlarge it further. Ye Su hurriedly pulled the rope toward himself. Fortunately, the octopus was rolling irregularly; otherwise, the people on the rope wouldn't have been able to hold on for long.

Ye Su had just pulled one person over—a crew member. Ye Su pushed him to crawl through, but then the octopus did a flip, and that person disappeared directly.

Ye Su was stunned. He hadn't expected that he would personally send someone away. The people behind the rope crashed over due to inertia, almost knocking the breath out of Ye Su.

Ye Su knew this was a good opportunity and hurriedly grabbed the last person on the rope and stuffed them in. One by one, he saw there were two people left.

Following that, the octopus rolled again, disrupting Ye Su’s plan. Ye Su pushed one person with all his might, but the other person lost their footing and let go of the rope...

Ye Su hadn't expected this situation, but both his hands were occupied. Before his brain could react, Ye Su instinctively clamped his legs around that person.

Ye Su broke into a cold sweat when he realized what happened. Fortunately, his body’s instinct was faster than his brain; otherwise, there would be one less person.

Ye Su could feel that person climbing up along his legs, but because of the posture, that person could only squeeze upward a little bit.

Ye Su hadn't reacted yet, but later he discovered the other person seemed to be climbing with some difficulty.

Ye Su thought, if he could let go of his legs, the other person might fall off, especially since he couldn't see them in the darkness.

Ye Su hurriedly said downward: "Give me your hand, I’ll pull you up!"

In the darkness, Ye Su vaguely touched a pair of hands—small, delicate palms. Ye Su immediately understood that this person must be the woman who was the last to follow him.

Ye Su pulled her hand and felt thick calluses on the web of her delicate little hand. This again made Ye Su guess that this woman’s identity was not simple.

Ye Su used one hand to pull her up a distance, then used his legs to clamp her waist again to prevent her from falling.

After resting his hand, Ye Su pushed her spine to help her climb up. Soon, he sent her up. Who knew she would throw herself directly into Ye Su’s arms.

Ye Su was about to move, but she leaned into his ear and breathed like silk:

"Don't move, let me lie here for a while, I have no strength left."

Ye Su touched her wet back; it seemed she really was exhausted, to have sweated so much.