There's a big problem with dreams in this world.

"So, the other person you brought is actually an old man?" At eight o'clock the next morning, Lu Qing brought the old man to the scientist's room. As soon as they entered the room, they heard this from the loudspeaker in the living room.

"You don't need to worry about it. You just need to lead the way," Lu Qing said nonchalantly.

"Whatever makes you happy."

"When do we set off?" Lu Qing asked, looking around.

"Now is fine."

A familiar voice came from the side. Lu Qing turned her head to look in the direction of the voice and saw a somewhat thin young man wearing a black long-sleeved shirt walk out of the room.

"This is a full-body diving suit, and this is a breathing apparatus," the scientist explained, putting down the two boxes he was carrying and pointing with his finger.

"How far is it from here to the tunnel?" Lu Qing asked after listening to the scientist's words.

"It's not far. My home is near the tunnel, and I stayed here so it would be convenient for me to leave later," the scientist explained to Lu Qing.

"I see..."

Lu Qing shut her mouth and stopped talking, watching the scientists connect the oxygen tank and underwater breathing apparatus together, and then attach them to the diving suit.

"I only have two diving suits, but I have plenty of breathing apparatus here. You said you took the flesh potion, so you won't die even if you come into contact with the black water, right?" the scientist said after assembling the oxygen tank, diving suit, and breathing apparatus.

"Ah."

Lu Qing nodded without saying anything more.

Seeing this, the scientists could only manage a couple of dry laughs to ease the awkwardness.

"Shall we set off now?" the scientist scratched his head and looked at Lu Qing.

"I don't know the way. Shouldn't this be up to you to decide?" Lu Qing glanced at the scientist and said.

"Haha, that's right..."

For some reason, the scientists suddenly felt a lack of confidence.

He walked step by step to his own door and placed his hand on the doorknob.

"........"

"What's wrong?" Lu Qing asked, looking at the scientist who had suddenly stopped.

"No, it's nothing..."

The scientist glanced at Lu Qing, then at the doorknob in his hand. After hesitating for a moment, he slowly pressed it and pushed the door open.

Lu Qing followed the scientist out of the house.

"Where to go next?" Lu Qing asked the scientist.

"........."

"Where to go next?" Lu Qing asked, patting the scientist's shoulder forcefully as she approached him.

"Ah!" The scientist was startled by Lu Qing and fell to the ground with a thud.

"Uh, next, next..." The scientist stood up somewhat flusteredly, stammering for a long time without being able to say a word.

"You...you're not scared, are you...?" Lu Qing suddenly realized something and looked at the scientist with some disdain.

She only now remembered that the sign described the scientist as "a timid scientist."

I didn't get a sense of it when I talked to the other person outside and inside the room. I could only roughly tell that he was a smart person who was very confident in himself.

Unexpectedly, after coming out of the room, he became like a completely different person.

This situation is probably similar to social anxiety; you can chat freely with others at home or online, but you don't dare to say a word in real life...

"I... how could I be scared? I was just thinking about the route, I got so engrossed that you patted me and startled me a little," the scientist said stubbornly, slowly getting up from the ground.

"stare......."

Lu Qing silently watched the scientist stand up from the ground. Although she didn't say a word, she inexplicably gave people a sense of psychological pressure.

The scientist, somewhat guiltily averting his gaze, coughed twice and said, "Ahem, it's about time we went. I've already figured out the route to the tunnel."

After he finished speaking, he walked towards the northwest, saying as he went, "According to my investigation, there should be a long-abandoned dry well on the groundwater lake that flooded the tunnel."

"After the tunnel collapsed, a large amount of groundwater flowed into the tunnel from the well. If we go in through that well, we should be able to find the tunnel."

"To prevent any obstructions from rocks inside the tunnel, I brought a shovel and a small amount of explosives. I think that should be enough."

"I know that well. It was dug by the villagers a long time ago. Later, it was abandoned because it was too far from the village. Then the villagers dug another well in the village, and that well was no longer used," the old man said after hearing the scientist's words.

"Regardless of why this well was dug, I want to thank the person who dug it, otherwise I would have had to dig a tunnel myself," said the scientist walking in front.

"........"

They walked in silence, and after about two minutes, they finally arrived at the abandoned well.

Lu Qing pushed the stone over the dry well aside and then put on the respirator.

As for the scientists and the elderly, it was a bit more difficult, since the fully enclosed protective diving suit was not easy to put on and required many steps. The elderly man was only able to put it on with Lu Qing's help.

Hmm... It looks so boring, but it's not so bad if we have to go in the water later.

Sliding down the rope from the dry well, the group quickly reached the bottom.

It's unclear whether it's because a large amount of groundwater flowed into the tunnel, but the water level here wasn't high, just covering Lu Qing's knees.

The ground beneath their feet was wet from the flowing water, and above them was a circular well opening. The underground cave was pitch black, so the group turned on the searchlights they were wearing on their breathing apparatus.

Lu Qing certainly didn't need this, but a little more light would make it easier for the other two to see inside the cave, wouldn't it?

"Is there really a way out of here?" Dina floated beside Lu Qing, unable to help but ask with some doubt.

Lu Qing shook her head, indicating that she didn't know either.

Incidentally, Vie was currently in the backpack on her back. According to him, he could go without breathing, but he couldn't swim in the water, which was a challenge for the bird.

So now he can only sit inside the dark backpack...

"Pfft!"

Suddenly, a cry of surprise rang in her ears. Lu Qing looked towards the scientist and saw that he seemed to have tripped over some underwater rock and fallen onto the water's surface.

“A cowardly scientist…” Lu Qing glanced at the scientist who had clearly not recovered after standing up again, and thought to herself thoughtfully.

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Chapter 378: The Black Mist Head-Splitter

The group continued forward, and as they went deeper into the cave, the water level at the bottom of the dry well gradually rose. Finally, after walking for about three minutes, they arrived at the location of this huge underground lake.

"Alright, put your respirators on your faces. We're going to descend from here." Taking a deep breath, the scientist said, sounding somewhat nervous.

The pit was pitch black, and the underground lake stretched to the horizon. Who knew what might be in the water? And if one's protective suit wasn't worn properly, the black water might seep into the clothing...

The scientist couldn't help but shudder, feeling somewhat discouraged.

But after considering the environment in the dark forest, he remained steadfast in his belief.

No one can stop him from leaving!

He squeezed his chest hard; beneath his protective suit, a pale red necklace clung tightly to his chest.

"Oh, right."

Suddenly, the scientist had an idea. He took out a rope, tied it around his waist, and said, "It's pitch black down here. Just in case, how about we tie ourselves together with this rope?"

"Okay." After thinking it over carefully, Lu Qing agreed to the other party's suggestion.

Although she has an eagle eye that allows her to see clearly in the dark, the old man and the scientist are just ordinary people. In the pitch-black underwater world, even with a searchlight overhead, it is difficult to see things clearly.

To prevent them from getting separated, it's not impossible to tie them together with a rope.

However, doing so will slightly affect her underwater activities, but overall, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

By the way, the oxygen cylinders that Lu Qing and the others used didn't actually contain pure oxygen, but rather compressed air, and they could be used for about thirty minutes.

The doctor has two bottles on his back, enough for one hour, while Lu Qing has four bottles on her back.

It wasn't because she was afraid of dying or anything. In fact, she only actually used three bottles; the last one was for the elderly.

The elderly man is quite old and not in good health, so it's best to reduce his load when diving. If his oxygen is running low, Lu Qing will give him the oxygen tank she's carrying.

Wearing respirators on their faces, the three dived into the water, with the scientist leading the way.

Because they were underwater, they couldn't speak. Although they had breathing apparatus, it was difficult for their words to get through.

However, Lu Qing's hearing is much better than that of ordinary people. She can hear the elderly or scientists speaking.

Contrary to its appearance of being completely black on the surface, once you dive into the black water, you'll find that its interior is actually no different from ordinary water.

However, the cave was completely dark, and nothing could be seen clearly.

"Ok?"

A dark shadow flashed by, and Lu Qing suddenly noticed a huge fish swimming toward the scientist at an extremely fast speed.

A multitude of thoughts rushed through Lu Qing's mind. Without slowing down, she grabbed the rope around her waist and pulled the scientist over, dodging the strange fish's attack.

"?!"

The scientist, watching the dark figure brush past him, broke out in a cold sweat. While feeling a lingering fear, he couldn't help but thank Lu Qing in his heart.

At the same time, after the shadowy figure failed to hit the scientist and left, Lu Qing slowly closed her eyes.

Listen

In underwater environments where movement is possible, it's quite difficult to spot targets with just your eyes. With the purpose of this experiment in mind, Lu Qing used the [Listen] skill.

What? You're saying that the side effect of "listening" is that you might hear things you shouldn't hear?

Hey, this kind of thing is a low-probability event, it's impossible for her to encounter it on her first use.

Skills always need to be tested after they are acquired. Only by clearly understanding the effects of your skills can you make them more effective in future battles.

"Gurgle..."

The world suddenly became very quiet, making any sound made in the water extremely clear. Lu Qing could hear the sound of the strange fish moving in the water, as well as the heartbeats and breathing of the three of them.

"I heard it, the flow of water..."

Opening her eyes, Lu Qing pulled the wooden spear hanging on the left side of her backpack, mustered all her strength, and threw it in the direction she had predicted!