I'm in Mota, and they all want me to confess my feelings!

Surrounded by endless seawater, just before losing consciousness completely, I finally saw his face clearly.

"Mr. Duanmu."

The girl whispered the name in her heart.

……

……

Duanmu Yan gripped the girl's wrist tightly and struggled to swim upwards.

But the undercurrents in the sea were like countless invisible tentacles, not only preventing them from rising, but also dragging the two of them into deeper darkness.

"*Huanglong profanity*"

"That damned Kuroshio Current and storm... I'll settle this score with you sooner or later!"

Of course, the premise of the reckoning is that they can leave this sea area alive.

Duanmu Yan gritted his teeth and struggled desperately upwards, pulling Phoebe along with him.

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a bright red figure not far away, standing out conspicuously in the dark seawater.

"Wait, that figure..."

"It's Floro!?"

"She fell into the water too?"

Without a moment's hesitation, or even a moment's thought, his body instinctively turned and swam toward the red figure.

Just as his fingertips were about to touch her—

Suddenly, a terrifying suction force emanated from the deep sea, causing him to brush past her.

"Oh no! There's something on the seabed—!"

The thought had barely crossed his mind when the raging undercurrents completely engulfed him, dragging him into an endless abyss...

……

……

call--"

It was like a bright lamp suddenly lit in the thick darkness.

Duanmu Yan suddenly opened his eyes, sat up from the cold, damp cave floor, and greedily inhaled a breath of air—despite its strong, musty smell.

"I'm alive?"

He quickly checked himself over and, apart from his soaked clothes, seemed to be unharmed.

By the way, where are Phoebe and Floro?

He immediately got up and looked around, and soon spotted the two girls not far away.

"Floro, wake up."

Duanmu Yan rushed to Floro's side and gently shook her shoulder, but she did not react.

Could he have drowned?

This thought made his heart tighten.

First aid must be sought immediately!

Time was of the essence, so Duanmu Yan did not hesitate any longer. He knelt down beside her and placed his hands together on the girl's chest.

However, just as he was about to press down, he clearly felt a cold gaze locked onto him.

He froze, looking down to meet Floro's eyes, which she had opened at some point. He glanced at his hand still pressed against her chest and felt a little embarrassed.

"If I said... I'm saving you, would you believe me?"

"Before you explain what's going on, could you please take your hands off me?" Floro said coldly. "How many times are you going to touch me?"

"Sorry, I forgot." Duanmu Yan immediately raised his hands, striking an innocent pose, then remembered something more important, "Oh right, Phoebe!"

Phoebe was lying not far away.

But her situation was clearly much more serious than theirs.

"Phoebe? Phoebe! Wake up!"

Duanmu Yan gently patted her cheek and shook her shoulders, but received no response.

His heart sank as he placed his finger under her nose.

No breathing.

A chill instantly ran down his spine.

Floro rose and went to Phoebe's side, gently pressing her fingers against the side of her neck. After a moment, she withdrew her hand, her voice still calm but carrying an undeniable gravity: "Her pulse is very weak. She may not last much longer."

Upon hearing this, Duanmu Yan did not hesitate at all. He immediately placed his hands on Phoebe's chest and began to perform CPR rhythmically.

After completing a set of chest compressions, he bent down without hesitation and mouth-to-mouth breathed air into the girl's cold lips.

As for how you feel?

What feelings can one possibly have now?

Duanmu Yan had only one thought in his mind—he had to save her.

Floro stood quietly to the side, watching Duanmu Yan, who was doing his best to save him. Her fingertips unconsciously touched her lips, and an unrealistic idea suddenly popped into her mind.

"I just..."

"If I pretended to be asleep, would I be awake now?"

She snapped back to reality, gently shaking her head as if trying to shake the absurd idea out of her mind.

"The most important thing right now is to reach the other side of the dead, to fulfill my promise to them."

"As for him..."

"One day, I will be given the explanation I deserve."

A few minutes later, Phoebe coughed a few times, slowly opened her eyes, and spoke in a voice as faint as a whisper:

"Mr. Duanmu..."

“Miss Floro…”

"Have we... arrived in the underworld?"

"Phoebe? Thank goodness you're finally awake." Duanmu Yan looked at the girl's face, which was gradually regaining its color, and breathed a long sigh of relief. "All the effort paid off. It's all thanks to the company's regular first aid training."

The main problem is that the overtime work is too intense, and the company is afraid that someone might actually die from overwork. This is at least a contingency plan.

Otherwise, by the time the ambulance arrives, the person will be completely cold.

"We're still alive?" Phoebe rubbed her throbbing temples and swayed as she sat up. "Where is this...?"

Duanmu Yan shook his head. He was already in this cave when he woke up.

“I don’t know.” Floro stared into the darkness deep within the cave. “But I can feel… the power of the Black Tide surging ahead. This place is very likely the core of the remnants of the Black Tide.”

"Then how do we get out?"

“Who knows?” Floro said, turning his head to look at Duanmu Yan, a faint, enigmatic smile playing on his lips. “Perhaps… if we completely clear away this remnant, a path will naturally appear? Or perhaps we can ignore this disaster and look for other solutions. What do you think?”

Floro knew him too well. Even with all his memories gone, that obsession etched into his soul never changed.

"It seems that this is the only way left."

Duanmu Yan took a deep breath and disappeared into the deep cave ahead.

Volume 1: Chapter 67 Phoebe's First Kiss

"So, are we currently in the deepest abyss of the ocean, or in a cave on some deserted island?"

The cave was deep and dark, with little light.

Fortunately, the walls were covered with glowing fungi, and the light Phoebe created using her resonance ability managed to dispel the heavy darkness around them.

Duanmu Yan walked at the front. The damp and rotten air made it a little difficult for him to breathe, but apart from some discomfort, it did not cause any major problems for the time being.

“Maybe both, maybe neither.” Floro followed behind him, his gaze casually sweeping over the surroundings. “Perhaps we’re actually inside the belly of the Ocean Whale.”

"That's a really lame joke..."

What about Phoebe?

The petite blonde girl was silently using the power of resonance to create a faint yet warm halo in the darkness, illuminating the way for the team.

She kept her head down the whole time and didn't say a word.

Only occasionally, she would unconsciously touch her lips, gazing at Duanmu Yan's back, her eyes gradually losing focus.

"Was that... considered my first kiss?"

"However, if it's Mr. Duanmu, he doesn't seem so unlikable..."

"Wait! What am I thinking about?!"

"Mr. Duanmu did that to save me, he didn't mean anything by it! I shouldn't have overthinked it, I should be thanking him instead..."

"Lord of the Year, please forgive my momentary evil thought."

Despite the girl constantly reminding herself of this, whenever her gaze fell upon his broad back, a hazy and chaotic emotion would quietly spread.

as if……

It quietly melted into the storm of intertwined emotions.

"Phoebe?"

Noticing the girl's unusual quietness behind him, Duanmu Yan turned around and asked with concern, "You don't look well. Haven't you recovered yet? Do you need to rest?"

"Huh? No, I'm fine!" Startled by the sudden call, Phoebe froze, her cheeks flushing a deep, intoxicated red. Her eyes darted around, and she stammered, "I was just... just worried about the Whale of the Sea! Yes, that's it! We... let's hurry, we need to find the exit quickly and get to the bottom of this!"

Before she finished speaking, she quickened her pace, almost jogging, and brushed past Duanmu Yan to get to the front of the line.

Duanmu Yan stared at the girl's retreating figure with a puzzled look, then subconsciously turned to look at Floro.

The latter merely glanced at him coldly, without uttering a word, yet it seemed as if he had already said a thousand words, before silently following behind.

……

……

"If this is truly a remnant of the last Black Tide outbreak, can the three of us really withstand it?"

On the way, Duanmu Yan muttered to himself.

In fact, he had never seriously considered how to fight the Black Tide, let alone had any confidence in it.

But when Floro posed that question, he made his choice almost without thinking.

Now that he has calmed down, he can't help but start thinking about how he should fight against the Black Tide.

As for regret?

It's not really true.

Even if he had to do it all over again, he would still choose this path.

"Phoebe, do you remember how the last Black Tide outbreak was stopped?"

Phoebe paused slightly, lowered her head and pondered for a moment before answering softly, "Let me think... The last outbreak was twenty years ago. At that time, Saintess Florides was receiving the crown of the order when the Black Tide descended without warning. In the end... it was the Saintess who chose martyrdom, sealing the Black Tide at her own cost, thus ending that disaster."

"...Saint Fruderis."

Duanmu Yan repeated the name softly, his heart sinking.

Does this mean that without the Holy Maiden, we have no chance of winning?

Who knows?

Now that we've embarked on this path, it's too late to turn back. If we don't even dare to try, how can we know we can't win?

However, the price of failure may be everything.

They continued forward for a while, and the space ahead suddenly opened up.