Chapter 50: Underwater World
To be found after being switched at birth was a stroke of luck. Xu Qingsui, on the other hand, was the unlucky one.
In everything Xu Ruming said, she never missed a chance to praise herself and put down Xu Qingsui.
Xu Qingsui watched her with a detached expression, showing no sign of annoyance.
Xu Ruming had been staring at her, and finding no reaction, she felt a little bored.
The moment Xu Ruming spoke, Lu Jingyu frowned out of habit.
Sure enough, her words made him uncomfortable yet again.
He was about to rebuke her, but an idea struck him. Lu Jingyu changed his tune. "Since you’ve volunteered, why don’t you pick a path?"
Xu Ruming raised an eyebrow, glanced around, and casually pointed to one of the forks in the path.
Lu Jingyu nodded. "Alright, let’s give it a try. But since you’re the one who chose this path, we’ll trouble you to lead the way."
Xu Ruming’s smile froze on her face. ’He didn’t say that before!’
It was true that since they had entered the instance, Lu Jingyu had arranged for her and Shen Ling’an to be at the front.
But with Shen Ling’an there before, she could hide behind him and wouldn’t have to be the first to face any problems.
Making her take point by herself was a completely different story.
She had been the one to confidently step forward and choose the path, but she couldn’t guarantee it was safe.
As a guide, even the slightest mishap could cost her her life.
Seeing the look in Lu Jingyu’s eyes—as if he were enjoying a good show—Xu Ruming suddenly realized he was doing this on purpose.
’It’s for Xu Qingsui’s sake again!’
Her heart filled with resentment, but more than that, regret.
’Why couldn’t I keep my mouth shut just now!’
She’d given them a chance to laugh at her.
Xu Ruming bit her lip. It was too late for regrets.
Even if Lu Jingyu were to let her off the hook, she would still lose face completely.
After racking her brain, Xu Ruming could only place her hopes in Shen Ling’an once more.
"Shen Ling’an and I will take point, then." The moment she opened her mouth, Xu Ruming dragged Shen Ling’an down with her.
Shen Ling’an was stable now, but he had lost a lot of blood earlier and was still very weak.
He had been praying that Lu Jingyu wouldn’t make him lead the way again. He never expected that before Lu Jingyu could even speak, Xu Ruming would be the one to drag him into it.
Shen Ling’an stared at Xu Ruming in astonishment. ’Doesn’t she care about my condition at all?’
Seeing Shen Ling’an’s gaze on her, Xu Ruming lost her nerve and awkwardly avoided his eyes.
A smirk played on Lu Jingyu’s lips. ’This dog-eat-dog drama is actually pretty interesting.’
"Shen Ling’an, considering your injury, I wasn’t going to make you continue to take point. But since Xu Ruming has spoken up, I assume you won’t refuse. So, we’ll be counting on you two."
Before Shen Ling’an could even say a word, Lu Jingyu had made the decision final.
He shot a look at Lu Jingyu, so angry he was momentarily speechless.
In the end, through her efforts alone, Xu Ruming once again pushed Shen Ling’an to the front lines.
After giving Xu Ruming a complicated look, Shen Ling’an had no choice but to drag his weakened body into the passage.
The team’s formation remained the same, just with two fewer members than before.
Lu Jingyu and Xu Qingsui still walked side by side at the rear.
After their hands brushed against each other a few times, Xu Qingsui noticed that Lu Jingyu’s right hand always seemed to stay close to her.
Recalling what Lu Jingyu had said earlier, Xu Qingsui realized he was positioning himself to grab her at a moment’s notice to prevent them from getting separated.
Feeling the warmth in Lu Jingyu’s subtle gesture, Xu Qingsui couldn’t help the way her heart began to race.
After entering the passage, the team navigated several turns. Fortunately, there were no more forks, nor did they encounter any danger.
With that, the anxiety that had gripped Shen Ling’an and Xu Ruming finally began to ease.
After a few more turns, a glimmer of light appeared up ahead, in the space previously illuminated only by their flashlights.
Upon seeing the light, Shen Ling’an and Xu Ruming exchanged a look, the tense atmosphere instantly replaced by joy.
Convinced it was the exit, Xu Ruming immediately gloated, "See? I told you I have good luck! I really did pick the path to the exit!"
Xu Ruming made a point to look back and tilt her chin smugly at Xu Qingsui.
Xu Qingsui ignored her, instead whispering to Lu Jingyu, "Be careful. I have a bad feeling about this."
Lu Jingyu nodded. He then raised his voice. "Found the exit? Then let’s not waste any more time."
Xu Ruming gave Shen Ling’an a look, and the two of them immediately quickened their pace.
The group followed close behind, rushing out toward the light.
Having spent so long in the dim glow of their flashlights, everyone was a bit disoriented by the sudden, bright light.
Everyone shielded their eyes. After a moment, they began to take in their surroundings.
They had emerged from the passage into a room of a hundred or so square feet. The ceiling was embedded with numerous fist-sized Luminous Pearls, illuminating the entire space.
The area was filled with all sorts of corals and aquatic plants, a classic underwater scene.
After getting a clear look at their surroundings, Lu Jingyu turned to Xu Ruming. "This is the exit?"
Xu Ruming looked slightly embarrassed. It clearly wasn’t the exit, but...
"We didn’t get trapped, and we didn’t run into any danger. Doesn’t that prove I made the right choice?"
"This might not be the exit, but there could be clues about it here. Let’s look around!"
Xu Ruming certainly knew how to make excuses for herself. Lu Jingyu couldn’t find a reason to argue, so he just told everyone to check the area.
Xu Qingsui was inspecting the coral clusters with Lu Jingyu. Having found no clues, she was about to check another spot when she suddenly grabbed his arm.
Lu Jingyu looked down to see Xu Qingsui frowning, her hands held out. He didn’t know what she was doing.
"Do you feel that?" she asked, leaving Lu Jingyu even more confused.
Noticing his bewildered expression, Xu Qingsui gently moved her hands through the water. "Don’t you feel the current? It’s very faint, but it’s definitely not a normal fluctuation."
Hearing her words, Lu Jingyu quieted his mind and focused on the movement of the water around them.
The instances in Zone 9 were all deep-sea themed, so they were always transported to the depths of the ocean.
Here, the need to breathe didn’t affect them, allowing them to move freely in the deep sea.
However, this didn’t change the deep-sea setting itself. All the realistic phenomena of the deep ocean still existed within the instance.
Lu Jingyu focused, sensing the water’s movement, and finally understood what Xu Qingsui meant.
Water currents were normal in the deep sea, and their fluctuations should follow the natural principles of fluid dynamics.
But within that current, there was a distinct, more urgent pulse.
It was like the wake left by something swimming past.
But a scan of their surroundings revealed nothing but the aquatic plants, the coral, and their own party of intruders. There were no other living creatures in sight.
Lu Jingyu knew that nothing happened without a reason, and his mind immediately filled with suspicion.
He immediately pulled Xu Qingsui behind him, his eyes scanning their surroundings with heightened vigilance.