"What's going on?"
"Why are there so many injured people in the county yamen?"
Upon arriving at the county yamen, Chen Nan was shocked by the scene. Dozens, even hundreds, of injured individuals filled the yamen, some with broken arms, others with broken legs, and many with bloodied faces, a gruesome sight.
Wu Jiu explained, "These injured were brought in earlier. They said they were buried alive during a collapse while excavating the river channel." He sighed. In truth, these people were quite fortunate. Despite their injuries and disabilities, they had at least been successfully rescued. The most unfortunate were those who couldn't be saved.
"Well, leave this place to me. You all go on patrol!" Chen Nan had been a doctor in the mortal realm, and even in the netherworld, he couldn't bear to see so many people suffering. Coupled with his control over the spatial domain, he felt he had a significant advantage and could heal these people.
Subsequently, he began the healing process. Empowered by his spatial domain, he was like a divine physician. Even severed limbs could be healed in an instant, astonishing the villagers, who even came to revere him as a deity.
After approximately two hours of healing, he collapsed onto the ground, utterly exhausted. Fortunately, all the injured had received treatment. Many who had recovered silently donned straw capes, entered the rain, and resolutely headed towards the construction site north of the city. They knew time was short and the task was pressing, and they were determined to give it their all.
Chen Nan's eyes welled up with tears. The saying "Man can conquer nature" was never just a platitude. Whether in the mortal world or the netherworld, people shared a common characteristic: they stood by their word. Since they had pledged to defend Tongcheng, they would press forward regardless of the countless obstacles.
Seeing that Wu Jiu and the others had not yet returned, Chen Nan, clad in a straw cape and mounted on a swift horse, rode towards the south of the city. The muddy river water had already submerged the entire southern city gate, with only the rooftops of some houses visible. Wu Jiu and the others were trapped on the city wall, unable to descend. The seemingly calm water surface concealed treacherous undercurrents, and anyone caught by them would surely be lost without a trace.
Chen Nan employed his spatial domain, instantly appearing on the city tower. Gazing at the vast, ocean-like flood before him, his expression grew exceptionally grave. "The upstream has not yet discharged any water, and the flood is already this fierce," he mused. "If we cannot excavate a new river channel to divert the floodwaters, the consequences will be unimaginable."
Wu Jiu sighed, "The water level is continuously rising. The current depth has reached six meters, and the floodwaters are still pouring into the city unabated. At this rate, if the flood is not managed promptly, Tongcheng will become a water city in three days at most."
The situation in Tongcheng was exceedingly perilous, with floodwaters relentlessly surging into the city. If not diverted, the water level would gradually rise, potentially submerging Tongcheng entirely.
Chen Nan's gaze fell upon the southwest corner of Tongcheng. "If I recall correctly, the terrain is lower in the southwest. If we could blast a breach there, we could drain the accumulated water from the city. This would resolve the crisis within the city."
Wu Jiu and Song Yunfei exchanged looks of disbelief. Wu Jiu stared at him incredulously. "Blast it open with what? Do you know the city walls are twenty meters thick and constructed entirely from solid rock?"
Chen Nan was speechless. Damn it! The netherworld only had Fengdu City as a single power; there were no other nations, so there was no need to worry about war. Yet, why were the city walls built so impenetrably strong?
Wu Jiu continued, "Blasting is impossible, but..."
"But what?" Chen Nan inquired.
Wu Jiu said, "It is said that when Tongcheng was built, an expert foresaw the potential for floods and thus, a large water gate was constructed in the southwest corner. If this gate were opened, the floodwaters within the city could be discharged. However," he paused, "the flood has now submerged that water gate. To drain the flood, one must dive underwater, and it is a life-threatening endeavor."
Zheng Yu, who had always been honest, quiet, and barely noticeable in the group, spoke up. His eyes held a look of resolute determination. "I am proficient in swimming. I'll go!"
Wu Jiu looked at him, his eyes red, but he still clapped Zheng Yu on the shoulder. "Don't worry, I will take care of your wife, children, and elders." This task should have fallen to him as the team leader, but his swimming skills were poor, making him destined to be cannon fodder even if he attempted to open the gate.
"Old Zheng, don't get involved in this!" Chen Nan said. "Even if your swimming is excellent, the water is too turbulent down there. You won't be able to find the water gate. Even if you did, with your strength, you might not be able to move it. Let me handle this." Han Zongyuan had entrusted them with the responsibility of guarding Tongcheng when he left. Now that Tongcheng was in peril, he naturally wouldn't stand by idly. Compared to Zheng Yu, his chances of success were much higher.
"I'll go back to the county yamen to get some ropes. You all wait for me above the dam!" Without hesitation, Chen Nan's figure instantly appeared on the rooftop of a submerged house within the city and vanished from Wu Jiu and the others' sight moments later. He quickly returned to the county town, asked someone to fetch a rope as thick as an arm, and found maps from the early construction of Tongcheng to pinpoint the water gate's location and the method of opening it.
After completing these tasks, he arrived at the southwest corner of Tongcheng. He handed the rope to Wu Jiu, tying the other end around his own waist. Then, he said, "Captain Wu, my life is in your hands now! When I dive down to open the gate, if I tug the rope, pull me up immediately." Although Chen Nan was now a cultivator at the fifth level of the Cai Yin realm and mastered spatial laws, the water's suction was immense. Therefore, caution was necessary.
Wu Jiu solemnly replied, "Brother, rest assured, if you unfortunately perish, I will definitely take care of your woman."
"I really want to kick you to death!" Chen Nan gave Wu Jiu a look of disdain before taking a deep breath and leaping from the over ten-meter-high city tower into the murky floodwaters. Having reviewed the blueprints from Tongcheng's construction and knowing the water gate's location, Chen Nan was quite confident. He only needed to find a circular stone and press it down firmly to open the water gate, creating a large flood discharge channel.
Once underwater, Chen Nan released his spatial domain. However, to his regret, when he formed a vacuum domain, the buoyancy he experienced was enormous. Thus, he had to retract his spatial domain and use his spiritual power to search for the circular stone. Just as Chen Nan located the circular stone, the scene that unfolded before his eyes made him gasp in astonishment. Suspended above the stone was a beautiful middle-aged woman in a long red dress...