The closer he got to this place, the clearer Shangguan Wen saw He Mu.
It was already difficult to survive in extremely cold places, and He Mu stood here, carrying an aura that ordinary people couldn't see. He could never ignore it. Although he hadn't seen it before and didn't know what it represented, the vague bad feeling made him feel colder than the extreme environment.
He Mu looked around, then glanced at the lake in front of him.
He said faintly, "The journey to the Ice Frost Rock not only requires a temperature below minus fifty-five degrees Celsius, but it also needs a long period of condensation. Although this cave is always in an extremely cold state, there are temperature fluctuations based on time and daily conditions. If it were now, during the summer noon, the temperature here might not reach this low..."
Shangguan Wen frowned upon hearing this, his displeasure becoming even more obvious. "Then you're saying our trip was in vain! Why did Doctor He bring us here only to return empty-handed? What is his intention?"
More than the danger posed by He Mu, he wanted to alleviate the crisis in Haidao City.
Although he hadn't been certain there was anything here before, he had spent so much energy coming all this way that he couldn't spare any thought for Haidao City. There was no communication signal here, so he couldn't determine how things were there.
This trip was undeniably difficult. Coupled with the black energy behind him, he couldn't help but suspect his motives for bringing them here.
He Mu's expression was calm and gentle. He raised his hand slightly, sweeping across the calm lake surface. "Commander Shangguan, please do not be anxious. Isn't there another place here that is always below minus sixty degrees Celsius?"
As soon as he said this, everyone finally reacted.
Yes, there was this lake that didn't freeze.
Shangguan Wen gently placed the thermometer into the lake water. The temperature indicator seemed to have a nerve touched, dropping rapidly to minus seventy-two degrees Celsius.
Shining the flashlight downwards, the alcohol here was very pure, and its transparency was excellent. Even though the lake was very deep, everything below could be seen clearly.
Upon closer inspection, at the very bottom of the lake, there were faintly visible, jagged things that looked like ice crystals, their color no different from ordinary rocks. "Doctor He, is this the legendary Ice Frost Rock?"
He Mu nodded. "Precisely."
The clean-faced man frowned slightly. "This Ice Frost Rock is currently in the alcohol lake. How do we get it out?"
As he had said before, if one entered here, they would likely be frozen into an ice sculpture very quickly. But if no one went down, how could they retrieve something from such a depth?
Shangguan Wen frowned. "Eldest Miss, why don't we return now? After we go back, we can bring some deep mining equipment and come back."
Bai Xi said faintly, "Doctor He, if those mutated people are indeed poisoned by what you called demonic poison, how long can they live?"
He Mu said calmly, "Those people's conditions are not the same. If it is indeed demonic poison, one person might die today, and the rest can last for at most three days, with some possibly lasting half a month."
Bai Xi frowned slightly.
It was about what she had imagined. Even with medication, those mutated people probably wouldn't be able to hold on for much longer.
It wasn't easy to come here. After they left, they would have to come again, and then return. This constant toing and froing meant that the boy who transformed into a snake and those inexplicably mutated people would have a high probability of dying.
Seeing Bai Xi's tightly furrowed beautiful brows, Shangguan Wen immediately said, "Eldest Miss, this item may not necessarily be able to save them. Eldest Miss, please do not take risks for those people!"
He could feel that Bai Xi seemed to want to go down herself to get the item and save them.
Bai Xi did not heed their words and said faintly, "Doctor He, how should the Ice Frost Rock be retrieved? Does it require special treatment?"
He Mu shook his head, looked at the calm lake surface, his expression unchanged, as if his eyes had also turned into the tranquil alcohol lake. "No, it only needs to be removed from the rock wall."
Bai Xi looked towards the bottom of the lake. Without the light, relying solely on the blue moss, the visibility in the lake became very limited, and the dark depths became eerily silent.
Shangguan Wen immediately said, "Eldest Miss, absolutely not! You must not joke with your life. Why don't you let your subordinate..."
Whether it was for him or for the entire Hua Nation, the Eldest Miss was far more important than those mutated people. Moreover, he didn't trust He Mu at all. It wasn't certain if taking this item back would save those people, so why should they risk their lives?
However, before he could finish speaking, Bai Xi had already leaped into the alcohol lake.
Before entering, she had swiftly put on basic protective gear.
Although she hadn't considered going into the lake before coming to the Ice Ridge Mountains, she had considered the possibility of heavy snow, so she had brought goggles and a searchlight.
Shangguan Wen was the first to react and cried out in shock, "Eldest Miss!"
Unfortunately, he couldn't stop anything. All he could see were ripples gradually spreading across the lake surface.
Inside the alcohol lake, the moment Bai Xi plunged down, she felt a piercing cold, and a suffocating aura spread from all around, causing her skin to tingle faintly.
She had considered that whether it was frostbite or suffocation, it would take time.
Her speed was the quickest solution; only she could accomplish it here.
As long as she retrieved the Ice Frost Rock, it would be enough!
She needed to act fast.
Moving through liquid was naturally slower than on land. She had already exerted her utmost effort, wanting to quickly enter the water, retrieve the Ice Frost Rock, and return.
But as she descended to the depths, she saw a massive crystal sarcophagus.
Due to reflection, the sarcophagus was completely invisible from the water's surface, but underwater... it was clearly visible.
Inside lay an elder with white hair and a face full of wrinkles, dressed in pure white clothing of a very vintage style. He lay there quietly, his face serene, as if he were merely sleeping.
Why was there a sarcophagus here? Who had placed this elder here? Placed at the bottom of this extremely cold alcohol lake. Moreover, the attire on his body looked quite historical.
She didn't recognize this person; in fact, she clearly knew she had never seen him before, yet she felt a strange sense of familiarity. Who could he be?
As she was pondering, a chill attacked her, instantly waking her up.
No, she had absolutely no time to think about these things now. She had to retrieve the Ice Frost Rock and leave, or in a short while, she would complete heat transfer and freeze into a stiff corpse in this lake.
Thinking of this, she unhesitatingly moved towards the Ice Frost Rock, smashing the place where it connected to the lakebed with her dagger, then reached out to take it...
But the moment her fingers touched the Ice Frost Rock, a cold sensation condensed on her fingertips, and a severe headache followed.
This feeling was peculiar, somewhat similar to when she recalled the past. Her vision began to blacken.
She closed her eyes tightly, trying to shake her head and regain consciousness.
But this action did not make her feel clearer; instead, the pain intensified. Simultaneously, a large cluster of light spots appeared in her darkened vision, rushing towards her like a flood, unstoppable. However, as they got very close, they transformed into images.
Scene after scene, familiar yet strange, seeming to belong to her, yet also seeming to never have belonged to her... memories.