Whale Island had largely submerged into the sea after a period of frantic movement.
Fatty had initially intended to struggle further, but seeing that it was too late, he resigned himself to lying flat, planning to swim over slowly once the island had completely sunk.
"Ah, all that effort was for nothing..." Fatty lamented, his heart aching at the thought of the many palaces on the island that remained unexplored, possibly holding rare treasures.
To be honest, Fatty wasn't exactly poor. Not to mention his earnings from his earlier solo ventures, nor the spoils he'd gained adventuring with Wu Tianzhen and Zhang Qiling (like the gems from the Forbidden Land in Changbai Mountain), the substantial exploration funds he'd coaxed from Song Shuning alone were enough to propel him to the pinnacle of life.
The fact that he still maintained his original aspirations was likely due to the overwhelming desire for treasure he'd felt previously, which had now become a habit etched into his DNA.
Wu Tianzhen didn't plan to console Fatty any further. In fact, Fatty's words had suddenly sparked a question in his mind.
"Right!" he turned to Black Glasses, doing his best to ignore the persistent urge to perish together, and asked, "Didn't you say you came here to find Yingzhou Island to get something?"
"This island is sinking, aren't you going to get your thing?"
Upon hearing the question, Black Glasses chuckled inexplicably. He put away the snake horn and replied, "You'll know in a bit."
The expression on his face, a blend of deep meaning and an anticipation of impending excitement, made Wu Tianzhen feel as though he was about to fall into misfortune.
Wu Tianzhen: ... Damn it, riddlers, get out of Yingzhou Island!!
Little Wu was furious, but he believed Little Brother would surely know Black Glasses' strange secrets. So, he turned, intending to use puppy-dog eyes and a rolling-on-the-ground threat to make the oblivious Little Zhang step in and shatter Black Glasses' arrogant smirk.
But just then, a tremendous pushing force came from behind!
After the giant whale submerged, the previously calm sea surface inexplicably erupted into a massive vortex. Unlike the simple rotating currents encountered during their ascent, this vortex carried a colossal suction force, intending to drag them all into the deep sea!
The sudden descent of the giant whale was unpredictable, so they hadn't brought new diving suits when they landed on the island. They only had a few small oxygen intake devices. If they were truly sucked into some unknown place by this vortex, they would likely face death.
"Little Brother, we—" Seeing that Zhang Qiling showed no reaction to the situation, Wu Tianzhen, in his anxiety, was about to remind him, but he watched as Little Zhang reached out and expertly lifted him up again.
Wu Tianzhen: ???
Before his confusion could even form, Zhang Qiling had already swiftly dived into the water!
Wu Tianzhen, momentarily stunned, swallowed a mouthful of suffocatingly salty seawater. Barely holding his breath, he managed to open his eyes and was "delighted" to find Zhang Qiling taking him directly towards the center of the vortex!
For a moment, he even suspected he had seen wrong, that the person holding him wasn't Little Brother but the absurd Black Glasses, and that he was now being used as a tool to be disposed of in the sea's maw.
But just then, a stone was swept by the current directly towards his face. Wu Tianzhen felt the hand holding him swing him casually to the side, dodging the projectile.
... The familiar technique, the familiar strength, it was indeed Little Brother!
Once he confirmed his current affiliation, Wu Tianzhen immediately felt at ease and began to slack off, dedicating all his energy to the task of holding his breath.
Zhang Qiling was unaware of the emotional turmoil his "little dog" had just experienced. The murky waves churned before his eyes, obscuring his vision, but he continued downwards without pause, following the map etched in his memory, heading straight in one direction.
... Black Glasses hadn't obtained the item, but he wasn't in a hurry. He hadn't made any moves to search within the palace complex, entirely because the item wasn't on the island itself—
But rather within the island, inside the body of this giant whale!
Zhang Qiling and he hadn't discussed this point, but everything he saw upon diving to the seabed was enough for him to make a judgment.
The builders of these palaces might have constructed the entire complex to conceal the true secret location, but since they chose a whale as the island's host, there was one place they could not possibly conceal—
That was the whale's blowhole.
As a mammal, whales needed to surface periodically to exchange air. Although this extraordinary whale might have a peculiar talent in this regard, its respiratory organ, the blowhole, could not be destroyed under any circumstances.
And that location—
Zhang Qiling could now see it. The towering structure was completely enveloped in bubbles, appearing no different from the surrounding architecture.
But Zhang Qiling knew that below it was the giant whale's blowhole.
He lingered no further, gathering his strength and shooting forward like an arrow released from a bow!
As soon as he entered the tower, the internal water temperature instantly rose, and a surging force from below washed against the inner walls wave after wave.
The "corals" that had originally clogged the interior were likely all sent to the underworld by that sunbathing session, leaving the tower unobstructed.
Zhang Qiling descended, and suddenly, a peculiar sensation, as if breaking through a water membrane, occurred!!!
Darkness enveloped his vision, but the tactile sensations in his body strongly indicated—they had emerged from the water and were falling rapidly under the force of gravity!
The previously surging waves vanished without a trace, as if they had left the sea and reached land!
Zhang Qiling was slightly startled, but the situation didn't allow him to investigate further—
The whistling wind swirled around them, and they had suddenly fallen over ten meters. Zhang Qiling abruptly activated his flashlight, and in the beam of light, the stone-paved ground appeared to be within close reach!
In a flash, adjusting his posture, Zhang Qiling spun, dissipating the force with a roll as he landed on the ground. Wu Tianzhen, his head protected by Zhang Qiling's arm, crashed onto his chest with the weight of an adult!
"Ugh."
Zhang Qiling, who rarely made sounds when injured, let out a sound that was like a thunderclap to Wu Tianzhen's ears. He didn't have time to pay attention to the peculiar scenery here. Scrambling, he climbed off Zhang Qiling, reaching out a hand, hesitating to make any sudden movements.
"L-Little Brother, are you alright?" Under the flashlight's beam, Wu Tianzhen saw that Zhang Qiling's face remained expressionless, only slightly paler.
Exhaling softly, Zhang Qiling pushed himself up from the ground. Although the pain was intense, there were no serious bone injuries, which wouldn't significantly affect his actions.
"I'm fine."
"Are you really fine?" Wu Tianzhen truly didn't believe him. He was worried, opening his mouth several times, but he dared not utter anything about wanting to see for himself. Thus, he could only let his self-blame grow.
Just then, a cry of "Aow aow" was heard. The two looked up to see Fatty and Black Glasses also falling.
Black Glasses appeared relaxed and at ease, while Fatty was exclaiming "Holy shit!" Fortunately, Black Glasses still had some kindness, hooking Fatty with his hand just as he was about to hit the ground.
This time, Fatty didn't land face-first, but merely rolled a few times on the ground.
"What the hell is going on? Have I gone insane?!" Fatty expressed his terror of this strange space with a string of expletives. "Teacher Wu, Teacher Wu? Did you figure anything out!?"
Suddenly pulled out, Wu Tianzhen finally shifted his gaze from Zhang Qiling, but his tone still carried a hint of worry.
"... I suspect it's due to the air," he said dejectedly. "Feel it carefully. Although we can breathe here, it's very difficult."
"And the pressure around us is also very high, the squeezing sensation is no less than being in the sea."
"It's likely that the air here is mostly composed of a special gas with a density far greater than seawater, thus forming this unique underwater space."
"Now, I just hope this gas isn't poisonous."