"Look, there's a body crushed by a rock!"
Several rescue soldiers were shining their flashlights under a large boulder. Beneath it, a body, splattered with blood and brains, lay with only its limbs exposed. It was Mèn Hūlú.
"Who is this?"
Gu Xiaozhuang and Xiao Zhao were confused. Nie Xiaoyu squatted down, covering her nose, looking at the dark brown blood and brains on the ground, emitting a foul odor. From the clothes on the body's hands, they could tell this person wasn't from their original team!
"Captain Nie, come quickly, there's another body here!"
Immediately, another rescue soldier found a corpse nearby. It was Liang Dazhuang, known as Liù Zi. His body had been hit by falling rocks from the earthquake in several places, but not as tragically as Mèn Hūlú.
Looking at the tall figure in black clothing, Gu Xiaozhuang turned to Nie Xiaoyu and said, "Officer Nie, these two should be the mysterious people who robbed our rescue vehicle, as the chief mentioned earlier!"
"They should be."
Nie Xiaoyu nodded.
Now they could confirm what Cai Guowu had said earlier: two people had robbed their rescue vehicle and come to Lingshan, then disappeared. Seeing the two bodies now confirmed they had entered the cave.
"The state of this person's death seems abnormal!"
Nie Xiaoyu squatted down and carefully examined Liù Zi's body. Then, wearing gloves, she slightly lifted the corpse's clothes and indeed saw a dark, sunken spot on the chest. Gu Xiaozhuang and the others looked down and said, "Could this be a killing blow?"
"Yes, it was an elbow strike!"
Based on the sunken wound on the corpse's chest, Nie Xiaoyu deduced that the attacker likely practiced Bajiquan.
"Could it be Doctor Wan?" Xiao Zhao immediately guessed.
Gu Xiaozhuang also nodded, "Doctor Wan practices martial arts, and with his strength, it's entirely possible he could kill someone with a single punch."
Nie Xiaoyu stood up and said to a nearby soldier, "Transport the bodies out and have a forensic doctor conduct an autopsy and investigation."
"Yes."
Two soldiers nodded and began to prepare the bodies.
Nie Xiaoyu shone her flashlight towards the downstream direction and said, "The upstream is blocked, so Doctor Wan and the others must have continued downstream!"
"Then let's keep searching."
Gu Xiaozhuang, Xiao Zhao, and the others nodded, leading a group of rescue soldiers to continue searching downstream of the underground river.
After searching for about a hundred meters, Xiao Zhao's flashlight illuminated the rock wall, and he suddenly spotted a body. He stopped and shouted, "Officer Nie, it's Wang Weicai..."
All their flashlights immediately turned to the body leaning against the rock wall. It was Wang Weicai, whom Wan Yunting had left behind. Seeing this, Gu Xiaozhuang felt heartbroken that Wang Weicai had also met with misfortune.
For a moment, Nie Xiaoyu was the first to salute Wang Weicai's body, followed by Gu Xiaozhuang, Xiao Zhao, and the other rescue soldiers.
"It seems Doctor Wan and the others are also in grave danger."
Gu Xiaozhuang shone his flashlight downstream, sighing softly.
Nie Xiaoyu asked Xiao Zhao to handle Wang Weicai's body, then took out her satellite phone to call Cai Guowu. When he answered, she said, "Chief, we have found Wang Weicai, but he has sacrificed his life!"
Outside at the campsite, Cai Guowu heard the news and sighed, then asked, "Have you found Wan Yunting and the others?"
"We haven't found them yet."
Nie Xiaoyu replied, "We are still searching. However, we also found two bodies, which should be the two people you mentioned earlier!"
"Oh."
Cai Guowu raised an eyebrow. They had been investigating the identities of the two mysterious people who had hijacked their rescue vehicle but had made no progress.
"Xiaoyu, search as quickly as possible. Find Wan Yunting and the others first," Cai Guowu instructed.
"Yes."
Nie Xiaoyu nodded, then hung up the call and said to Gu Xiaozhuang and the others, "Continue searching downstream..."
At the campsite located at the entrance of the back mountain cave, Fang Yanxi and her second brother Wan Dongming were still waiting. They had been waiting for a full five days, and there was still no news of Wan Yunting and Gu Luotang.
Gu Yuanbai, unable to bear the pain of losing his granddaughter, had his health decline. Therefore, Jiang Yichun and the others took him back to the disaster relief camp at the Xinxiu Community to rest and await news.
Meanwhile, external news continuously reported on Wan Yunting being trapped in the cave, and people had lost all hope, believing he must have died after being trapped for so many days.
However, inside the cave, Wan Yunting was silently practicing the Wuji Tiangang internal energy cultivation technique. When the woman in his arms stirred, he opened his eyes, looked at the waking Gu Luotang, and smiled, saying, "You're awake."
"Mmm..."
Gu Luotang, like a little lazy cat, snuggled into his warm embrace, seeming reluctant to wake up. "I slept so comfortably."
"Are you hungry?"
Wan Yunting stroked her cheek. Gu Luotang shook her head slightly and smiled, "Not hungry."
"Do you think I'd believe that?"
Wan Yunting's large hand reached down and touched her flat little stomach, causing Gu Luotang's pretty face to blush. She giggled adorably, "I'm really not hungry."
"Sigh..."
Wan Yunting sighed and said seriously, "Luotang, I will definitely get you out of here."
Gu Luotang sat up, her beautiful eyes gazing at him tenderly. She nodded and smiled gently, "Whether we get out or not, as long as I'm with you, I have no regrets."
"Silly girl."
Wan Yunting gently embraced her, stroking her hair, knowing full well Gu Luotang's thoughts.
"Alright, let's continue moving downstream. I believe there must be a way out!"
Wan Yunting then stood up, carrying Gu Luotang. Because she hadn't eaten, her strength was failing, and she almost fell again. Wan Yunting quickly supported her. "Let me carry you."
"No need, I can still walk." Gu Luotang steadied herself and shook her head with a smile.
Wan Yunting picked up the backpack from the ground and checked his phone's battery. Only twenty percent remained, and he didn't know if it would last.
However, Wan Yunting's eyes could now see in the darkness, so he could find his way even without his phone.
"Brother Yunting, why do you think there's definitely an exit?" Gu Luotang asked as she walked, holding onto Wan Yunting's arm.
"That refined snake!"
Wan Yunting smiled. "A snake that large couldn't possibly survive solely on the small fish in the underground river. It must go out to hunt, so there has to be an unknown exit."
Gu Luotang listened and thought it made sense, smiling, "Brother Yunting, you're so smart."
As she spoke, her foot caught on a stone, and she almost fell. Wan Yunting bent down immediately. "Come on, I'll carry you."
"But..."
"Tsk, get on."
Wan Yunting didn't give her a chance to refuse.
Seeing this, Gu Luotang had no choice but to lie on his back and be carried. Wan Yunting smiled, "So light."
"Not at all."
Gu Luotang rested her cheek against his back and giggled, "I used to weigh a hundred pounds."
"Only a hundred pounds, you can gain some weight..."
The two of them chatted like this, walking unhurriedly downstream.
After about two hours, Wan Yunting, carrying Gu Luotang, didn't feel tired or hungry. It seemed that breaking through to the early stage of Dan Jin in his martial arts realm had made his body extraordinary.
But Gu Luotang was hungry. Although she had eaten the last biscuit in the morning, it wasn't enough. Now she was so hungry she had no strength, relying on Wan Yunting to carry her. Fortunately, they had enough water, so they could still hold on.
"Mmm, there's water ahead!"
Gu Luotang, holding the phone, pointed ahead and found a large pool of water. It seemed to be the end of the underground river downstream.
"Here, sit down first..."
Wan Yunting gently placed Gu Luotang, who was on his back, onto a stone beside them. Then he used his phone to illuminate the pool. The water was very clear, dark as night, and bottomless. It showed no signs of flowing, but it was fresh water.
"Brother Yunting, how is it?"
Gu Luotang asked weakly.
Wan Yunting returned and said, "The water is very deep. I don't know if it connects to the outside."
Gu Luotang looked and shook her head slightly, "If it connected to the outside, there should be reflections of outside light coming in."
Wan Yunting looked at the pool. "The water is very deep, I don't know."
Gu Luotang nodded and sighed softly, "It seems this isn't the exit."
Wan Yunting handed her the phone and comforted her with a smile, "Don't worry, even if this isn't the exit, we can go back and find the snake's cave. Perhaps its cave is the exit to the outside."
"Okay, let's rest here first." Gu Luotang knew the man was trying to comfort her.
"You wait here. I'm going to swim and see if I can catch a fish..."
Saying this, Wan Yunting stood up and began to undress. But Gu Luotang was nervous and said, "Brother Yunting, you shouldn't go in. It's dangerous."
"It's fine, there shouldn't be any dangerous creatures down here."
Wan Yunting took off his clothes, stroked Gu Luotang's face, and smiled gently, "Wait for me obediently up here, don't worry."
"Then be careful..."
"Mmm."
Wan Yunting responded, turned, and jumped directly into the pool. The icy water sent a jolt through him. Under Gu Luotang's worried gaze, Wan Yunting took a deep breath and submerged himself underwater...
In the pitch-black water, Wan Yunting swam downwards with all his might, as he felt that the bottom of this pool must lead to the outside...