Ke Xun led Luo Yi in the final jump, and he and Mu Yiran, working in perfect harmony without prior planning, dived down, one leading the way and the other keeping watch at the back, the group swimming swiftly in a line.
The light from the rhinoceros horn, as they called it, formed a band of light in the seawater, proving it didn't extinguish.
Even while swimming underwater, they could draw a thin layer of air from the horn, likely the miraculous effect described in the *Compendium of Materia Medica* as "able to breathe through the heavens."
Mu Yiran and Zhu Haowen, sharing a single rhinoceros horn, had to constantly pass it between them. Fortunately, both were calm and organized, cooperating seamlessly even while exchanging horns, without any chaos.
They continued their descent deeper into the sea. The light from the rhinoceros horn illuminated only a limited area; beyond that radius lay the pitch-black ocean, an overwhelming, all-encompassing force pressing in on the tiny humans from all sides, causing a suffocating feeling of tightness in their chests and shortness of breath, almost triggering claustrophobia.
The group unconsciously quickened their descent. Darkness is the root of fear, and when they clearly understood that this darkness was as vast, boundless, and unfathomable as the deep ocean, the fear arose from the depths of their being multiplied, hundreds, thousands of times, filling their entire being.
Luo Jin was timid. He felt that his nerves had already exceeded their limits and self-awareness by holding on for five days. He didn't know how much longer he could endure. He had never had much self-confidence, so the more he thought about it, the more he felt he might not be able to hold on.
Faced with crisis and hardship, some people think, "I can still hold on," while others think, "I can't hold on."
Luo Jin was the latter.
So now, enveloped by this terrifying, endless darkness, he grew increasingly terrified, increasingly desperate, increasingly...losing the will to hold on.
I can't hold on...I really can't hold on...I'm going to die here...I might...really die here...
Luo Jin couldn't shed tears, because the icy seawater was pressing against his eyeballs.
He missed his father, his mother, his girlfriend, Uncle Zhang, Aunt Liu, his stray cat and the dog abandoned by its original owner. He missed the blue sky and white clouds, even the smog, outside the painting; he missed himself before entering the painting.
He really didn't want to die.
He was so scared, but no one could save him, no one could help him. He would die in this cold, vast ocean, becoming a lonely floating corpse.
No one could help him...
—Suddenly, a tight grip on his waist, a hand firmly and powerfully grasping the only pair of shorts he was wearing, and then pulling on them, causing him to swim faster downstream.
It was Ke Xun, the one who had put his arm around Luo Jin's shoulder before he jumped into the sea, telling him, "Don't worry, I'll definitely get you out of here, don't be afraid."
Luo Jin didn't understand why he had suddenly sped up, even catching up with Dr. Qin, Wei Dong, and Shao Ling who were swimming ahead.
Then he carried him downstream with the three of them, seemingly just to join them for company.
Luo Jin thought about it, and then he understood. Ke Xun was afraid
he would be scared, even more afraid he would give up, so he wanted more people to stay with him, to let him see hope again in the atmosphere of everyone working together to survive.
Luo Jin grabbed a handful of Ke Xun's hand, and Ke Xun turned his head, raising the corner of his lips at him in the light of the rhinoceros horn.
"What a wicked, arrogant, and domineering laugh," Luo Yu thought, but at this moment he really wanted to sincerely tell him: "Brother, loosen your grip, your crotch is squeezing my balls..."
Shao Ling, swimming next to Luo Yu, was also feeling incredibly frustrated—because he had been watching the light from the rhinoceros horns. Each horn had a limited burning time, and right now, everyone's horns were nearing the end of their burn, possibly extinguishing completely in less than three minutes. At that point, they would be blocked from the path to another dimension, and what awaited them was burial in the infinitely deep sea...
Shao Ling felt he had to warn these people. He slapped Wei Dong, who was closest to him. Wei Dong turned to look at him, and Shao Ling pointed to the rhinoceros horn in his mouth, indicating to Wei Dong to look at the degree of burning.
Wei Dong gave him a thumbs up, then turned back and continued swimming as if nothing had happened.
Shao Ling: ?
Did he not understand? Shao Ling thought for a moment; Wei Dong seemed to be a little less bright than the others.
So he swam over to Qin Ci, patted him on the shoulder, and pointed to the rhinoceros horn in his mouth.
Qin Ci turned to look at him, then took the rhinoceros horn from his mouth with one hand and Shao Ling's with the other, swapping their horns before helping Qin Ci put them back in his mouth. He then took Shao Ling's horn in his mouth and turned back to continue swimming.
Shao Ling: ? ?
...No, I didn't say I thought my rhinoceros horn was no good and wanted to swap with you! --Are all doctors these days so helpful?!
Shao Ling had no choice but to turn his head to the other side, reaching out to pat Luo Yi, who was closer to him, but then thought better of it and pulled back—this kid was even more unreliable than the others. So he swam a few more times with more effort and patted Ke Xun.
Ke Xun turned to look at him, and Shao Ling pointed to the rhinoceros horn in his mouth, then made a "getting smaller and smaller" gesture.
Ke Xun gestured "Don't worry" in response, then patted Luo Jin and pointed at Shao Ling. Luo Jin gave an "OK," grabbed Shao Ling's shorts, and pulled him up just like Ke Xun had pulled him. Led by Ke Xun, they continued swimming downwards, dragging Shao Ling along.
Shao Ling: ???
—I didn't say I was getting weaker! —Let go of my shorts, you're squeezing my crotch!
Shao Ling was annoyed and helpless. He thought he was probably really going to die here this time.
The seven-person team continued to descend into the sea. The faint light from the rhinoceros horn, under the vast, black curtain of the deep sea, looked like a few tiny, almost imperceptible microorganisms.
As dawn approached, the deep sea grew darker and darker, as if slowly swallowing the last light of the seven-person team.
Finally, even Luo Jin noticed the light from the rhinoceros horn was weakening. He hurriedly grabbed Ke Xun's arm, wanting to warn him, wanting to—wanting to break down, wanting to struggle, wanting to cry out in fear—
Ke Xun sensed his panic, thinking he was starting to get nervous and overthink again, so he simply pulled him along and sped up—the sooner they reached that space, the sooner the kid could be freed from his fear.
Ke Xun's stamina was astonishing. After swimming for so long, even with the miraculous effect of the rhinoceros horn's light making everyone feel no pressure in the deep sea, paddling was still physically demanding, and everyone was quite tired by now. Yet, he was still managing to carry one person at a sprint through the water.
Ke Xun quickly swam ahead with Luo Jin, giving Mu Yiran a hand gesture as they passed without even turning his head. He knew Mu Yiran would understand.
Luo Jin's mental fortitude was the worst among them; there was no way to comfort him in the sea, nor could they force him to calm down, so he could only carry him at a sprint.
Ke Xun paddled hard, and Luo Jin barely had time to follow suit, being dragged along like a dead fish as he sank.
Luo Jin knew Ke Xun was trying to save him, but he saw no hope. The light from the rhinoceros horn was fading, growing weaker and weaker. The dark, murky seawater pressed in from all sides, heavier and heavier. Luo Jin stared wide-eyed in despair, the salty water stinging his eyeballs, but he refused to close them. He feared that if he did, he would never open them again.
Luo Jin stared wide-eyed as the surrounding sea grew darker and the light before him dimmed. He began to feel a chill run through him, his muscles stiffening like stone. Suddenly, he wondered if he was already dead. This thought terrified him, and he desperately reached out a hand, trying to move.
He moved it, and his fingertip, submerged in the inky water, caught something. Before he could react to what it was, a pale, swollen face suddenly came into view!
—That—that was Li Yi—his entire body was bloated from being submerged in seawater, almost swelling into a fat, white jellyfish. His flesh had even begun to rot. His eyes were tightly closed, and his features, blurred by the water, were deathly still.
He had indeed died in this sea. Without the light of the rhinoceros horn, he could go nowhere; he was trapped in this sea, dying silently.
Luo Jin was terrified by the dead face that suddenly entered his field of vision and almost touched his own. He instinctively wanted to scream, but as soon as he opened his mouth, the rhinoceros horn slipped out, and salty seawater rushed in, choking him directly into his lungs.
—I'm going to die! Luo Jin struggled in panic. The bewildered Ke Xun turned around and used his hands and legs to hold him tightly.
Luo Jin tried to breathe, but he choked. Without the rhinoceros horn in his mouth, without air, he couldn't go on. He was going to die.
Just as Luo Jin reached the peak of his terror, a familiar, cool, hard object was suddenly shoved into his mouth—a rhinoceros horn.
Shao Ling watched Luo Jin through the light of the rhinoceros horn.
This kid, even in his near-mental breakdown, hadn't let go of his shorts.
Shao Ling now finally believed that you reap what you sow.
If Luo Jin hadn't refused to give up on him, he wouldn't have been there to catch his fallen rhinoceros horn.
With the horn back and Ke Xun restraining him, Luo Jin gradually calmed down. Seeing that he was no longer struggling, Ke Xun released him, tapped him on the head, and continued diving, still holding onto his shorts.
Having just experienced a terrifying ordeal, Luo Jin dared not panic again. His body stiffened, his eyes wide, he let Ke Xun lead him like a dead fish.
In the dim light of the rhinoceros horn illuminating the seawater, occasionally a swollen, pale foot would glide by, the rest of the body hidden in darkness beyond the horn's reach.
Luo Jin didn't know whose foot it belonged to among the dead; he could only pretend not to see it, even when a pale arm slapped him in the face, he didn't dare move.
It felt like centuries had passed—or so Luo Jin thought—when suddenly the seawater before him began to thin, and the heavy pressure pressing on his body gradually lightened, becoming so light it seemed to swirl around him like mist. The seawater itself, too, had become misty and swirling, floating and drifting.
Suddenly, as if weightless, he plummeted downwards, his entire body detached from the seawater, crashing down with a splash, followed by a "thud" as he plunged into a deep pool beneath him.
No, not deep water, but the sea, yet another sea!
This sea was different from the one in the illusion. This sea was real, a vast expanse of deep blue-green, with countless white waves—it was the real sea!
"Thump," "Thump," "Thump"... Following closely behind were the other companions who had fallen in, each surfacing to wipe the water from their faces.
"You were all too reckless," Shao Ling said, seething with anger, having held it in for the entire journey. "What if the rhinoceros horn had perished in the sea?"
"It hasn't perished, has it?" Ke Xun shook the rhinoceros horn in his hand, its last glimmer of light slowly fading.
"You're just being wise after the event," Shao Ling said coldly.
"Who told you it was after the fact?" Ke Xun shook the water off his hair, looking like a golden retriever. "Didn't I tell you when I told you about the experiences with the first few paintings? Paintings don't leave those who enter them with a dead end. In a situation where nine out of ten people die, the only way to survive is definitely one that can be reached. So the time it takes for a rhinoceros horn to burn must be enough for us to cross that sea and reach this space. You're overthinking it. Your paranoia is acting up again, isn't it?" "
..." Shao Ling was speechless for a moment. What did this have to do with paranoia? Who wouldn't entrust their life to a stranger they'd only spent five days with?
Shao Ling shook his head, wiped the water from his face, and seeing Wei Dong splashing around in front of him, couldn't help but ask, "Why did you give me a thumbs up in the sea back then?"
Wei Dong was taken aback: "Weren't you asking me how well you swam? I didn't realize you were so arrogant, demanding praise even at a time like this. Did you grow up surrounded by compliments? It's okay, I'll praise you often in the future, mwah."
Shao Ling: "..." Seriously, he didn't want to deal with these people anymore.