Brother Jiang remained calm, his gaze sweeping around the area.
After we all descended from the iron ladder, Brother Jiang climbed up to take a look and then came back down.
He shook his head at us and then inspected the hull again, ultimately finding no solution.
Half an hour passed in this manner.
Suddenly, I remembered the rusted metal sheets on the deck.
I swam over to that spot and looked at the peeling, corroded metal. When I rubbed it with my hand, rust flakes kept falling off.
With a mindset of just trying it out, I used my dagger to scratch the metal sheet. It cut through easily, sending a jolt through me.
At that moment, Fat Ma and the others gathered around me.
I continued working on it, and seeing hope, Fat Ma came over to help.
Brother Jiang patted me on the shoulder. When I turned around, I met his questioning gaze and nodded in response.
He didn’t stop me. After a while, Mud Man also joined in. The metal sheet was quickly penetrated, and the deck was soon corroded as well.
It was nowhere near as sturdy as other parts of the deck. However, this deck was quite thick; despite its decay, it still took some effort to break through.
As the blade pierced through that layer of wood, a small whirlpool immediately formed. The water in front of me began to change and flow slowly.
Fat Ma was exhilarated, and the opening widened instantly. The water rushed in like it had found an outlet, pouring in recklessly.
Within a few minutes, thanks to Fat Ma's relentless efforts, I was the first to successfully swim up.
This room was indeed dry; the water hadn’t filled it yet. The furnishings here were basically no different from those in a normal room.
Suddenly, someone jumped out from the bed. He moved quickly and seemed to be carrying another person on his back.
I didn't have time to think too much and chased after him. At that moment, Fat Ma popped up and pulled me down, but I shook him off forcefully and continued to follow.
The door to the room had already been broken open, yet for some reason, this place hadn't been flooded. Perhaps he was just a few seconds faster than us.
I quickly caught up to the cabin, where he was carrying someone on his back. His movements were significantly slowed down, and there were many obstacles in the cabin.
I swiftly grabbed the clothing of the person on his back. But in the next instant, my hand was struck away with great force, causing me pain; it was brutal to exert strength underwater like that.
I hesitated for a moment but then grabbed hold again. He quickly turned around and kicked me hard. The impact pushed me backward into the water, but Fat Ma held me back.
Brother Jiang and the Mud Man also caught up and reacted quickly.
The person had barely run a short distance when Brother Jiang and the Mud Man intercepted him.
Coming to my senses, I saw that he had been blocked by those two, and I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Fat Ma wanted to join in the fun, but I stopped him, telling him not to cause trouble for the two. If they couldn't handle it either, then our efforts would be in vain.
I watched as they exchanged blows in the water; surprisingly, he didn't seem to be at a disadvantage despite carrying someone on his back.
After a while of fighting, the Mud Man took a kick to the chest and staggered backward.
No way! Were both of them not his match? I thought to myself in disbelief.
At that moment, Fat Ma couldn't hold back any longer and charged forward. I decided not to hesitate anymore; even if it was futile, I had to join in!
Fat Ma launched himself like a water bomb but missed as he kicked off and easily dodged using the buoyancy of the water.
I also made a move, but he didn't linger; seizing the opportunity, he attempted to escape out of the cabin.
Fortunately, Brother Jiang was there; he grabbed hold of his leg and yanked him down toward the bottom of the water.
The Mud Man adjusted himself and moved forward once more.
The heavyset man, filled with indignation, charged forward. The four of us surrounded him from different directions, and I felt a slight tension as I clenched my fingers.
Among the four of us, I was undoubtedly the weakest. So it was most likely that he would target me.
However, to my surprise, he headed straight for Brother Jiang, the strongest among us.
The three of us quickly converged towards Brother Jiang. He managed to hold the attacker back while I and the Mud Man swiftly joined the fray.
Fat Ma was loitering on the outskirts, but finally, he seized an opportunity and threw a punch. The force of it created massive waves in the surrounding water.
That punch landed squarely, causing the man to spit out blood, which dispersed in the water within seconds.
At that moment, I caught a glimpse of the person on his back. My heart twisted in shock and urgency surged within me.
Brother Jiang was still engaged in combat with him.
By the time I reacted, I was facing their backs. Without any hesitation, driven purely by emotion, I knew I had to save the person on his back.
Seeing my distress, Fat Ma and the Mud Man rushed over as well.
I lunged forward to grab the man, but I underestimated my own abilities; just because you’re angry doesn’t mean you become powerful.
I received a heavy blow from him. A warmth spread across my chest as blood gushed out. My oxygen mask was knocked off, and water flooded into my chest, causing me to choke violently.
The Mud Man hurriedly supported me and helped me put on the oxygen mask. It took a moment for me to regain my senses, but by then Brother Jiang and the attacker had vanished.
I immediately chased after them outside the cabin, but they were nowhere to be found. Following the Passageway we had entered through, I continued my pursuit but still saw no sign of them.
Frustrated, I pounded my fists against the water.
Just as I was about to set off again, I saw Brother Jiang returning. But when I noticed his empty hands, I understood the situation. Still, I looked at him with questioning eyes; he simply shook his head in response.
I chased after him again until we broke through the Water Surface and climbed ashore. The other three followed closely behind.
"There's no need to chase him; he's already run away," Brother Jiang finally spoke up.
I paused for a moment, unwilling to believe it, but the reality told me my efforts were in vain.
The three of us returned to the edge of the pool, where Fat Ma patted my shoulder and said, "The employer isn't putting in as much effort as you are!"
He then turned to Brother Jiang and said, "Second Brother, you agree, right?"
Brother Jiang was left speechless by his comment.
The water level here was just above my chest, which made me feel quite suffocated.
"Let's go! We can't stay here any longer," the mud person reminded us.
Although I wasn't feeling great, I couldn't let it affect others. Fat Ma, with a broad smile on his face, said, "Old Sun, cheer up! Even though we didn't complete the mission, Second Brother will definitely pay us our reward, right, Second Brother?"
To my surprise, Brother Jiang directly replied to Fat Ma, "Don't worry; I won't go back on my word."
Fat Ma completely failed to understand why I was feeling down, but I didn't explain it either.
Hearing Brother Jiang's response made Fat Ma even more cheerful. All the way back, he kept calling out "Second Brother" this and "Second Brother" that.
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