Chapter 398 - 198: Such Close Contact_1
Even while carrying Ling Menglu, Long Dangdang didn’t feel his speed was significantly slower than when he was alone. To prevent Ling Menglu from getting struck, his body had already collided several times with stones at the bottom of the waterway. The cold underground water numbed him to the pain, making it bearable. With undivided focus, he continued to press forward with all his might.
At this point, Ling Menglu’s body’s numbness was gradually subsiding. It was a relatively comfortable moment during her breath-holding phase — her chest cavity was compressed due to the water pressure, temporarily lessening her discomfort and allowing her to relax somewhat. However, she began to feel spasms in her diaphragm below her chest, a sign that her breath-holding time was nearing its limit. According to previous experience, this could happen after around four minutes. Once in this state, she would normally be surfacing for air.
Now, though, Long Dangdang was still swimming forward at high speed — she had no choice but to try to stay as relaxed as possible.
At that moment, Long Dangdang tapped her hand lightly. Ling Menglu moved her finger slightly to signal him that she was still alright.
Long Dangdang began to increase his speed again, forcefully propelling himself forward and neglecting the risk of collision, stretching his left hand forward as a buffer to block the rocks. When he was about to collide, his palm would take the brunt of the impact. Fortunately, the stones in the passage, smoothed from years of water erosion, weren’t sharp.
He could feel Ling Menglu’s spasms intensifying. This was a sign that she was on the verge of exceeding her limit. At this moment, they were a hundred meters away from surfacing from the underwater passage.
He swam a few strokes then touched Ling Menglu’s hand again. Her spasms now spreading, she courageously signaled once more with a twitch of her finger.
Long Dangdang swam ever faster, pushing himself to his limits. The last hundred meters started to slope upwards, and the water pressure was gradually decreasing.
But, he noticed, Ling Menglu’s limbs, which had been wrapped around him, had begun to loosen. Her body began to shake more vigorously.