After Being Blackened All Over the Internet, I Ruled the Military Variety Shows
Chapter 498 - 489: Wu Jue’s Red Thread

Chapter 498: Chapter 489: Wu Jue’s Red Thread

Only someone with X-ray vision could see what was hiding beneath the sand.

Several beams of flashlight crisscrossed the water’s surface, yet nothing was discovered.

Strangely enough, the thin layer of mist over the water didn’t seem dense, but it stubbornly obscured any view of what lay beneath.

After a while, someone finally summoned the courage to speak up, "Why don’t we try going into the water?"

"But we didn’t bring any diving protective gear this time, we also don’t know if there’s poison in this mist or in the water,"

Not bringing diving equipment wasn’t a mistake. After all, we came to the desert; who could have expected to encounter a river underground?

"We’ve been at the riverbank for a while and haven’t felt any discomfort. It should be fine. I’m a good swimmer, and I can hold my breath for quite long, I can..."

Before the team member could finish saying ’go down,’ Hu Zi, who had stayed silently at the back of the team to guard them, suddenly called out: "Be careful!"

This warning was directed at the person closest to the riverbank.

As he shouted, he reached out and suddenly pulled the person back.

The person staggered several steps backward, still a little confused.

But when he saw that a wet, small handprint had appeared where he had been standing, he broke out in a cold sweat.

If he hadn’t been pulled back just now, that handprint might not have been on the ground but on his ankle.

Without any defense, it wasn’t impossible to be suddenly pulled into the water.

Being able to swim and being suddenly dragged into the water are two different things.

The former is prepared, naturally maneuvering in water with ease.

But if you’re dragged in without any warning, your first response in the water is to struggle. If anything mischievous is nearby, it’s not impossible to drown.

"Brother, thank you so much!"

Hu Zi waved his hand at the grateful face, "You’re welcome."

"Did you figure something out just now?"

Everyone’s gaze unconsciously shifted between the water’s surface and the small handprint on the bank, and they couldn’t help but look at Hu Zi.

"That thing moved too fast," Hu Zi said, somewhat sheepishly shaking his head at Jiang Lingxi’s gaze, "From the moment I sensed something moving in the water to pulling the person back, I didn’t actually catch a glimpse of it. But there seemed to be two flashes of green light."

Jiang Lingxi felt her heart skip a beat, "Green light? Are you sure you saw green light?"

Hu Zi paused before nodding, "Yes, those two green lights...," he gestured towards a night vision goggle on one of the team members, "When I shone the flashlight over, it was something like that."

Jiang Lingxi glanced at the night vision goggle he was pointing at, then back at the water, her expression slowly grew serious.

"Actually, I had another discovery last night, but I didn’t mention it because I wasn’t sure. Do you recall the first inn we entered? Behind the screen, I also saw a pair of fleeting green eyes, moving really fast. But Hu Zi saw it just now too, so it wasn’t just my imagination."

These words made everyone feel as if the surrounding temperature had dropped abruptly.

Green eyes, could that be a person?

Anyway, people couldn’t possibly live in a place like this!

To be precise, neither animals nor plants could survive in such a place.

Animals need food, and plants need sunlight.

This place doesn’t have any of those.

But what were those creatures with green eyes they saw on two occasions?

One person might have been mistaken, but it couldn’t possibly be both of them.

It’s downright contradictory!

Yun Yi: "Could that thing be a Guardian Beast?"

Changning: "A Guardian Beast?"

"Didn’t we speculate before that this might be a grand tomb? I’ve read in books that some grand tombs breed Guardian Beasts to fend off intruders."

"Which book did you read this from?"

"’Tomb Raider Diary’, it’s a novel."

Changning: "..."

Changning’s face showed undisguised speechlessness while Yun Yi grumbled in protest, "Art imitates life."

This time, Changning completely ignored her.

Because she saw Jiang Lingxi squatting down, about to reach out to touch the still-damp small handprint.

Unable to contain her surprise, she exclaimed, "Sister Ling!"

Just when Jiang Lingxi’s hand was only a few millimeters from the small handprint, a pale, bloodless little hand suddenly shot out from the misty water, reaching straight for Jiang Lingxi’s wrist.

This time, however, Jiang Lingxi was prepared. Just as the small hand was about to grasp her wrist, she flipped her hand, and with a gloved hand, she counter-grasped the small hand.

A chorus of gasps erupted behind her.

Jiang Lingxi considered dragging the creature in the water up, but underestimated its slipperiness.

The soft little hand in hers seemed to lose its bones, slipping out as she tried to pull it up.

Without even a splash, it completely disappeared underwater.

Jiang Lingxi: "..."

Was this thing like an eel or something?

Nonetheless, she didn’t come up entirely empty-handed this time.

She opened her palm. Apart from the water stains on her glove from the previous move, her palm now held a crimson woven string, threaded with a small bead.

She had snatched this from that little hand just now.

The woven string wasn’t special, its weaving technique quite common. The bead looked ordinary too, but when turned, one could see a carved ’卍’ symbol on its other side.

This instantly reminded her of Wu Jue.

Moreover, the string looked very new and not old at all.

"Changning, come here."

Changning quickly moved closer, "Are you alright, Sister Ling?"

"I’m fine." Jiang Lingxi held out the red string for her to see, "Do you recognize this?"

Changning’s eyes widened at the wet red string right in front of her, "I, I of course recognize it. This is my mast... this is Wu Jue’s. This is his little habit; Sister Ling, look at the ’卍’ on the bead, it’s a symbol for auspiciousness. But for him, it also means harmlessness. This indicates..."

At this, she hesitated, taking a deep breath before continuing, "This indicates that the thing just now is harmless and might even offer us help."

Jiang Lingxi: "..."

All those listening intently: "..."

Yun Yi couldn’t help but quip: "That Wu Jue gentleman, are you sure he didn’t tie the wrong thing?"

Only to receive a fierce glare from Changning.

"Tying the red string is indeed his habit, but he doesn’t put it on just anything."

"So should we go into the water now to find that little creature? Maybe it’ll guide us?"

Jiang Lingxi handed the red string to Changning and tightened her sleeves, "Into the water!"

Since wandering on land was getting them nowhere, they might as well explore the path in the water.