Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Gu Nianzhi was shocked to see the violet electric sparks shimmering on the seaâs surface above her, and it left her speechless for a long time. Swimming a few circles in the water, she wanted to struggle out of Huo Shaohengâs grip to see what was happening above them. However, Huo Shaoheng gripped her firmly by the arm to prevent her from leaving his side. Gu Nianzhi knew she couldnât hide behind Huo Shaoheng at a time like this, or all three of them would die. Lifting her hand, Gu Nianzhi signalled in sign language to Huo Shaoheng, âIâll go up to see whatâs going on. I already shot all the solar panels, so there is no way of generating power. Where did these violet electric arcs come from?â
Huo Shaoheng squeezed her hand and quietly looked at her through the diving mask for a while as he wrote on her palm stroke by stroke, â...The circuitry is not that simple here. There is no way thereâs only one circuit system.â
Gu Nianzhi instantly understood. Even her WiFi at home had an auxiliary backup power supply, so how could a massive setup like this not have one? The auxiliary power mustâve been activated. Now she had even more reason not to back down. Since she came down to the blue hole, she must rescue the two men. Gu Nianzhi squeezed Huo Shaohengâs hand back and frowned at Zhao Liangze, who was hoisted over Huo Shaohengâs shoulder. âBrother Ze, have you heard enough?â
Huo Shaoheng froze and instinctively glanced at Zhao Liangze, because he assumed he woke up. Gu Nianzhi took the opportunity to wrench her hand free and swam like a fish to escape Huo Shaohengâs clutches. She quickly swam up to the surface.
She had dared to trick him. She was getting bolder by the day... Jerking his head up violently, Huo Shaoheng followed her while carrying Zhao Liangze. The seawater was abnormally resistant, and he also had to carry another person, so despite Huo Shaohengâs excellent swimming skills, he couldnât catch up to Gu Nianzhi.
...
Gu Nianzhi quickly swam near the blue holeâs surface and could sense that the violet electric arcs were bright enough to blind through the thick diving goggles. Gritting her teeth and wrapping her arms around her head, she swiftly propelled her legs against the sea water to break the surface.
Zapâ!
The electric arcs crackled loudly on the surface, and Gu Nianzhi once again felt like she was crawling through a hill of needles. Countless tiny needles as fine as cowâs hair pricked her body. Though she didnât bleed, the pain was trapped in the marrow of her bones and was enough to suffocate her. However, Gu Nianzhi didnât pass out, and the pain actually sparked her courage. Glaring at the violet electric arcs in front of her, she clenched her fists and thought, Then letâs try it out! Weâll see whatâs more powerful, the arcs or me!
Closing her eyes, she rushed up to the surface once again. As soon as her head popped up from the water, a giant line of violet electric arcs zapped her, accompanied by the sound of thunder clapping! Not daring to open her eyes, Gu Nianzhi endured the searing pain and quickly dove back down into the water. Would the shocks fry the hair off her head, making her bald? As anxious as Gu Nianzhi was to rescue them, she couldnât help worrying about her appearance... If she could bear the pain, how could she not bear the prospect of baldness!?
Gu Nianzhi reopened her eyes in the water and looked up at the violet electric arcs on the surface for a while before rushing up once again. This time, she endured longer than the first time, but it still was painful to the point that even her joints were on fire. Luckily, she had a very high pain tolerance, because normal people would have either passed out from the shock or died from it. Gu Nianzhi was actually able to break surface twice, and although she couldnât escape the electric arcs on the surface, she was much more impressive than a normal person.
...
The people on both He Zhichuâs and Gu Yanranâs yachts looked at the brilliant violet electric arcs on the seaâs surface. They had all closed their eyes regretfully to give Gu Nianzhi a moment of silence when they first witnessed her burst up from the surface and have her head fried by the violet electric arcs. They thought she was doomed without a doubt, so they were completely floored the second time they saw Gu Nianzhi break the surface and get beaten down by the violet electric arcs once again. There had been no one who could escape the electric arcs alive! But they just saw someone survive after getting shocked by the violet electric arcs?! Interest grew, and everyone took out binoculars to watch Gu Nianzhi emerge over and over again, only to be forced back down into the water by the shocks.
...
He Zhichu regained consciousness and walked to the bow of the yacht solemnly. He accepted binoculars from someone to watch Gu Nianzhi persistently battle with the sea of violet electric arcs. The corners of his mouth couldnât help twitching. This child had always been so stubborn. When she first arrived at his side at the age of six, she loved playing in the small garden. One time someone put a small Taihu stone on the garden path she frequented because it melded with the natural landscape and was an interesting addition to the path. He Zhichuâs father also loved Taihu stones, so everyone agreed it was nice. However, they didnât consider that Gu Nianzi frequently went on the path alone, while He Zhichuâs father didnât go there often. Gu Nianzhi didnât like the stone, so she asked for the obstacle to be moved away. He Zhichu didnât take notice at the time and only thought it was a stone, so there was no need to be so serious about it. But Gu Nianzhi was extremely stubborn. She secretly woke up at night when there was no one to help her move it. She would run to the garden and move the rock, throwing it into the grass before happily going back to bed.
That night, a curious He Zhichu followed the tiny Gu Nianzhi to watch her slyly evade the guard, crawl across the hallway, avoid the lights, and crouch her small body as she stole to the garden path. With heavy grunts and mustering all her strength, she finally moved the small Taihu stone and threw it away... Just like now, she had determined the violet electric arcs to be her obstacle, so she would stop at nothing to overcome it, even if it meant beating herself bloody. He Zhichu massaged his temples, his indifferent eyes softening. He ordered someone to take a megaphone to shout at the blue holeâs waters, â...Donât go upwards! Go from the bottom! Itâs easier!â
The person relaying the message didnât quite understand what it meant, but He Zhichu knew Gu Nianzhi would understand. When Gu Nianzhi emerged once again and was shocked by the violet electric arcs to the point that even her marrow was burning, she heard the message called out from He Zhichiâs side. As Gu Nianzhi sank back down into the water, Huo Shaoheng finally caught up to her and grabbed her to prevent her from hurting herself on the surface again.
Gu Nianzhi pried off Huo Shaohengâs hand before gesturing to him, âHuo Shao, I also want to save myself. I donât want to die here.â
Huo Shaoheng hugged her before letting go and using sign language to say, âWait for me here. Iâll take him out first and come back for you.â
Gu Nianzi pulled him back and pointed to the violet electric arcs above. She solemnly wrote in his palm, âDonât go. If you pass out, I canât carry both of you. Iâd let go of Brother Ze for sure. Huo Shao, do you want to see Brother Ze die like that?â
Huo Shaoheng remained silent as he stared at her hard with emotion. She had truly grown up by his side, so she knew him all too well. He certainly wouldnât allow Zhao Liangze to die, but he also didnât want to see Gu Nianzi perish. If it was possible, he would rather die for the two of them.
âIâll be fine, Huo Shao.â Gu Nianzhi cocked her head with a giggle, stretching her arms to swim in a circle. âSee, Iâm fine. Iâm really fine, I wonât die. These shocks are nothing to me. I was just thinking about how to get you and Brother Ze out of here. The shocks donât affect me, but you guys are different. Iâm worried the voltage is too high, and you guys wonât be able to endure it.â
Huo Shaoheng knew Gu Nianzhi had a special body constitution and had personally witnessed Gu Nianzhi break the surface of violet electric arcs several times, yet she was still able to bounce around. He began to trust her words but couldnât help feeling pained. Gu Nianzhi grew up under his care, and other than tripping during a long distance run, she had never suffered such torture.
âWeâll try again, but this time instead of going from the surface, weâll go from the bottom.â Gu Nianzhi pointed in the opposite direction. âThose are normal waters over there. Letâs go.â
âThere are also electric fences over there. We tried earlier.â Huo Shaoheng shook his head with a wry smile and gently swung Gu Nianzhiâs hand in the water. âHere, let me carry you both and break the surface.â Huo Shaoheng planned to use his body as a shield to deliver Gu Nianzhi and Zhao Liangze out of the electric fence on the blue holeâs side. If they couldnât go from the surface, then they could only force their way through the electric fence they couldnât see.
âNoâ!â Gu Nianzhi quickly shook her head, causing a swirl of bubbles. âLet me go try first. Maybe itâll be different than before?â Wrenching herself out of his grasp, she swam over horizontally.
She quickly arrived where the blue holeâs waters and the normal ocean intersected. It was only a shallow distance of less than three meters below the surface, because underneath was all limestone that couldnât be moved, even if it was dug out. Gu Nianzhi had to pass a vertical area of sea water less than three meters deep in order to leave the electric fence in the blue holeâs waters and return to the normal ocean. Huo Shaoheng watched her nervously. He and Zhao Liangze had tried there earlier, too, but had both passed out for a few seconds from the shock. Losing consciousness in the ocean could be fatal. He immediately prepared himself to rush over to save her as soon as she passed out.
...
Gu Nianzhi swam above the limestone. The seawaterâs pressure at a three-meter depth was not as high. Her body instantly relaxed. Reaching out, she probed for the invisible electric fence in front of her.
Zap...!
A searing pain traveled from her fingertips and wrenched at her heart, but it was much weaker than the violet electric arcs on the surface. Gu Nianzhiâs mind spun into gear. Even she couldnât withstand the violet electric arcs on the surface and had been beaten down into the water over and over again. However, the voltage here was much lower, so was the auxiliary power supply only buffing the strength of the violet electric arcs on the surface? Was it true that the entire electric fence had been inevitably weakened by her? Hope rose in Gu Nianzhiâs heart as she shut her eyes, crossed her arms around her chest, and propleed her legs forward to surge towards the unseen electric fence in front of her! Electric shock! The pain rattled her bones, but this time, she successfully escaped!