Li Si Di had a very good understanding of the water conditions. He was responsible for all the work related to the water, and he said, “Within an hour, there will definitely be a massive storm here. The fact that the seawater has receded this much is evidence enough. In a moment, all this seawater that has been drawn away by the low pressure will rush back in, and it will be like a small tsunami. We only have three small kayaks, so I’m afraid the outlook isn’t very optimistic.”

His words were already quite tactful, but when San Shu looked at his expression, it was clear he felt they were doomed. These people had never seen much of the world, and they all turned pale with fear; some of the girls even started crying.

San Shu held Wen Jin’s hand and felt her palm was sweaty, realizing she was also very scared. At that moment, San Shu had never dealt with such situations before, but as someone used to risky professions, he had a strong mental fortitude. He reminded himself to stay calm; if he panicked, it would really be over!

He counted the number of people. There were originally ten of them, but now one person was dead, and another had to report the incident and the underwater findings to the higher-ups, so he returned on the big ship. Now there were only eight people left. San Shu asked Li Si Di, “How long will this storm last?”

Li Si Di replied, “Summer storms are usually short, lasting about tens of minutes, but during that time, the sea level will rise at least five to six meters, and all those reefs will be submerged.” He shook his head. “These tens of minutes are not to be taken lightly. If the waves hit, you either crash into the reefs and die or get swept out to the deep sea. I’m not trying to scare you; this is really a big problem.”

San Shu’s mind was racing. Several plans flashed through his head, but he quickly dismissed them. Rowing back to shore in the kayak was a death wish; no matter how fast they rowed, they wouldn’t outrun the storm. Hiding underwater with a breathing apparatus wouldn’t work either, as the deepest part of the sea near the reef was only about seven meters—completely useless.

As he looked at the seabed, which was almost visible to the naked eye, like a flash of lightning in the night, a very risky plan suddenly emerged in his mind. He didn’t have time to discuss its feasibility anymore. He said to the others, “Let’s not think too much; everyone gather the oxygen tanks and see how much air we have left. We need to go down to the ancient tomb to take shelter!”

San Shu was very familiar with going down to the tomb, so he didn’t think it was a big deal, but the others were all bookworms, and this suggestion was too bold. As soon as he said it, everyone was in an uproar. Seeing the disagreement, San Shu quickly analyzed the pros and cons for them.

He pointed to the horizon and said, “Look at this storm. We don’t feel it yet, but everyone has seen movies about tsunamis, right? This is not a joke. If we wait here for the storm to come, there will be no survivors, and they probably won’t even find our bodies. But below the sea, there’s a ready-made shelter. We already know there’s air in that ancient tomb; the air in the water is actually alive because it’s connected to fresh water, so the air quality inside should be acceptable. There aren’t many of us, and staying in there for an hour before coming out is our only chance for survival!”

Uncle San had a bit of a talent for persuasion; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to grow his business so large. As he spoke eloquently, the crowd couldn’t help but feel a glimmer of hope. They gathered all their diving equipment and deflated and neatly stacked the three inflatable boats. Once everything was ready, Uncle San first established some hand signals for underwater activities, then led them into the water, using a waterproof flashlight to be the first to crawl into the tomb passage.

At that time, the diving equipment consisted of a large helmet that looked quite heavy, but it was very sturdy. If there were any large marine creatures ahead, this helmet would prevent them from being swallowed whole. Uncle San tried to relax as he swam and observed the passage, which was becoming increasingly narrow. Given this trend, it was uncertain whether they would all be able to pass through at the end. Fortunately, he had all his tools with him; if necessary, he could always carve out a path.

The walls of the passage were adorned with many human face reliefs, but they were covered with a thick layer of deposits, making it impossible to identify which dynasty they belonged to. The people, having never seen much of the world, had forgotten their current situation and were gathered around studying these faces. Uncle San felt a headache coming on and had to frequently stop to urge them to move on.

They swam forward for fifteen minutes, turning several corners, and had already lost their sense of direction. Uncle San thought these people were too chaotic and needed to be organized. He made a gesture for those behind to stop and asked Wen Jin to count the number of people to see if anyone had fallen behind. Swimming in such a narrow passage was exhausting, and the group was already worn out. When they saw his signal, they felt as if they had been granted a reprieve and all slumped down in various directions.

Uncle San looked at them helplessly, thinking that being the leader was indeed not an easy task. He shone his flashlight ahead, wanting to see what lay in front. At that moment, Wen Jin tapped his foot. Uncle San turned around and saw her looking very anxious, which made his heart tighten. Could it be that someone really had fallen behind?

Wen Jin was flustered and didn’t know how to express her thoughts. She extended one finger and kept waving it in front of Uncle San. He was puzzled and asked her, “Is someone missing?” Wen Jin looked at his lips, shook her head, then opened one hand completely and extended four fingers with the other hand, bringing both hands together. Uncle San was very confused. He scrutinized Wen Jin’s lip movements and suddenly realized she was actually trying to say, “There is one extra person!”