Chapter 20: Between disappointment and fog

The night pool was already a deep black, and the moonlight was the only source of light, not to mention the darkness under the water.

Xiao Chengqian and I were diving down one after the other, and the camera on our backs was also working. The light it provided, combined with the underwater flashlights in our hands, gave Xiao Chengqian and me a relatively clear view.

On the surface, the water of the lake is rippling and so clear, but underwater, through the light of the flashlight, we discovered that there were many things floating in the water, like dust. Is it because it is a volcanic lake?

I’m not very good at geography, so I don’t know much about this. The only thing I know is that the volcano under the lake is active and there is a high possibility of it erupting. In addition, the water in this lake is estimated to be formed by rainwater, and it will flow out anyway. However, there is no water inlet, and the water level is maintained at a constant level throughout the year. It’s quite amazing to think about it, but these have nothing to do with my mission, and these mysteries can only be guessed by scientists.

Once we were in the water, Xiao and I were both extremely excited. After all, this pool was full of all kinds of mysteries and legends, and we were like entering a whole new world of adventure. But in fact, after we had been diving under the lake for a while, the pressure around the water made it impossible for us to continue diving.

I cursed in my heart. To say that Xiao Chengqian and I were wearing quite professional diving suits, but it was already at its limit.

When I shone the flashlight under my body, it was still pitch black and the water was bottomless, which meant that Xiao Chengqian and I were still a long way from the bottom!

This is not at all the same as our plan. I was a little angry. I didn’t believe that this group of people would not know the data of the X pool. Thinking of this, I gave Xiao Chengqian a gesture and then began to swim up.

After a few minutes, Xiao Chengqian and I surfaced. I took off my oxygen mask and goggles, wiped the water off my face, and took a few deep breaths. The loss of physical strength underwater is simply incomparable to that on land.

And this dive was also very boring. Apart from the dust floating in the dark water, there were a few cold-water fish that occasionally swam by, but there was nothing else to see.

In fact, on the way, Brother Chengxin told me some anecdotes about this pool. He told me that there were actually no living creatures in this pool before, because of natural conditions and other restrictions. Anyway, I didn’t understand.

I only remember that Cheng Xin Ge said something like this, and then a kind of cold-water fish appeared in the pool, which tasted very good. It was rumored that it was stocked by another country at the border.

“I’m not sure if it’s really stocked or just a cover-up. Why would they keep fish in this pond?” Cheng Xin’s head was tilted to the side, and his eyes were fixed on Tao Bai and Lu Shan.

But Tao Bai was always evasive, and although Lu Shan was a man of few words, we later discovered that he was an old oil field. In the face of Cheng Xin’s question, he also asked curiously, “Yes? Why are there suddenly fish? It is said that other countries have stocked them, but other countries will not jump out to defend such things.”

Then, Brother Chengxin was speechless. In fact, as a secret department, they are probably more aware of these things than we are.

“Why did it suddenly come up?” Xiao Chengqian panted in my ear, and then asked curiously, after all, we didn’t dive for long.

I looked at Xiao Chengqian and said, “I think we’ve been tricked, or this place has already been off-limits. Maybe for some other reason, they brought us here to appease us.”

I judged this from the depth of the dive and Chengxin’s words, but now I don’t have time to explain to Xiao Chengqian. Lu Shan, who has been ‘romancing’ on the surface, has discovered us and is quickly rowing towards us.

The boat soon stopped next to us. Xiao Chengqian and I reached out, and Lu Shan and Tao Bai naturally pulled us onto the boat. It was Tao Bai who pulled me, and I was shocked that this guy looked shy and timid, but he had a lot of strength. I barely had to use any strength myself, and he pulled me up by himself. You have to know that I was carrying a heavy oxygen tube on my back.

Once on the boat, even with the wind blowing, I still felt much warmer than I did in the water. While I was wiping my wet hair with a towel, I took a sip of the warm ginger soup that Lu Shan handed me.

Although it is impossible to fathom the true thoughts of this person, you can’t help but admit that this guy is considerate and thoughtful in the details. He will take care of everything for you without you having to worry about anything.

“Why did you suddenly come up again? Did you find something?” Lushan asked calmly, with a faint tone, and his face showed a subtle, just-right concern, making him seem very sincere.

Facing such a person, I feel that all emotions are written on the face, and I am afraid that it is too dangerous. I also said calmly, “Let’s talk about it upstairs.”

Lushan didn’t ask any more, and just said “okay.” As for that shy Tao, don’t even expect him to say anything.

We left the area of the X pool and went to a so-called observation camp in a certain place in XX Mountain, which was also a secret border post of the army. At the suggestion of Lushan, we went there to rest tonight, after all, it was not too far away.

In a warm barrack, I sat opposite Lu Shan.

I looked at him with a little bit of pressure in my eyes, but he looked at me calmly. Then he said with a sigh, “I’m sorry, but the request you made is really not within my power. What are you going to do?”

Behind me sat our large group of people, who had already learned of all my judgments during the journey. At this moment, Lu Shan’s expression was not too friendly, deliberately concealing the fact that we had made a trip in vain, and no one would have a good face when facing this fact.

Especially Xiao Chengqian, who was almost about to threaten Lu Shan, but was suppressed by me.

As soon as I arrived, I was quite straightforward and directly asked Lu Shan for what I wanted. I wanted to explore the X pool again tomorrow, and this time I needed very professional diving equipment.

In the face of my request, Lu Shan simply refused.

“Huh…” Xiao Chengqian snorted in contempt, and it looked like he was about to explode. No matter how harsh the struggle was, this guy had been pampered for more than 20 years, and his temper was not average. He was very much like me many years ago, under the protection of my master.

Chen Chengyi, the fool!

I stood up, put one hand on Xiao Chengqian’s shoulder, and then Brother Chengxin stepped forward and spoke. In those days, it was very troublesome to collect a little specific information, unlike the so-called search engines of today. Moreover, we did not deliberately collect this kind of information, but instead focused on the rumors. Everything else depended on the department, which created this passive situation. Brother Chengxin felt that he had a responsibility to solve this passive situation.

So, he stood up, pushed his glasses, and then said to Tao Bai and Lu Shan, “I don’t mean anything else. I’m just curious. Don’t you know the depth of the X pool?”

Lu Shan glanced at Cheng Xin Ge, and then said nothing. Tao Bai was behind him on the road, and he answered timidly with his head bowed: “Actually, I know the approximate depth. The average depth is more than 200 meters, and the deepest place is more than 300 meters.”

Tao Bai, who answered directly like this, looked a little silly, but Lu Shan didn’t stop him. Obviously, he couldn’t stop him.

“Since you know, why don’t you remind us that with our current diving equipment, it is impossible to carefully explore every corner of the X pool, let alone a rough search?” Cheng Xin Ge walked over, placed his hand on the table in front of Lu Shan, and looked at Lu Shan with his body leaning forward.

Lu Shan didn’t say anything, but Cheng Xin Ge continued, “If you knew this result, or if you really had some inconvenient place, you could really speak up. Even if we were disappointed, we wouldn’t blame you for anything, but what do you mean by making us take a trip for nothing?”

“If we had stopped you, would you have been satisfied, thinking that there would be no conspiracy?” Lushan remained calm, even his tone of voice was so calm.

Chengxin brother snorted, then stood up straight and said directly, “Then let’s be clear. You don’t think that you brought us here just to let us give up, do you? There must be another reason. You didn’t provide all the equipment, so what’s the catch?”

Right, this is the crux of the matter, and this is the reason why Xiao Chengqian was so anxious to stop us in the first place!