Underwater Probe

“Knock, knock, knock.”

Zhang Jin tapped on the table, drawing everyone's attention to the document in her hand. “These are the background files on the fifteen tourists and villagers who have gone missing over the past few days. I won't beat around the bush and will keep it brief.

“After comparing the data, we found that the sole commonality among the missing individuals is that most of them have criminal records. To put it even more plainly, whether viewed through the lens of the law or basic moral standards, these people are universally considered ‘bad people’ by the general public.”

As she said this, as if to verify her own hypothesis, Zhang Jin removed her mask, exposing herself to the yellow miasma. “Mai Sheng, a famous internet blogger. Not long ago, it was exposed that he abused and killed cats and dogs in private. According to the investigation by our colleagues from the Ministry of Public Security, he frequently produced animal torture videos and sold them online.”

“Huang Zhongyi. Three years ago, he was bedridden with paralysis due to drunk driving. However, his negligence in that crash caused three deaths and one injury, with the victims being a young couple.”

“Zhang Awu has a history of repeated gambling and soliciting prostitutes. He was imprisoned for two years for theft, and after his release, he drove his parents to suicide. Right before his disappearance, someone even reported to the police that he had colluded with others to steal a dog and eat it at home.”

“...”

Name after name was read out, and understanding gradually dawned on everyone's face.

So that's why the toxic miasma has no effect on certain people.

Did this mean the yellow miasma only targeted villains?

“We cannot guarantee whether the toxic miasma will evolve, nor can we rely solely on guesswork,” Zhang Jin said. Having taken off her mask, clear pressure marks lingered on her cheeks, and the fine strands of hair at her forehead were damp with sweat. “I am telling you this not so everyone can condemn these individuals, but to prove that this toxic miasma is not invincible or without weakness.

“As long as we understand its cause, these supernatural phenomena aren't terrifying at all. Even if these missing people broke the law, the nation's legal system will handle their punishment. What we must do is find the source of the toxic miasma as soon as possible to minimize loss of life and property.”

Applause broke out in the tent. As if encouraged, the others took off their oxygen masks one by one.

After waiting for a long time, none of them displayed any signs of the poisoning shown in the videos.

It really was as she hypothesized.

The pressure finally eased a bit.

Zhang Jin let out a sigh of relief.

Right at that moment, Zhuang Sinan walked briskly into the operations room from next door, a relaxed smile on his face. “Director Zhang, it's confirmed. The source of the toxic miasma is at the bottom of Mulian Lake. Should we deploy the probe underwater now, or wait until dawn tomorrow?”

“We have specialized probes, so there's little difference between going underwater by day or by night. The sooner we locate the source of the toxic miasma, the sooner things can return to normal.”

Seeing that Zhuang Sinan had also removed his oxygen mask early on, Zhang Jin guessed he must have figured something out as well. A touch of gravity settled back onto her solemn face.

It seemed that incidents like this would only become more frequent in the future.

...

Splash!

The heavy probe was dropped into the water, kicking up a spray. Inside the tent, the screen connected to the instrument instantly displayed the corresponding footage:

The dark, murky lake water was unnaturally clean.

There was no trace of fish or shrimp, and even water weeds were sparse.

“This lake is deep! I asked a Qingfeng spirit to go down and take a look. They said that across the whole Mulian Village, the bottom of this lake is just one giant pitch-black patch, looking like someone peed the bed. It's so obvious, it's definitely the source of that miasma.”

Ma Lanhua took a few slurps from her cup of milk tea, her complexion growing slightly rosier.

“And that family's orange trees look a bit suspicious too. Though they look bright and white on the outside, there's nothing wrong with the underground water, so they probably aren't heavily connected to whatever's in the lake. The Qingfeng spirit could go underwater, but they said something in the water clouded their eyes, making it impossible to see what it was.”

Zhang Jin nodded slightly to herself.

Researchers had previously hypothesized that since Mulian Lake was connected to Stone River and fed by river water, if there had really been an issue with the river water, the impact wouldn't have been confined to Mulian Village alone, but the entire drainage basin instead. Thus, the only logical explanation was that the issue lay within Mulian Lake itself.

As for whether the anomalies in the village were related to the changes in the lake, that would require further testing.

The old orange trees blooming and bearing fruit closely resembled descriptions of spiritual-energy-rich places in ancient texts—where trees grew lush, grass blossomed beautifully, fruits ripened naturally, spiritual energy abounded, and birds and beasts danced together.

As for whether the spiritual energy leakage came first, or the lake's anomaly...

Zzz... zzz...

The underwater feed was projected onto the screen. Wearing a headset and dressed in a military uniform, the technician focused intently as he reported the depth: “Currently descended to fifty meters. No anomalies.”

After the corpses were retrieved from Mulian Lake, Zhang Jin had applied early on to deploy a military probe into the water. The military had been somewhat hesitant at first, but upon hearing it involved supernatural phenomena, they immediately dispatched both personnel and equipment.

The lake bed dropped off like a cliff, yet the technician remained rock steady. Though it was pitch-black with zero visibility, the instruments displayed the descending depth:

Fifty meters.

Sixty-five meters.

Seventy-five meters.

Eighty meters.

It still hadn't hit bottom.

Zhang Jin couldn't help feeling anxious. Ma Lanhua shook her head at her side and said with certainty, “There's definitely something under this water. We haven't even hit bottom yet; this is just the beginning.

“I reckon it's an old toad or an old turtle that turned into a spirit. Living at the bottom of this water year after year, it ate up all the fish and shrimp, so now it can only terrorize people, right? I encountered something similar back in the day. That old toad's urine was poisonous—anyone who drank it got all dazed and fell into the water to drown. This yellow miasma looks just like toad urine in color. It's almost certainly that.”

A man-eating toad?

How massive would it have to be?

Did that mean it could not only come ashore, but also produce hallucinogenic, poisonous miasma?

Everyone's expression turned grim.

The probe continued its slow descent, and fine beads of sweat gathered on the technician's forehead.

Ninety-five meters.

One hundred meters.

One hundred and twenty-five meters.

One hundred and fifty meters.

The surroundings grew darker and darker. The camera feed showed almost no visible image, and under the infrared lens, there was only empty void.

One hundred and seventy-five meters.

One hundred and eighty meters.

One hundred and ninety-five meters.

It wasn't until the screen trembled slightly that the technician let out a sigh of relief, reporting the final number: “Two hundred and eighteen meters. Man, it's actually this deep.”

Considering that the average depth of the deepest lake in Great Xia was only two hundred and four meters, who would have thought that such a deep river valley was hidden within a tiny village?

“Can you see what's at the bottom? If we can find the source of the miasma directly, we might be able to contain it.”

Zhang Jin leaned forward. The technician nodded, and a colleague beside him turned a dial, instantly brightening the screen.

The probe was equipped with lighting facilities. Made by the military, it could illuminate its surroundings clearly even in the deep sea.

Yet as soon as the lights kicked on, everyone gasped.

The lake bed was littered with remains.

Everywhere they looked were grim, white bones—some animal, some human, varying in size. They were spread flat across the lake floor, stacked into a field of white bones.

The light happened to shine directly on a skull, green algae clinging inside its dark, empty sockets as it drifted with the water current.

“What is that?! Can the lens zoom in?!”

Zhang Jin suddenly pointed at a spot, her eyes sharp. “Here—yes, zoom in!”

The operator noticed something off as well and immediately adjusted the camera parameters. In the next second, an expression of utter disbelief appeared on everyone's face.

Nourished by years of rich nutrients, dense clusters of water grass grew along the bone-strewn riverbed. At the tips of the grass hung plump, clear vacuum bubbles.

These bubbles closely resembled clusters of ripe grapes, linked together in strings.

Inside the bubbles, the missing individuals they had been frantically searching for were curled up like infants in a womb. Though their breathing was faint, their chests still rose and fell.

They were still alive!

Earth-shattering cheers erupted inside the operations room.