Chapter 21: Lu Jiangying Trapped in an Underwater Air Pocket-Desafio de transmissão ao vivo: Cem vezes entrando por engano em cenas de crime(Gato de rua)

Bai Anhe examined the rectangular object in his hand, wrapped in yellow tape and about the size of a cigarette case, with a look of surprise. He immediately placed it into an evidence bag and contacted Song Xiangchen via his communicator.

"Captain Song, I’ve found a rectangular object wrapped in yellow tape on the corpse. I suspect it may contain narcotics."

"What!" Song Xiangchen was stunned. If a package of drugs was found on the body, the deceased was likely connected to Tang Hongguang's drug-smuggling operation. "Hold on. I’m bringing the mobile testing unit over right now."

While the police conducted an urgent investigation at the scene, the rescue team lowered safety ropes, preparing to retrieve Lu Xingzhou and Chen Yuejiao. A lifeguard rappelled down into the cave, secured the rope to Chen Yuejiao, and tugged it to signal for them to be pulled up.

However, Chen Yuejiao grabbed the arm of Lu Xingzhou, who was still fully focused on the body, and asked cautiously, "Can you pull us both up together?"

Seeing her pale face, the lifeguard immediately understood—it was a sense of dependency born from shock. Since Lu Xingzhou had been the only one beside her, she naturally wanted to stay with him.

As the lifeguard was about to explain that the cave entrance was too narrow to accommodate two people at once, Lu Xingzhou glanced at Chen Yuejiao. "Listen to the lifeguard. Don't act out in such a dangerous place; follow the safety protocols."

Chen Yuejiao let go of his arm, looking hurt, and was pulled up by the lifeguard.

Lu Xingzhou chose not to go up with Chen Yuejiao because he believed his challenge mission wasn't finished yet.

[Mission 3: Infiltrate the uncharted waterway, 100 meters (80/100)]
[Iron Lungs: Breath-holding duration 60 minutes.]

He was only 20 meters short, and he wanted to stay behind to see if he could complete the task. Diving another 20 meters right in front of the police? That was impossible. Not to mention that such behavior would be considered tampering with a crime scene, even if the police didn't press charges, his sister would beat him black and blue once he got home.

Lu Xingzhou fixed his gaze on the drugs discovered by Bai Anhe. *I recall my sister and her team have been looking for the drugs Tang Hongguang hid... If the item found on this corpse is indeed narcotics, it means there's a high probability that Tang Hongguang hid the rest of the stash in these underground waterways. I can use the search of the waterways as a cover to finish the remaining 20 meters of the mission.*

The police had divers, but their numbers were limited; there weren't enough of them to cover the vast underground waterway network. When the time came, he could volunteer to help.

Lu Xingzhou did not refuse the rescue when his turn came. He fastened the safety rope and returned to the surface.

As soon as he unclipped the rope, Zhang Dongyi approached him enthusiastically, spouting empty platitudes about "heroic acts" and "decisiveness in a crisis." It was only when Zhang mentioned a 200,000-yuan reward for his bravery that Lu Xingzhou’s expression finally warmed up. Even so, his attention remained fixed on the police, as it determined whether he could complete his challenge today.

Inside the testing vehicle, the forensic technician carefully unwrapped the yellow tape to reveal a packet of white powder. He used tweezers to pick up a small amount and dropped it into a rapid-test kit. The sudden appearance of blue liquid excited the officers in the van.

Song Xiangchen gripped the table with both hands. "We’ve searched high and low for this! I couldn't figure out why we couldn't find Tang Hongguang's stash—it was right here! That bastard hid the drugs in the underground waterway!"

The technician looked up. "Captain Song, this bag only contains about 500 grams. Is it a bit excessive to risk coming into an underwater cave just to hide 500 grams?"

Song Xiangchen shook his head. "No, there’s definitely more than 500 grams. What we found on the body is just a tiny fraction. Tang Hongguang must have hidden the bulk of it somewhere in the waterways. We need to deploy divers to search the underground passages."

Lu Jiangying spoke up from the side: "Captain Song, ordinary diving and cave diving are two completely different things. Among the divers in our city, fewer than ten are qualified for cave diving, and they aren't necessarily trained in evidence collection."

Song Xiangchen thought for a moment. "Xiao Lu, do you have any ideas?"

Lu Jiangying pointed at herself. "I'll go search the underwater cave. I have cave-diving experience."

Song Xiangchen looked at her in surprise. "You have cave-diving experience?"

Lu Jiangying nodded seriously. "Of course. I even have a diver's certification. I can go down and search for evidence without a problem."

Song Xiangchen pondered for a moment. "Fine. I’ve already contacted Wei Siyuan, the lead instructor for the Zongyong Temple Cave Diving Park. You two will coordinate the search."

Due to the dangers of cave diving, solo dives were extremely rare, as the mortality rate in the event of an emergency was much higher.

As Lu Jiangying changed into her wetsuit, she was spotted by Lu Xingzhou, who was undergoing a medical checkup. He jogged over immediately. "Sis! You're going into the cave to look for the drugs? Take me with you."

Lu Jiangying shot him a cold glare. "Don't cause trouble."

Lu Xingzhou argued, "How am I causing trouble? Didn't I find the drug dealer's supply point? Didn't I find the corpse in the cave? Sis, look how lucky I am! If you take me, maybe we’ll find where the dealer hid the rest even faster."

Lu Jiangying frowned. "Nonsense! This underwater cave is unexplored and completely unmapped. You’re a beginner and haven't had full cave-diving training. It’s too dangerous."

After saying this, Lu Jiangying and Wei Siyuan followed the safety line and dove back into the cave.

Crouching at the entrance and watching two streams of bubbles rise, Lu Xingzhou wondered if he should sneak down after them. He only had 20 meters left; it would be a shame not to finish the mission.

About 20 minutes later, just as Lu Xingzhou was pacing at the edge of the opening, Wei Siyuan suddenly surfaced, spat out his regulator, and shouted, "Something's wrong! Officer Lu's air tank has failed!"

The police on the shore were shocked. In an underwater cave, a tank failure was no different from a bomb going off while you were trying to defuse it—it meant instant death.

Song Xiangchen was frantic. "What! What is Officer Lu's status?"

Wei Siyuan replied quickly, "She's trapped in an air pocket. There is no immediate life threat, but the pocket is very small and the air is limited. We have about half an hour, or she might suffer from carbon dioxide poisoning..."

Before Wei Siyuan could finish, Lu Xingzhou rushed to the equipment vehicle and grabbed two air tank backpacks. A safety officer stepped forward to block him. "Sir, you..."

Lu Xingzhou shoved the man aside. "Get out of the way!"

Cave rescue was a race against time; there was no room for hesitation. Safety meant getting the person below back up to the surface. The safety officer was responsible for watching the gear, but he didn't understand the urgency of cave rescue. All successful cave rescues essentially relied on the diver’s partner relaying the message to the surface and the backup divers immediately entering the water. Lu Xingzhou was that backup diver now. He didn't have time to explain it to someone who didn't understand. Saving lives took priority; he could deal with the consequences later.

For a split second, the safety officer felt as if he hadn't been pushed by a person, but hit by a speeding car; he stumbled back a dozen steps and landed hard on the ground.

Lu Xingzhou strapped one tank to his back, grabbed the other in his hand, and turned to sprint toward the cave entrance.

Chen Yuejiao, who was also being checked by the medics, saw what he was doing and realized his intent. She hurriedly warned, "Wait... Mr. Lu... remember the safety protocols... the wetsuit..."

Lu Xingzhou threw a glance at her. "To hell with the safety protocols!"

With that, he lunged toward the cave. Before any of the police officers could react, Lu Xingzhou, clutching the second air tank, jumped down from the 20-meter-high entrance.