NOVEL NEXT Chapter 444 Brave Forward
Soon, a long rope was set up, and he gave a hard tug, sensing the tautness was probably adequate.
"Ling'er, can you really handle this?"
Up to this moment, Linyi's heart was still suspended with worry. He was always concerned that Ling'er simply couldn't cope with everything at this point, which would make things much more troublesome.
"Don't worry, whether I can or can't, I have to," she said confidently.
"Here, Ling'er, put this on."
While speaking, Hei Lang walked over and attached another device around Ling'er's waist, providing an extra layer of safety insurance.
"Okay, I didn't expect your equipment to be so complete. But with this setup, I think you all can feel reassured. If something unexpected happens to me, you can continue to pull me back and control my body, right?"
Ling'er said this jokingly while speaking with Lin Yi.
Although everything was ready and all preparations were in place, Lin Yi still felt a diligent concern.
Given the current situation, he couldn't opt for anything better and could only continue down this path.
"Ling'er, be extra careful. If you notice anything wrong, hurry back, understood?"
"You don't need to tell me that. I know what to do. Plus, I can't just watch you disappear in front of me. The antidote is right before our eyes, so no matter the difficulties, I must overcome them and retrieve the antidote," she declared.
These were Ling'er's last words before leaving, and then her crystalline form grasped the rope and started to slide downwards.
At first, everything seemed to go smoothly; she was submerged in the swamp only up to mid-thigh.
"Ling'er, how are things feeling?"
"Not bad, the swamp is really cool, and my legs below feel numb, but it's okay, I can handle it."
"Pay attention to see if there's any kind of downward pull?"
"Downward pull?"
Upon hearing the hunter's reminder, Ling'er slightly frowned and then flexed her legs.
She found movement in the muddy swamp difficult, but the downward pull the hunter spoke of was not something she felt.
"No, it just feels like stepping in mud, and it's really hard to move my legs. If it weren't for my hands pulling on the rope, I probably couldn't move at all."
"Good, if there's no pull, it's somewhat safer. Just be careful," the hunter said, relieved.
Lin Yi sensed an implication in the hunter's words and was sure the man was hiding something.
"I want to ask, what exactly is this 'downward pull' you mentioned?"
"I'm worried that, over time, large vortices might form beneath the swamp, and once they do, the downward pull would be substantial."
"Then, what would happen in such a case?"
"All these ropes above would simply not be enough to secure the entire swamp and it would get sucked into the vortex."
"Why didn't you say so earlier, when we first arrived?"
"It came to mind suddenly; I remembered during the slide that my grandfather once told me about a hunter from our village who encountered this situation and never made it out of the swamp."
"It can't be, it definitely won't happen."
"Yes, I hope not. I observed this swamp earlier and it seems rather calm. If there were any undercurrents, I believe I would've noticed them. Don't worry."
Although the hunter said this, Lin Yi couldn't shake the feeling he was merely trying to soothe his own emotions.
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But with no better option available, he was left without choice.
His heart hung suspended. He looked back at Hei Lang and noticed the burly 1.8-meter man also seemed confused.
Eventually, after about fifteen minutes, they saw Ling'er reach the edge.
And now, the "Cat's Claw" herb was within easy reach for him.
"Ling'er, how are you doing?"
He shouted loudly towards her, and Ling'er turned her head, then gently waved at him.
Afterward, Ling'er used her method to place the two Cat's Claw herbs into a special container.
"I'm all set here; you can start pulling me back now."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Dong felt a surge of excitement.
This was perhaps the happiest news since they had entered the mountains. If they could really retrieve her successfully, then the initiative would be entirely in their hands.
They just needed Ling'er to cooperate mildly, and without much effort, she would likely reach the shore easily.
He and Hei Lang began to pull on the rope relentlessly.
They could definitely feel some resistance and realized that if it were just her body, it probably wouldn't have been so strenuous.
This proved that the swamp below must be quite tranquil, exerting significant drag on her body.
As Ling'er steadily drew closer to them, their hearts swelled with excitement.
"Ling'er, just hold on a little longer, you're almost there," she said, wiping the sweat from her brow, trying to encourage Ling'er.
"Ah!"
Suddenly, they heard Ling'er shout out loud, and instantly, the motion stopped.
Right after that, everyone could clearly see Ling'er's entire body starting to slide downwards.
"Ling'er, hurry, hurry up," he cried out, unsure of what had happened, quickly turning to Hei Lang.