58: Chapter 58 The Lost Land

"They're mostly soaked through. Good thing my bag is waterproof."

The three of them sat dripping on the ground. Li Ming looked at their bedraggled state and asked:

"Do you have any spare clothes?"

"I do... but wouldn't they be too big for A6?" Vida said uncertainly.

"You two change first. It'll be trouble if you catch a cold later." Li Ming turned and stood facing the direction of the waterway, making sure he wouldn't look back.

So unromantic, Vida thought to herself, but she still took out spare clothes and gave a set to A6. As for herself, the clothes that came with her rigging would dry soon anyway, so there was no need to change.

"Good, very cute." Li Ming confirmed they had changed and gave his approval. "But now it's my turn to change. Aren't you going to give me some privacy?"

Although she really wanted to say it wasn't necessary, Vida still pulled A6 along to give Li Ming some space.

Li Ming quickly changed his clothes, then put on his overcoat—it really was a bit cold in this space, no joke.

"Vida, you peeked just now, didn't you?"

"I did not..."

Li Ming smiled. Whatever, if she saw, she saw.

A6 picked up her rifle again and took the lead.

Li Ming had lost his submachine gun while climbing the wall earlier, so now he could only use his pistol.

Vida was unusually alert, perhaps because the 'unarmed' Commander was right beside her.

"What the hell is this place..." Li Ming muttered, looking at the strangely familiar-looking walls around them.

Continuing forward, they came upon a high platform that couldn't be scaled by normal means.

"Report." A6 assessed the height, then finally looked back at Li Ming.

Li Ming rummaged in his bag, pulled out a rope and grappling hook, and handed them to A6. Then he knelt on one knee directly below the platform, cupping his hands to form a step, signaling for A6 to jump up.

A6 took two steps back, ran quickly towards Li Ming, stepped onto his hands and began to gather strength.

Li Ming lifted sharply, giving A6 an initial boost. A6 then exploded with force, jumping much higher than Li Ming had anticipated—he'd originally thought they'd need several attempts.

A6 then lowered the rope.

"You first or me first?" Li Ming stood up, shaking his hand, and looked at Vida.

"Commander, you go up first." Vida picked up her hand cannon and looked behind them.

"Alright then." Li Ming climbed swiftly and skillfully, reaching the top in less than twenty seconds. "Vida?"

"...Oh, coming!" Vida snapped out of it and followed up.

Once all three were up top, Li Ming retrieved the grappling hook and rope. A6 really was strong, but then again, with that strength, jumping several meters high wasn't strange.

A6 glanced at Li Ming's hand. It seemed swollen. But Li Ming quickly hid his hand behind his back.

"A6, did you see anything up here?"

"Response. We are at the bottom of a large space. And it is not the previous space." A6 looked back.

"Talk about luck... I hope Royal Fortune and the others can take care of themselves." Li Ming complained. "This place down here is so huge, it basically rules out being some prehistoric ruins."

"How could prehistoric ruins be this big..." Vida chimed in. "So it must be the Sirens?"

"Could also be some local cult? After all, this world seems to really have gods, though I don't believe in any of them." Li Ming shrugged. "It can't be some kind of intelligent marine life, can it?"

"Isn't Gang Yishawa a mermaid?" Vida questioned.

"Uh... mermaid..." Li Ming broke into a cold sweat. "Ship Girls don't count as that mermaid category."

"Report. Preliminary reconnaissance complete." A6 had carefully surveyed the area. "Waterway junctions."

"You mean this place is a hub connecting various waterways?" Li Ming processed the information. "Then this underground area is much larger than we imagined..."

"And easier to get lost in..." Vida added.

"A6, prioritize finding pedestrian routes. No matter what, we can't just sit and wait." Li Ming gave the order. For now, he needed her as a soldier, and besides...

She couldn't be separated from her equipment for more than 72 hours. They had to hurry.

"Yes, sir." Her tone was flat, and she faithfully resumed her position at the front.

Li Ming and Vida followed behind. A6 actually found a pedestrian passage, and they followed her in.

"Commander, do you see that?"

Li Ming shone his flashlight on the wall. "Are these murals?"

The walls bore some patterns that looked like incomprehensible writing, along with some perplexing paintings.

"Let me see..." Li Ming activated his long-dormant abstract thinking. "It might be saying... people offering tributes to someone... probably a god?"

He continued his analysis. "This... god, grants them, uh, fish? Probably refers to bountiful harvests from the sea."

"But the good times didn't last. People grew greedy, wanting more. They thought this god monopolized the vast majority of the ocean, so... uh, so they drove out the god and His followers."

"The god, in anger... flooded the land?" Li Ming scratched his head. "That's about it."

A6 glanced back at them, hesitated for a moment, then walked back to follow behind Li Ming.

"Such an absurd myth..." Vida remarked.

"Can't analyze much for now, but the story itself isn't all that far-fetched." Li Ming shrugged. "People are like that. Shall we go?"

With the same formation, the group continued forward, listening to Li Ming as they walked.

"To be honest, I wasn't much better." Li Ming said half-jokingly. "I often pestered my family for pocket money to buy snacks. Later, when I started boarding school, I asked for even more because... because meals at school had to be paid for individually, not covered by a family lump sum."

Li Ming continued, "But then, who can resist cola and junk food?"

"So the Commander and your family..."

"They were right..." Li Ming fell silent for a moment. "But I couldn't accept it. Their expectations for me were something I could never live up to."

"Hmm..."

"It's okay, Vida. That's all in the past, haha." Li Ming patted her head. "The me now is your Commander, and always will be."

Vida did not look relieved.

A6 listened quietly, not turning around.

The sound of wind ahead seemed to grow louder, perhaps indicating a new space.

"Alright, everyone be careful. Don't get taken down by some strange trap." Li Ming wiped the expression from his face, becoming serious again. "We still have to find everyone."

...

...