197: Is this your deep-sea diving gear? A bikini?!

Su Ya pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

"Every ten meters of descent, the water pressure increases by one atmosphere. At three hundred meters deep, that's not water, it's crushing pressure."

"No matter how strong our physiques are, our internal organs won't hold out. This is sub-zero stagnant water; going down is instant freezing."

"Without professional deep-diving equipment, we have no choice but to turn back."

She closed her tablet and looked at Lu Fan with a calm gaze. "Unless you can conjure a nuclear submarine."

The carriage fell into a deathly silence.

Lin Ruoxi bit her nails, staring at the black water with her brow tightly furrowed.

Gu Qingcheng held Potato, shrinking into a corner, trembling at the mention of "instant freezing."

Only Bai Qingshuang remained silent. She rested her hand on Lu Fan's shoulder, her ice-blue eyes calm and waveless. If the man dared to jump, she dared to follow.

Lu Fan ignored Su Ya's data bombardment. He leaned against the backrest, slowly lit a cigarette, and exhaled a puff of blue smoke.

"Who said we were using a submarine?"

He opened the system mall.

After upgrading the [Entertainment Center] before leaving, a bunch of flashy gadgets had refreshed in the mall.

He hadn't looked closely then, but looking at it now, this old pervert of a system had planned this long ago.

[Water-Repelling Bikini: 500 points/set]

[Effect: Automatically generates a form-fitting water-repellent membrane, constant temperature of 26 degrees Celsius, ignores water pressure, free underwater breathing, swimming speed +200%.]

[Note: The less fabric, the higher the defense. System-produced, guaranteed quality.]

The corners of Lu Fan's mouth curled up uncontrollably.

System, you really are a good system that understands men.

"Buy them all."

Shua!

With a flash of light, five translucent boxes landed on the snow.

"Put them on."

Lu Fan kicked the boxes, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

The women gathered around curiously and opened the packaging.

The next second.

The air froze.

Su Ya's fingers held those two black straps as thin as noodles, along with those two palm-sized pieces of lace, her fingertips trembling slightly.

This is called equipment?

This is clearly... Her face turned beet red instantly, from her cheeks to her ears, then down to her neck.

"You... this is your... deep-diving plan?"

"What else?"

Lu Fan flicked his cigarette ash, looking perfectly serious.

"High-tech, constant temperature force field. Three minutes, get changed."

Lin Ruoxi held the fiery red set, measured it against herself, and her face turned dark.

These few straps wouldn't even cover the important parts properly!

She wanted to shove this thing right into Lu Fan's punchable face.

"Wow! Pink! So cute!"

Only Gu Qingcheng was carefree, holding the set with the bow and measuring it against her body.

"If you feel it doesn't cover enough, you can stay in the car."

Lu Fan began unbuttoning his shirt, revealing his lean and muscular upper body.

"Just wait for us to come back."

As soon as he said this, the atmosphere changed instantly.

Bai Qingshuang was the first to move.

Without even looking at the others, she unzipped her battle robe right in front of everyone.

It slid down like a silk nightgown.

That body, tempered by quasi-level six power, was blindingly white.

Without any hesitation, she elegantly changed into the pure white bikini.

After tying the last strap, she walked up to Lu Fan and intentionally puffed out her chest.

Those impossibly long legs, under the high-cut design of the swim bottoms, seemed to reach all the way to her waist.

She didn't speak, just looked at Lu Fan with a lingering, seductive gaze.

Slap!

Lu Fan unceremoniously slapped her on the butt, the sound crisp and loud.

"Sultry."

Instead of being angry, Bai Qingshuang squinted with satisfaction, her eyes sweeping over Lin Ruoxi and Su Ya.

Her every expression was full of silent boasting and provocation.

Lin Ruoxi stared fixedly at Bai Qingshuang's triumphant look, her nails almost digging into her palms.

Damn! This woman's level is too high!

Want me to back down and stay behind like a child? No way!

She took a deep breath, the unwillingness in her eyes instantly turning into a raging fighting spirit.

"Competing?"

"I'll play this game to the end!"

She suddenly ripped off her jacket.

Revealing tight, wheat-colored skin and abs developed from years of training, full of power.

Then she grabbed the fiery red set and put it on quickly and efficiently.

Although not as full-figured as Bai Qingshuang, this wildness was like a female leopard ready to hunt at any time.

Su Ya was still having her final internal struggle.

From a fluid dynamics perspective, this design indeed minimizes resistance... water-repellent molecules... energy field... After finding a bunch of scientific excuses for herself, she turned around with red ears and rustled as she changed.

As for Shen Yuehua... she was still holding the light green lace-up set, her face so red it looked like it would bleed.

She shuffled over to Lu Fan's side and asked in a voice as quiet as a mosquito, "Brother Fan... is wearing this... really useful?"

"Don't worry. It's absolutely pleasing to the eye and practical."

Lu Fan whistled, not holding back his appreciation.

Five minutes later.

By the lakeside.

If anyone saw this scene, they'd probably die from a nosebleed on the spot.

In the dead, icy canyon, five women with top-tier bodies stood in the cold wind wearing bikinis.

"Let's go."

He leaped and dove into the bone-chilling lake water.

The women gritted their teeth and followed.

The moment they entered the water, warmth enveloped their bodies.

The bikinis glowed faintly, and a thin membrane adhered to their skin, completely sealing out the icy water.

It was like soaking in a hot spring.

"Keep up."

Lu Fan was like a black shark, charging straight for the bottom of the lake.

Diving.

The surrounding light was quickly swallowed by darkness.

Absolute silence, not even the sound of flowing water.

Lu Fan turned on his headlamp; the beam of light pierced the darkness, yet seemed half-swallowed by it.

Three hundred meters.

Everyone hovered in the water, speechless at the sight before them.

A crystal-clear city of glass lay quietly on the lake floor.

The city walls were a hundred meters high, emitting a faint blue light, as cold and eerie as ghost fire.

It was too clean... so clean it looked like a giant coffin built for an entire city.

"This is... White Emperor City."

Bai Qingshuang murmured, certain memory fragments starting to flicker.

Entering the city, the eerie sense of perfect preservation grew stronger.

On both sides of the street, the walls were covered in murals.

The people in the paintings were lifelike, with vibrant colors.

A family eating: the father raising a glass, the mother serving food, the child laughing.

"Brother Fan..."

Gu Qingcheng swam over, her voice trembling.

"Why do I feel... a chill down my spine? Like someone is watching me?"

"Don't scare yourself."

Lu Fan didn't mind and ran his finger across a mural.

A hint of warmth came from his fingertip.

Not right.

He stopped abruptly.

Staring at the painting of the family eating.

The father in the painting was originally raising his glass toward his wife and child.

But now... his head had turned, and those black pupils were staring deathly at Lu Fan through the painting!

"Playing tricks."

Lu Fan snorted coldly, a small flicker of purple lightning flashing from his fingertip.

The feeling of being watched vanished instantly.

"Don't stare at the paintings," he warned. "This place is sinister, full of mental suggestions."

They quickly passed through the residential area.

Target: the highest palace in the city center.

Royal Palace Square.

A giant bronze gate twenty meters high blocked their path.

The door was covered in star runes.

Just as Lu Fan approached, the Deep Blue Metal Block in his arms began to grow hot.

He took out the metal block and pressed it into the groove in the center of the door.

A perfect fit.

Boom—Rumble—!

A dull, massive sound spread through the silent water.

The bronze gate slowly opened.

An ancient, desolate aura rushed toward them.

Everyone's attention was firmly gripped by this magnificent scene.

At the exact same moment the bronze gate opened.

Buzz!

The entire crystal city, all the crystal buildings, lit up simultaneously!

A wave of cold energy swept through the city like a ripple.

On the murals by the street.

The father raising his glass, the mother serving food, the smiling child... the smiles on all the people in the paintings turned into eerie, ear-to-ear grins at this moment.

Their eyes all lit up with a faint, ghostly blue light.