The Chef Rules the Last Days
Chapter 379 - 378: Diving

Chapter 379: Chapter 378: Diving

The waves in the Dark River were raging, and the man took the lead in jumping down.

In an instant, his clothes were soaked by the black river water. The protective barrier could shield all kinds of dangers, yet it could not block the polluted water source.

"I’ll go ahead and check," Lu Chen pointed to the gap that was only as big as a crack.

He planned to cross it to scout ahead.

Su Mo’s heart tightened; she wasn’t that confident in her lung capacity and could only nod, "If it’s too far, come back, and we’ll think of another way."

"Wait for me."

The man took a deep breath and dived into the inky, surging waters.

Su Mo stood by the crevice in the rocks, her large eyes fixed on the place where he disappeared, her hands unconsciously sliding into her trousers.

At one minute, Su Mo was still calm, after two minutes, she reassured herself that the distance couldn’t be that far, after three minutes, her hand nearly twisted her trousers with a distorted mark. Now, five minutes had passed since he left, Su Mo’s hands began to shake; it felt too long, she didn’t know the situation on the other side, only the water that continually flowed through the bottom of the rock fissure.

Aside from the drip of water off the stalactites in the cave, the only sound was the beating of her heart, quickening with the wait.

She thought, if two more minutes went by and he hadn’t returned, she would go down after him.

Nearly eight minutes had passed when bubbles surfaced at the junction of the rock fissure and the water flow, and the man reappeared above the water. He took a deep breath, then met Su Mo’s anxious face.

She quickly crouched down and pulled him up, "Why did it take you so long?"

He arched a delicate brow, the black water dripping from his hair, sliding down his prominent nose, and finally plopping into Su Mo’s palm that once wiped his face.

"It’s a bit far."

Su Mo wiped his face clean and quickly said, "Then rest for a while before going down, no rush."

The man caught her hand and dropped a kiss into her palm, "Did I make you worry?"

Su Mo candidly nodded her head, "The first time you fell into the water because of me, I don’t want a second time to be the same."

That day at sea, she had watched him be pressed down into the ocean by a steel plate, that feeling of despair and pain, she didn’t want to experience it a second time.

Lu Chen darkened his eyes, drawing close to her small face, his magnetic voice tinged with a suggestive huskiness, "Then reward me."

Without waiting for Su Mo’s response, his hand caressed her neck, pressing her face to his lips.

His cold lips and tongue invaded her mouth aggressively, utterly captivating.

Su Mo wrapped her arms around his neck in response, kissing back passionately.

Only when she was about to run out of breath did she pat his shoulder to let go, complaining, "With your lung capacity, it seems I really don’t have much to worry about."

The man’s muffled laughter vibrated from his chest, filled with pleasure.

He helped her to stand up, "Ready?"

Looking at the expanse of dark water, Su Mo nodded and clasped his hand tighter.

"Take a deep breath, I’ve got everything."

"Okay."

She took a deep breath and let him pull her into the dark depths of the Dark River.

Churning water with a slight stench invaded her nose and mouth, Su Mo couldn’t even open her eyes, her feet instinctively kicked forward, following the man holding her hand as they swam together.

She did not have professional diving experience, and judging from the amount of time it took Lu Chen to go back and forth, it would require at least four minutes of breath-holding. She could only try to slow down her exhalation rate as much as possible so as not to hold him back.

As the seconds and minutes passed, the river water pushing against her was rapidly depleting her strength. This was completely different from the static water flow of the school swimming pool, and it required much more effort.

Soon, her limbs began to feel powerless, and her head started to feel heavy, yet she was still subconsciously flailing her arms and legs.

A strong arm wrapped around her and pulled her close, sharing his breath of oxygen to her.

The fresh oxygen passed from his mouth awakened Su Mo a bit. Feeling a squeeze in her palm, she squeezed back, and then she was held tightly by the waist as he quickened their pace.

When they resurfaced, her lungs, which felt like they were about to burst from burning, finally got some fresh air. She inhaled so fiercely that she almost choked and coughed several times.

She clung to his chest and blinked her wet eyes a couple of times, making out their surroundings.

They were still in a cavern, shrouded in darkness. Lu Chen took her to a rock protruding above the water.

As soon as she emerged, she sneezed, looking ahead at the pitch-black Dark River that seemed endless, she shivered and said, "Is it still that far?"

At this moment, Su Mo’s lips were turning pale. The man’s broad chest was pressed against her back, his body’s warmth a few degrees hotter than the bone-chilling river, dispelling some of the cold.

Lu Chen pulled out a towel to wipe her face. After sitting down cross-legged, he cradled her in his arms, wrapping his arms around her belly, "Take a rest".

Their soaked bodies clung tightly together, and Su Mo’s shaking gradually subsided, "We really are facing a lot of disasters."

The man’s chin rested on her slender shoulder and rubbed gently, "Feeling better?"

"Mm," Su Mo nodded, "Before we leave later, let’s have some Beef Soup. I remember I made several pots of it."

She was really about to be frozen to death. Drinking that soup before going back underwater would make her feel a lot better.

"Okay".

After staying still for a while and making sure Su Mo had warmed up, the man released her and took out the soup from the Space.

They shared the soup, and as expected, the system prompt sounded.

[Resist Basic Cold for 10 hours, status bonus successful]

"Ready?"

"Mm"

Su Mo stood up, took a deep breath, and plunged into the water with the man.

With the status bonus, the bone-chilling cold was much more bearable, and she tried hard to keep up with his swimming pace.

Whether in terms of physical strength or fitness, Lu Chen, who had undergone long professional training, was beyond Su Mo’s comparison.

The river leading outdoors was so long that even though Su Mo no longer needed to hold her breath, the rapid consumption of physical energy still forced her to cling to the man to move forward.

The sound of the water alongside the wind became louder, and the current grew more turbulent.

Lu Chen held Su Mo tight, pressing their bodies against one side of the rock wall where there was a corner that allowed them to rest temporarily.

Ahead, a faint light seeped through, and Su Mo exclaimed with joy, "We’re about to get out!"

"There might be a downward waterfall outside".

This one sentence from Lu Chen froze the smile that had just spread across Su Mo’s face. She tightened her grip around his neck, "The time for the protective shield has passed, we need to have another dose".