"On account of your oath, I can believe you for now," Tang Ziyuan said to Lin Hao, her expression cold.
Lin Hao blinked in surprise, then looked at Tang Ziyuan. "So, you're not going back?"
Tang Ziyuan didn't reply. She walked towards Xiao Hei and Wang Da Cong.
Lin Hao's spirits lifted, and he quickly followed.
However, as he put on his diving suit and prepared to go into the water, his joy vanished.
He suddenly remembered.
Tang Ziyuan wasn't going back, but what if he couldn't get the dragon's saliva?
More importantly, he had already sworn an oath.
And it was the most terrifying karmic oath of the Diviner lineage.
As Lin Hao pondered these things, he felt utterly bewildered.
Did he really have to defy fate and change Tang Ziyuan's destiny?
But if Tang Ziyuan were an ordinary person, changing destiny might be possible.
However, with this pure yin destiny, Lin Hao truly didn't know if it was feasible.
Moreover, changing destiny wasn't something that could be done just by saying so…
Lin Hao's mind raced, and he felt completely numb.
"Senior Brother, what's wrong?" Xiao Hei asked, confused as Lin Hao stood frozen in place.
Lin Hao was startled. He waved his hand. "It's nothing. Let's begin the operation."
"Really nothing?"
"Really nothing."
"Alright, I'm going down then."
Xiao Hei nodded and leaped into the lake.
The helicopter illuminated the area from above, so Xiao Hei's actions were not hindered.
After Xiao Hei mounted the jet ski, Lin Hao also leaped into the lake.
Upon entering the water, Lin Hao secured his safety rope and signaled Xiao Hei to begin.
Xiao Hei's task was relatively simple: to gun the engine in the area where the dragon was located, luring it out.
Once it appeared, Lin Hao would attempt to communicate with it.
Of course, no one knew if the dragon could actually be communicated with.
However, Lin Hao was prepared to be attacked by the dragon.
With these thoughts in mind, Lin Hao watched the area where the dragon was supposed to be.
Xiao Hei circled on the jet ski, the engine roaring.
But ten minutes passed, and there was no movement in the water.
During the day, Xiao Hei had only taken less than two minutes to lure the dragon out with the jet ski.
Now, ten minutes had passed, and there was still no sign of it.
Lin Hao looked at the calm surface of the lake, a sense of confusion washing over him.
Could it be that the dragon didn't come out after dark?
That couldn't be right.
"Xiao Hei, is there still no movement?" Lin Hao asked through the earpiece in his collar.
Since they weren't sure if they would be diving, Lin Hao had also worn an earpiece for easier communication.
"Senior Brother, still no movement," Xiao Hei replied.
"Brother Lin, could that dragon be asleep?" Wang Da Cong's voice came through the earpiece.
"Why don't you say it's hibernating?" Xiao Hei retorted, speechless.
"Uh, it's not winter yet."
"What? Are you saying it will hibernate in the winter?"
"Why wouldn't it? Brother Hei, isn't that dragon a transformed snake? Since it's a snake, it might actually hibernate in the winter."
"Hmm, you're right. What did you just call me?"
"Brother Shan, why, Brother Shan?"
"You two, that's enough."
Lin Hao listened to Xiao Hei and Wang Da Cong's conversation and felt speechless.
"Xiao Hei, stop the jet ski and just gun the engine on the water," Lin Hao instructed through the earpiece. "If the dragon still doesn't show up, Da Cong, have the helicopter fly lower and hover over the lake for a while."
"Understood, Senior Brother."
"Roger that."
Xiao Hei and Wang Da Cong's voices came through the earpiece.
Lin Hao suspected that the dragon might have become accustomed to the noise of the jet ski, which was why Xiao Hei had been circling for so long without any reaction.
If that were the case, then the dragon should be unable to bear the helicopter's noise when it hovered.
The helicopter's sound was much louder than the jet ski's.
With these thoughts, Lin Hao watched Xiao Hei.
Xiao Hei followed Lin Hao's instructions, stopping the jet ski and revving the engine.
But after a few minutes, the lake remained calm.
Lin Hao frowned and asked Wang Da Cong to have the helicopter descend.
Soon, the helicopter lowered its altitude and hovered steadily about three meters above the water.
"Rumble…"
The helicopter's roar was deafening, causing ripples on the water's surface.
Time passed quickly.
Soon, ten minutes went by.
The lake remained calm.
Lin Hao stared at the placid surface, his brow furrowed deeply.
Had the dragon left? Had it escaped from here?
Lin Hao looked around and felt that this was highly possible.
After all, the dragon was a sentient creature and should be able to sense the danger posed by humans.
Now that its location had been exposed, it would naturally seek another place to hide.
Tianchi Lake was neither too large nor too small.
If the dragon deliberately hid, it would indeed be difficult to find.
However, their objective was not the dragon itself, but the dragon's saliva.
Lin Hao's heart leaped with excitement at this thought.
If the dragon had truly left, wouldn't that mean the dragon's saliva was within easy reach?
"Da Cong, have the helicopter ascend. I'm going into the water," Lin Hao said into the earpiece.
Wang Da Cong, who was wondering why the dragon hadn't appeared, suddenly heard Lin Hao's voice.
He was startled at first, then quickly said, "Brother Lin, you're going into the water?"
"Didn't we say we wouldn't go into the water?"
"Yes, Senior Brother. Didn't we say we were going to communicate with the dragon? Why are you going in now?" Xiao Hei also quickly asked.
"The dragon hasn't appeared for a long time. I suspect it has left this area, so I'm going down to take a look," Lin Hao explained briefly. "Don't worry. If I encounter the dragon when I go down, I'll try to communicate with it."
"If I go down and the dragon isn't here, that would be even better."
"Then, I can easily retrieve the dragon's saliva."
"Senior Brother, this…"
Xiao Hei wanted to say that it might be too dangerous, but before he could finish, Lin Hao's voice came through the earpiece.
"Alright, time is of the essence. I'm going down."
With that, Lin Hao removed his earpiece, put it away, and began to descend.
Diving in the dark was extremely difficult. Not to mention anything else, the psychological pressure alone was something that ordinary people couldn't bear.
However, Lin Hao was accustomed to it. He turned on his diving lamp and rapidly descended.
About two minutes later, Lin Hao reached the location of the dragon's saliva at the bottom of the lake.
Nothing happened during the descent; it seemed very safe.
Lin Hao wasn't sure if the dragon had left, but he didn't have time to dwell on it.
Now that he had reached the lakebed, his primary task was to obtain the dragon's saliva.
Lin Hao worked with practiced ease, quickly pushing aside the water weeds.
But the next second, as the weeds were cleared, Lin Hao was instantly stunned!