That skinny, tall guy who snatched the ancient Shu jade tablet wasn't a good swimmer. He was first disoriented by the underground water, then I grabbed his ankle and yanked hard, which probably scared him. He opened his mouth and choked on the water, coughing desperately.

Seeing this, I knew his life was probably going to end in the water. I wouldn't even have to lift a finger; he'd drown himself after a few struggles.

While he was flailing, a corner of the ancient Shu jade tablet stuck out from his chest. I quickly reached out, retrieved the artifact, and carefully stowed it in my bag.

Then, I kicked him hard in the head, sending him sinking further down.

Just then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Uncle Mei being entangled by a rat not far behind me.

People about to drown fall into immense despair and fear. They involuntarily grab onto anything nearby, clinging like an octopus, never letting go until they die.

Uncle Mei was grabbed by the rat and couldn't break free. The two were hopelessly entangled and slowly sank to the bottom together.

Anxious, I quickly turned back to help, but at that moment, I saw a slender, graceful figure swimming over like a mermaid—it was the policewoman, Xiao Liang.

Xiao Liang was indeed a girl who grew up by the river; her swimming skills were top-notch. She swayed her body and dove down to Uncle Mei and the rat. Without a word, she pulled out her diving knife and slashed at the rat's arm!

I was stunned. I didn't expect Xiao Liang, who seemed quiet and timid, to be so decisive at such a crucial moment!

She gritted her teeth and slashed twice, and the rat, in pain, finally let go. Uncle Mei stepped on the rat's body and kicked hard, finally breaking free.

Xiao Liang then sheathed her diving knife and followed behind Uncle Mei, the two of them swimming towards me.

I gestured to them and took the lead, guiding Jiang Yongguang and the other surviving Xiaoling Guards towards the exit of the ancient tomb.

Before leaving, Jiang Yongguang was still concerned about the ancient Shu jade tablet, repeatedly gesturing to me to ask about its whereabouts.

I quickly unzipped my bag, revealing a corner of the jade tablet. Seeing the artifact, Jiang Yongguang breathed a sigh of relief and followed me out.

As for those rats, I didn't bother with them, letting them fend for themselves. After all, the oxygen in our tanks was limited, and time was of the essence. I didn't want to waste time on them.

But as long as we got out ahead of them, we could notify the local authorities to completely seal off the area. Then, even if they managed to survive and escape from the water, they would be caught on the spot.

The net of heaven is vast, and its meshes are wide, yet nothing escapes.

There was no way they could escape.

This time, the underground water came quickly and in great volume. At first, I wanted to follow the original route, through the main gate of the ancient tomb, and lead everyone back to the Tuo River to find Old Li, who was waiting for us on the shore.

But we were swept by the underground water into another fork in the road.

Fortunately, we soon found an exit to the surface and emerged from the water. As I struggled to the surface, I suddenly saw the starry night sky above my head!

I realized that it was already late at night!

At that moment, I lay on the water, looking up at the sky, watching the stars twinkling and a crescent moon hanging high above. The feeling of escaping death, of surviving against all odds, was something I will never forget!

Uncle Mei was right beside me. He couldn't help but shout, "Damn it! Finally out alive! If I had known this trip was so dangerous, no amount of money could have gotten me down there!"

Then, Xiao Liang, Jiang Yongguang, and the other surviving Xiaoling Guards emerged from the water one after another.

I turned to Uncle Mei and asked, "Uncle Mei, where is this? The water seems calm, not like the Tuo River."

Uncle Mei squinted and looked around, a little confused himself. He shook his head and said, "It's too dark, I can't recognize this place!"

Xiao Liang, being younger and having better eyesight, carefully looked around and told us, "This is the Yazi River, the mother river of ancient Shu civilization. Downstream along this waterway is the famous Sanxingdui Ruins."

Hearing this, I couldn't help but say, "Then I must visit it someday. Uncle Mei, let's go as a family?"

Uncle Mei immediately waved his hand and said, "Forget it! Just thinking about those bronze figures with square faces and big mouths gives me a headache! I'm not going!"

Xiao Liang and I were amused by Uncle Mei.

At this moment, Jiang Yongguang swam towards me and asked anxiously, "Little Chen, is the ancient Shu jade tablet with you? The current was so strong on the way out; we didn't lose the important artifact, did we?"

I immediately took out the ancient Shu jade tablet from my bag and handed it to Jiang Yongguang. "Don't worry, it's not lost, it's still here."

Jiang Yongguang carefully took the jade tablet and examined it closely. After confirming that it was undamaged, he was finally relieved.

Then, he patted my shoulder approvingly and said, "Little Chen, thanks to you this time. If you hadn't been quick-witted enough to cut open the opening, we all would have died in the ancient tomb! Little Chen, the brothers owe you a life! I really don't know how to thank you!"

I wasn't overly modest. After all, I did save their lives. I thought for a moment and said,

"It's easy to thank me. My girlfriend and I are getting married soon. We don't have many friends, and I'm afraid there won't be enough guests at the wedding banquet, and it will be too quiet. If you really want to thank me, then come and join the celebration."

Uncle Mei nodded repeatedly and said, "Yes, yes! We'll all come to the feast then!"

Jiang Yongguang agreed without hesitation and said, "It's a deal then. Send us the wedding invitations, and the brothers will give you a big red envelope!"

We talked as we swam towards the shore.

The place where we landed was in the middle of nowhere, without a soul in sight. None of us had brought our phones with us when we went into the water, so we couldn't contact anyone for the time being. Helpless, we had to walk to a nearby village.

After walking for more than two hours, we finally found a village. It was probably already past midnight, and everyone in the village was asleep. Not a single light was on in any of the dozen or so households.

We bit the bullet and knocked on the door of one house. We originally wanted to borrow a phone to contact Old Li and ask him to send some cars to pick us up, but the old woman in the house was very enthusiastic and insisted on letting us rest for the night.

It was already past two in the morning, and Old Li wouldn't be able to find so many cars on short notice. After discussing it, everyone decided that it would be better to rest here for the night and go back the next morning.

So, Jiang Yongguang first called Old Li to report the situation and asked him to send people to seal off the nearby waters and round up the rats in the ancient tomb. At the same time, he contacted the relevant departments to urgently rescue the cultural relics. We then decided to stay at the old woman's house.

The old woman not only let us rest but also made us a midnight snack to fill our stomachs before we went to sleep.

Unfortunately, I was exhausted from all the trouble in the ancient tomb. My mind and body were on the verge of collapse, and I couldn't even stay awake long enough to eat the midnight snack. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I fell asleep.

I fell asleep quickly that night, but I didn't sleep soundly. I don't know how long I slept, but in a hazy dream, I suddenly heard a voice calling my name.

"Chen Rongsheng... Chen Rongsheng..."

I struggled to open my eyes and looked up, only to suddenly see a huge face wearing a golden mask of the ancient Shu Kingdom!