The five of them were standing in the back corner of the wall in the backyard. In front of them was a hole covered by a circular iron plate. Shanquan looked one by one at the friends who were standing there. The glint that shone from his eyes, implied a steely determination to do everything as well as he could.

Xinxiu, who was still sleepy, also stood there. He was trying his best to focus. The drowsiness that plagued him had made it a little difficult for Xinxiu to stand up straight continuously.

I hope this won't last too long. I really wanted to lie down on the bed.

"Is everything ready?" The words slid out of Shanquan's mouth. Even though the words were spoken in a half-whisper, Xinxiu could hear clearly.

The four friends of Shanquan, including Xinxiu, nodded firmly. Together, they lifted the iron plate in the shape of a circle. Once the hole was fully opened, Shanquan was ready to go down there. He carried a bag on his back. The contents of the bag vary. Among them was an iron hammer. Shanquan carefully stomped his foot on the iron stuck in the hole's wall. The object served as a rung. From above the hole, Yixiong shone on Shanquan with a large flashlight. Previously, they had warned Shanquan to come down slowly and carefully.

About ten minutes later, those above could clearly hear the sound of an iron rod being hit three times. Shinnshow was relieved to listen to that voice. According to their plan, when Shanquan got to the bottom, he had to give a signal by hitting the iron rod he had used as a foothold with a hammer. The voice was a notification that he was fine.

Shanquan had said he didn't want to shout because, in the middle of the night like that, shouting could be heard from far away. It would certainly raise the suspicion of people watching their house.

Xinxiu looked at the faces of the other three friends. Their faces looked tense, but they conveyed relief. Just like Xinxiu, they must have been grateful that Shanquan had reached the bottom of the roughly thirty-meter bottomless pit.

What is the function of space that is thirty meters below ground level? Underground warehouses weren't that deep!

Hearing that signal, Yiren nodded towards Yixiong, Zhengyi, and Xinxiu. He prepared to descend into the dungeon to catch up with Shanquan. Like Shanquan, He also carried a bag on his back. This time, they didn't have to wait too long. It took them about three minutes to hear the sound of an iron rod being hit three times.

Yiren went down much faster than Shanquan. Maybe because he was sure that the situation below was quite safe. After that, Yixiong hit the iron rod at the top of the inner side of the hole. He hit five times. The sound that was made was a sign that Shanquan and Yiren had to get away from the iron ladder because they were going to lower the two oxygen cylinders that they had previously prepared.

They had tied the oxygen cylinders tightly with ropes. To be more secure, they used three ropes at once. Each person holds a rope. Slowly, they lowered the oxygen cylinders. They lowered the tubes one by one. They successfully lowered the first tube in about twelve minutes. While the second tube only took about five minutes.

In accordance with Shanquan's instructions, Yixiong and Zhengyi then guarded the backyard. Yixiong sat on the hole's edge, while Zhengyi sat in front of the kitchen door. Xinxiu went to the living room to keep watch there. According to the plan, after a few minutes, Shanquan would ask one of them to come down if he saw it necessary. However, if it turned out that Shanquan had given absolutely no further news, and within forty minutes, Shanquan and Yiren had not returned, then Yixiong would have to go down to catch up with them.

Even though Shanquan had ordered them all to remain calm, it was difficult for Xinxiu to control his feelings. He felt so tense. He didn't know what Shanquan and Yiren would find down there. Feeling uneasy, he sat down on the sofa in the living room. No matter how much he tried to calm himself, it was still difficult for him to concentrate.

Xinxiu met Shanquan for the first time some seventeen years ago. At that time, Xinxiu was on vacation in Yejing, the metropolitan city where Shanquan lived. While in the city, Xinxiu lived with a distant relative who had lived in Yejing for several years. Xinxiu’s distant relatives comprised the father, mother, and two daughters. The father was a distant relative of Xinxiu. Actually, the family relationship between them was not too far away, but the relationship seemed to be more distant because there was rarely contact.

Xinxiu was on vacation to Yejing because the city was hosting a sports event attended by a contingent from all regions of Yuandong. That’s not to say that Xinxiu was so passionate about sports that he should take a vacation there. There was something else causing it. Xinxiu had an older sister who was passionate about sports. Two months earlier, Xinxiu had just graduated from university, so he still had plenty of free time. Xinxiu’s older sister was unemployed. Previously, she worked for a company that produces soft drinks. Several months earlier, there had been a problem at the company so that the company could not afford to pay so many employees. As a result, they had to reduce the number of employees. Xinxiu’s sister was one of several hundred employees who had to lose their jobs.

Because they didn’t want their daughter to be stressed because she was unemployed and just sitting at home, Xinxiu’s parents suggested their daughter take a vacation to find a new atmosphere. Yejing was hosting a sports party, and they had relatives there. However, Xinxiu’s parents would not allow Xinxiu’s older sister to go alone. They asked Xinxiu to accompany his older sister there. Xinxiu had no other choice but to agree to the request. Xinxiu’s father immediately called his relatives to ask if they would not mind having guests over for the night. Their relatives were delighted to hear that. They welcomed Xinxiu and her older sister with great joy.

The two daughters of Xinxiu’s relatives also liked sports-related things. So the two of them got along very well with Xinxiu’s older sister. One day, the three of them took Xinxiu to watch a swimming competition. Xinxiu could not swim, nor did he really like to play in the water, but since he had nothing else to do, he accepted the invitation.

The race was fun. At least that’s what Xinxiu’s older sister had said. However, after all the competitions held that day were over, there was a bit of chaos. A group of people who suddenly appeared, alleged that there had been systematic cheating in the race. The accused parties were angry because they did not feel they had cheated. This has become a big problem because supporters affiliated with the accusing party and supporters of the accused party were then provoked. The commotion that started out as just an argument quickly developed into a fistfight between the various parties presented.

Xinxiu’s older sister and the two relatives escaped from the enraged crowd. However, Xinxiu was not so lucky. He was caught between the warring parties. Unfortunately, Xinxiu had to accept a terrible fate. Someone was pushing Xinxiu. It was so hard that Xinxiu fell into the swimming pool, which was quite deep.

What happened next was even worse because other people also jumped into the pool and fought there. Xinxiu, who couldn’t swim, almost drowned because it was so difficult to save himself. Luckily, at a critical moment, a pair of hands grabbed him. That pair of hands belonged to Shanquan. He was also in the pool because someone pushed him.

Shanquan actually couldn’t swim either. Xinxiu found out about the fact a few hours later when they were all at the police station to testify. He survived, even could help Xinxiu, because he was wearing a life jacket. Shanquan explained that his presence at the venue was to provide support to one contestant, a student who attended the school where Shanquan taught. Shanquan certainly didn’t come alone. He came with a group from the school where he taught.

Regarding the life jacket, actually, it’s just symbolic. Students attending the school where Shanquan worked must bring the object, which was one of the mandatory equipment when they were taking swimming lessons. That day, one student brought the life jacket. So, not that Shanquan knew that something like that would happen. One teacher confiscated the life jacket and left it with Shanquan. That was why the life jacket was in Shanquan’s hand.

After that incident, Xinxiu became friends with Shanquan. Because they live in different cities, they hadn’t seen each other in a dozen years. When Shanquan came up with the crazy idea of traveling, Xinxiu just frowned at first. But in the end, he had to admit that there were things worth trying. Either way, it’s much better than not trying at all. That was why Xinxiu was now in that place, together with the rest of Shanquan’s friends.