The tension held — all the way until the fishing boat passed through the cave entrance.

Cave 2 had no merfolk.

Everyone on board was slightly dazed. They had actually made it through?

Ashalina’s emotions shifted from stunned disbelief to euphoric relief.

“We made it out!” She turned to look at Bai Youwei, eyes wide. “Cave 4 was fine, and Cave 2 is fine too! As long as it’s an even-numbered cave, it’s safe! So we just need even numbers! If we go through Cave 6 next, doesn’t that mean we’ll be out of the labyrinth?!”

Bai Youwei paused.

Following that logic… it did seem likely, as Ashalina said, that even-numbered caves were safe to pass through.

How else could you explain Caves 1 and 3 having fish monsters while Caves 2 and 4 did not?

But…

But the caves gave her a sense of something layered, something escalating. If it were as simple as odd versus even numbers, that sense of progression would be missing.

Was she overthinking it? Or was Ashalina jumping to conclusions?

While Bai Youwei was still turning this over in her mind, Ashalina was already growing impatient. She stared fixedly at Bai Youwei and asked: “Well? Should we go into Cave 6 and push our way through in one go?”

Bai Youwei knitted her brow lightly, still thinking.

Ashalina continued: “Either way, there’s risk no matter which cave we pick, isn’t there? We might as well try Cave 6. Maybe we’ll actually get out.”

She seemed worried Bai Youwei might disagree, and lowered her voice, speaking earnestly: “Besides, we still have half a hold full of fish. Even if we run into three fish monsters, we should be able to manage.”

Bai Youwei looked at Ashalina.

Unless she could produce a more effective plan, she had no grounds to stop her.

And what Ashalina said did have logic to it — risk was unavoidable. Picking any other cave would carry danger too. So why not choose Cave 6, which had the higher probability?

Bai Youwei spoke quietly: “If you’re set on it, let’s get ready.”

Ashalina’s eyes were resolute. She gave a single nod.

With that settled, after passing through Caves 4 and 2, the fishing boat began sailing toward Cave 6.

All the caves looked the same.

After traveling a stretch through the darkness, Bai Youwei caught the familiar putrid, fishy stench, and her heart sank.

She turned to look at Ashalina, standing guard near the cabin door at the back. Sure enough, Ashalina’s face had gone pale.

Alongside the fear was something heavier — disappointment. Because they were wrong again.

On the other side of the deck, A-Long’s expression was equally grave.

It seemed everyone had caught the smell.

Bai Youwei made a gesture toward Pan Xiaoxin in the wheelhouse.

Pan Xiaoxin nodded, and without a sound began reversing the boat’s direction.

But what had to come, came anyway.

The boat could never outpace the creatures in the water below.

They heard the sound of churning water — something rushing up from the depths in frantic pursuit — and then it slammed into the hull.

*Thud! Thud!*

Powerful fish tails slapped the surface. A merfolk leapt several meters into the air, clung to the side of the boat, and pulled into view its slick, inverted-triangle-shaped head!

*”Hssssssss!!!”*

Its upper and lower jaws gaped wide, exposing razor-sharp teeth, unleashing a threatening warning — it wanted to tear apart these intruders who had invaded its home.

Ashalina pressed both hands against the cabin door and bellowed: “Come on, then! You stupid creatures!!!”

Three merfolk, provoked, flared the fan-shaped collars around their necks and all lunged toward Ashalina at once.

Ashalina wrenched the cabin door open!

In an instant, the reek of fish flooded out, and the merfolk went berserk — scrambling and shoving to be first into the lower hold packed full of dead fish.

—