Chapter 119: Sudden Change

Su Xue felt a surge of surprise. Zhang Can’s clumsy posture appeared entirely natural, not at all like an act; if it were a performance, she would have to admire his acting skills. Logically, his form only indicated a poor ability to dive. A seasoned diver would display a completely different technique—how could he look like that?

Zhang Can, completely unaware of Su Xue’s underlying motives, assumed her gear was similar to his own. He figured that wherever she could dive, he could follow without issue.

After descending only seven or eight meters, Su Xue moved ahead of him. Her movements were as fluid and graceful as a nimble fish, her figure elegant. If mermaids truly existed, they would surely look like this. Yet, Zhang Can’s eyes were focused elsewhere, and he harbored no romantic notions; he simply followed her downward.

Back in his hometown, Zhang Can’s swimming skills were merely average, and his diving skills even worse. The deepest parts of the local river were seven or eight meters, but he had never dived that deep—three or four meters was his limit. Unlike his previous experience in the ocean where he reached a depth of one hundred meters, he felt a genuine fear of the unknown, as anyone would when arriving in an unfamiliar place for the first time.

Su Xue was different. Having undergone specialized training, she was highly proficient in combat and various survival skills, covering land, air, and sea. Her capabilities far exceeded anything Zhang Can could imagine. She often dove to depths of a hundred meters, though that was with the aid of high-tech equipment. Without it, relying only on a standard wetsuit, she could only manage sixty or seventy meters, and perhaps thirty or forty if free-diving.

Zhang Can’s wetsuit was the most basic type, devoid of any instruments or communication devices, whereas Su Xue’s was equipped with a wrist-mounted electronic gauge that displayed depth and pressure. As Zhang Can doggedly followed her, his body handled the pressure with ease, though his speed lagged far behind hers.

Su Xue periodically slowed down to wait for him. Once they reached thirty or forty meters, she realized his clumsiness wasn't a facade, as many technical nuances simply could not be faked. While Zhang Can was awkward, his ability to learn and adapt was quick, and he made no effort to hide his struggle, diligently trying to improve.

Su Xue kept a close watch on him. She could see his excitement; with every few meters descended, his movements and technique grew slightly more refined. Before he knew it, he had followed her down to fifty-five meters.

For an untrained person wearing basic gear, thirty to forty meters is typically the limit before it becomes dangerous. Su Xue knew Zhang Can had no formal training. Reaching fifty-five meters was remarkable; for her, another ten meters would be the danger zone. Though she didn't particularly like him, she had no intention of letting him die, and she hesitated, wondering if she should go deeper, knowing his suit wasn't meant for it.

However, Zhang Can was swimming beside her, visibly excited. When she paused, he gestured, asking why she had stopped. Su Xue hesitated, but seeing him look so relaxed—clearly unbothered by the water pressure—she felt a spark of curiosity. She descended further, and Zhang Can followed with delight. His body felt no strain; since he had free-dived to a hundred meters before, this depth was effortless.

Descending another five or six meters to sixty, Su Xue slowed down even further. At this depth, an accident would be fatal; regardless of skill, the ascent to the surface would take at least five or six minutes. Deeper than that, the speed would be even slower. A hundred-meter dive requires at least twenty minutes to return to the surface, and over thirty for the unskilled.

Accidents in deep water are often lethal, as by the time a victim is brought to the surface, it is usually too late. Su Xue did not want his death on her conscience, so she crawled along at a snail's pace. Zhang Can, however, moved with greater ease and speed, paddling along.

She had a communicator, but he did not, so she couldn't ask how he felt. He showed no signs of distress, and his technique had improved significantly. Zhang Can, having only dived to these depths once before, was essentially a novice. He saw no need to hide his abilities from her, figuring he would simply feign struggle only when he felt she had reached her own limit.

He had never anticipated that Su Xue had given him the most basic gear, meant only for shallow depths, as a test. He had accounted for everything except this. Even if she tested him, she couldn't uncover his secrets—she simply couldn't believe his previous accounts of reaching one hundred meters. This was her way of verifying the truth.

Surprised and suspicious, Su Xue descended another ten meters to seventy-five. Seeing Zhang Can still swimming beside her with effortless ease, she was astonished; this far exceeded the limit of his basic gear. Of course, it was the human body, not the suit, that reached its limit, and the suit only provided the necessary protection.

Zhang Can had no depth gauge and didn't know how deep they were. Seeing Su Xue continue to descend without signs of discomfort, he felt encouraged. Since he had reached the seabed effortlessly before, and they hadn't hit the bottom yet, he figured there was no real difficulty.

Su Xue was caught in a dilemma. Zhang Can’s complete lack of stress reminded her of his earlier claims about retrieving the three large trunks from the seabed. She hadn't believed him then—unless he had access to high-tech gear, it should have been impossible. Now, seeing him perform, she began to waver. Could he really reach those depths? At eighty meters, he was still swimming leisurely, clearly capable of going deeper.

Having witnessed it herself, Su Xue was stunned. Even with her physique and training, she could only reach seventy meters in a standard suit. Even with her own high-tech gear, she felt her movements becoming sluggish at eighty meters, whereas Zhang Can felt nothing.

His eyes flickered with his "perspective" ability, and he saw the seabed approaching. Excited, he sped up and moved in front of Su Xue. She waved for him to stop, but he didn't look back, diving faster toward the floor.

The depth gauge ticked: eighty-five, eighty-six, eighty-seven... ninety-five... one hundred. Su Xue’s movements were now extremely heavy; it wasn't a matter of will, but of physical limitation.

Zhang Can was now seven or eight meters ahead, beyond her reach, and she had no way to communicate. Her high-tech suit had a limit of roughly one hundred and twenty meters. As she struggled after him, the gauge hit one hundred and nine.

Zhang Can had reached the bottom, touching coral, rocks, and seaweed. Seeing the seabed in person was a vastly different experience from television. When Su Xue finally caught up, she saw him examining a small pebble, looking perfectly fine. She let out a sigh of relief, though her shock deepened. Had she accidentally given him the wrong suit? But no, the appearance and color were clearly that of standard gear.

How could he reach one hundred and ten meters? It was inconceivable. She finally believed him—he hadn't been lying. But how? She was superior in every physical aspect; ten Zhang Cans wouldn't be a match for her in a fight. Yet here he was, outperforming her in the most demanding of environments.

As Zhang Can wandered the seabed, enjoying the scenery he had missed the last time due to his focus on the trunks, Su Xue suddenly felt her body sink, as if crushed by a thousand-pound weight.