In the evening, Luo Kai continued to dig, but the rock foundation was unexpectedly deep. There was no ventilation in the tunnel. If he dug too deep, the already turbid oxygen would be completely gone. But if he changed the route, it would be equivalent to digging for nothing.
After thinking about it, he decided to give it a try and continue to dig. He already felt that the soil was somewhat different. It had become more compact, and there was a lot of fine sand. This situation was caused when the foundation was laid, so he should be able to dig through it very quickly. But he didn't know where the exit would be after digging through the foundation. If he was still in prison, his chances of survival would be very slim. This was a gamble that would cost him his life, but he had to gamble.
About two hours later, the iron awl in his hand felt empty. A narrow crack had appeared in the rock foundation. With his current body size, it wasn't difficult for him to pass through. What was strange was that there was nothing on the other side of the foundation. Luo Kai carefully crawled over. This was not the surface, but a quiet underground space. It was pitch-black and seemed to have no end.
Luo Kai carefully stuck to the wall and slowly groped. At this time, in the dark and quiet underground space, there was a sudden rustling sound. It seemed that someone had come here. Luo Kai's whole body was covered in cold sweat. He trembled and turned around to look.
The swaying candlelight illuminated the pitch-black space. This seemed to be a vaulted underground building similar to an air-raid shelter. Rows of huge bookshelves were piled up in the space. A skinny old man with disheveled hair was holding a candle and walking over.
Luo Kai hurriedly hid in a depression beside him. He carefully took out the sharpened iron awl from under his armpit. The old man didn't look like a guard, but more like a prisoner.
The skinny old man directly walked towards Luo Kai's hiding place. Before he even got close, he said with a smile, "Young man, don't be so nervous. I've been waiting for you for a long time." A big rat came out from his messy hair and squeaked twice.
Luo Kai suppressed the fear in his heart and slowly revealed himself. His voice trembled as he asked, "Who … are you?" He actually instinctively spoke the same language.
The elder stared at Luo Kai for a while before saying, "Who I am is not important, but it will be very difficult for you to escape from South Tooth Island's prison. South Tooth Island is surrounded by the sea, and the nearest land is dozens of nautical miles away. Even if you can escape from this godforsaken place, you will not be able to swim to land."
"You … You want to help me?
Or do you want to leave as well? "
"No, this place may be unbearable for you, but for me, it is the safest place in the world."
The old man stroked his beard that had grown to his chest and continued, "Since Xiao Hui is willing to give you food, it proves that you're not a bad person. I can help you leave this place, but you have to do me a favor when you get out."
Luo Kai suppressed the nervousness in his heart and carefully asked, "What is it?"
The old man pondered for a moment before asking, "Do you know about the Sea Race?"
Luo Kai thought for a moment and blankly shook his head.
The old man frowned slightly, as if he was dissatisfied with Luo Kai's ignorance. After a while, he sighed and said, "Forget it. Actually, the more you know, the more trouble you will have."
He then pointed above his head and said, "The prison has many hunting dogs on the island. Even if you can leave the prison, the hunting dogs will notice you. If you don't have the ability, they will tear you apart."
Luo Kai's expression changed. He gritted his teeth and said, "Thank you, Sir. Even if I die, I want to die outside!"
The old man laughed, "With this old man helping you, it won't be that easy to die. Oh … I can teach you a method to swim freely in the water. With the help of the east wind, you will have a chance to float to land. Of course, if you are eaten by some big fish in the sea, there will be no other way. Come here, let me take a good look at you."
Luo Kai hesitated for a moment. Seeing that the old man's expression was serious, he hesitantly walked over.
The old man's withered tree like arm stretched forward and pulled Luo Kai in front of him. Luo Kai only felt that the old man's arm was like an iron hoop, squeezing his bones until they hurt. It seemed that the old man was an old Chinese doctor who knew how to knead bones.
The old man first looked at the wound on Luo Kai's chest that had already healed. He groped all over Luo Kai's body and muttered to himself, "Your body's quality is not bad. You should have been injected with high-grade genetic medicine since you were young. Your bones and muscles are very strong and your cell division is very fast. However, genetic medicine has its advantages and disadvantages. It will greatly squeeze out your life force. Moreover, your body hasn't fully matured yet. After being locked up here for so long, your body's development has already been affected.
Alas! "Luo Kai couldn't help but ask," What is genetic medicine? "
The old man didn't answer. He stared at the space between Luo Kai's eyebrows. His expression seemed to be somewhat puzzled. He pondered for a moment and said, "If you want to solve the drawbacks of genetic medicine, you can only practice a body strengthening technique. It seems that you haven't practiced it yet."
Then he took out a shabby animal skin paper from his pocket and handed it over. "I have a set of body techniques here. If you practice it, it will gradually make up for your body's shortcomings. This set of body techniques is called 'Soft Forging Body Technique'. It may be painful in the beginning, but only through suffering can one rise to the top. Sometimes, pain is the best way to stimulate the body's potential."
Luo Kai took the paper in a daze. He could see that there were many human figures engraved on the animal skin paper. He was puzzled and asked, "What is a body technique?"
This time, the old man patiently explained, "A body technique is a way to strengthen the body. Human's physique is naturally weak. If you have the heart to practice it, you will find its benefits in the future."
Then he suddenly pressed on the back of Luo Kai's head. Luo Kai's head went blank and he lost consciousness. He didn't know how much time had passed. He felt a tingling pain in his armpits. He opened his eyes in a daze. He was still in the underground space. The clothes on his upper body had been untied. His armpits were dripping with blood. It seemed that something had been engraved on his skin.
The old man was using a rag to bandage his wrist. It could be seen that his wrist was also dripping with blood. "Don't be nervous. I have engraved a set of water repelling totem on your body. After you enter the water, you will naturally find its magical effect. There are no conditions in this place, so I can only engrave it with blood."
Luo Kai wiped the blood on his body with his clothes. He was full of doubts. After thinking for a while, he asked, "What is a water repelling totem?
Great … Great Master, I still don't know your name. You … Why are you helping me? "
The old man removed the big gray rat from his head. He smiled and said, "My name is Shui Sou. People outside like to call me the Water Speaker. The water repelling totem is simply a way to let people quickly adapt to the underwater environment. Life originated from the sea. The water repelling totem has been firmly engraved in the depths of the genes. The water repelling totem only induces it.
As for why I am helping you, I just want to ask you for a small favor. In the future, you will come to my place every night. This old man will teach you a body technique. "
Luo Kai stood up shakily. After a moment of silence, he pointed at the big rat on his head and asked, "Is Big Gray your pet?"
The old man teased the rat in his hand and said, "Well, I see that this little thing is very intelligent. I just happened to be bored so I kept it."
"Is that the food you asked Big Gray to send me?"
The old man shook his head. "Young man, don't underestimate the intelligence of animals. You let it go. It is grateful to you so it sent you food. Well, it is almost dawn. You should go back quickly."