Rain flooded the entire first floor, even the ceiling submerged.
Standing on the second floor, only a rectangular expanse of water was visible at the top of the staircase.
Yan Qingwen crouched by the water, holding a rope. The others stood beside him, their eyes fixed on the rectangular surface.
Shen Mo had been underwater for a minute, and aside from gently rippling waves, the surface remained undisturbed.
Bai Youwei was consumed with anxiety.
She wanted to pull the rope but feared interfering with his underwater movements. Yet, not pulling the rope, and judging solely by the dark, still water, offered no way to determine his safety.
Her gaze remained glued to the surface, her lower lip tightly bitten, her eyes darting occasionally to the rope in Yan Qingwen's hand, hoping for some movement.
But there was none.
Nothing happened.
As if sensing Bai Youwei's anxiety, Yan Qingwen turned to her and said, "An average person can generally hold their breath underwater for about a minute. Someone with professional training can manage around three minutes."
The implication was that Shen Mo likely belonged to the latter category.
Bai Youwei remained silent, her eyes still fixed on the water, counting the time in her mind.
Each second dragged on, feeling like an eternity.
When three minutes passed, she could wait no longer. She turned to Tan Xiao and said, "Go down and check."
Tan Xiao immediately began removing his shoes and clothes.
Yan Qingwen started to dissuade him, feeling the timing wasn't right. If there was real danger underwater, sending another person down would only add to the casualties.
But then he thought, if it were Lü Ang or Li Li underwater, he would go down himself, even knowing the risk.
He hesitated, then said, "Let me pull the rope first. If there's no response, then it won't be too late to go down."
Bai Youwei nodded, her brow furrowed.
Yan Qingwen tugged the rope. Once, twice, three times… on the fourth pull, the rope went taut and remained motionless.
"What's wrong?" Bai Youwei asked nervously.
Yan Qingwen shook his head grimly. "The rope is caught on something… If the rope is stuck, even if he pulls it from below, we won't feel it."
Bai Youwei's face instantly paled, her expression filled with fear, making it hard to bear looking at her.
Tan Xiao exclaimed, "Then what are we waiting for?! Quickly tie a rope to me so I can go down and check!"
Su Man paced anxiously back and forth in the corridor, completely distraught. "…There are no more ropes. The one on your leader is our only one!"
"Can we use bedsheets?" Zhu Shu suggested. "We often do this in plays. Tear the sheets into strips and tie them together…"
Cheng Laoshi quickly added, "Yes, yes! Bedsheets, duvet covers, curtains, we can use them all. If you're worried they're not strong enough, just tie several layers!"
Yan Qingwen nodded. "There's no time to lose. Let's go get the bedsheets now. Bring all of them, and take down the curtains too. I'll go down as well."
Tan Xiao, Cheng Laoshi, and Pan Xiaoxin headed towards the bedrooms, shouting to Bai Youwei as they went, "Weiwei! Don't worry, I'll definitely bring Mo Ge back!"
Bai Youwei sat by the attic door, silent, her lips pressed tightly together, her face ashen.
Anyone could see that she was on the verge of collapse.
Yan Qingwen wanted to offer some comfort, but he felt powerless. Nearly five minutes had passed. Even a professional diver couldn't stay underwater for five minutes without any equipment!
Shen Mo was most likely in serious trouble!
As mere acquaintances, Yan Qingwen couldn't say he felt grief or sorrow, at most a sense of shared vulnerability. His more pressing concern was, if the underwater route was also blocked, how could they possibly get rid of Summer's guests?!
Meanwhile, Tan Xiao and Cheng Laoshi returned with an armful of bedsheets and duvet covers. Everyone frantically tore the fabric into strips, with Su Man and Zhu Shu also helping.
Suddenly, there was a splash from the water!
After five long minutes, Shen Mo emerged from the water!