"Zhuo Hao, Long Gan, can you hear us?" Qin Lifeng called out multiple times, receiving no response. However, Zhou You noticed a patch of water grass twitch.

He jumped towards it with a lit plank, and Shao Qi promptly threw some more planks to support his landing. Following suit, the rest, lacking their agility, stayed behind for backup.

Zhou You dispersed that patch of water grass, spotting a shoe tip. He swiftly grabbed the foot and pulled.

"It's Long Gan!" Shao Qi came to assist. Long Gan, taller than Zhou You, was pulled out wrapped in grass and with several slender things falling into the water.

Setting Long Gan down, they noticed movement inside his clothes, causing Li Yunxi to turn pale.

"Qin, take Li Yunxi up first." Shao Qi, sword in hand, pried open Long Gan's clothing. Zhou You saw the creature: not a snake, but resembling an eel.

"It seems like a mutated eel. Given its bloated belly and Long Gan's wounds, it probably feeds on flesh," Shao Qi observed, then disdainfully added, "Its face is too ugly. Otherwise, we could've had a spicy eel stir-fry."

"Always thinking about food. I don't want to handle these slippery creatures. Let's check for other wounds on him, and I'll look for Zhuo Hao," Zhou You commented, feeling for Long Gan's injuries.

After lifting Li Yunxi, Qin Lifeng began to strip Zhuo Hao. They were fortunate to wear belt-fastened pants and boots. Otherwise, had these creatures crawled inside, they might have faced a particularly unfortunate injury.

Shao Qi nudged him, urging, "Hurry, get him up. We need to find clean water; everyone has to wash thoroughly tonight."

Carrying the body, Qin Lifeng advised, "Be careful, Zhou. I'll be back soon," before ascending the rope.

Zhou You searched with his psychic power but found no trace of a person. Of course, if Zhuo Hao was entirely submerged in the silt, he wouldn’t be detectable.

He returned to discuss with Shao Qi, "It should be around here. Shall we dig?"

Shao Qi had no objections. He poked the muck with his sword, then took a look, "About fifty centimeters deep."

Zhou You couldn't help but chuckle, "You shouldn't use that to poke around. What if you perforate someone?"

"I was just checking the depth." He snapped a wooden board into thin sticks with his bare hands, handing one to Zhou You. Then the two began searching in different directions.

Anything falling from above couldn’t have landed too far away. Miao Miao and the rest quickly found it. It made no sense for Zhuo Hao not to. Zhou You poked with his stick and hit something solid. He cautiously reached down to retrieve it, pulling out a human skull.

His eyes widened, thinking: How did it turn to this so quickly?

No, no, no. Upon closer inspection, this skull had been dead for at least three years. Don’t ask how he knew. He had some forensic knowledge from years ago.

"Could it be that someone fell here before?" Zhou You mused aloud. But based on the growth, these aquatic plants must have taken several years to grow this much.

Hearing him, Shao Qi turned and said, "It could be from when the city fell. The plants might not have been here before the bodies."

The logic made sense. Many people must have died here initially. Over time, the aquatic plants spread, burying the corpses, perhaps even feeding off them.

Shao Qi didn’t uncover any bones on his side. Instead, he poked a large eel as thick as an arm. The eel they saw on Long Gan earlier must've been a baby compared to this mature mutated eel.

The eel twisted and fell into the water, burying itself in the muck. Despite Shao Qi’s efforts, it remained elusive.

But on a brighter note, he found one of Zhuo Hao’s shoes. Just one. Despite searching a ten-meter radius centered on the shoe, neither of them found the man.

"Where could he have gone?" The two pondered and decided to throw a burning grenade. Its effect was far stronger than a torch, covering a broader area. However, its effectiveness was short-lived on the water's surface, incinerating a large section of aquatic plants.

The commotion stirred various creatures from the mud: mutated eels, worms, insects. Zhou You even spotted a turtle crawling in the water. If this place continues to develop, it may soon become a haven for a new variety of flora and fauna, though thankfully, most appeared harmless.

"Why don't these aquatic plants attack the creatures in the water? How do they differentiate between humans and animals?" Zhou You asked curiously.

"Mutated plants have their preferences. Some vines, for instance, feed only on fruit and leaves, while others strangle and digest animals. Maybe these underwater creatures grew alongside the aquatic plants, living symbiotically, thus being recognized as allies," Shao Qi posited.

"They almost seem sentient," Zhou You remarked, pulling out an isolated aquatic plant to examine it closely. Out of the water, it remained motionless, indistinguishable from regular wild grass.

Shao Qi placed the plant in a glass cup filled with a bit of water. The plant began to sway and bumped against the cup several times before settling down.

"There’s something peculiar about this water."

"Since it's a mutated plant, there must be environmental conditions prompting its mutation. Many phenomena science can't explain have emerged. Experts say the Earth is entering an era of enriched biodiversity."

As the fire died down and the smoke cleared, Zhou You and Shao Qi, wearing masks, were unaffected. Suddenly, a man sat up from the aquatic plants, coughing violently. The dim light and distance obscured his face. Tentatively, Zhou You called out, "Zhuo Hao?"