Chapter 413: A Search? Quite Thrilling!

The Underground Hidden River was much deeper than imagined.

The Tropical Rainforest had abundant rainfall, storing massive amounts of moisture underground.

Moreover, the subterranean structure had always been extremely complex. The composition here was mostly stone, which was why such a unique terrain had formed.

Ning Fei swam downward in the Underground Hidden River. Holding a flashlight, he encountered many obstacles along the way.

The two drones filmed the Underground Hidden River from above. The netizens could only see a wide, quietly flowing river.

A long time passed.

"Where is Temple Master Ning? How long has he been in the water?"

"Looks like it's been over ten minutes."

"Over ten minutes of freediving? Are you kidding me?"

"Good lord, I feel terrible just holding my breath for one minute."

"How long has it been now?"

"It's been twenty-two minutes since he went into the water."

"Call the police! The human world record for holding one's breath underwater is twenty-two minutes!"

"Oh my god, is he really dead?"

"Hurry and call the police! Tell the Production Crew to send a rescue team, something really happened!"

"In a place like this, even a rescue team wouldn't dare to go down!"

Meanwhile, the Production Crew on the edge of the Island received a flurry of phone calls.

These calls all urged the Production Crew to immediately dispatch a rescue team to save Ning Fei.

Charles felt completely helpless as well.

He simply cut off all external calls, which finally brought a bit of peace and quiet.

"Do these viewers not use their brains?"

"Who would dare go down into a place like that!"

"That Huaxia man is looking for death. Do they want the rescue team to die with him?"

The two drones continued to broadcast the footage of the Underground Hidden River.

There was nothing on the surface of the hidden river.

The netizens grew increasingly worried.

Ning Fei's fans, in particular, were on pins and needles, their hearts filled with panic.

It had been almost half an hour, and Ning Fei still hadn't surfaced.

The situation looked grim!

Right at that moment, a sudden ripple disturbed the surface of the river.

Then, Ning Fei's body abruptly breached the surface of the water.

"Phew!"

He shook his head and touched his hair.

Fortunately, the Daoist Hairpin was secured tightly, so his hair wasn't messy. Otherwise, his hair would be disheveled, making him look just like Wutian Buddha from the TV shows.

Next, Ning Fei climbed up the bank and returned to the depths of the passage.

He dried off and got dressed, feeling much more refreshed.

"There was a place inside like a Water Pool. I rested there for a while and was able to breathe some air."

Afraid that his freediving for nearly half an hour would be too shocking to the world, Ning Fei casually offered an explanation.

Only then did the netizens relax.

So there was a place to breathe inside. No wonder.

Ning Fei had already obtained the Longevity Pill. It was a round, white bead about the size of a pinky fingernail, hidden deep within the pitch-black Underground Hidden River.

If not for the System, perhaps no one would have found this treasure even after tens of millions of years.

It was unknown exactly what the mysterious natural minerals deep within the Underground Hidden River were. The bead Ning Fei took away was merely an insignificant fraction of them.

If given to scientists for research, it might actually propel the progress of human society.

It could possibly extend human lifespans and the like.

However, Ning Fei had never harbored any ambitions of driving societal development.

The same had always been true for Qingfeng Temple.

Do not ask of mundane worldly affairs.

Perhaps technological advancement would only accelerate war, extinction, and disaster. He had relied on the System to discover the Earth's secrets, and there was no need to reveal such secrets to the public.

Feeling completely refreshed, Ning Fei walked out of the cave.

He intended to forfeit the competition right then and there, planning to call for the Production Crew's helicopter to pick him up.

After all, he had seen what he needed to see. There was nothing left to linger for in the Tropical Rainforest.

As soon as he exited the cave, however, he saw a helicopter already hovering overhead.

In front of him stood six people who looked like foreign soldiers.

"Who are those people?"

"Government troops?"

"What are they trying to do?"

A torrent of comments immediately flooded the stream.

"Mr. Ning, we are from the Government military. Please cooperate with us and turn off your live stream first," Weiss stepped forward and said with a serious yet authoritative tone.

Ning Fei was quite cooperative. He nodded and said, "Alright."

With that, he brought the drones down and shut off the stream.

"What's going on?"

"Why did the stream stop?"

The netizens instantly exploded in an uproar. Countless people called the Production Crew, but the lines were all busy.

"Here is the situation. We need to secure this area and ensure nothing leaks out."

"Therefore, we need to conduct a routine search of your person."

"We brought professional equipment and won't make any excessive demands. Please cooperate with us."

Seeing that Ning Fei had turned off the live stream, Weiss continued speaking.

He knew the gravity of the situation. Ning Fei was currently under the world's spotlight. He had to execute this quickly, or else his country would plunge into a storm of public controversy.

Ning Fei's face remained calm. He handed his satchel to Weiss and said, "No problem."

Weiss gave Ning Fei a long look.

He realized that this young man was truly far from simple.

They had all lived lives on the edge of a knife, naturally radiating an aura of lethal intent. Any ordinary person facing this scene would have long been terrified into pleading or begging them for mercy.

But Ning Fei was different.

He was remarkably tranquil, acting as if he were just going through subway security. His expression didn't shift in the slightest.

Two soldiers rummaged through Ning Fei's satchel, while another two took scanning devices and swept them down from Ning Fei's upper body.

These instruments were highly advanced, capable of detecting whether Ning Fei was hiding anything inside his body.

Whether it was in his oral cavity, stomach, or even his rectum, it could all be detected.

Relying on these devices, they had previously sniffed out contraband hidden by many drug smugglers.

Weiss kept his eyes fixed on Ning Fei.

Ning Fei's expression remained aloof and entirely unchanged.

The scanners indicated that Ning Fei was not hiding anything inside his body.

The other two soldiers went through Ning Fei's bag but found nothing aside from the daily necessities provided by the Production Crew.

Weiss handed the bag back to Ning Fei and said politely, "Thank you for your cooperation. You may go."

Ning Fei took the satchel back and walked away without a word or a backward glance.

"That actually worked."

After getting far enough away, Ning Fei let out a quiet laugh.

He had actually been quite nervous a moment ago.

Because when he found the Longevity Pill in the Underground Hidden River, he truly had nowhere to put it, so he had hidden it inside his topknot.

Almost all Daoist priests wore this hairstyle, using a Daoist Hairpin to secure a topknot that radiated an ethereal immortal demeanor.

On his way out, he hadn't had the time to let the little falcon fly off with the Longevity Pill either.

Furthermore, Weiss had completely locked onto Ning Fei the moment he emerged, leaving Ning Fei with no chance to make any extra moves.

He had simply left it up to fate.

Unexpectedly, the two soldiers using the instruments had only started scanning from his face down, completely ignoring the top of his head.

It made sense, though. Ning Fei had been streaming the entire time. Aside from jumping into the Underground Hidden River where the drones couldn't film, he hadn't picked up anything during the rest of the journey.

Those soldiers had just been watching his stream; the search was merely a routine formality.

"Quite thrilling!"

Thinking back to the tension just now, Ning Fei smiled.

Soon after, he turned the live stream back on.