The room we were in connected directly to Second Brother’s, separated only by a single door.

My mom walked over to his side, examining the ring’s intricate engravings with him while jotting notes in a small notebook.

I stood silently by the doorway, watching them move with purposeful urgency. A faint unease stirred in my chest.

Right now, I felt like a total outsider. This helplessness left me deeply unsettled.

I’d already accepted what Mom said in the car—I really might be tangled up in something dangerous.

So since I’d steeled myself to face it… shouldn’t I at least know *something*?

After a short while, they seemed finished. Mom turned and looked at me—standing there all alone.

“Wear this.”

She came over, slipped the ring into my pocket, and whispered.

“Can we… talk?” I asked, pulling out the ring curiously.

“No time,” she murmured, glancing back at Second Brother before leaning close to my ear.

“Stay glued to me from now on. Not a single step away.”

She brushed past me swiftly and returned to Droma’s room.

*Stay close to her?*

I frowned, confused.

Just then, Second Brother approached and handed me a neatly folded bundle.

Tilting my head, I took it, shook it open by the collar—and froze. A black tight-fitting wetsuit.

“Wh-what… is this for?”

My confusion deepened.

“Ma’am, please change in that room behind you. We’re leaving soon~”

Second Brother didn’t explain. He simply pointed toward Droma’s room.

Suddenly, Mom grabbed my arm from behind, pulled me inside, and shut the door.

“Don’t ask. Just trust me…”

Behind the door, she bent slightly, hands resting gently on my shoulders, forcing warmth into her gaze.

But I saw it—the raw anxiety she tried so hard to hide. I was her daughter.

I’d always known her expressions like my own heartbeat.

The weight on her was immense.

I gave a quiet nod, swallowing every question I’d prepared.

“Hurry. Time’s short.”

She urged me while starting to change herself.

I still didn’t get it. Why a wetsuit *here*? It was November—the lake was frozen solid.

Were we seriously… swimming under the ice?

Then I remembered the oxygen tanks they’d carried into the yard earlier. My thoughts halted.

“You don’t mean… diving under Qinghai Lake…?” I gasped.

Mom nodded silently, tossed me a black sports bra set from her bag.

“Huh?? Seriously?”

Outside had to be below -10°C. I wouldn’t even dip a finger in that water—let alone dive in thin gear.

Textbooks said water under ice stays warmer… but my body? No way I’d survive that chill.

“The child hasn’t trained. Leave her with me?” Droma offered kindly from her wheelchair.

Mom shook her head without hesitation.

“She stays with me. I’ve got this under control.”

…

Mom’s words had always been reliable. I trusted her completely.

She wouldn’t drag her own daughter into certain death.

So I changed quietly—sports set first, then wetsuit—folded my old clothes neatly, and tucked them into her bag.

Outside, the wind howled, sharp enough to sting the skin.

I’d dashed to the bathroom before changing—Mom kept stressing urgency, so I moved fast.

Soon, all of us were ready. Bundled in thick down jackets (the dive site was far), the four of us—me, Mom, Second Brother, and Droma—rode together. Droma sat shotgun, guiding the way.

Silence filled the car. Only Droma’s occasional directions broke it. The vehicle jolted over rough ground until we reached the frozen lakeshore.

My mind spun with possibilities. Catching Mom’s anxious glance, my own chest tightened.

*Right now, I should be napping at my desk.*

*What will classmates think? Teachers? Will anyone even notice I’m gone?*

Probably not.

Staring at the ice-glazed lake drawing near, I missed school life.

Back during finals, I’d joke: “Score 25 again? I’m *dead*!”

But who knew… what real fear feels like when death creeps close?

Nothing like parental scolding over a bad grade.

[I’m… really scared right now…]

After stepping out, motorcycle engines rumbled behind us. I turned—three black bikes parked neatly behind our car.

Second Brother clapped my shoulder. “Know your bikes?”

I shook my head. I wasn’t a gearhead; motorcycles all looked the same to me.

Mom called out. Everyone gathered. Once assembled, she assigned roles.

Names and faces blurred together, but I nodded along anyway.

As expected: Mom and I teamed up. Three bikes for five of us—me, Mom, Second Brother, and two strangers: Wei Qiuying and Wu Datong.

The rest set up tents onshore, posing as a geological survey team.