3: Chapter 3 Advance Team Goes Down the Well

A moment later, everyone at the archaeological site and in the command center hall was ready.

As the word "action" came over the walkie-talkie, this nationwide archaeological operation officially began its live broadcast!

In the Live Stream Room, despite the screen being pitch black, there were already numerous viewers.

Everyone was craning their necks in anticipation, waiting for the mystery of the Dragon Locking Well to be revealed.

"Ahhh! First! First! First! I'm the first one!"

"Damn... even the hand speed of someone who's been single since birth isn't as fast as yours!"

"So excited! Is the mystery of the Dragon Locking Well finally going to be revealed? This is a once-in-a-lifetime series!"

"I watched a movie about the Dragon Locking Well two days ago, and today the authorities are revealing the real one! My god, I feel like my life is complete!"

"What stage is it at? Have they dug out the real dragon yet? If they can't, digging out a set of dragon bones would work too!"

"Keep dreaming. It just started!"

The viewers in the Live Stream Room released their maximum enthusiasm the moment the broadcast started.

The barrage of comments was like a tide, surging wave after wave!

Meanwhile, in the command center hall, everyone was also full of anticipation, gazing at the large screen in the center.

They hoped this expedition would unravel the mystery that had truly troubled everyone... the mystery of the true dragon in the Dragon Locking Well!

You have to understand, the people of Great Xia pride themselves on being descendants of the dragon, but no one knows if a "dragon" truly exists in this world!

Perhaps this exploration of the Dragon Locking Well could clear away some of the mists of history and unlock the dust-laden truth, telling the world the secret of the true dragon!

"Hoo..."

"Hoo..."

"Hoo..."

Several members of the Archaeological Team descended slowly into the Dragon Locking Well along the suspension ropes.

The slippery well walls were covered in moss, mottled blue bricks surrounded the Dragon Locking Well in a regular pattern, and the space was incredibly cramped.

All the way down, there were no footholds.

The Archaeological Team's only reliance was the safety rope tied around their waists.

They sank slowly downward, sinking downward...

Besides the occasional "drip" of water and their own heavy breathing, there were no other strange noises.

Everyone's nerves were stretched to the breaking point.

The deep, boundless ancient well was like a giant beast waiting to devour people, gradually swallowing them whole!

The five archaeological personnel either closed their eyes tight, not daring to look at the pitch-black bottom of the well, or held their breath and focused, their hands gripping the safety rope with protruding veins and covered in sweat.

It could be said that this was an advance team, the first group to enter the Dragon Locking Well to scout the path.

Their duty was to scout the path under the well first and prepare for the subsequent entry of the rest of the Archaeological Team.

Whatever danger might occur was something they could not foresee.

Yet, it was precisely this fear of the unknown that was even more terrifying!

They didn't know how long they had been descending.

The team members twitched their noses, surprisingly smelling a rich, fishy odor.

"Did you... did you smell that? Such a strong fishy smell!"

In the team, a bespectacled, scholarly-looking man covered his nose and mouth, frowning as he spoke.

The others nodded hurriedly upon hearing this.

This fishy smell was incredibly thick; as long as one didn't lack a sense of smell, they could basically smell it.

It was a fishy stench that drilled straight into the brain.

Just inhaling a little bit made people feel dizzy.

"Put on your gas masks. The air doesn't circulate down here; it's inevitable that there might be some germs."

Having said that, the five members of the advance team took gas masks out of their backpacks and put them on.

Afterward, they continued to descend along the suspension ropes.

Command Center, Seminar Hall.

Including Bingbing, everyone had tense expressions, staring fixedly at the big screen, not even daring to take a deep breath.

Being able to invite so many archaeological authorities from across the country was specifically to solve the anomalies within the Dragon Locking Well.

It showed just how much the high-level officials of Great Xia valued this!

Therefore, no one dared to be negligent; everyone was at 120% alertness, staring at the screen. They didn't dare to slack off for even a moment.

But at this moment, this grand archaeological live broadcast facing the nationwide audience suddenly boiled over.

As the archaeological work under the well progressed, the viewers immediately noticed some clues and began to discuss them enthusiastically:

"So tense, when will they reach the bottom of the well?"

"Could there be a real dragon tied to the end of the chains at the bottom of the well? So looking forward to it!"

"Wait a minute, something's not right! Are you sure it's a fishy smell?"

"Holy crap! Fishy smell? Why does this plot feel so familiar? I feel like I've seen this scene!"

"I remember now too! Isn't this descent plot exactly like the one in the [Dragon Locking Well] movie?"

"That's right, I just went to the cinema to watch this movie yesterday, it has this exact plot!"

"Which well isn't a straight drop? Are you guys kidding?"

"Movies are all made up; this is a real-life live broadcast!"

"Hiss! The Iron Triangle seems to have also smelled a very strong fishy odor in the Dragon Locking Well..."

"Maybe it's just a coincidence? The screenwriter couldn't have gone down into the Dragon Locking Well, right?"

"Whoosh, whoosh..."

"Whoosh, whoosh..."

Faint sounds of flowing water seemed to reach the ears of the Archaeological Team.

The archaeological advance team, currently hanging on the suspension ropes and slowly descending toward the bottom of the well, suddenly felt as if they were in a dream.

"Is this... an illusion? I think I heard the sound of flowing water!"

"I heard it too!"

Having said that, the four of them turned their gazes to the bespectacled man.

The bespectacled man nodded slightly and said: "That's right, the bottom of this Dragon Locking Well connects to an underground river, so the sound of flowing water isn't an illusion, it's real!"

"And hearing the sound of water means we are about to reach the bottom of the Dragon Locking Well!"

Upon hearing this, everyone was incredibly excited.

The journey had been harrowing but safe, and they were finally about to reach the bottom of the Dragon Locking Well.

During the descent just now, their hearts had almost jumped out of their chests from nervousness, but fortunately, they had arrived at their destination safely.

A moment later, the five members of the advance team finally sank to the bottom of the well along the suspension ropes.

In the command center hall, the nervousness of everyone was no less than that of the advance team.

However, seeing them safely reach the bottom of the well, everyone let out a long sigh of relief.

After the advance team arrived at the bottom of the well, it suddenly opened up.

Gone was the narrowness and the fishy stench from inside the well, replaced by a wide underground river.

It emitted a fresh fragrance brought by the river, making people's minds much clearer.

"There's a stone platform over there, let's swing over to it!"

The bespectacled man searched around and finally discovered a long stone platform on the cave wall to the side.

It was large enough to accommodate about twenty people.

Having said that, he swung onto the stone platform first, and the others followed suit.