This Damned Thirst for Survival

Chapter 31

The sensation of holding one's breath in a washing basin is utterly distinct from doing so in a bathtub.

Suffocation strikes with exceptional swiftness and ferocity; the cold water flowed past his ears, making his heartbeat sound so clear at the bottom of the tub as if it was beating right beside him.

Jiang Luo counted to ten in his heart, each second stretched to feel four to five times longer. The feeling of oxygen deprivation tensed his entire body. With his eyes closed, Jiang Luo concentrated, waiting for the onset of a near-death state.

The room, plastered with talismans, resembled a large scene of dark sorcery. As time ticked away, after a minute, the room's talismans seemed to have been violently struck, suddenly fluttering for a moment.

The rustling sound of the talisman papers reached the ears of the young man with black hair in the bathtub, yet he paid it no mind. His eyes remained firmly shut, his clothes undulating with the water waves, and the green veins on the backs of his clenched fists blended into the water, intertwining with strands of his black hair to create an eerie beauty.

"Boom-"

Another heavy strike, and the entire bathroom door seemed to shake momentarily, the talisman affixed to it suddenly igniting.

The monster outside seemed to be suppressed momentarily, but after ten seconds, it resumed its desperate assault on the bathroom.

Boom, boom, boom.

Jiang Luo's complexion began to show a faint redness, the feeling of oxygen deprivation spreading from his limbs straight to his heart. His body instinctively wanted to climb out of the bathtub, but the two-minute countdown hadn't started yet.

Being submerged in water brings a sense of unease. Your heart races faster, consuming oxygen more rapidly, and Jiang Luo was reaching his limit.

His thoughts became scattered, and in the darkness before his eyes, small black dots slowly blurred into white spots. A unique and indescribable sensation pulled him into another world, momentarily easing the pain of drowning.

He didn't know whether he was close to death or success, but Jiang Luo's limbs felt as if they were filled with lead, utterly powerless.

The speed of his heartbeat plummeted from extremely fast to extremely slow, his life visibly ebbing away, gradually fading...

...

"Jiang Luo, you've taken first place!"

Lu Youyi slapped the bathroom door with a face full of joy, but after receiving no response, his heart skipped a beat. Listening to the sound of water inside, an ominous premonition crept over him. With a burst of effort, he smashed open the bathroom door and, upon seeing the situation inside, his pupils dilated sharply.

His breath hitched as he rushed forward to pull Jiang Luo from the water, his hands trembling with anger and fright, "What the fuck are you doing!"

Oxygen rushed violently into his body, and Jiang Luo coughed softly, water cascading from his body back into the bathtub. Lu Youyi vigorously patted his back, then wrapped him in a towel and helped him out of the bathroom.

Supported weakly by him, Jiang Luo's gaze fleetingly touched the Yin-Yang ring on his hand.

He failed.

Was it because there was no sense of external crisis to push him beyond the boundary of life and death, thereby he was unable to activate the Yin-Yang ring?

A contemplative look flashed through Jiang Luo's eyes.

Lu Youyi placed him on the sofa, bustling around to pour him hot water, bring an oxygen tank, and then sternly calling others, "Jiang Luo tried to kill himself, he planned to die for Chi You."