Toby's heartbeat was as rapid as a war drum. He hugged Lily tightly and jumped into the freezing cold stream. The stream water soaked his clothes in an instant, and the bone-chilling cold made him shiver involuntarily. But at this moment, he could no longer care about these. The stream was turbulent, and the water hit his body, making a gurgling sound. Toby went upstream, using the cover of the water and the cover of the night to move quickly. The stones at the bottom of the stream were uneven, which hurt his feet, but he gritted his teeth and dared not make any sound. Captain Edmund's eyes were as sharp as a hawk. He noticed the ripples in the stream and immediately realized Toby's intention. "Oh no, he jumped into the stream! Chase along the stream!" He ordered sternly, and his voice echoed in the night sky. The soldiers immediately took action and chased along both sides of the stream. The light of the torches danced on the water, reflecting the tense faces of the soldiers and illuminating the rolling waves in the stream. The trees by the stream swayed in the night wind, making rustling sounds, like the whispers of ghosts.
Toby struggled forward in the water, and the cold stream water continued to consume his physical strength. From time to time, he looked back to observe the situation of the pursuers, and saw that the fire was getting closer and closer, and he was extremely anxious. Lily moved slightly on his back and made a slight groan. Toby looked down at Lily. Her face was pale, her lips were chapped, and her breathing was weak. Obviously, she was very weak. He gritted his teeth, sped up, and prayed silently in his heart. If something happened to Lily, he didn't know how to punish Gru. Toby didn't want to endure the feeling of having his soul torn apart.
The water flow became more and more turbulent, and Toby felt that his physical strength was about to be overdrawn. His breathing became rapid, his muscles ached, and his legs were as heavy as if they were filled with lead. But he didn't dare to stop. He knew that if he stopped, he would be caught up by the pursuers, and the consequences would be disastrous. He looked up at the night sky, which was dotted with stars, like broken diamonds scattered on a black curtain, but it could not bring him any comfort.
In order to avoid being hunted, Toby chose to dive into a deep pool with a relatively gentle flow. The deep pool was surrounded by dense trees and bushes, blocking the sky and the sun. Only a few rays of moonlight fell through the gaps between the branches and leaves, casting mottled light and shadows on the ground. The pool was deep and bottomless, emitting bursts of cold air.
Toby took a deep breath, held his breath, and lifted Lily's head out of the water, while he completely submerged himself in the water. The cold water wrapped around his body, making him feel a bit of biting cold. He tried to control his body and not let it make any sound. The water plants at the bottom of the pool entangled his legs, making it difficult for him to move, but he didn't dare to move, for fear of alarming the pursuers.
Captain Edmund chased to the edge of the deep pool, but lost Toby's trace. The light of the torch illuminated the surface of the pond, but no movement was found. Soldiers also arrived one after another, standing behind Captain Edmund, panting, waiting for his instructions. Captain Edmund carefully observed the surrounding environment, scanning the pond and the surrounding trees with sharp eyes. Suddenly, he noticed a few tiny bubbles remaining on the water surface, flickering faintly in the moonlight. "There are bubbles there!" He pointed to the water surface and said in a low and firm tone, "He must be hiding in the water!" He immediately ordered the soldiers to search in the water. "You guys, go down and take a look!" He pointed to several soldiers who were good at swimming and said, "Be careful and pay attention to safety." The soldiers jumped into the water and began to search. They held spears and moved slowly in the water, watching the movements around them with vigilant eyes. The water in the pond was freezing cold and the water plants were dense, which made the search very difficult. Captain Edmund stayed on the shore and continued to observe. He scanned the surface of the pond with a sharp eye, not missing any clues. His right hand tightly grasped the hilt of the sword, ready to respond to emergencies at any time. The night wind blew, the leaves rustled, and the air around seemed to solidify, full of tension and oppression.
"Captain! There seems to be a cave here!" A soldier's voice came from the pool.
"Cave?" Captain Edmund walked quickly to the edge of the pool and observed carefully. Sure enough, in the depths of the pool, there was a hidden cave entrance, blocked by dense aquatic plants, and it was difficult to find without careful observation.
Captain Edmund's heart trembled, and he realized that Toby might be hiding in the cave. "You guys, follow me!" He drew out his long sword, jumped into the water first, and swam towards the entrance of the cave. The other soldiers followed closely, jumped into the water one after another, and followed Captain Edmund into the cave.
Toby felt the change in the water flow and knew that someone had entered the cave. He secretly thought that it was not good, hugged Lily tightly, held his breath, and swam deeper along the winding cave.
The cold water poured into Toby's ears, making a buzzing sound. Lily huddled in his arms, her small body trembling slightly. The cave was pitch black, and Toby could only rely on his perception of the water flow to grope forward. He felt Lily in his arms move, and her thin little hands tightly grasped his collar.
The cave became narrower and narrower, and Toby had to slow down and carefully avoid the protruding rocks. He felt Lily's breathing become rapid and her little face became paler.
After Captain Edmund led the soldiers into the cave, he found that the environment in the cave was complex, the waterway was tortuous, and visibility was extremely low. He raised the torch in his hand, and the weak light barely illuminated a small area around him. The mud at the bottom of the water was stirred up by the soldiers, making the water more turbid.
"Everyone be careful! The terrain in this cave is complicated, watch your feet!" Captain Edmund reminded the soldiers behind him loudly, and his voice echoed in the narrow cave.
A soldier accidentally stepped on a loose stone, lost his balance and almost fell. "Captain! There are a lot of stones in this water, it's not easy to walk!" He held the cave wall to stabilize his body, with a hint of panic in his tone. Captain Edmund frowned, wiped the water droplets on his face with his hand, and scanned the front with sharp eyes. "Keep going! Toby must be in this cave!" He said firmly, without any doubt. As they went deeper, the space of the cave gradually opened up. The torch in Captain Edmund's hand illuminated a larger area, and he found a fork in the road ahead, with two waterways leading to different directions.