Soon, we saw the stone slab covering the well mouth being slowly moved aside.
As soon as it was halfway open, I reached up, grabbed one of the men's arms, and yanked him into the well with all my might.
"Ahhh..."
With a scream and a splash, the man fell into the water and began flailing. "Help! I can't swim!"
I didn't have time to deal with the drowning man. I leaped up, grabbing the well's edge. Just as I did, a tall figure appeared and kicked at my head.
I instinctively dodged, but the kick landed hard on my shoulder.
"Ah..." The kick was powerful, and I lost my grip, falling back into the well.
"Lin..." Zhang Yihan tried to catch me, but the slippery wetsuits made it impossible. However, she did manage to adjust my fall, so I entered the water feet first, avoiding injury.
Splashing into the water, I quickly resurfaced, only to find the drowning man still struggling nearby.
"Help... me..."
"Help you, my ass!" I was furious and punched him several times, knocking him out. He sank into the water, but I had no time to worry about him.
Looking up, I saw three or four masked men with sticks attacking Zhang Yihan.
"Stop, damn you! We're police officers!" I shouted, climbing again.
Just a few steps up, Zhang Yihan fell past me, pushed into the well.
"Damn it..." I cursed, grabbing my climbing pick. This time, I was ready to fight.
As I neared the top, the masked men poured buckets of liquid on me.
The smell hit me before I understood—it was gasoline.
"Lin, get down! It's gasoline!" Zhang Yihan shouted.
"Light it up!" came a rough voice from above, followed by a lit lighter being tossed into the well.
"Jump!" Zhang Yihan yelled. I let go and fell back into the water.
Splashing down, Zhang Yihan grabbed me, pointing up. I saw flames spreading above us, turning the well mouth into a fiery inferno.
My heart sank. We were trapped in a well with a fire above us.
"Boom... Boom..." Two loud thuds followed by splashes. I feared explosives but realized they were plastic containers, further feeding the flames.
We were in serious trouble. Our compressed air would last only twenty minutes underwater. If the fire continued, we would suffocate.
Glancing at Zhang Yihan, she looked unusually calm, a faint smile on her lips.
Was she in shock? No, she seemed confident. Her composure was both unnerving and comforting.
I signaled her, asking what to do. Zhang Yihan, more experienced, would know.
She checked my air gauge, smiled confidently, and led us deeper into the well.
Ten meters down, she stopped. The water was colder, but we had no choice.
To my surprise, she turned off her oxygen valve. Was she saving air for me?
No, she reached over and shut mine off too, signaling for me to hold my breath.
She watched me closely. At first, I thought she admired my looks. Later, I realized she was gauging my breath-holding capacity.
Barely two minutes in, I was struggling. She noticed and reopened my valve. We took turns breathing and holding our breath, extending our air supply.
Zhang Yihan's quick thinking saved us. Instead of twenty minutes, we lasted nearly three times longer.
I periodically checked the surface. At thirty minutes, the fire still burned fiercely. At fifty, it began to weaken.
An hour in, Zhang Yihan and I surfaced to find the well mouth dark. The fire had finally died down.
I moved to check, only to burn my hand on residual flames and diesel.
"These bastards poured diesel too," I thought angrily.
Just then, Zhang Yihan ran out of air, her face pale. I gave her my respirator, but she kneed me in the groin in her panic.
I nearly passed out from the pain and water inhalation, but Zhang Yihan quickly gave back the respirator.
Recovering, I saw her blushing, realizing my error. I'd been too forward, and she had retaliated instinctively.
Still, I couldn't help thinking about how I could take advantage of the situation. My thoughts wandered, but survival instincts took precedence.
We needed to stay alive until morning. Zhang Yihan's plan had worked so far, but the situation was dire.
"Lin, focus!" I told myself, pushing away distracting thoughts. We had to get out of this alive.