MASG chapter 33

“All right, all right, don’t be so angry. They’re just kids…” Xi Ban stood in front of them, afraid that he wouldn’t be able to stop Yan Xia’s bad temper. Indeed, Yan Xia was hot-tempered. She immediately drew her gun and pressed it against Xia Yu’s forehead.

It was exactly the same as before. This time, Xia Yu was not scared, just stunned. Mo An’s fingertips no longer sparked electricity. Last time, Yan Xia hadn’t harmed Little Jellyfish, and she definitely wouldn’t this time either.

“Kids? If you were really kids, you’d stay home obediently. Since you’re on a team mission, there are no kids here.” Yan Xia’s anger was visible to the naked eye. “This is the first and last warning. No acting on your own!”

Xia Yu seemed to relive the past, no, it wasn’t “seemed” but truly relived it; Yan Xia and Xi Ban were repeating, looping.

“Can you do that? If not, I’ll shoot you both right now!” Yan Xia spoke again.

“We…we can do it. Sorry, really sorry.” Xia Yu apologized, knowing he had to figure out what was going on. Mo An held his fingertip, occasionally pinching him to hint that he had also noticed something abnormal.

Next, Yan Xia should have put the gun away. Mo An stared at her hand, wondering if this was due to the corruption of the area.

Sure enough, Yan Xia put her gun away. “Don’t let it happen again. You’ve been lost for at least two hours, according to my timer. I don’t know the exact time. We still have many warehouses to check. Move quickly!”

“Okay, okay.” To understand everything, Xia Yu decided to go through it again with Mo An.

Next, Xi Ban pinched his cheek again. “Don’t be afraid. This is just her temper. She’s actually very nice. She was really worried when you disappeared just now.”

“Sorry.” Xia Yu replied as usual. They were about to move forward. Would they disappear again while walking? But they were far from that corner, at least a few minutes’ walk away. What could he and Mo An do in the meantime? Should they tell the adults about the time loop first? Would they believe them?

After all, the adults were unaware of it. Xia Yu thought that if he were talking normally and suddenly said that time was repeating, how would they react?

He had no idea, and neither did Mo An. They were young and perhaps facing a dead end.

“Let’s move quickly; otherwise, we’ll get scolded again.” Xi Ban repeated what he had said before and turned around, just like last time. Mo An quietly stared at his back and pulled the stunned Xia Yu along.

“xla, don’t be afraid.” He comforted Xia Yu.

Although Mo An didn’t understand what was happening, he knew it was abnormal. There were so many dangers in the deep sea, and it seemed there were many dangers on land as well. But sirens, destined from birth to play with death, were not so afraid.

Xia Yu nodded slightly and followed Xi Ban and Yan Xia. The water seemed to grow deeper. Just a moment ago, it was only up to their calves; now, it was above their knees, making walking difficult.

Suddenly, Xia Yu had a sense of synesthesia—his body was the “Tide Ship.” The sea outside constantly surpassed the waterline, engulfing the cargo ship. The water inside kept rising, possibly drowning him.

He was the ship, and the ship was him. He and the Tide Ship were one, and the sea would bring them home.

“They disappeared.” Suddenly, Mo An’s voice pulled Xia Yu back to reality.

Xia Yu shivered and snapped back. He looked down and saw that the water had risen, though not as quickly as he had imagined. What had just happened? It seemed he had resonated with the Tide Ship. This was wrong—mental contamination from the corruption center was starting to take over his rationality!

No wonder Silver Fang said we can only stay here for 24 hours, otherwise we’ll never leave.

“How did they disappear?” Xia Yu looked ahead, but it was empty.

Mo An held up four fingers. “Four minutes and twenty-seven seconds.”

“What?” Xia Yu asked.

Mo An replied, “From the moment they started talking to us until they completely disappeared, it took exactly four minutes and twenty-seven seconds. I counted every second.”

“Smart!” Xia Yu felt guilty. Mo An was younger, but he wasn’t panicking. “A Ni, if—I mean, if—something terrible happens on this cargo ship, you must swim out.”

“I don’t understand.” Mo An shook his head, pretending not to understand, even though he did.

“I know you understand. Stop pretending.” Xia Yu patted his head, carefully avoiding his sensitive ear fins. “You’re a siren. You can swim away. Don’t worry about me. Be obedient.”

“Xla, you’re doubting my feelings.” Mo An was unhappy. Sirens never waver in their feelings for treasure. Even in danger, they swim with Little Jellyfish. A siren who only saves themselves doesn’t deserve to be called a fish or possess precious treasure.

“You’re really trying to anger me to death.” Xia Yu hugged him tightly, drawing courage from Mo An. Despite the danger, Mo An calculated time. As an older brother, he could not sit idle—they had to find a way to break through.

“Four minutes and twenty-seven seconds, four minutes and twenty-seven seconds.” Xia Yu took a deep breath and calmed down. “Let me rest for a few seconds. I’ll think of a way.”

A few seconds were only enough to catch their breath. Xia Yu didn’t dare waste time. He constantly reminded himself not to give up. They still had to save Mi Dou, and he had promised Professor Wang Qin that he would save the world. When the few seconds passed, Xia Yu asked, “How did they disappear? Did you see clearly?”

“They were walking when it suddenly went dark around them, as if the lights had been turned off. They walked into the darkness.” Mo An saw clearly.

“To disappear right in front of us… So, it’s not the location that made them disappear. It’s not related to the corner.” Xia Yu guessed.

Mo An pointed forward. “They disappeared when they got there.”

“Okay, let me think.” Xia Yu squatted down, hugging his knees. “First, we need to find out where they disappeared. Then, we have to figure out how to tell them.”

“We have to make them believe us.” Mo An thought the same. How could the adults believe them?

Unlike sirens, humans are uniquely arrogant. Meng Qingqing and the other older sisters and aunts never ignored them because of their age. However, humans judge a person by their age or, in Yan Xia’s case, by their gender. Younger people have less presence, while older people command respect simply because of their age. In the team, men commanded women, whether Yan Xia liked it or not.

Xia Yu thought: “Let’s wait for them to appear again, then see.”

As he spoke, two figures ran toward them—Yan Xia and Xi Ban, who had disappeared earlier. When they reached them, Yan Xia was furious. “Can you two stop running around? If you get lost, I have to find you. If you want to die, I might as well shoot you first!”

“Sorry, it’s our fault. We definitely won’t do it again.”

This time, before Xi Ban could speak, Xia Yu spoke first. Xi Ban’s mouth opened in surprise. He could only pat Xia Yu’s shoulder. “As long as you’re okay. We were so worried… No injuries?”

“No.” Mo An spoke for Xia Yu. “We found many claw marks.”

Mo An’s cleverness reminded Xia Yu that they could tell the rest of the story early and maybe break the time loop. Yan Xia, on the verge of anger, obviously wasn’t listening: “Don’t change the topic. This isn’t a playground!”

“All right, all right, don’t be angry.” Xia Ban tried to calm her down, but he clearly didn’t care about the claw marks. “Found it. That’s good.”

Indeed, adults wouldn’t easily believe children. But Xia Yu did not give up. He pointed at the shelf. “There. My brother found it. If you don’t believe me, you can check.”

“Who has time to check claw marks? Strange things aren’t surprising in the corruption zone. Yan Xia touched her gun again. She had initially drawn it in anger. “Let’s go. Continue searching.”

Suddenly, Mo An raised his arm and grabbed Yan Xia’s wrist.

So cold! Yan Xia turned sharply. “What are you doing?”

“There are huge claw marks, like a mutant’s.” Mo An said. “There might be mutants. They’re very dangerous.”

“What danger do mutants pose? No matter how strong they are, they fear firepower. Even a strong parasite is carbon-based. If they appear, I’ll destroy them without mercy.” Yan Xia believed in weapons, but Mo An’s cold little hand made her uncomfortable. “Why are you holding me?”

“I’m not letting you go forward.” Mo An thought she had a point. Sirens can be shot or harpooned, too. “We won’t lie. Let’s go see together.”

Yan Xia didn’t move or even look. Xi Ban, however, was persuaded. “Since there are claw marks, let’s check it out. If there are mutants, then this isn’t just an area of electronic corruption; it’s a double overlay, which is very dangerous.”

“If there were mutants, Silver Fang would have encountered them. Team B would be the ones facing them directly,” Yan Xia said.

“Let’s go check anyway. I don’t think they’re lying.” Xi Ban tugged at her.

Xia Yu had never longed to grow up as much as he did at that moment. Even after surviving countless disasters and reading every book in the lab, his age still held him back. This seemed like a social rule, but it was wrong.

Age has nothing to do with proficiency. Age is merely a measure, not an instant increase in skill or trust.

“All right, just a look.” In the end, Yan Xia agreed and headed to the spot that Mo An had pointed to behind them.

Xia Yu exhaled, knowing her agreement wasn’t based on trust, but on the need to clear unknown threats. They moved backward, not forward. The first disappearance happened at the front corner; the second happened on a straight path. So going backward would…

Just then, the two in front of them disappeared!

Just as Mo An had described, the shadows continued to engulf them, completely covering their path like a tide. Yan Xia and Xi Ban were swallowed by the darkness and vanished. Xia Yu held Mo An tightly, realizing that he had been wrong.

What made them disappear, what caused the time loop—the key was not location!

“Four minutes and twenty-seven seconds,” Mo An said.

“Again, four minutes and twenty-seven seconds?” Xia Yu bit his lip. He was scared and his palms were sweaty, but he had little Mo An, so he couldn’t panic. “It seems my guess was wrong. It’s not the corner or the straight path. It’s time, right?”

“Yes, they can only stay this long.” Mo An kept counting. “Soon, they’ll appear again. What should we do?”

“Yeah, what should we do?” Xia Yu held Mo An tightly. The water had risen past their knees. After two loops, Xia Yu calmed down and focused on what they could still do.

What could they do? They were just kids, actually powerless.

They had no contact with the crew and no chance to call for help. Jing Wei wasn’t there. It seemed they could only await their fate. Mi Dou’s medicine couldn’t be retrieved, and their lives were uncertain.

But they couldn’t just wait. Professor Wang Qin had risked her life to save him; she wouldn’t want them to give up.

“It looks like we have to rely on the adults. Since we can’t, we’ll use their ability.” Xia Yu patted his head. “A Ni, how can we convince them about the time loop? That’s the key!”

Mo An raised his right hand, touching his fingertips to Xia Yu’s brow. “I don’t like this, but we can try.”

“This?” Xia Yu did the same.

Mo An nodded. “Yes. Though I hate Yan Xia’s behavior, we can try.”

“Fine, let’s do it!” Xia Yu positioned himself by the shelf and saved his energy until Yan Xia and Xi Ban appeared again. This time, Xia Yu ran toward them with Mo An, saying, “Can you two stop running? If you get lost, I have to find you. I’d rather shoot you than die like this!”

Yan Xia inhaled sharply.

Xia Yu quickly reached for her gun bag, intending to draw her weapon, but she pressed his hand down. He made a gun shape with his hand toward his own brow. “You’re angry and want to shoot me, but I promise I won’t run! You’ve been looking for us for two hours!”

“What are you saying?” Yan Xia’s throat was dry and her pupils were shrinking. Her eyes were prosthetic, and the golden metal was visible.

She was about to explode, seeing these two kids and wanting to shoot them. The electronic corruption area was dangerous, yet these kids weren’t afraid of death. But as the leader of Team C, she couldn’t let them die.

After searching the warehouse for two hours, they finally found the spot. Just as they were about to speak,

“Time is repeating! We’re in a loop!” Xia Yu wasn’t sure if he had explained it well. “You can only stay for four minutes and twenty-seven seconds. I’m not lying.”

Xi Ban and Yan Xia showed synchronized confusion.

“You’ll disappear. Darkness will catch you.” Mo An added.

“Please believe us. Though we’re small, we’re not lying.” Xia Yu said firmly.

“Xla doesn’t lie.” Mo An added.

However, the adults fell silent, having seen no time loop. Yet, Xia Yu’s words demanded attention, especially when he mentioned “two hours.” Yan Xia and Xi Ban had indeed searched for them for two hours.

“I don’t believe it.” Half a minute later, Yan Xia was still skeptical. Nothing in the corruption area was real. The kids might even be fake.

“Please believe me…” Xia Yu insisted.

“You need evidence for me to believe. You’re just kids.” Yan Xia paused. “Do you have any evidence? If you have it, I’ll trust you.”

Xi Ban stayed neutral.

Xia Yu shook his head. “The first disappearance was at the corner; the second was on the straight path. My brother and I saw both. The second time was the same as the first. We wanted to show you the claw marks, but you didn’t believe us.”

Yan Xia took a deep breath. “According to you, how long before we disappear?”

“Ten seconds.” Mo An stared at her. “Do you have a secret?”

10 seconds? Although Yan Xia didn’t believe in time loops, she left herself an escape route: “My surname is Huo.”

After saying that, the shadows thickened and wrapped around them completely and silently. Xia Yu and Mo An hadn’t seen the first disappearance, and the second happened at a distance. The third happened before their eyes.

After disappearing, they were silent.

“A Ni…” After a long silence, Xia Yu asked, “Can we succeed?”

Despite his small size, Mo An nodded firmly.

They held hands and waded through water up to their thighs; they had each other left. When they reached the spot with the claw marks, two familiar figures ran toward them. Everything was as before.

Starting over.

This time, before Yan Xia could speak, Xia Yu shouted, “Your surname is Huo! We’re in a time loop. Last time, you told me. There are claw marks on the shelf. After four minutes and twenty-seven seconds, the next round begins. I’m not lying.”

“Ah?” Yan Xia was shocked and no longer angry.

“What are you saying?” Worried about her temper, Xi Ban was now confused.

“After four minutes and twenty-seven seconds, time resets and the Tide Ship loops. You told us your surname is Huo.” Xia Yu spoke quickly, grabbing Yan Xia’s hand urgently. “Believe me, I’m just a kid, but I don’t lie.”

Yan Xia looked at his hand, full of confusion and shock. But she focused on the information he gave. She calmly said, “My surname is not Huo.”

“What? But it’s clearly you…” Xia Yu despaired. Had she given false information? Had Yan Xia just said it without trusting them?

How should he explain this next? He couldn’t think of an answer. Every path was a dead end, and the fog of confusion was thick.

“But I believe you because this is the code I set for myself. If it appears in a mission, then something is wrong.” Yan Xia took the walkie-talkie and pressed channel 001. “Silver Fang! Xia Yu discovered the Tide Ship in a time loop. Everyone, be alert!”