MASG chapter 94

 

Why do strange things always happen?

Nixida really could not figure it out. He seemed to understand human society particularly well. Yet, because he had forgotten important information, he had become a mixed creature that “belongs neither to the ocean nor to the land.” This feeling was like… he was clearly a mermaid, but there was an obvious gap between him and other mermaids.

If it had to be described directly, it was probably like this: others had a human upper body and fish tail, while he had a fish head and human legs—everything reversed.

But right now, only he could handle this. Kuni, the Abyssal, was at a complete loss and had lost several subordinates. They did not dare go over because emotional fluctuations made them unable to return to being transparent.

“But…are you really going over there?” Aituoda could not help asking.

“Otherwise?” Nixida asked back.

“You have to think carefully.” Aituoda frowned, but because his skin was pitch black, it wasn’t obvious. It just looked like he was holding up two slightly reddened black horns.

Ni Xida gave him a speechless glance and said helplessly, “If you hadn’t insisted on making noise and disturbing them, we would have already swum past quietly. But since we disturbed them, we can’t just leave after making a fuss.” After saying that, he looked at Aibaoyin again. “Don’t you think so?”

Aibaoyin knew she was at fault. Ultimately, it was because she hadn’t been cautious enough. However, she was only 19 years old, and insufficient consideration was a common oversight for her age. “All right, I’m willing to cooperate with your actions. What is that thing called again? Fragment, right? Explain it in detail.”

Under the joint gaze of the Black Siren and the Abyssal, Ni Xida slowly and carefully said, “I can’t remember. I only vaguely remember that it’s called ‘Fragment.’ But I don’t know what kind of fragment it is exactly.”

Aituoda painfully grabbed his horns. “Ah! We’re done for!”

“But that thing is obviously malicious. Not only can it pollute seawater, but it can also frighten Abyssals into revealing their true forms.” Nixida did not want to think too much about it, but the cruel facts were right in front of them. Humans had already begun to make a move against them.

For black sirens, who cannot face strong light yet are attracted to it, the tactics the humans used were related to light. They only needed to send silver devices into the areas where Black sirens gathered, and then turn on the lights. After that, the Black sirens were practically within easy reach. As for the Abyssals, who are difficult to see and possess ultrasonic waves, the silver devices could likely not dive below ten thousand meters, so pollution was the chosen tactic.

They polluted the trench area, and the Abyssals had to leave their homes. Under intense anger and turbulence, the Abyssals would reveal their true appearance.

“This is a war between mermaids and humans, right? Color-changing hybrids, horned black sirens, do you agree?” Kuni drifted among them like a priestess. “Tell me, what prophecy did you see? Please pour out your fear.”

Initially, Aibaoyin did not want to speak, but strange things were appearing frequently in the ocean, breaking a certain precious balance.

“All right, I’ll say it.” Under Kuni’s scrutiny, Aibaoyin laid everything out. “This is also why I must go see Haisiruola. In the omens I saw, all the mermaids were fleeing as if the seabed could no longer support life. Everyone was racing against time to escape. Even creatures like the Deep Ghosts and the Abyssal Beasts couldn’t escape. Their screams echoed across the ocean. No branch was safe anymore. They were all heading for the East Sea. Their sense of direction was guiding every mermaid there.”

“This really is… a terrifying prophecy. Black sirens never make mistakes. It seems we really have to go ask.” Kuni felt a wave of pressure, but it wasn’t from water pressure; it was from the cruelty of reality. “So, what do we do now?”

“First, solve the immediate predicament.” Nixida could not think of much. His memories could only support him one step at a time. “Kuni, have you estimated how thick the polluted seawater isolation zone is?”

Kuni touched the gills growing behind her ears and replied, “It’s definitely thicker than five or six meters. I tried to break through it, too, but I could only manage that much. Any further and my gills can’t breathe.”

“What are you planning to do?” Aibaoyin tapped Nixida’s ear fin.

“Of course I’m going to rush through. Otherwise, what choice do I have?” Nixida could only rely on his speed, hoping to reach the Fragment in one go. “But don’t worry. If I sense something is wrong, I’ll turn back.”

“Isn’t that too risky?” Aituoda tried to stop him.

However, Nixida was born with an adventurous spirit and was determined to compete with the Fragment today, no matter what. He shook his head. It wasn’t just about adventure; there was also a personal reason. He truly hated the Fragment from the bottom of his heart and wanted to crush it. Nixida believed this hatred was a shadow left behind by his past experience. Seeing small jellyfish made him feel calm, familiar, and happy, while seeing the Fragment made him uneasy and irritable.

The red light of the Fragment spread through the seabed. It had come to a place it should not have, creating a huge problem. Kuni did not let Nixida act rashly. She closely followed behind him; two people are safer than one. Meanwhile, Aibaoyin and Aituoda provided support from the edge of the polluted seawater. Once they received a signal, they would rush in to rescue them.

As the core member of the entire operation, Nixida seriously stroked the aquamarine crystal before setting off. “xla, bless my safety.”

“This is your xla?” Kuni asked curiously. “It’s beautiful. It’s different from the natural minerals on the seabed. Even by human aesthetic standards, I believe it would be considered a treasure.”

“Yes, it is. It is my talisman, and I am its guardian. Behind it is my past and someone extremely important.” Nixida firmly believed this. “Listen, you don’t need to chase my speed.”

“I’ll do my best.” Kuni refused to fall behind.

The two mermaids nodded to each other. Despite coming from different branches, they sensed mutual trust and encouragement. Then, without looking back, Nixida set off, taking the lead into the polluted seawater. Aibaoyin clenched her fists. If they hadn’t happened to pass by, who knew what major incident would have occurred.

Kuni also swam after him toward the obviously abnormal red beam.

Nixida’s first thought was that the metallic smell in the seawater was very strong. When that metallic smell mixed with the seawater, it turned into an entirely new scent: the smell of blood. It was as if someone had taken a ton of iron ore, squeezed out the juice, grabbed his throat, and poured it all in at once. He swam quickly with his strong fish tail, moving five or six meters with just one flick of the water. But this easy distance was Kuni’s limit.

She also swam to this point. Her gills clearly hurt, as if a pair of sharp-bladed hands were pressing against her ears and squeezing inward constantly. She had no choice but to retreat, watching the strong and ferocious siren continue forward. All she could do was stay there and silently pray for him.

Inside the laboratory elevator, it had already descended to underground level 15.

“The speed is much slower than I estimated.” Yanxia took a puff of her pink e-cigarette. “This elevator is slower than a snail. Has half an hour already passed?”

“It really has.” Silver Fang was also about to lose it. “The elevator hasn’t been used for years. Its speed definitely can’t compare to the mechanical bearings on the middle levels.”

Lao Gui shrugged. “No way. I thought we’d fall straight into the elevator shaft of the laboratory, but it seems there have been too many accidents in this shaft. Just endure it. This is the only way in. Even if it’s slow, we can only go down slowly. Look on the bright side—at least it still works and hasn’t stopped…”

Clang!

Just as Lao Gui shrugged, the elevator—with an obvious tear in its body—stopped in place. The sudden jolt nearly made Mi Dou jump. The indicator light still showed underground level 15, but the working lights went out and turned gray-white and unresponsive.

Yanxia glared at him fiercely. “Can you stop talking, you damn crow?”

“This elevator is completely broken, isn’t it?” Silver Fang had accepted that Lao Gui had a habit of talking nonstop. “Next time there’s a mission, the first thing I’ll do is poison you mute.”

“This can’t all be my fault! The elevator is old and needs repairs. Even if it’s activated, it won’t work properly. That’s normal, right?” Lao Gui patted his forehead. “This is also an exit. If we wait for it to slowly descend, it might take all day to reach the underground level. Now, let’s just walk.”

“How do we walk?” Mi Dou looked around. “Lao Gui, we can’t fly.”

Silver Fang looked up. “We can only go from above. I’ll open the ceiling and make a skylight. Then, I’ll go out and scout the surroundings.” The elevator shaft must have cables. I’ll take each of you down one by one. A few trips back and forth will suffice.”

“That’s the only way. Let’s do it.” Yanxia put away her e-cigarette.

They moved immediately—time waited for no one. Silver Fang’s jumping ability was astonishing. As a semi-cyborg with unlimited stamina, he easily opened a skylight in the elevator. First, he crouched on top of the elevator, and the searchlight on his shoulder automatically turned on, sensing the surrounding darkness.

The elevator cables weren’t just old and in disrepair; they looked like they were about to snap. This was a blessing in disguise. If they had shaken around for a few more minutes, the elevator would have definitely broken.

“Yanxia, take this.” Silver Fang detached one of his hands and threw it to Yanxia.

“Understood.” Yanxia caught the mechanical hand. Years of working together had given them an unspoken understanding, she immediately grasped Silver Fang’s strategy. “Mi Dou, I’ll take you down later. Just hold on to me tightly.”

“Isn’t it Silver Fang?” Mi Dou asked, but Lao Gui had already been pulled up by Silver Fang.

“The cables probably won’t last much longer, so Silver Fang wants us to go down together. Otherwise, if he keeps sending people back and forth, a serious accident might happen.” Yanxia explained.

Lao Gui had already successfully reached the top of the elevator car. He was afraid of heights. Looking down at the bottomless vertical shaft, his hair stood on end. It felt completely different from looking down from a flying vehicle. It was like staring into a deep pit with a very low safety margin. Wild and primitive environments always activated fear in the body.

“We need to be faster.” Silver Fang pulled Mi Dou and Yanxia up as well. “There are four cables. We’ll each take two and slide down.” There’s a metal adsorption device in the center of my palm. I’ll carry Lao Gui. Yanxia, you carry Mi Dou and use my hand. That way, we’ll all be able to go down.”

“Understood.” Yanxia also had mechanical modifications. She unscrewed one of her hands, had Mi Dou hold it, and connected her metal wrist port to Silver Fang’s metal palm. Connection successful.

“Brother, whatever you do, don’t drop me. I’ll really die if I fall.” Lao Gui muttered nonstop on Silver Fang’s back.

Silver Fang and Yanxia had already secured the people they were carrying. With the help of the adsorption devices, they clung to the outside of the elevator car like spiders. They moved straight up and down, swaying as they grabbed the metal cables. Mi Dou didn’t dare look and simply closed his eyes. There were probably one or two hundred levels below—this was where Xia Yu and Mo An had grown up.

“Go.” At Silver Fang’s command, he and Yanxia slid down at the same time.

They slid down much faster than the elevator. They rushed downward rapidly. Lao Gui only opened his eyes after half a minute. With lingering fear, he said, “If I’d known it was this fast, we should’ve just slid down directly.”

“Who knows what’s down there? I still think the elevator is safer.” Silver Fang stared expressionlessly into the bottomless black void.

“What could be down there? No one’s been down here for over ten years. It can’t be some kind of mutant species, can it?” Lao Gui said.

Silver Fang, Yanxia, and even Mi Dou—who was still afraid of heights—all glared at him at the same time.

“Alright, alright, I won’t say anything.” Lao Gui shut his mouth.

However, the moment he closed his mouth, the vibration of the metal cables suddenly intensified. The four of them froze and looked up, only to see several “humanoid creatures” crawling down toward them. A drop of drool brushed past Mi Dou’s cheek and dripped downward.