The ground of the sealing array was very smooth, and driving a crane in posed no worries about bumps.
After about ten minutes, Xu Dongyou reached the fourth gate. After contemplating for a while, he decided to keep moving forward and finally stopped two thousand meters away from Zhulong’s nest.
Xu Dongyou carefully operated the crane, placing the enlarged water dispenser on the ground. However, due to his nervousness, it made a slightly loud noise when it landed.
The water in the barrel swayed a bit. Fortunately, when the Bureau made the water dispenser, they considered the issues of balance and sturdiness, and specifically attached balance talismans to the base.
Xu Dongyou breathed a slight sigh of relief and used his spiritual energy watch to inform the chief that the water dispenser had been successfully placed.
People at the entrance of the sealing array also breathed a sigh of relief, indicating that everything was going smoothly.
Xu Dongyou then operated the crane to unload the three pieces of beef. The beef was not packed in sealed bags for preservation because they were worried that Zhulong might not understand how to open the bags and would eat the plastic bags along with the beef.
So, the packaging material for the beef was edible.
Xu Dongyou jumped down and used a dagger to cut the ropes tied to the water dispenser and the beef, then put the ropes back in the car.
As for the water dispenser, considering that Zhulong had been sealed for too long and might not know how to use it, they set it to automatically dispense water whenever Zhulong approached.
Xu Dongyou tiptoed to Zhulong’s side and glanced at the wound on its tail. In less than three days, the wound had completely healed.
Xu Dongyou didn’t know if this was due to Zhulong’s strong self-healing ability or if the medicine he had brought before had played a small role.
Xu Dongyou couldn’t help but feel elated, thinking that he was still somewhat useful, at least helping a little bit.
Zhulong was still asleep. Xu Dongyou stayed quietly by its side. After half an hour, he got up and silently said to Zhulong, “I’m leaving now, I’ll come to see you next time.”
He hoped that Zhulong would be very happy when it woke up and saw the three pieces of beef.
Xu Dongyou drove the crane back to the entrance of the sealing array and was immediately surrounded by everyone who scrutinized him with concern.
Xu Dongyou’s voice was cheerful, “I’ve completed the task again.”
He was genuinely very happy.
Elder Chen, who had been worried, also felt relieved and then told Xu Dongyou to come to the top floor for some tea later.
Xu Dongyou instantly deflated.
Although drinking tea each time made him stronger, drinking a full pot of tea each time was indeed a bit uncomfortable.
But he had to go.
Firstly, he couldn’t let down Elder Chen’s good intentions, and secondly, he wanted to work harder to become stronger.
There was nothing more for Xu Dongyou to do at the array, so he followed Elder Chen to the top floor, mentally preparing himself to drink a bellyful of tea.
To strive to become stronger, one must overcome difficulties. Compared to Zhulong’s ancient feat of killing enemies and self-sealing in the formation, this difficulty was insignificant.
Xu Dongyou felt that he needed to work even harder.
Seeing Xu Dongyou’s ready-for-anything expression, Elder Chen couldn’t help but laugh, “No need to rush to drink tea, let’s practice the water evasion spell first.”
Xu Dongyou secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He felt a bit embarrassed, thinking that Old Chen had probably guessed his thoughts.
Elder Chen directed Jiu Chao to bring out a basin of water, which was just the right temperature, and got straight to the point, “Take this time to practice transforming back into your original form as well.”
Xu Dongyou hadn’t transformed back into his original form for a while because, even in the most remote areas of the school, there were always students passing by.
Xu Dongyou took off his clothes and focused his energy to mobilize the demon power within him. He quickly transformed into a small glutinous rice ball, flapping his wings as he struggled out of his clothes.
Elder Chen hadn’t seen the cub’s original form in a long time. Suddenly seeing the soft, round little glutinous rice ball bouncing out, with the tuft of hair on its head swaying back and forth, he couldn’t help but want to reach out and ruffle it a few times to feel satisfied.
But in the end, he restrained himself.
Jiu Chao couldn’t help but exclaim, “Your original form is just too cute.”
Xu Dongyou thought it was better to pretend he hadn’t heard Jiu Chao’s words.
After all, he had to admit that his original form was indeed… excessively cute.
Jiu Chao, unfazed, cheerfully instructed Xu Dongyou to jump into the basin and then guided him: “Concentrate, channel your demon power to perform the ‘water evasion’ spell, silently recite the incantation in your mind, and be sure to stay focused.”
Xu Dongyou nodded his little head. The water covered half of his body. His feathers hadn’t yet been soaked but the sensation was still quite uncomfortable.
Xu Dongyou flapped his wings vigorously to float in the water, concentrating and channeling his demon power as Jiu Chao had instructed.
Soon, Xu Dongyou felt as if his body was extending to the edges of the water around him.
But this feeling was fleeting.
Xu Dongyou paused, realizing that he seemed to have failed.
Jiu Chao encouraged him from the side, “It’s normal to fail a few times. Try again, and keep your mindset and focus steady.”
Xu Dongyou nodded and began his second attempt.
His mental power extended into the water again, giving Xu Dongyou the sensation that he could control the water. No matter how dense his feathers were, they couldn’t withstand being soaked in the water.
Xu Dongyou tried to prevent the water from penetrating his feathers. As soon as this thought arose, the water seemed to become part of his consciousness, slowly moving away from his feathers.
The feathers that had been soaked dried up again.
Xu Dongyou’s confidence grew. He tried to keep his emotions steady, took a deep dive into the water, and then leaped out of the water.
His entire body remained dry.
Jiu Chao was overjoyed and praised Xu Dongyou, “Dongyou, you have a high talent. You’ve mastered the first step so quickly.”
Xu Dongyou chirped a couple of times. He let himself go, floating up and down in the water and even swam several laps.
The water aided his swimming speed and prevented him from sinking.
This sensation was extremely novel.
Elder Chen was also very pleased, nodding repeatedly and saying, “Good, good, good. It seems that the demon clan has promising successors.”
Xu Dongyou swam back and forth, familiarizing himself with the “water evasion” spell. When his demon power was completely exhausted, he suddenly sank into the water. His entire body was getting soaked and becoming a drenched bird. However, he still looked round.
It was evident that he was truly chubby.
Xu Dongyou was too exhausted to flap his wings and get out of the water. Seeing this, Jiu Chao immediately asked, “Do you need my help?”
Xu Dongyou nodded.
Just as Jiu Chao was about to reach out, he realized he couldn’t move his body at all, only his eyes could turn.
Then, Elder Chen quickly walked over, picked up the round and chubby Xu Dongyou with both hands, pretended to help dry his feathers, and took the opportunity to ruffle him a few times, saying with concern, “Let’s wipe you off so you don’t catch a cold.”
Xu Dongyou chirped politely at Elder Chen to express his thanks.
Jiu Chao rolled his eyes desperately.
Noticing that Jiu Chao was motionless, Xu Dongyou looked puzzled.
Elder Chen said, “Maybe he’s just getting old, and his bones have stiffened up. He’ll be fine in a moment.”
Sure enough, after three seconds, Jiu Chao returned to normal. He dared not show his anger and went along with Elder Chen’s words, “Yes, yes, getting old does make your bones stiffen up.”
Xu Dongyou was even more puzzled.
Elder Chen, being an older member of the demon clan than Jiu Chao, still seemed very agile.
After resting for a while, Xu Dongyou went behind the screen, transformed back into his human form, and used a towel to dry himself since he was still wet.
If he were in his original form, he would probably need to sunbathe for at least four to five hours to dry off.
Xu Dongyou put on his clothes and started gulping down tea. After drinking three cups, he felt that his strength and demon power had recovered to about eighty percent.
When he finished all the tea, Xu Dongyou felt he was back in his best state.
After drinking the tea, Xu Dongyou thanked Elder Chen again.
He also thanked Jiu Chao. Without Jiu Chao’s careful guidance, he wouldn’t have learned the “water evasion” spell so quickly.
After staying for another half hour, Xu Dongyou bid farewell to Elder Chen and Jiu Chao and returned to school to continue his classes. In the evening, just as he was planning to find something to eat, he received a message from Tian Ze.
Xu Dongyou was taken aback. He remembered that Tian Ze and the other team members had set off for the town to do a mission a few days ago.
It seemed almost five days had passed by now.
Xu Dongyou checked his spiritual energy watch. Tian Ze mentioned there was a task involving a resentful spirit that required Xu Dongyou’s abilities and asked him to buy some items, with the points already transferred.
Xu Dongyou immediately replied affirmatively. Tian Ze then sent the location and the types of items needed.
Xu Dongyou first took leave from school, then went to the Handling Bureau to buy the necessary items, and afterward went to the top floor to inform Elder Chen that he wouldn’t be coming over the weekend.
Elder Chen thought for a moment and gave Xu Dongyou an item that could block three attacks.
As Xu Dongyou got on the bus heading to the port, he quickly called his parents to inform them that he wouldn’t be home over the weekend.
About half an hour later, the bus arrived at its destination.
It was a port. To get to the town, Xu Dongyou needed to take a boat.
Even though it was evening, the port was still quite crowded. The noisy sounds mixed with the smell of the sea made Xu Dongyou a bit uncomfortable.
Although his five senses weren’t fully activated, as a member of the demon clan, his senses were naturally sharper than a human’s.
After buying a ticket and boarding the ship, Xu Dongyou found a seat. Gradually, several groups of people came on board, and the seats were about eighty percent full.
There were elderly people, young adults, and young couples with children.
Opposite Xu Dongyou sat a couple with a five or six-year-old girl, wearing a floral dress and two ponytails, looking very cute.
Xu Dongyou lowered his head to play with his phone to pass the time, trying to reduce the discomfort caused by the smell of the sea and the noise.
The ship started to move.
After about an hour, the sky gradually darkened, and the sea and the horizon seemed to merge. The passengers inside the ship also quieted down.
At this moment, Xu Dongyou suddenly felt uncomfortable and instinctively looked around.
But the sea was so dark that he could see nothing.
Birds are not good at night vision.
On the other side, a young man was leaning against the railing, playing with his phone out of boredom.
After a while, he put his phone down and looked at the sea with a puzzled expression.
Why did the sea seem to be getting darker?
The young man watched as this patch of darkness grew larger. When he could vaguely make out the shape, he suddenly realized—a massive object was emerging from the sea.
Xu Dongyou’s sense of discomfort grew stronger, and although he looked around, he saw nothing. After careful consideration, he decided to activate his five senses and immediately felt an intense sense of danger!
And it was coming from the right side.
He quickly turned his head just as there was a loud bang. A massive shadow surged out of the sea, its gaping, ferocious mouth snapping up the young man. It was a monster that resembled a fish, but its enormous size caused it to crash directly into the ship.
The immense impact caught everyone off guard, sending them tumbling to the floor, followed by screams echoing through the air.
The situation unfolded too suddenly for Xu Dongyou to save the young man, but he managed to catch the flung little girl in time. He hurriedly handed the crying child to a woman with a bloodied forehead, saying, “Hold the child tightly.”
The woman’s husband lay motionless at the edge. Clutching her child, the woman crawled over, suppressing her tears, and cried out, “Brother Ning, how are you?”
Although it was night, the cruise ship had lights. The captain quickly stabilized the ship, and other crew members immediately shone searchlights towards the sea.
Only then did everyone clearly see the monstrous fish that had crashed into the ship.
Oh my god!
What on earth was that?
Zhao Ang was a live streamer who had tried various attention-grabbing streams, including mukbangs and other types, but he still hadn’t gained much popularity.
Seeing the monster fish, Zhao Ang suddenly trembled with excitement. This was a chance to go viral!
Realizing this, he didn’t feel the same fear as the others. Instead, he excitedly took out his phone and changed his stream title with trembling hands.
【Monster Attacks, Streamer Escapes Live】
An eye-catching title.
Starting the stream, Zhao Ang began, “Hello everyone, today the streamer encountered something strange. A monster is eating people!!”
A few people quickly joined the stream and sent a few comments.
【It’s pitch black. I can’t see anything.】
【The title is eye-catching, but it’s probably clickbait.】
【But I do hear screams and chaos.】
Zhao Ang then realized his hand was covering the camera. He quickly moved it and aimed toward the monster fish, shouting excitedly, “Look, I’m not lying. There’s really a monster fish eating people.”
The comments started to flood in rapidly.
【What is that monster? It looks so real!】
【The streamer must be rich to hire such an impressive team for props. I love it.】
【Fake, right? How could something like that exist?】
Most viewers didn’t believe it until the monster fish swung its tail, returning to the water with the upper half of the young man’s body, leaving his lower half to collapse to the ground, blood pouring out.
The person closest to the young man screamed in terror and ran away in a panic.
As the monster fish returned to the water, everyone suddenly snapped back to reality.
A fisherman who was also on the ship, accustomed to the dangers of the sea, was the first to react. He immediately shouted to the other crew members, “Get the weapons.”
Saying this, he rushed to help.
No one paid attention to the streamer, while the comments in the stream went wild.
At this point, it seemed all the viewers realized that this was actually happening.
【Oh my god, a monster is really eating people. Call the police!】
【What is that thing? Where are you, streamer? I’ll call the police for you.】
【This can’t be real, right? How could something that big live in the lake?】
New viewers couldn’t see the monster fish anymore, only the shaky footage with people screaming and a body missing its upper half on the ground, leaving them confused and shocked.
【What’s happening?】
