Volume 3: Deep Blue Sea
In the vast expanse of the giant tree jungle, figures moved amidst the flickering firelight. The arrival of Shu Xun and the others quickly caught their attention. After realizing that the newcomers were not wild beasts, the people in the camp showed a hint of surprise. Their gazes swept across the group, eventually lingering on Shu Xun. Unfortunately, among these people, only Shu Xun’s attire was the most peculiar and eye-catching.
As Shu Xun and the others walked into the camp, individuals gradually emerged from the wooden houses. It was evident that the survivors in this camp belonged to different races and factions. Although they lived together, there were still boundaries between them.
Survivors in the camp gradually gathered around the central bonfire. In the flickering firelight, Shu Xun and his companions quickly spotted a familiar figure – General Di Lan Shu from the holographic images. He retained the same appearance as in the holographic images, and over the past twenty years, far from dulling his edges, time had added a touch of wildness.
Not only Di Lan Shu, but the other survivors in the camp also showed a hint of unrestrained boldness in their eyes. Coming from different races and factions, they had managed to survive in this unfamiliar and dangerous world for over two decades, relying on each other. Although the racial barriers were not completely eliminated, the bonds formed through shared life and death experiences had tightly connected these people.
Seeing Shu Xun’s sudden appearance, the people in the camp didn’t show much excitement. Time had long settled their expectations, deeply buried in their hearts. When the long-awaited day unexpectedly arrived, they were cautious not to express too much anticipation, fearing it might lead to disappointment once again. Moreover, the simple attire of Shu Xun and his group made it challenging for Di Lan Shu and others to determine their identities.
After a moment of silence, a wheat-skinned man emerged from behind one of the wooden houses. The man had a green mint leaf-shaped pattern on his forehead, and the veins of the leaf pattern were even visible. The leaf emitted a faint green glow, clearly visible in the night. “Hello, I’m Liang Ye, a spirit from the Spirit Clan. I crashed on this planet during interstellar travel thirteen years ago. Did your spacecraft also crash?”
Shu Xun instinctively sniffed the air and then licked his lips. “Smells good.”
The others looked around in confusion, carefully sniffing, but they didn’t catch any fragrance. However, Liang Ye exuded a faint, refreshing scent, which was related to his Spirit Clan nature. The Spirit Clan evolved from various plants, and even in humanoid form, they retained the unique abilities of plants. Most plants had medicinal properties, leading many spirits to engage in the medical field during the space age, and Liang Ye was one of them.
Shu Xun’s gaze shifted around the man with the mint fragrance, and then he smiled gracefully. “Hello, I’m Shu Xun, a human Awakener and a player of the ‘Deep Blue Sea’ game. I’ve been in this world for about two months, and you can also consider me a rescuer.”
“Deep Blue Sea? A game rescue?” Di Lan Shu was slightly puzzled for a moment but quickly understood Shu Xun’s meaning. “Has this world been developed into a game? Surprisingly, the world consciousness agreed to it.”
Nuan Dong’s eyes flickered slightly, and he spoke. “You know about world consciousness?”
Di Lan Shu’s eyes, concealing a sharpness, swept across the crowd, calmly stating, “Yes, otherwise, we wouldn’t be trapped here. After the crash, we woke up on this cliff. The spacecraft is nowhere to be found, not even a trace of wreckage. For over twenty years, no matter how far we leave this place, whenever we sleep, we wake up here again. All attempts to send distress signals were blocked. Among us are even Phantom Tribe members. If it weren’t for the existence of a spiritual race superior to the Phantom Tribe in this world, it could only be the influence of world consciousness. However, judging by your reaction, it seems to be the latter.”
Nuan Dong smiled, his eyes seemingly filled with sunlight. “Just speculation. After all, no one has been able to confirm the existence of world consciousness so far. It’s like cosmic consciousness; no one can capture it, but it seems to be everywhere. No one can really explain what it is.”
At the crucial moment, a dazzling silver light streaked across the sky, followed by a thunderous roar that shook the continent. The night sky, at some point, had accumulated a dense canopy of ink-black clouds, hanging ominously above the group. Exploding lightning shattered the horizon with breathtaking brilliance, and the close proximity left heads spinning and eyes dazzled.
However, soon the group realized that the initial lightning was relatively gentle as subsequent flashes challenged their comprehension. Being within the dense giant tree forest limited their visibility, making it difficult to discern the night sky’s conditions. However, the continuous thunderous shocks and the increasingly frequent illumination of the forest were enough to indicate that the celestial scene would be far from ordinary.
Ling Yang, clutching his tail, suddenly shook his head and looked around as if searching for something. His small tail excitedly wagged, even hitting Meng Muyu’s face a few times in his joy. “I hear my kin singing! I hear my kin singing!”
Meng Muyu not only didn’t get angry but revealed a helpless smile. “Your tail is slapping my face. If you meet your kin, will you climb on top of my head?”
Twisting around, Ling Yang paused for a moment, then his eyes lit up. “Good idea!” He then skillfully climbed onto Meng Muyu’s head, continuing to twist his small body to look around, displaying an excited demeanor.
Meng Muyu: “…”
Watching Ling Yang fluttering on top of Meng Muyu’s head, Shu Xun and the others couldn’t help but smile. Even the overwhelming thunder and lightning above seemed to lose some of their terror.
The gaze of Di Lan Shu and his group lingered on Ling Yang for a long time. Eventually, the mint-scented Liang Ye spoke up, inquiring, “Is this a Beast Tribe?”
As soon as the words fell, a man with beast-like ears beside him slapped him on the head with a snap. “This is clearly a fish! Our Beast Tribe doesn’t have tails like this!”
Liang Ye looked puzzled. “Why would there be a fish? Have fish evolved outside while I’ve been trapped here for more than a decade? Can we still eat fish?”
Di Lan Shu chuckled meaningfully. “Perhaps these are the true inhabitants of this world; otherwise, there wouldn’t be talk of kin.”
Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the survivors’ camp suddenly became subtly awkward. Di Lan Shu and his group were forced to be trapped in the “Deep Blue Sea” for more than a few decades. Even the shortest period, over ten years, might not seem too long for Awakeners, but for ordinary humans, it was excessively prolonged. Many individuals had permanently rested in eternal sleep on this unfamiliar land—some were ordinary humans, some were Awakeners, some succumbed to illness, some to old age, and some to warfare. All of this, the blame could not escape from this planet.
Ling Yang’s wagging little tail stiffened. The gazes gathered on him made him very uncomfortable. The small creature nervously hugged his tail, lowered his head stubbornly, and refused to speak. Perhaps he should apologize to these innocent survivors, but then who would apologize to this world? In his gloominess, resentment, and unwillingness, suddenly his forehead was pat gently by a grass leaf. Ling Yang instinctively used his chubby hand to cover his forehead, looking at the grass that patted him.
Di Lan Shu’s smile remained on his lips, and his slightly deep voice continued. “What’s this now? A self-aware blade of grass? Is it also a native of this world?”
As Shu Xun was about to speak, he saw the three-leaved grass drifting to Di Lan Shu and the others. It then straightened its own leaf, bowed deeply, and only lifted it again after a while.
The survivors were all showing expressions of astonishment. They hadn’t seen wrong or misunderstood, right? A blade of grass was bowing and apologizing to them! Before they could recover from their surprise, the grass extended its leaves again and once more patted the little mermaid. The little mermaid immediately bowed apologetically with a muffled voice, saying sorry.
The people at the survivors’ camp finally confirmed that after being inexplicably trapped for decades, they received an apology from a life form in this world. Although the apology came a bit late, looking at the grass and the fish before them, even the most stern person couldn’t continue harboring blame.
Liang Ye let out a hearty laugh. “No worries. It’s a rare experience in life. If I could touch your tail, it would be even better.”
The man with animal ears next to him instantly raised his hand and slapped Liang Ye. Liang Ye finally exploded, “Why did you hit me again!”
The man with animal ears tilted his head. “I don’t know, just couldn’t control myself a bit.”
Liang Ye was left speechless.
Ling Yang watched as the mint-scented man came over and proudly hugged his little tail. “The tail of the Spirit Tides Clan isn’t something you can touch casually, but I’ll let you touch it once.” After saying that, he lifted his tail tip, bending himself into a U-shape.
Seeing the little mermaid in this posture, Liang Ye’s eyes lit up. He reached out to touch the mermaid’s tail. However, just as he was about to make contact, Meng Muyu, at the right moment, took a step back, and Liang Ye was also pulled back by the young man with animal ears.
Meng Muyu spoke seriously, “There’s not enough time now.”
The man with animal ears nodded. “Yes, time is of the essence.”
Liang Ye looked at the man with animal ears. “How do you know?”
The man with animal ears casually pointed at Meng Muyu. “He said so.”
Everyone: “…”
Lie Yang burst into laughter. “Shu Xun, is it true that if you have long ears, you do not have a brain?”
Shu Xun replied calmly, “No need to be proud; without long ears, you won’t have a brain either.”
Although communication was limited, those who needed to understand had a rough idea of the situation. Moreover, Di Lan Shu and the others, despite their restricted movements, had been surviving in this world for much longer than Shu Xun’s group. Even if they hadn’t found any clues, they should have some speculation about the changes in the environment.
Having apologized, Ling Yang had completely left the others behind and earnestly scanned the surroundings, carefully listening to the ambient sounds. He hoped to capture the singing of his people again. However, the deafening thunder almost drowned out all other sounds. Just when Ling Yang was about to be disappointed, the melodic singing came once again from an unknown direction. The singing seemed to come from all around, persistent and clear, undeterred even by the roaring thunder. Ling Yang became excited once more, using his tail to pat Meng Muyu’s head. “Meng Muyu! Meng Muyu! I heard it again, it’s really my people singing!”
Meng Muyu was puzzled, listening intently. The rest of the group had the same reaction. Clearly, apart from Ling Yang, no one could hear the so-called singing.
“Can’t you all hear it? There’s really singing! It’s not just my imagination, right?” Ling Yang became somewhat anxious. He had searched the world tirelessly to find traces of his people. His greatest fear was finding his people during the collapse of the world only to discover them turned into skeletons or hearing the last mournful song of his people. Due to excessive anticipation, he became extremely timid and sensitive, making him extremely careful, especially in unstable situations.
In the silence, amidst Ling Yang’s confusion, a clear and deep voice resonated. Shu Xun’s voice was light yet exceptionally penetrating, with a melodious and graceful tone. It was as peaceful as the yellow sand stretching for thousands of miles under the evening sun. The gentleness permeated every note, ever-present and ethereal. The soulful and beautiful melody had no lyrics, and the pure and gentle singing seemed like a lullaby soothing the world. In this world on the verge of collapse, it comforted the disturbed beings, offsetting the chaos brought by death. The lightning in the sky had condensed into a purplish-red hue, and with each flash, the entire world plunged into a crimson color. However, as the singing unfolded, emerald-green orbs rose slowly in the surroundings, illuminating a different kind of sky. Everything returned to tranquility as if nothing had happened, and all remained as peaceful as before.
Author’s note:
To reassure my little angels, this subplot has a Happy Ending (HE), and all lives will be fine. Don’t be sad; give yourself a pat on the head, and if needed, here’s a virtual hug~
