Volume 3: Deep Blue Sea
In the ink-black night sky, purple-red lightning cracks like a web. In a world devoid of wind and rain, thunder sings a song of destruction with a hoarse voice. Faraway unseen shores, the emerald sea surges, gently engulfing the continent. The seawater continuously spreads, and the rolling sea stirs up emerald tears that cover the ocean floor. Each tear seems weightless, rising gracefully, drifting with the currents, wandering the entire world amidst the surging sea.
In this collapsing night, “The Deep Blue Sea” shines brilliantly in the universe, illuminating the entire world. With azure as the base, verdant green as the leaves, and iridescence as the flowers, this planet, composed of liquid water, emerges stunningly in the boundless chaos of the universe. Ethereal radiance envelops the planet, slowly blending into the aquamarine realm around it.
The seawater, carrying azure tears, continued to engulf the continent. Wherever it passed, it brought a swath of azure light, gradually illuminating the entire world. The winding coastline expanded bit by bit, eventually converging into points around the cliff. Beyond the cliff, the entire world was a vast expanse of azure ocean.
At the pinnacle of the world, people stood at the edge of the cliff, marveling at the seawater that had barely stopped at the edge. The azure seawater, stirred by the tumultuous sea, continuously battered the dark gray cliffs. There was only a hand’s breadth of distance left before the top of the cliff was submerged. The seawater surged, moistening the dreary cliff top, and even emerald tears welled up on the cliffs. As they departed from the seawater, they turned into azure hues, rolling far away with the residual force of the sea. In no time, the edge of the cliff was illuminated by countless azure tears, scattered like rare shells along the coast.
From the celestial phenomena to the ocean engulfing the continent, this process took less than three hours. Such speed was unmatched in the current cosmic era. Even with life evolving, nature seemed to always create miracles that left them in awe. Along with the seawater came not only countless tears but also the ethereal and soothing songs of the Spirit Tides tribe. Through the medium of seawater, this time, all life heard the song of tranquility in their hearts.
“Can I go find them now?” Ling Yang exclaimed excitedly, swaying his tail. His bright eyes looked at the azure seawater nearby, filled with the excitement and anticipation of seeing his kin, without a trace of fear or panic in the face of the end.
“What’s that? Is something coming out?” The beast-eared man suddenly spoke, pointing to the emerald abyss below. Because tears were drifting and floating in it, the view of the seawater was exceptionally clear. In the bright yet not dazzling azure glow, countless tiny black dots rapidly ascended from the depths of the abyss.
Ling Yang’s tail stopped abruptly, and the mermaid raised his tail, his eyes blinking as he stared at the deep sea, hoping to see the scene he had imagined for a long time.
As the black dots rapidly ascended, the view of the people became clearer and clearer, and soon, they realized what it was. The black dots rose swiftly, and their outlines gradually became clear: sharp angles, smooth curves, metallic luster… It was the spacecraft that had fallen with them into this world but had been invisible all along. Various types of spacecraft that had disappeared into the Deep Blue Sea were rapidly ascending from the depths of the sea. Even though they were still far away, the pristine metallic luster indicated that the spacecraft had not been damaged and was remarkably well-preserved.
The development of events was both unexpected and somewhat reassuring as if confirming what had been suspected all along. Everything unfolded just as Shu Xun had speculated: as the world was on the brink of destruction, the World Consciousness returned those once-hidden spacecraft, allowing them to depart at the eleventh hour of the world’s demise.
The Blue Book Fleet and others remained silent for a long time. If, over these decades, they hadn’t treated this unexpected crash landing as imprisonment, if they had let go of their defenses and genuinely felt the gentle protection of this world, if it weren’t for one after another of their companions sleeping here, would these decades have made them let go of resentment and hostility and accept this world?
The mental power of the World Consciousness far exceeded that of living beings. To say that over these decades, the World Consciousness had not accepted them, they had never thought of accepting this world either. If they could let go of their defenses, perhaps before this, they could have done something for this world to change the current situation. If they could let go of their grudges, perhaps the World Consciousness wouldn’t have to accept that StarPlay Entertainment had set this place as a game world, in a desperate attempt to grasp the last glimmer of hope.
Seeing that no clan members appeared, Ling Yang’s expectant eyes were tinged with disappointment for a moment, but they quickly regained their hopeful gleam.
A considerable amount of once-disappeared spacecraft emerged from the surface of the water, floating on the vast azure sea surface. They looked brand new as if they had not experienced the wind and rain of decades, silently awaiting the return of their masters. The purple-red lightning in the sky gradually dimmed. When people looked up, they realized it wasn’t because the thunder had disappeared, but because the web-like cracked lightning had changed color again, now bearing chaotic black lightning!
The sky pressed down lower and lower, the surrounding gravity becoming heavier and heavier, and the oxygen concentration had been compressed to a terrifying extent. Even the evolved beings felt discomfort. The earth trembled slightly amidst the deafening thunder, but there was no sign of collapse, standing firm and guarding the last piece of land in the world.
“What can we do?” Di Lan Shu glanced at the sea surface and then turned to Shu Xun, whose expression had turned serious. Perhaps it was the keen insight of a military man, or perhaps it was intuition, but this ethereal figure in white seemed to be the calmest among their group. This kind of composure was formed for reasons unknown, but Di Lan Shu had reason to believe that he must have discovered something. Perhaps there was still a chance in this world.
Shu Xun’s lips curled slightly. “General Di Lan, let the spacecraft carry us for a journey deep into the depths of the sea to send Ling Yang to meet his kinsmen.”
At this, Ling Yang immediately perked up, his bright eyes shining with a light that no one could resist.
General Di Lan Shu nodded, and the other survivors glanced at each other. Liang Ye also spoke up: “Apart from this, are we really powerless?”
Shu Xun tugged at his short hair. “Are there any spacecraft that can transport energy? This world needs energy. Perhaps it’s just a drop in the bucket, but maybe it’s that little bit that can lead to ultimate victory. Let’s go, we’ll talk on the way.”
The once excited little mermaid bounced up in an instant, jumping onto Shu Xun’s body. Shu Xun reached out and caught Ling Yang, who grabbed onto Shu Xun’s broad sleeve, his voice tinged with disbelief. “Is my world still salvageable? Please don’t deceive me…” At the end of his words, the little mermaid started shedding tears again.
Shu Xun patted Ling Yang’s head gently. “Miracles happen because this miraculous planet creates miraculous beings.”
At this moment, the earth-shattering thunder seemed to have turned into unstoppable celebratory music, the chaotic-colored lightning became joyful fireworks, and the tears scattered throughout the sea turned into tokens of congratulations. Everything around Ling Yang’s eyes became incredibly beautiful.
The grass fluttered gently in front of Shu Xun, hesitantly touching his cheek with its leaf tip. After stepping back, it touched Shu Xun’s cheek again with its leaf. After several times, all the leaves suddenly stuck to Shu Xun’s face. The tender grass trembled slightly and from the tips of its leaves rolled down droplets of emerald-green dew. Grass had no tears; these dewdrops were their essence condensed, only overflowing in extreme sadness. This time, however, the emerald-green dewdrops fell like Ling Yang’s tears, each one shining like a crystal. Shu Xun reached out and caught them, looking at these special tears in his palm without saying a word.
The survivors each found their own spacecraft, and Shu Xun’s group followed General Di Lan Shu into the battleship. Hundreds of spacecraft gradually lit up under the control of their owners and swiftly dived into the depths of the continent. In the azure sea, the battleships left behind long traces like shooting stars streaking across the sky. These spacecraft came from different races, different powers, and even different eras, but they all carried the same beliefs and headed towards the same goal. Such a scene was unprecedented, yet it inexplicably ignited a surge of excitement in everyone’s heart.
Within the battleship, Shu Xun and the others gathered in the control room where a holographic image identical to the real scene displayed the underwater world. With each deeper dive, the various layers of the food chain that everyone had initially seen began to appear before their eyes.
Various fish seemed unaware of the impending doom, leisurely roaming the ocean floor accompanied by countless azure tears, rendering the entire sea a crystalline fantasy, unlike reality.
“Are the Spirit Tides clan truly at the heart of the sea? If the center of the ocean has already formed a black hole, the invaders will undoubtedly try every means to escape. Does this mean the Spirit Tides clan will continue to hold the line, to be swallowed by the black hole along with the invaders?” Meng Muyu still remembered Shu Xun’s speculation about the Spirit Tides clan’s location. At this moment, recalling it, perhaps not only did the world consciousness intend to perish together, but also the life forms born and nurtured within such a world consciousness had the same character and thoughts.
However, Shu Xun shook his head. “On the continent, there is the Insect clan wanting to assist the Earth tribe. Could there not be such an existence in the sea? This layered food chain is like a series of defense lines. All the marine life collectively undertakes the role of insects, with the only difference being they have not been controlled by the invaders. Spirit Tides is the spirit of rivers and seas. The marine life grows under its care. After sensing the intense emotional fluctuations of the Spirit Tides clan, marine life began to evolve frantically. Ultimately, they evolved into the formidable forms we see now. Their duty is to besiege the invaders alongside the Spirit Tides clan, firmly trapping them at the bottom of the sea. As for the Spirit Tides, I suddenly understood when Earth transformed into the continent. The Spirit Tides clan has always been beneath the Earth, that is, beneath the continent.”
“This world has extremely heavy gravity. The original continent has long been submerged by the sea. Although the Earth tribe has a huge body and can transform into a continent, such a continent cannot resist the increasingly powerful gravitational pull. Therefore, someone needs to support the continent, and Spirit Tides is those hands. So, the Spirit Tides clan is not at the bottom of the ocean but at the bottom of the continent, with the responsibility of carrying the continent! Why does the Spirit Tides clan shed tears? Because they are witnessing the gradual death of the Earth tribe.”
“In addition to this, do you remember the blue-eyed people in ‘Winter’s End’? The world they see when they open their eyes is different from ours. The blue-eyed people are the eyes of the guardians of ‘Winter’s End’, and the tears of the Spirit Tides clan also serve the same purpose. The azure light illuminates the entire world, leaving no place for invaders to hide, allowing the defenders of their homeland to see this world clearly at all times, and leaving no place for the black-winged butterflies to hide.”
Lie Yang suddenly became alert. “Black-winged butterflies! The ones drawn by Qing Meng! She has been saying that there are two opposing forces invading this world, but we can only find one. Is it because of the black-winged butterflies’ inability to act? People who come into contact with the black-winged butterflies disappear into thin air, and so far, we have indeed not found any traces of life disappearing inexplicably in this world. Am I correct?”
Gray immediately raised his thumb in appreciation upon hearing this. “Good, good, good feeling…”
Listening to Gray’s praise, Lie Yang scratched his head, his ears turning slightly red. “I know, people as outstanding and dazzling as me can easily evoke favorable feelings in others…”
Gray: “…”
Ye Qian coldly interrupted Lie Yang. “He’s talking about Qing Meng’s fondness for the black butterflies.”
Gray immediately nodded, articulating a single word with utmost clarity. “Yes!”
Lie Yang: “…”
“So you better just focus on your antennae,” Ye Qian said without leaving a trace of evidence, stepping forward to block beside Shu Xun, cutting off the gaze that had been continuously gathering around Shu Xun. Then he continued.
“Black butterflies, although invaders, can garner favor from the indigenous Qing Meng. Shu Xun also saw the Blue-eyed people and Qing Meng in that loophole in space-time, indicating that although black butterflies can make people disappear, they don’t cause death. They can even help the disappeared achieve their desires and live peacefully in another world. This is the source of Qing Meng’s favor. However, in this world, black butterflies are not welcomed. Perhaps the world consciousness allows the arrival of black butterflies, but the creatures in this world are unwilling to leave their world and go to that perfect place alone. Therefore, even if they become spiritual beings, they emit light themselves, illuminating everything around them to avoid being touched by black butterflies. The world consciousness can only hide the spacecraft, hoping that one day, survivors can take the living beings of this world away. However, it also failed. No life would willingly leave. So, with our arrival, the world consciousness is making its final struggle, hoping to find a glimmer of hope. As a result, Shu Xun triggered a system glitch, directly connecting two time-spaces, which is the last hope and retreat. However, transitioning to another time-space is not easy, especially on a large scale including the transfer of world consciousness makes it even more difficult.”
