Volume 3: Deep Blue Sea
However, besides the beautiful views, there is an unavoidable crisis that accompanies this magnificent scenery. Especially for those still drifting in the ocean, there is no space for escape. The bright seawater reveals everything, including the gamers.
In the depths of the sea, it seems that something is stirring and the deep-sea fish also begin to feel uneasy. Their wandering paths were getting closer to the water’s surface. Players floating on the sea surface, more or less, have realized something and are desperately searching for land.
However, apart from a very few fortunate players who reached the land, the vast majority still float on the vast expanse of the azure sea. Amidst the beautiful scenery, they are inevitably part of it. Soon, disturbances begin to occur.
From the unclear depths of the ocean, shadows of gigantic creatures begin to emerge. Undoubtedly, these creatures are all predators densely packed. Their numbers are extremely high, almost covering the entire sea area within sight. The first to appear are likely fish living in the deep sea. They swiftly swim upwards, with sizes ranging up to nearly ten meters in length, and their postures are peculiar and diverse.
Suddenly, in the bright azure ocean, a scene of escape and predation unfolds. With the pursuit intensifying, the hunting behavior gets closer to the sea surface. Players on the sea surface quickly realize that they will soon be within the range of predation if they are unable to reach the shore. More tragically, they have no means of escape, only a desperate struggle.
Within the azure hue, red blood stains spread in an instant, resembling vermilion strokes of a brush, gradually outlining into a red veil. It slowly descends in the seawater, fading until it disappears, accompanying each bloom of the blood-colored flower. With every bloom, a life disappears, and the transparent and beautiful seawater turns into an inevitable nightmare for countless marine creatures.
Similarly, gamers are also deeply immersed in the crisis. Players with robust races or awakened formidable bloodlines are prepared to make a stand, meticulously observing the approaching predators’ hunting behavior. They capture every creature’s habits and hunting tendencies, hoping to increase their chances of survival. However, upon closer observation, players are astonished to find that these predators’ behavior almost universally shares a common trait – haste.
All the predators emerging from the depths of the seawater are in a frenzy of ferocious combat. Anything edible, even if it’s of the same kind, will be pounced upon immediately. In the ocean, community creatures are not uncommon, typically having strong teamwork instincts and usually avoiding consuming their kind. Here, however, almost all predators are frenziedly feeding, as if waiting even a second longer would lead to starvation or some other dire circumstance, causing such madness.
As the hunting nears its end, the range of predation has extended to the sea surface. Countless gamers find themselves in desperate struggles and games of chance. Almost simultaneously, numerous players are forced to log out of the game. The excessive number of predators, coupled with the abnormal gravitational forces and oxygen concentration levels of this planet, make the evolvers feel a strong sense of discomfort.
In the azure seawater, some predators have finished their meals, rapidly swaying their tails to dive back into the deep sea, seemingly evading something. However, seemingly pinpointing the timing, as the predators dive to a certain depth, swift shadows come from the deep sea with lightning speed. Their rapid movements make it nearly impossible to capture their forms clearly, but one can roughly determine that they are creatures resembling sea snakes, differing in their enormous size. A rough estimate suggests lengths ranging from at least twenty to forty meters.
After the hunting ends, a brief pause allows everyone to see clearly these suddenly appearing creatures. Enormous in size, each one is roughly the thickness of two people hugging. Sharp, pointed teeth stand out conspicuously, and their biting force is astonishing. Even the fiercest giant marine creatures before now appear feeble in front of the giant sea snakes. With a swift strike, the sea snakes can easily bite through even fish bones. Another round of hunting begins, but this time, the predators also become prey.
Below the seawater, at a certain level, the one-sided combat has once again dyed the water a bloody red, forcefully transforming the azure color into crimson.
These ferocious sea snakes, seen as sea monsters by the onlookers, are chilling. What’s even more frightening is that the sea snakes’ movements also seem hasty. Even though their actions are as fast as lightning, they cannot conceal their urgency. This signifies something that sends shivers down the spine. Gamers in the vast expanse of the ocean are ready to log out of the game at any moment.
Following the giant sea snakes, a misty white colossal shadow slowly floats upwards. It is a group of enormous jellyfish-like creatures. From a distance, their ethereal bodies and long tentacles look like a white veil. A single one, when fully spread, covers an area of over a hundred square meters. Their long tentacles extend up to a hundred meters. Surprisingly, these enormous jellyfish appear in groups.
This is a hunt that can be described as gentle, with even the killings appearing weak and soundless. However, this is not the final feast. The jellyfish appear near the deep sea, and because the jellyfish themselves emit light, people can see them clearly. However, as the jellyfish dive after hunting, the faint white light gradually diminishes. But just as the light is about to disappear, it seems to come under attack, and the white light clusters shatter, finally disappearing.
The lingering shock spreads in silence. The gamers who survived this almost ocean-wide battle are almost doubting if they had a dream—a dream that was beautiful, cruel, intense, and tender. The peculiar survival methods of marine creatures on this planet are too puzzling and, at the same time, terrifying. If the fierce giant sea snakes are only prey, and the massive white jellyfish are just food, what kind of creatures exist in the unseen depths of the ocean? In the deepest part of the ocean, are there predators standing at the top of the world’s biological chain? Thinking about the fierceness of the creatures in the recent hunting is truly chilling.
At this moment, the beautiful deep blue sea appears inexplicably terrifying. The azure seawater depths seem to hide a gigantic beast’s mouth, waiting to devour everything.
The deep blue sea at night is full of danger. After surviving players’ nerves are stretched tight and exhaustion sets in, they hope to find solid ground or islands to rest. However, is this world truly safe once you leave the vast ocean? The answer is negative.
At least, at this moment, Lie Yang flying in the sky is dealing with swarms of gigantic moths. These moths seem to be attracted by the glowing azure seawater and are preying on fish near the water surface and any edible creatures, including Lie Yang flying near the sea.
Initially, Lie Yang didn’t pay attention because these moths were inconspicuous in their dull black-gray color, perfect for hiding in the night sky. However, after the seawater was illuminated, these enormous moths became very conspicuous. When their wings spread, they are more than a meter wide, and their enormous bodies look terrifying.
Lie Yang himself possesses the Emperor Butterfly’s wind blades and flame abilities. Still, after flying for a day under extremely heavy gravitational forces, energy consumption is massive. Now, facing the overwhelming moths, there is a momentary sense of being cornered.
In Lie Yang’s live stream room, there are still large numbers of viewers waiting to watch. They were initially relieved that their streamer did not become fish food, but unexpectedly, a large group of terrifying carnivorous moths arrived!
“Lie Yang, use fire! It feels very bad! These moths are so ferocious! With wings just like his, why are they so brutal!”
“The moths have turned into this appearance. I dare not imagine the current state of other Zergs on the land!”
“Suddenly curious, how are those players who initially landed on the land doing now?”
“My king cannot lose to such ugly moths. They indeed look fierce when enlarged!”
In the end, Lie Yang had to resort to using flames to defend himself. However, the result turned out as bad as Lie Yang initially thought. While the appearance of the fire temporarily resolved the crisis around him, it also attracted more moths. Moths are attracted to fire, driven by their phototactic nature. Even Lie Yang, with keen senses, could now hear the vibrations of other insects flapping their wings. This felt awful, and even the audience stopped mocking. Their faces gradually became serious. Even if Lie Yang is powerful, it would be of no use if there is an overwhelming invasion of carnivorous insects. There must be land or islands nearby in this sea area, but unfortunately, it seems to be the breeding ground for these insects.
Under the reflection of the azure seawater, the audience’s worst fears come true. In the azure light, as far as the eyes can see, it is all densely packed with insects, mainly moths, almost covering the entire sky. Even the audience, whose true form is insects, had their faces changed in an instant. If this defense is breached, there may be nothing left, not even bones.
Lie Yang’s expression also becomes very unpleasant. The invisible wind blades in his hands continue to harvest lives, but more insects are flying towards him. This battle has been going on for a long time, and Lie Yang’s forehead is already covered in fine sweat. In a moment of negligence, a giant beetle wielding sharp forelimbs breaks through the defense of the wind blades. Lie Yang immediately turns to remedy, but in such a close rhythm, everything is affected.
The beetle’s body is quickly devoured by the swarming group of insects. Lie Yang, struggling to defend, looks for a breakthrough. The sound of chewing is incessant in his ears, occasionally accompanied by the terrifying sound of crushing the hard insect exoskeleton. Lie Yang is almost unable to adapt to this sound. Just as Lie Yang is pondering whether to end the game here and is about to log out of the game, suddenly, a dazzling blaze lights up in the distance. Flames drift into the night sky in the wind, seemingly something flammable ignited and thrown into the night sky. The originally airtight swarm of insects is instantly drawn to the bright flames. Their instinct makes them shift their attention in a short moment. Most insects follow the fiercely burning fireball, and the sound of wings flapping gradually fades away. Only a small portion of persistent moths continue to hover around Lie Yang.
Lie Yang instantly felt a surge of energy, moving swiftly like the wind, quickly dealing with the moths around him. Simultaneously, arrows came flying rapidly, still accurately hitting the insects’ heads in this lighting. Under the powerful attacks from both sides, the surrounding insects were soon cleared out.
The sudden reversal of the situation ignited the excitement in the live broadcast room. Faced with such a massive swarm of insects, someone was willing to risk being detected by the insects to rescue Lie Yang. Moreover, their actions were so sharp, and their archery skills were so exquisite that people admired their intellect and dexterity. Many speculated that this was undoubtedly another god-level player.
In the night sky, another figure quickly flew over. Before the person arrived, a familiar voice had already sounded. “King, king, king… there is an island here.”
In the live broadcast room, reactions varied.
“…”
“Gray! It’s actually Gray! The dried leaf butterfly! To be honest, that series of operations just now really amazed me!”
“This way of speaking is simply unique. It makes me anxious again, even though I just relaxed.”
“Great! Based on that wave of operations just now, I recognize this Gray!”
“Seriously, Gray’s skills were already excellent in ‘Winter’s End.’ Everyone was just attracted by his way of speaking.”
At the moment this voice rang out, Lie Yang had a moment of confusion. However, soon, he felt that this stumbling and urgent voice sounded somewhat familiar. In this unfamiliar world full of danger and mystery, facing a life-or-death situation, suddenly having someone bring a ray of hope, this unique experience was something even the mighty Lie Yang encountered for the first time.
Following Gray, Lie Yang quickly reached the island. The area of this island was not large, and it wasn’t much safer than the open sea. Using night vision ability, the Lie Yang easily spotted a giant centipede with a body length of over ten meters. He frowned, glanced over the mid-air, and followed Gray towards a relatively safe area.
“King, king, king… here…” Gray led Lie Yang to the highest point of the island, where there were rocks and a cave. The cave was not large, and the interior space was clear at a glance. Due to the steep terrain, few predators and giant insects climbed up, making it relatively safer.
Seemingly feeling finally safe, Lie Yang’s forehead suddenly emitted a blue light. The blue butterfly, which had been hiding in Lie Yang’s body, finally flew out. The blue butterfly stretched its wings and then groomed its antennae.
“This, this, this…” Gray pointed at the blue butterfly with a slightly amazed and envious tone.
Lie Yang gestured towards the blue butterfly grooming its antennae. “The companion blue butterfly awakened by the Blue Amber Potion’s awakened ability. Haven’t you awakened any ability?” Lie Yang’s tone also carried a hint of curiosity. Although the probability of awakening abilities with the Blue Amber Potion was not high, Gray belonged to the butterfly bloodline, and his chances of awakening abilities were much higher than ordinary people.
Gray nodded slightly, looking somewhat embarrassed. “I-I-I…I’m…unlucky…It’s…always like this…”
Lie Yang grinned, showing a confident smile. “No worries, the second batch of players has entered ‘Winter’s End.’ Presumably, players will soon start selling Blue Amber Potion. If you’re unlucky, just try a few more; you’ll succeed eventually.”
Gray smiled and nodded. A slightly shy expression appeared on his face, revealing two shallow dimples.
After grooming its antennae, the blue butterfly finally spoke seriously. “Usually, what you’re displaying is an extremely self-deprecating attitude. However, your strength is acceptable, barely qualifying as a companion.”
Gray looked at the blue butterfly that spoke and scratched his head, inexplicably thinking of Shu Xun. He took a few steps forward, extended his small finger, and said, “I-I-I’m called… Gray…Hello…”
The blue butterfly seemed to pause for a moment, obviously facing such a situation for the first time. In the end, it extended its short little legs, placing them on Gray’s small finger. With Gray’s small finger moving up and down, the blue butterfly responded, “I’m called Lan Yang, hello.”
Lie Yang watched the two of them greeting each other, shaking his head helplessly. “When did you get a name?”
The blue butterfly raised its head. “Just now. What? Do you have any objections? Even if you do, it’s useless. With your intelligence, it’s hard for me to acknowledge and adopt it.”
Lie Yang: “…” Since the last time Shu Xun’s blue butterfly knocked away his blue butterfly, there was something off about his blue butterfly.
Gray looked somewhat stunned at Lie Yang, who was roasted by the blue butterfly. He resisted the urge to laugh and showed a faint envy in his eyes.
“Having escaped those disgusting moths, we can consider ourselves temporarily safe. Lord Lan Yang, do you want to analyze the current situation?” Lie Yang reached out and poked Lan Yang’s wings, successfully skewing them.
Lan Yang obviously couldn’t express his dissatisfaction through facial expressions and could only flap his wings. “The extremely heavy gravitational force and high oxygen concentration—these are the reasons for the giant size of the creatures on this planet. It also accompanies the phenomenon of life explosion. This phenomenon not only includes the birth of new species but also a significant increase in the reproductive ability of existing life forms. Of course, there will be a large number of organisms extinct due to oxygen poisoning and inability to survive. Therefore, based on speculation, this planet is likely in a stage where evolution or destruction is imminent.”
Lie Yang pondered for a moment, agreeing with Lan Yang’s speculation. “What’s next then?”
Lan Yang curled his antennae, seemingly sensing something. After a moment, he spoke, “Go find that round dumpling and Ye Qian. Although I hate to admit it, communicating with them is more useful than with you. They can also help deduce more valuable information.”
Lie Yang decided to temporarily give up communicating with his blue butterfly and turned to Gray. “What’s your opinion?”
Gray sat with his back to the cave entrance. In the darkness, his expression is unclear. He said, “Let’s go find Ye Qian. Along the way, we should look for traces of advanced life forms, including the missing warships and clues about the natives. Try to act during the day, and find a place to rest at night; otherwise, even butterfly zergs encounter dangers.”
Lie Yang and Lan Yang both looked somewhat surprised at Gray’s position. Lie Yang was surprised that Gray was not stuttering and spoke fluently, with a voice carrying a crisp and ethereal quality, like a moonlit clear stream, sounding enchanting. Lan Yang was surprised that this person’s mind was not bad, and his ideas were almost identical to his own.
After a long silence, Gray seemed to realize and nervously scratched his head. “S-s-sorry, I was just thinking.”
Lie Yang rubbed his chin, pondering for a moment, and then revealed his signature confident smile. “Gray, has anyone ever told you that you speak very nicely.”
In the dark, he was unable to see Gray’s face, but he heard a more stammering response, “N-no, not really…”
Lie Yang smiled openly, patting Gray on the shoulder. “Well, let me tell you! You speak very nicely!” Lie Yang didn’t know what Gray had been through or why he had such strong self-esteem issues. But evidently, someone willing to risk their life to save others must have a soft heart.
Lie Yang and Gray unexpectedly met, and the two found a temporary safe resting place. After a brief exchange, they prepared to rest, replenishing the consumed energy and resources to better face the challenges of the next dawn and continue exploring this perilous deep blue world.
As for the highly anticipated Ye Qian, he was fortunate enough to land in an area not far from the coast. Before dark, he safely reached a piece of land. Looking at the towering trees and dense vegetation, Ye Qian pondered whether there were truly advanced life forms in this world.
On the first day, Ye Qian did not rashly enter the dense jungle but let the differentiated blue butterflies go in to check the situation. The invisible blue butterflies did not cause any disturbance, and Ye Qian also understood the level of danger in this jungle. That night, staying by the shore, Ye Qian also witnessed the tragic scene in the ocean. A pair of emotionless eyes gazed at the sea without any ripples, and then with lightning-fast movements, he caught the small fish that rushed to the shore in the chaos one by one.
When the fish returned to the deep sea, Ye Qian stopped and began sorting the small fish he caught. The fish caught by Ye Qian were not large, with the largest being no more than the size of a palm. The purpose of preparing such-sized fish was evident.
The audience in the livestream room was buzzing with excitement.
“What is the fish-raising expert Ye Qian doing?! Why is he exclusively catching dead fish this time!”
“I guess these will all become Little Dumpling’s food, haha!”
“Great! The fish-raising expert has successfully evolved into a fish-catching expert.”
“Go find Little Dumpling! Come on. I went to the Little Dumpling’s live stream room before, and I feel like the two are a bit far apart. There was a storm near Little Dumpling all afternoon, and Little Dumpling almost got swallowed by fish. It feels really worrying. Let’s find Little Dumpling quickly!”
Ye Qian shared the same thought. Perhaps due to the distance being too far, his blue butterfly could not sense the location of Shu Xun’s blue butterfly. Ye Qian was ready to venture into the jungle, traverse the continent, quickly determine his location, and then find Shu Xun. Looking at the small fish being classified and roasted by the campfire, thinking about Shu Xun holding and gnawing on the small fish, Ye Qian was obviously in a good mood.
At this moment, Shu Xun’s livestream room remained shrouded in darkness, silent and still. Unlike other players experiencing thrilling and life-threatening situations, Shu Xun’s situation seemed unusually calm. He hadn’t even woken up, and the livestream screen had been consistently offline, dwelling in the darkness from night to morning.
On the second day, as daylight broke, numerous players logged into Shu Xun’s livestream room, eager to see if he was safe. However, they were greeted by a pitch-black offline scene. The chat was already filled with various speculations, with most viewers assuming that Shu Xun was too tired yesterday and hadn’t woken up yet. Two hours later, as viewers were exchanging information, they finally received the livestream signal from Shu Xun. The moment the screen appeared, the livestream room erupted.
In front of a small wooden mini-house, a once clean and chubby Shu Xun now looked weathered. Sitting by the door, the small figure was washing his tiny clothes in the puddles accumulated after the rain. The neatly cut short hair had grown down to the shoulders, and the originally five-centimeter height had miraculously doubled overnight. Although Shu Xun was still Shu Xun, it seemed as if Shu Xun had experienced countless storms in a night that they hadn’t witnessed.
“Ah, what happened! Why does he look like a wild person from the mountains and forests?”
“What’s going on? It feels like Little Dumpling grew five centimeters overnight! It might even be ten centimeters. Give me a ruler; I need to measure!”
“Panic! Did I really just sleep for one night? Why does Shu Xun seem to have grown for a year?”
