Volume 3: Deep Blue Sea
After deciding to travel together with Meng Muyu, the wisdom and sharpness in Meng Muyu’s eyes seemed to vanish as if under an illusion. Then, he reverted to his talkative nature, this time not solely focused on the game but almost speaking about anything that came to mind.
The StarPlay Entertainment members are indeed highly intelligent life forms originating from end-of-the-world planets. They possess a remarkably high level of mental power comparable to the Phantom Tribe, yet they don’t belong to the Phantom Tribe or humans. They are an advanced intelligent life form independent of the five major races. Their extremely high mental power is also a crucial factor enabling them to develop survival games. As for the specific abilities they possess, Meng Muyu did not disclose, as it involves the internal secrets of the StarPlay Entertainment members.
After Meng Muyu’s planet faced an end-of-the-world scenario, a human rescue team saved them. However, with fewer than a hundred survivors, they couldn’t independently develop a new planet. Consequently, they willingly aligned themselves with humans among the five major races because their appearance was indistinguishable from humans, avoiding suspicion.
Later, due to their special abilities, Meng Muyu and others began creating large-scale survival games. As Shu Xun speculated, during this period, they also participated in the rescue of end-of-the-world planets. Those who have never experienced the wandering and despair of being adrift without a place to rely on can never imagine how desperate it is.
It wasn’t until they discovered the end-of-the-world planet “Winter’s End” that a series of perplexing challenges arose. Relying solely on the StarPlay Entertainment members was insufficient, so Meng Muyu and others developed “Winter’s End” into a game, hoping to uncover more clues.
Shu Xun quietly listened to Meng Muyu’s narrative, observing the calm tranquility in Meng Muyu’s eyes, heavy yet serene. He wondered what kind of experiences could lead someone to conceal their emotions so perfectly. Perhaps, as Meng Muyu said, those who haven’t gone through the end of the world can never comprehend the struggle, pain, and despair.
After Meng Muyu finished speaking, Shu Xun explained his own experience of entering the mysterious dimension under the system glitch, including the vibrant new world, the chaotic desolation of the grey continent, and the eerie city that appeared last. He also mentioned the enigmatic figure he last saw, Qing Meng, the first survivor they discovered in “Winter’s End” who mysteriously disappeared.
“The simplest speculation is that the residents who disappeared in ‘Winter’s End’ transferred to that mysterious dimension, which can be considered an ideal space to a certain extent. Boundless, ever-changing, possessing an extremely extraordinary and terrifying ability: creating a world tailored to your ideals. Similar to the vibrant world I initially landed in, it perfectly fulfilled all my hopes, and that world was real. For Qing Meng, continuing to live a peaceful life with her parents in Micro City is her ideal state. Presumably, under ‘Winter’s End,’ many people had this strong desire, so that dimension created a modern city, perfectly fulfilling their wishes.”
After Shu Xun finished speaking, he fell into silence. If there really is such an all-powerful world, is it good or bad? Why would such a perfect world invade other planets?
Meng Muyu and Ye Qian also fell into contemplation. If Shu Xun’s speculation is correct, it implies that one of the forces that invaded ‘Winter’s End’ initially has a connection to that perfect dimension, possibly even being that dimension itself. The question is: how did it achieve this? If an all-powerful dimension truly exists, what kind of extraordinary intelligent life does it create? Too many unsettling speculations make people hesitant to delve deeper, evidently surpassing their understanding.
The night wind blew, the campfire danced, and the warm firelight couldn’t dispel the chill in everyone’s hearts. Not just Shu Xun and the others, but also the viewers in the live stream room were plunged into deep thought. Even without highly developed logical reasoning abilities, they realized that an all-powerful world could likely spawn an all-powerful race, and this race seems to be consciously invading major planets, yet no one has seen what the invaders look like.
“Do you remember the painting Qing Meng drew for Lie Yang? Lie Yang’s wings were depicted as black. At that time, we also speculated that Qing Meng had a fondness for butterflies with black wings. Does it indicate that Qing Meng realized if she disappears, she will appear in that dimension, reunited with her parents? Therefore, even though she knows the black butterfly is an invader, she still harbors a fondness for it.” Meng Muyu has been paying attention to Ye Qian’s game livestream and naturally knew about Qing Meng’s situation.
Ye Qian, with an expressionless face, spoke, “It’s not that simple. ‘Winter’s End’ actually has many uncertainties. For example, ‘Nuan Dong’. It seems like Qu Yan knew in advance that someone would appear at the villa, so he erased all traces of his existence. For example, why did Qing Meng struggle alone in Micro City for so long before disappearing after meeting us? What was she waiting for? Confirming something? The connection between the two game worlds is crucial to speculating about the invaders. However, so far, on the Deep Blue Sea, we haven’t found any traces of the existence of advanced intelligent life.”
“If not on the continent,” Ye Qian paused for a moment before continuing, “then it might be in the deep sea. The natives of this world probably don’t belong to the five major races either.”
Shu Xun’s eyes brightened slightly. Before he could speak, the excited Big Bliss, who had wrapped himself in a small blanket, sensed Shu Xun’s innermost thoughts. In an instant, he jumped up, full of joy, and exclaimed, “Fish!”
Meng Muyu: “…”
Trying to appear nonchalant, Shu Xun: “…” Let’s pretend that the blue butterfly wasn’t his.
Ye Qian subconsciously touched his pockets. But seeing Shu Xun’s current height, he silently put his hands down again. Clearly, this unexpected situation made General Ye Jian quite depressed. Thinking about the various small dried fish collected, it might just be enough for Shu Xun to have one meal.
Big Bliss looked around and confidently spoke, “Isn’t that right? Besides fish, what else is there in the sea?”
Meng Muyu instantly entered the talkative mode. “Corals, seaweed, plankton, shellfish, shrimp, crabs…” Meng Muyu spoke rapidly, listing the most common marine life.
Big Bliss puffed up his cheeks and suddenly took out a kitchen knife from his small backpack. Meng Muyu immediately choked, silenced for a moment, and Big Bliss hammered the point home, “But the most abundant in the ocean is definitely fish, all kinds of fish!”
Big Bliss shook the knife. “Sounds good, I think I’ll take the time to sharpen this knife properly.”
Meng Muyu nodded. “I’ll do it; you can go to sleep.”
Big Bliss handed the knife to Meng Muyu with satisfaction, then wrapped himself back in his small blanket, closed his eyes, and with a happy expression, he seemed to be feasting on various fish.
Shu Xun was silently speechless, refusing to ponder how many delicious fish there might be on this liquid planet, and whether the other basic marine organisms mentioned by Meng Muyu were tasty or not. With closed eyes, Big Bliss, who was now snoring, entered the dreamland.
After exchanging the general information, it was already late at night. Watching Big Bliss snoring next to the campfire, the drowsiness followed. Shu Xun and the others were also ready to rest and sleep.
On a planet mostly composed of water, one couldn’t expect it to be very dry. Only near the campfire could the sticky dampness be dispelled. Especially in the location where the three were, not far from the ocean, the humidity in the air condensed into a thin mist at night. The entire world quietly draped itself in a layer of white gauze, like a faint, ethereal, and light blanket spread over the earth.
Due to limited resources, the three could only rest outdoors. Fortunately, it was a physical transfer this time, and both Ye Qian and Meng Muyu had the system storage tools developed by StarPlay Entertainment. They had prepared basic supplies before entering the game, so sleeping bags were available. After Ye Qian and Meng Muyu laid out the sleeping bags, they saw the white-clad youth still motionless. He sat cross-legged beside the campfire, hands in a strange position on his knees, back straight, and eyes closed as if he was about to sleep in that position.
Meng Muyu and Ye Qian exchanged a rare tacit look this time but found no answers in each other’s eyes.
Suddenly, Ye Qian remembered that Shu Xun had outgrown the small sleeping bag prepared initially. However, sleeping while sitting seemed unreliable in Ye Qian’s eyes. So, Ye Qian, with an expressionless face, approached and patted Shu Xun’s shoulder. “You go to sleep; I’ll keep watch.”
Shu Xun, who was meditating, opened his eyes and smiled. “This way is fine for me.”
Ye Qian remained silent for a few seconds with an expressionless face, then reached out, one hand around the young man’s shoulder, and the other supporting his slender waist, lifting him off the ground. Shu Xun’s long hair formed an arc, and he was already off the ground. Ye Qian then took two steps to the side of the sleeping bag and placed Shu Xun inside. “Sleep.”
Meng Muyu stared in astonishment, then coughed a few times. Such a decisive and efficient manner indeed matched a certain face-paralyzed individual’s style.
Lying in the sleeping bag, Shu Xun, with only his head exposed, was bathed in the warm glow of the fire, smiling with curved eyes. Ye Qian slightly averted his gaze, speaking in a cold tone, “I’ll keep watch.”
Shu Xun’s gaze shifted slightly, and he saw a little creature frantically grooming its bunched-up antennae next to the sleeping bag. Sensing Shu Xun’s gaze, Little Bliss’s movements stiffened for a moment, and then it awkwardly turned in another direction, continuing to tidy up its antennae that had tangled due to shyness. Shu Xun’s eyes were filled with more amusement. Suddenly, a flash of light and the person in the sleeping bag disappeared, replaced by a fluffy ball.
Then, under the gaze of Meng Muyu and Ye Qian, the little ball crawled out of the sleeping bag, trotted to the campfire, and sat down next to Ye Qian with a thud.
Meng Muyu couldn’t help but chuckle. Whether it was because of the abundant fur or some other reason, Shu Xun’s beast form looked very round. At this moment, sitting down, it appeared completely like a fluffy ball when viewed from behind.
In the warm yellow glow of the fire, two figures, one tall and one short, one large and one small, with extreme contrasts, were silhouetted against the ground, casting blurry shadows.
In the end, under Shu Xun’s insistence, Ye Qian fell asleep that night. The next day, Ye Qian woke up feeling a slight movement in the pocket of his chest. He opened his eyes slightly and saw a foolish butterfly struggling to pull out a small fish from the pocket. Just as Ye Qian was wondering when Little Bliss changed its taste, Little Bliss successfully extracted a small fish. Then, with a flash of blue light, it blinked to the side of the campfire. There, on a clean and smooth blue stone, a small mountain of fish had already been piled up. Ye Qian sat up in silence, touched his pocket, and unsurprisingly felt that half of the small fish were missing.
His gaze turned to the side of the blue stone, where there was a shallow pit dug out. However, at this moment, the shallow pit was filled with blue-gray fur and a fluffy ball successfully nestled inside, sleeping so soundly that its head couldn’t be seen. At first glance, it seemed like some plush ball had rolled into a pit. Ye Qian couldn’t figure out how Shu Xun managed to squeeze himself into a pit that seemed a size too small, and he was sleeping so comfortably. Could it be that fur really made him look plumper?
The peacefully sleeping Shu Xun obviously had no idea what Ye Qian was thinking. Otherwise, he would have shaken his fur and proudly corrected, “I’m just virtually plump.”
Author’s note:
Shu Xun: “I’m just virtually plump!”
Ye Jian: “How do you prove that?”
Shu Xun: “Shave my fur!”
Ye Jian: “…”
Actually, Lao Xuan really wants to know what would happen if Shu Xun shaves his fur in his beast form, does he become bald in his human form? Hahaha…
In the blissful fantasy and unable to extricate himself, Big Bliss, immersed in the world of dreams, continued chanting, “Fish! Fish! Fish…”
