Volume 4: Twilight Galaxy
Silence spread. Aside from the sound of rain falling, there was only the gentle whisper of the wind, as if it had long grown accustomed to the planet’s stillness. Even the humming had gradually softened, resembling a lullaby sung for someone, with the raindrops keeping rhythm.
Amid the silence, Shu Xun suddenly stepped forward a few paces, squatting down in front of the central tombstone, and then transformed his fingers into sharp claws, quickly starting to dig.
Lie Yang was startled. “Are you digging a grave?” His question was met with a cold glare from Ye Jian, who stepped forward to help. The others glanced at each other, preparing to assist, but clearly, digging wasn’t going to take Shu Xun long.
In fact, Shu Xun wasn’t interested in digging up someone else’s grave. His spiritual sense had detected something buried in front of the tombstone, and his intuition told him it was important. Without waiting for help, he dug down just a few inches and uncovered what he was looking for: a rectangular black box about the size of two adult hands, locked and with a smooth, cool surface that quickly became clean under the rain.
Once the group returned to their dwelling and changed into clean clothes, they gathered again in the living room. Lie Yang still hadn’t regained his composure. Why were the three members of this family buried in the yard? No, that wasn’t right—why were all three dead and why did they die at such similar times? Were the other residences they passed by also in the same situation? And what was inside the box that Shu Xun found? How did Shu Xun know there was something buried there? A series of questions flooded Lie Yang’s mind, leaving him overwhelmed and unsure of where to start thinking.
The black box was placed on the coffee table, and the group sat around it. Shu Xun reached for the box, noting its smooth texture, which was not dampened by the rain.
“A lock this old?” Meng Muyu pointed at the simple mechanical lock on the box, his tone full of curiosity. Did the high-spirited Phantom Clan pursue retro aesthetics in their daily lives? This small town was filled with simplicity and high-tech products were rarely seen, despite the fact that over seven hundred years ago, many races had already entered the cosmic era; everything here exuded an archaic vibe.
This simple mechanical lock posed no challenge for them. Meng Muyu quickly unlocked it with a few deft moves. With a soft click, the tightly closed box opened slightly, drawing everyone’s attention.
The box was well-sealed, and after all this time, the items inside showed no signs of damage. However, upon seeing the contents, disappointment flickered in their eyes, as the box contained only very simple items: a hairpin, a small mirror, a delicate doll, knitted flowers, colorful shells, and smooth stones…
Upon seeing these items, Meng Muyu and the others immediately understood that the box must have belonged to the little girl from the household, containing nothing of value, but items she cherished in life, which is why they were buried in front of the tombstone.
“Uh, should we bury it back?” Since encountering Qing Meng in “Winter’s End”, the once flamboyant Lie Yang had become more sensitive at times, especially when it came to children.
Looking at the neat little items in the box, Shu Xun tugged at his short hair and then reached in to pick up a seemingly ordinary stone. Instantly, a wave of warmth spread from his fingertip, completely devoid of the stone’s typical coolness.
This feeling was so familiar. Shu Xun took out a flat little stone from his spiritual space; it also looked plain and smooth, but its touch radiated warmth. It was the warm winter stone that Qu Yan had given her in “Winter’s End”!
As Shu Xun revealed the warm winter stone, the expressions of several people shifted from confusion to shock. They instinctively reached out to take both stones for examination and ultimately confirmed that the stones in this black box were indeed warm winter stones!
“What exactly was Qu Yan trying to test?” Shu Xun recalled his first encounter with Qu Yan and the suspicions surrounding him. Besides being a late-awakening blue-eyed person, he must have had something special that set him apart from other survivors in “Winter’s End”, but that uniqueness was too vague, and current clues were insufficient to clarify.
“Why don’t we just go back into “Winter’s End” and ask Qu Yan?” Lie Yang exclaimed, standing up as if he could hardly wait to return to the game.
Meng Muyu looked up at Lie Yang, exasperated as he rubbed his forehead. “Survivors at the end of the road have the right to choose how they want to live next. We have no right to monitor their subsequent actions. In this vast frozen world, the chances of finding Qu Yan are extremely low. Besides, if Qu Yan is special, do you really think we can still find him after all this time?”
Upon hearing this, Lie Yang’s antennae drooped, and he sat back down in frustration. “I suddenly have a terrible feeling that since “Winter’s End” began, every move we make is being controlled by someone, and they’ve succeeded. What’s worse, we can’t stop.”
The blue butterfly resting on Lie Yang’s shoulder slowly opened and closed its wings, agreeing. “Generally speaking, I have that feeling too.”
Meng Muyu was speechless as he watched the large and small butterflies. He wanted to say that they were inherently one entity and naturally shared the same feelings, but after considering the intelligence difference between Lie Yang and Lan Yang, he swallowed his words. Lie Yang looked confused, wondering why Meng Muyu’s gaze toward him seemed to carry a hint of pity.
Shu Xun placed the warm winter stone back into the box and locked it. “Why should we stop? Is it because he controls us, or because we guide him? Until the end, no one can clarify the outcome. Just like the invaders and insects in “Deep Blue Sea” nothing is absolute. As for what comes next, we might really need to dig up graves.”
Lie Yang’s enthusiasm was kindled by the first half of Shu Xun’s words, but it was instantly doused by the last sentence. Lan Yang, however, remained calm, adjusting his antennae as he spoke. “Generally speaking, Shu Xun’s actions indicate he has certain suspicions that there might be clues on the bodies of the Phantom clan.”
Lie Yang replied helplessly, “Of course I know that.” He understood that Shu Xun wouldn’t arbitrarily decide to dig up graves. Regardless of the race, the truth about death is impenetrable, and people typically feel fear or awe toward the unknown.
The rain outside showed no signs of stopping. With the potential clue right before them, it was hard for everyone to remain patient. They decided to brave the rain and proceed. The group stepped into the curtain of rain, with Big Bliss lazily opening a small umbrella and flying out, while Little Bliss quickly followed, hiding beneath the umbrella. Lan Yang held back for only a moment before quietly moving closer.
Surprisingly, Big Bliss didn’t swat away the encroaching Lan Yang and Little Bliss, but this caused Lan Yang, who was trying to avoid the rain, to press even closer to Big Bliss. This resulted in the small umbrella tilting, causing droplets of water to slide down and drench Little Bliss, who blinked in confusion as water splattered on him. He looked up at the umbrella, then turned to Lan Yang, and with a flash of blue light, he swiftly flapped his wings, sending Lan Yang flying off Big Bliss.
While they were squabbling, the others didn’t slow their pace. Although the rain affected their movements, within half an hour, three coffins were cleared out. To their surprise, the coffins used by this deceased family of three were made from a highly transparent silicon compound that was not only extremely hard but also contained materials that shielded mental power. Without digging up the grave, they couldn’t see the situation inside the coffins with their mental abilities.
Shu Xun and the others didn’t move the coffins; they merely cleared the top layer of soil. Grapefruit-sized raindrops fell, quickly washing the coffins until they gleamed like glass, free from dirt. As they examined the inside of the coffins, everyone furrowed their brows.
Inside the transparent coffins, three bodies were preserved in remarkably good condition, showing no signs of decay. They lay peacefully, hands crossed over their stomachs, dressed neatly without any apparent issues. However, their faces were grotesquely twisted, deviating from normalcy. Although their features bore some resemblance to the photos, they appeared like entirely different people, creating an indescribable sense of contradiction and strangeness, as if their features had been borrowed and haphazardly reassembled, making them seem painfully awkward and entirely unlike their perfect appearance.
Lie Yang instinctively caught Lan Yang, who had been knocked away again, gripping his antennae. “You keep interrupting my thoughts. Can you at least be reliable during critical moments?”
Hanging in the air, Lan Yang swung as he was held by his antennae, legs crossed in a nonchalant pose as if he hadn’t just been flung away. “Your thoughts? Oh, if they’re interrupted, then so be it. I can’t think of a solution anyway.”
Lie Yang: “…”
Shu Xun patted Lie Yang on the shoulder. “Lan Yang is right; instead of pondering, we might as well help bury the grave.”
Lie Yang: “…”
In the end, everyone helped to re-bury the grave amid Lie Yang’s grumbling. Shu Xun also buried the rectangular black box in front of the grave. The rain continued to fall, wetting the freshly turned soil, merging it back with everything around. It wouldn’t take long for grass to spread and cover everything.
Once back at their residence, not only Lie Yang but everyone else felt their thoughts in disarray. They hadn’t been on Baiyu Planet for long, yet they had stumbled upon too many clues that seemed isolated, lacking any connecting points. Unconsciously, everyone turned their gaze toward Shu Xun, who was tugging at his hair.
Shu Xun: “…”
Stopping his actions, Shu Xun spread his hands in resignation. “The clue points are the warm winter stone and the changes in the Phantom Clan’s appearance. Currently, we can speculate that the Phantom Clan’s appearance changed after death for unknown reasons. The migrating Phantom Clan didn’t take their kin’s bodies; they possessed a strong sense of racial identity and wouldn’t abandon their companions’ bodies unless absolutely necessary. The likely reason for abandoning their kin’s bodies is the change they undergo. A question arises: does the change in appearance occur instantaneously after death, or does it happen gradually over time? If it’s the latter, what will the Phantom Clan ultimately become?”
Under Shu Xun’s speculation, everyone naturally recalled the bizarre-looking invaders, their hairs standing on end. Even Lie Yang couldn’t help but adopt a serious expression. If the bodies of the Phantom Clan gradually transformed into the appearance of the invaders after death, did that mean the invaders were actually transformed from the Phantom Clan? What was even more alarming was that if this were true, were those invaders seen in “Deep Blue Sea” still invaders, or were they transformed natives? “I can’t accept this speculation.”
With a soft sigh, Shu Xun continued, “It’s just a guess without concrete evidence. However, there’s no doubt about the invaders in ‘Deep Blue Sea’; the world consciousness of ‘Deep Blue Sea’ absolutely wouldn’t allow invaders to transform its beings. Given the stubbornness of the beings in ‘Deep Blue Sea’, they wouldn’t be transformed even if it meant mutual destruction. So the invaders in ‘Deep Blue Sea’ are indeed invaders in their own right. As for whether they are transformed Phantom Clan members, that remains uncertain.”
