In just over a month, expecting the research institute to build a submarine seemed highly unrealistic. Fortunately, according to the system, there was no need for a submarine to visit home. [To go to Laiye, you can take a ship from the Deep Sea Association.] [In recent years, although the Deep Sea Association has been suppressed and almost disappeared from public view, there has always been a loyal group of followers.] [They heed the call of the deep sea, believing that someday, new gods will descend upon the world. Every December 13th at midnight, a ghost ship appears, carrying devout believers to Laiye.] [The passengers on this ship willingly offer themselves as sacrifices to the gods. The believers believe that through death, they will merge with the gods. When the great gods awaken, they too will become part of the ruling class.]
When Lu Yan heard this, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "What about the twenty million I spent on the submarine?" The system hemmed and hawed, "[You're the kind of person who can't spend all your money, right? You'll need it later. Like taking the little dragon dog underwater to see things.]"
Lu Yan: "...Let me confirm again, I can't get pregnant, right?"
The system's voice was affectionate. "[That's right, darling. I can't bear to see you pregnant.]"
So, Lu Yan asked another question: "How do we get on the ship?"
"[First, find a way to reach Polai Island. It's the closest island to Laiye. I mean, find a secluded place to swim over.]"
Lu Yan opened the electronic map sent by headquarters and searched for the location of Polai Island. According to the data, it was an uninhabited island. The nearest city to Polai Island was 5100 nautical miles away. Lu Yan also used his authority to investigate related reports.
The ocean had always been a major area affected by pollution diseases, with pollution levels increasing the farther away from the mainland. However, the pollution level near Polai Island was surprisingly low, as calm as before the catastrophe.
Lu Yan took a screenshot of the map on the computer and sent it to Tang Xunan: We're going here.
Lu Yan: "By the way, how's your swimming lessons going?"
Tang Xunan: "Not bad."
Tang Xunan was particularly strict with himself, so when he said "not bad," it probably meant he was quite proficient.
Lu Yan said, "Then let's go now."
There were only a few days left until the time mentioned by the system.
**
In three days, the fog around Changjia had thinned considerably. However, Ye Liangshan had eaten too much and vomited every day after boarding the ship, sometimes even vomiting blood and internal organs, which made Xie Haiqing very distressed. Through a thin layer of mist, the outline of Changjia's coastline was visible after many years, and finally, a ship from the outside world arrived here.
Song Jingchen, the first disciple of the Sea God Church, is now teaching at the school closest to the coastline. Because the entire Changjia civilization has been severely fragmented, there is a severe shortage of teachers, and he has to teach more than ten classes a day. Today, he was teaching Chinese. As Song Jingchen recited the poem, "Suddenly receiving news from Jizhou North, Tears filled my clothes at first hearing," the school's broadcast suddenly came on. The voice was choked, as if something was stuck in the throat. In the end, only three words were uttered: "The fog has cleared."
For the people living in Changjia, "fog" only meant one thing—the fog that had trapped them here for countless years. Song Jingchen was still young and had never seen the outside world. When he heard this sentence, the teacher in the next class, who was in his sixties and a survivor from decades ago, shed tears. There were cries and cheers in the school, and all sorts of sounds mingled together. For no reason, Song Jingchen thought of the next line of the poem.
Classes couldn't continue. The school gate was wide open, and students of all ages ran towards the coastline, including Song Jingchen himself. Besides the excitement, there was also a faint expectation in his heart. Song Jingchen hoped he could see "the teacher."
When he arrived at the coast, there were already many people gathered there. Accompanying them were specialized reporters who were observing and recording Changjia's current ecological environment. Ning Huai stood in the center, and leaders from A City rushed over to hand over responsibilities to him. His face, all three pairs of eyes half-closed, looked nothing like the gentle demeanor of the past. He held a cigarette between his fingers, looking tough.
After confirming the basic identity, Song Jingchen casually asked, "Why didn't I see Lu Yan?"
The staff were puzzled. "He was here before, but he left yesterday, saying there was an urgent matter."
"Left? What urgent matter?"
The staff scratched his head. "It seems like... he said... he was going back home to visit?"
**
December in the Southern Hemisphere is summer. When Lu Yan set off, he was still wearing long sleeves. After a few days, he switched to short sleeves, and as the latitude moved south, he put on long sleeves again. This was a research ship that regularly headed to Antarctica every year. The same route had been traversed for decades. Most of the crew on board were foreign researchers, and they knew that there were two scholars from the First Zone in the team this year. Everyone usually minded their own business, and there was generally peace onboard. As the ship approached its destination, Lu Yan's sleep time became shorter and shorter every day. He started having nightmares again.
Lu Yan couldn't remember what was in the dreams, but that suffocating, icy sensation lingered in his nerves for a long time. He only needed three to four hours of sleep a day, and sometimes he could go for a long time without sleeping. But recently, due to frequent nightmares, he felt particularly terrible. Every time he woke up, he could meet Tang Xunan's worried eyes.
He opened his mouth as if throttled by some unseen force, unable to utter a word, only managing to respond, "Just had a nightmare, nothing serious."
Lu Yan's body temperature naturally ran low, and even now, covered in layers of blankets, his hands and feet remained ice-cold. His heartbeat was notably sluggish.
Taking his hand, Tang Xunan's touch was warm. Folding Lu Yan's legs against his own belly, Tang Xunan's warmth provided some relief.
A layer of fine fish scales sprouted on one side of Lu Yan's face. Unlike the previous scales, these couldn't retract, somewhat affecting his appearance.
In Tang Xunan's gaze, Lu Yan glimpsed a trace of concern.
On the sixth day of the voyage, a fourth finger abruptly protruded from Lu Yan's hand, leaving several bloody trails on Tang Xunan's palm.
The new finger was sharp as a blade. Lu Yan attempted to clench his fist, but Tang Xunan swiftly pried his hand open, gently holding his palm. "Be careful not to hurt yourself. It was just an accident."
Tang Xunan quietly employed his talent, Dragon's Bone.
Lu Yan didn't respond immediately but queried, "System."
[System.], Even the system remained silent lately due to Lu Yan's shifting emotions. [Spiritual threshold at 10,445, contamination level at 93.7.]
Lu Yan's spiritual threshold quietly surpassed ten thousand when he wasn't even prepared, accompanied by a sharp increase in contamination. In just a few weeks, it nearly doubled, reaching a dangerously critical point.
"Reason?" Lu Yan inquired.
"Because time draws near, and your brother is indeed awakening, gradually beginning to affect you."
Lu Yan fell silent for a while before suddenly asking, "Who am I?"
"That question is quite philosophical; forgive me, it's difficult to answer."
Wrapping his arm around Tang Xunan's neck, for a moment, he almost couldn't control the impulse to bite. Eventually, he settled for a bite on Tang Xunan's lips.
"I want it," he whispered.
Tang Xunan pondered briefly before replying, "You can play with the tail, but the soundproofing on the ship isn't great."
While he was generous elsewhere, matters concerning Lu Yan appeared particularly reserved.
Nestling into Tang Xunan's embrace, gripping the tail, Lu Yan suddenly heard Tang Xunan's subdued inquiry overhead, "Will it be better when we return home?"
He wanted to ask why, when Lu Yan mentioned going home, it referred to Laiye. But compared to that, the answer to this question wasn't important.
Lu Yan didn't know if things would really get better when they returned home, but he still gave an affirmative reply, "Yes."
* * *
Polar Island.
Late at night on December 11th.
Though there was no navigation at sea, thanks to the system's presence, they didn't risk getting lost.
Polar Island resembled a long, narrow line, with three towering mountains and most of the island covered in ice and snow, save for some tundra at the foot of the mountains.
Whistling waves crashed against the rocks, with the coastline nearly perpendicular to the sea surface.
"Go here. Landmaster visited before; the carved-out space is still usable."
A bright orange dot lit up in Lu Yan's mind.
Saying it was still usable was a gross understatement. The temperature inside the small world was noticeably higher than outside, as if enveloped in a transparent protective layer.
Using Dragon's Breath, Tang Xunan dried their clothes. It wasn't very effective, as they would inevitably get wet again, but it made wearing them more comfortable.
At 3 a.m., strange sounds emanated from the shore.
Lu Yan squinted slightly, gazing toward the source of the noise.
Fish-like creatures struggled to leap from the seabed, crashing heavily onto the shore before wriggling into pre-prepared burrows.
Their bodies still bore human features, dressed in clothes, but their faces were highly distorted, protruding eyes, fins, and gills, with semi-transparent yellow mucus oozing from their earholes.
These creatures were eerily familiar to Lu Yan. Similar fish-like beings had undergone mutations back in City K.
"These believers come from different places and have embarked on a pilgrimage for months, swimming all the way here. Just like migrating salmon."
"Many believers perish halfway, devoured by fish. But those who successfully land on the Deep Sea Church's shore complete their mutation. Their brains have undergone some irreversible changes. They still possess cognitive abilities and language but are hardly aware of their abnormal state."
"Even in this mutated state, believers are not pollutants."
"After all, pollutants don't taste good."
Tang Xunan furrowed his brows deeply. "These mutated people... have gone unnoticed for so long."
The ocean was vast, and these humans had mutated halfway. Even if someone encountered them, they would likely be treated as marine pollutants and physically cleansed.
In the following days, mutated beings continued to land.
The desolate coastal edges quickly filled with scores of mutated creatures. They gathered, emitting strange cries, as if summoning something.
Finally, on the 13th, in the early hours of the morning, the ship they summoned arrived.
A ship approached from afar. No figures were
visible on the vessel, its hull was peeling, seaweed entangled around the propeller, and upon closer inspection, the engine wasn't even running.
Yet, the ship drifted ashore nonetheless. Subsequently, its cabin doors opened.
The mutated beings scrambled aboard eagerly, emitting excited yet hoarse cries.
The ship seemed familiar to Lu Yan.
Previously, in Kroman Manor, he found a photograph behind an oil painting.
In the photo, Landmaster and two others stood before a ship, beaming with smiles. Only a corner of the ship was visible in the background.
But comparing the hull patterns in his mind, Lu Yan was certain these two cargo ships were the same vessel.
At the very least, they were of the same model.
Since the demise of Kroman Manor's owner, his maritime trading company swiftly declined and went bankrupt, undergoing fragmentation and reorganization. The cargo ship was also sold off and repainted.
Lu Yan had every reason to suspect this was the same ship Landmaster had boarded over twenty years ago.
The system reminded, "[Find a way to sneak onto the ship from the other side, try not to alarm the crew inside. After all, there's only one route in the world that leads to Laiye.]"
"[Being chased off would be troublesome.]"
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