Deep in the night, the sea breeze raged, stirring up immense waves, and the water appeared as dark as ink.
The cover of darkness was their best shield.
Two figures landed lightly on the edge of the deck, Tang Xunan folding away the dragon wings on his back.
On the ferry, which seemed deserted for ages, there lingered a sickly sweet fragrance, akin to air fresheners dangling in cars. It was nauseatingly cloying.
Tang Xunan murmured, "This should be a mental talent."
[This ship is named "Noah," derived from the "Noah's Ark" legend. In mythology, it's a colossal vessel that preserved hope amid catastrophe.]
[Early on, to prevent passengers from noticing anything unusual, hallucinogenic talents were spread throughout the ship, often manifested in sea clams.]
Lu Yan's gaze shifted to a corner where a palm-sized white flesh clam adhered to the wall, its mouth opening and closing, a crimson tongue protruding, white pearls embedded in its fleshy tongue, resembling oral ulcers.
The sea clam exhaled a moist mist, the source of the fragrance.
The system provided information.
[Moon Star Clam (Pollutant)]
[Formerly pearl clams, pollution value ranging from 200 to 800. Although they are animals, they lack cognitive abilities, possessing talent 147, hallucination, commonly used as decorations. Some merfolk like to stick these sea clams on themselves to seduce passing sailors, leaving behind numerous Siren legends.]
[By the way, I can show you the perspectives of other merfolk on the ship.]
The dilapidated cabin instantly brightened, with melodious music echoing in the hall. The attendants on the ship, blond and blue-eyed, of decent appearance, carried trays of food, with a boutonniere pinned to their chests.
The scene resembled the depiction of high society in "Titanic." In the merfolk's eyes, they weren't grotesque monsters; they wore decent suits and dresses, their faces adorned with smiles of contentment.
Soon, Lu Yan's view of the environment ended.
In reality, the merfolk in the cabin lay on the ground, saliva dripping from their mouths, resembling sardines packed together.
Several attendants wielded tridents, casually spearing one on the ground.
These individuals, clad in dirty aprons, appeared more like chefs than attendants. Their bodies retained humanoid forms, except for the head, replaced by squid heads the size of human skulls, with large, lifeless eyes and eight tentacles drooping to their chests.
[Lai's Mimic Octopus (Pollutant)]
[Pollution value: 7200. This is a type of squid, the first to form a community of marine pollutants over a hundred years ago. Possesses talent 172, neurotoxin. These pollutants' bodies come from the first batch of deep-sea believers who knelt before the statue of the deity, resembling lambs awaiting slaughter. Lai's Mimic Octopus was released to complete the consumption. The believers firmly believed that they would coexist with these monsters, rather than being parasitized. They would become masters, not vessels.]
[Due to parasitism, these octopuses possess human-like cognitive abilities. But they are not original brains after all, with limited intelligence.]
The merfolk were impaled by tridents, red blood flowing, their bodies convulsing in pain, yet their faces still bore serene smiles.
The expected fish feasting ensued.
The head attendant, with the largest head, savored the tender organs and brains first.
[The cruise ship will dock for 48 hours. Seize the opportunity while many passengers have just boarded, and the chaos reigns. I suggest you obtain the identity of a tourist, or else hide in the bottom of the cabin like black slaves transported in the 16th century. I would pity you.]
Lu Yan: "How do we proceed?"
[Thanks to Lu Cheng, who was once a senior member of the Deep Sea Society. Although he and Precognition are powerless against us, cough, in front of us. However, indeed, there's his exclusive VIP room on this ferry. You just need to pretend that Lu Cheng has returned.]
[The son inherits his father's legacy, quite fitting.]
Lu Yan replied expressionlessly, "He's not my father, and I don't resemble him now."
[It doesn't matter; pollutants don't rely on appearance to recognize identities, after all, your body... carries the blood of Lu Cheng.]
After a moment of thought, Lu Yan said slowly, "Is that so?"
He grasped Tang Xunan's wrist and whispered, "To the third floor."
Flying did indeed eliminate many unnecessary troubles. If they used the internal staircase, the journey would likely be much more perilous.
The entire third floor was sealed off, with no external passages. Tang Xunan cautiously melted a glass pane with dragon breath. The two slipped in silently.
Lu Yan said to the system, "Stop talking; it's quite stimulating, like having an affair."
In the corridor on the third floor, there lingered a strong fishy smell. The floor was damp, dirty water reaching ankle-high.
Visibility indoors was extremely low, pitch black. Lu Yan led Tang Xunan's hand towards Lu Cheng's guest room.
He murmured, "Don't worry about anything you see later. When it's time to act, I'll remind you."
The two reached the end of the corridor, where there was no door, only a wall covered in moss and seaweed. Some reddish tentacles clung to it, resembling blood vessels hidden under green leaves.
[Place your hand on it.]
Lu Yan complied, and soon, he felt something biting his palm.
His palm split open uncontrollably, and several red tentacles emerged from the crack, sharp fangs lining their edges.
The two sides clashed like stags meeting for the first time, entwining silently and fiercely.
In the end, the tentacles on the door were slurped into Lu Yan's palm like noodles.
During these days on the ship, Lu Yan hadn't eaten much due to his poor mental state, and his stomach had long lost its sensation of hunger.
Now, after slurping down a few strands of noodles, he finally felt a slight sense of fullness.
The system inquired, "[Is it tasty?]"
"It tastes like braised beef instant noodles, passable," Lu Yan replied as he pushed open the door in front of him.
The room, having been unoccupied for too long, was covered in a thin layer of dust. Water had seeped in from outside, dampening the wooden floor.
Lu Yan shut the door behind him.
It was futile to hope for electricity on this ship. He fumbled in the darkness and lit the kerosene lamp on the desk.
The warm, yellow flame danced, casting a dim glow that filled the room.
There were no windows in the room. Apart from a bed, there was a desk and a bookshelf on the wall, empty of books. Additionally, there was a built-in wardrobe with a few sets of clothes hanging inside, along with a set of damaged diving gear.
In the corner, there was a medicine box. Lu Yan opened it and found some basic medications and vitamin C. Beneath them were used surgical knives and infusion needles.
Black stains lingered on the walls of the needles.
Lu Yan waved to Tang Xunan: "Come here."
He handed one end of the infusion tube to Tang Xunan, asking, "Is this blood?"
Tang Xunan lowered his head, sniffed, and replied, "Yes."
The system chimed in softly, "[Is this the watchdog? Pretty good, the dog dragon.]"
Lu Yan put down the infusion needle and said, "Tell me everything you know."
"What do you want to know? Unfortunately, although Lu Cheng had a habit of writing diaries, he's eaten all of them."
"Technically, I should grant your every request. But this time, neither I nor anyone else can help you."
"I'll miss you a lot, my dear. But the closer we get to Laiye, the worse my signal will become. I might lose connection for a while... Before that happens, I'll try to give you as many answers as possible."
"Lu Cheng has given me his blood, and my body's blood comes from Lu Cheng."
"Yes."
"Is my brother the original owner of this body?"
"No."
With this negation, Lu Yan hesitated for a long time.
His heartbeat was irregular, pounding like a drum. His skin flushed a deep crimson.
His head ached.
The ringing in his ears worsened, as if someone were pouring water into them through a pipe.
Finally, Lu Yan asked his last question, "Has my brother always been by my side?"
This time, the system remained silent for a long time.
So long that Lu Yan began to make his bed, preparing to sleep, before the system's response sounded in his ears.
"Yes. I've been with you for as long as he has."
"Don't be afraid... If a lifetime can only fulfill one wish, your brother's wish must be that you exist."
Lu Yan raised his hand, covering his pale lips, and suddenly bent over, emitting a silent cough.
He quietly swallowed back the blood that surged to his throat, feeling a bit nauseated at the thought that the blood in his body might come from Lu Cheng.
The ringing in Lu Yan's ears became severe, to the point where it took him several seconds to realize what Tang Xunan had said.
"Can you hold on?"
Lu Yan opened his mouth, tasting the strong flavor of rust, "I can. Tang Xunan."
He rarely addressed Tang Xunan by both his first and last name. Most of the time, a glance was enough for Tang Xunan to understand that Lu Yan was talking to him.
"I'm here."
Lu Yan's fingers dug deep into his flesh, "What would you do if I became a pollutant?"
This was a question Tang Xunan had never considered.
It was like asking, "Who would you save first, your wife or your mother, if both fell into the water?" The person asking this question didn't necessarily want a specific answer but rather a declaration.
Reality was much crueler than this hypothesis. After all, neither the wife nor the mother might end up in the water, but Lu Yan's current state could indeed turn him into a pollutant.
Tang Xunan didn't brush him off or avoid the topic but began to ponder.
If it were himself, faced with becoming a pollutant or death, he would definitely choose the latter. He couldn't accept himself becoming a pollutant.
Tang Xunan's duty was to purify pollution.
He had wanted to save the world since he was sixteen, and he hadn't achieved it, but he had also achieved it.
He was a line of defense. Perhaps not so sturdy, it would break, age, and collapse, but it never retreated.
Tang Xunan had undergone training many times and understood that when humans became pollutants, they were already dead.
The so-called pollutant was just a new creature, reborn on the original body.
He understood it rationally.
But to expect humans to remain rational forever was, after all, a luxury.
Tang Xunan closed his eyes and compromised with his inner self, "As long as you are Lu Yan."
I don't care if you come from the abyss.
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