Recap
Long Shiyu wrapped his tail around Shen Chaomu’s wrist. “Didn’t Wilpan mention that his settlement disappeared in Bei En?”
“Yes.” Shen Chaomu looked up at the white snow. The crevices of the glacier under the floating starlight were deep and terrifying, extending into the distance.
He said, “The sky settlement has fallen to the Land of Eternal Night.”
___
The convoy drove across the bridge. It consisted of small off-road vehicles, all-terrain combat vehicles, snowmobiles, and countless vehicles dedicated to transporting submarines, compressed rubber boats, and other vessels. Several aircraft hoisted the heavier, smaller warships and headed towards the Land of Eternal Night, accompanied by the convoy with its bright yellow lights.
Larger ships could not be transported in this way, but the crews could not pin all their hopes on leaping over waterfalls. They had to be prepared for both scenarios.
Therefore, the news that the Yermak had successfully reached the Land of Eternal Night was exciting.
The Damocles Bridge was silent in the night. Even though the medium-sized submarine, weighing nearly a hundred tons, was being pulled by vehicles, the bridge did not tremble at all.
During the fierce war with the skeletal mermaids many years ago, two missiles struck the center of the bridge, leaving ferocious black explosion marks that are still visible. Several torpedoes also exploded under its piers, but the black piers still stood in the waves like a giant, motionless.
Perhaps only the deadliest thermal weapons could shake the bridge.
That dynasty, glorious in the old days and using star trails as its writing, still left behind amazing wonders among the waves.
Song Qianqian was sitting in a combat vehicle. Various guns were in the trunk of the car, ranging from sniper rifles to shotguns and arc guns. She was able to use every one of them freely.
Li Jianchun, beside her, was carefully fiddling with her weapons – different butterfly knives, flying knives, and two delicate fans.
She always spoke very little and usually sat quietly.
But her spiritual ability was undoubtedly sharp. If attached to a sharp weapon, it could easily cut iron like mud, even surpassing the top high-frequency knife. Her fan was custom-made; when fully unfolded, the fan surface resembled the black and red thin wings of a butterfly, beautiful and elegant, but the edges were a circle of sharp blades.
These tools had tasted the blood from countless necks.
The convoy moved forward silently. Song Qianqian said, “There are fewer people here than I imagined. It was obviously such a large-scale attack by strange beasts.”
A hunter in the car answered, “Recently, there have been riots of strange beasts on every planet, and there is not enough manpower. Chief Qiu has not rested for a year or two.”
“…That’s true.” Song Qianqian looked out the window. “She is already at the age of retirement, yet she still has to run around in the most dangerous places.”
“She is the pillar of support and can’t retire now.” The man said again, “Even if she wants to go to the front line, the association will not let her. Otherwise, it would be too easy to get confused during this special period. Fortunately, we have Mr. Shen and Mr. Qin here; we are so lucky.”
“I’m afraid Brother Shen will act without authorization, and then Uther will lose contact again.” Song Qianqian smiled. “We really can’t handle these two gods.”
After the conversation ended, she continued looking out the car window.
Outside was the rough sea. After the ban on navigation, there were no ships on the sea here, making it seem even deeper and vaster.
The journey was boring, and she gradually fell asleep.
She had a not-so-good dream.
In the dream, she was running between dilapidated buildings, panting. The heavy sniper rifle in her hand slowed her down, but she dared not let go.
After passing through doors, jumping over broken walls, and climbing several flights of stairs, she suddenly found herself in an open space. Not daring to delay for a moment, she practically flew to the edge of the roof to set up her gun. Her fingers trembled, her heartbeat pounded like a drum, and she forced herself to hold her breath and concentrate.
The bullet shot out, shattering the skull and sending red blood spraying.
Another successful kill.
But not perfect enough.
Never perfect enough.
When Song Qianqian opened her eyes in a daze, Li Jianchun, who was sitting beside her, was still silent. She gently pressed Song Qianqian’s right hand to comfort her and looked at her with concerned eyes.
“It’s okay,” Song Qianqian said. “I just had a nightmare.”
Li Jianchun’s reflex arc for answering was still very long; it took a minute or two for her to say, “What did you dream about?”
“It’s something in the past. It’s all over.” Song Qianqian said with a smile, “Really, don’t worry about it.”
The car stopped.
While she was asleep, the car had already flown over the waterfall along the bridge and arrived at the Land of Eternal Night.
It was far away from the old outpost, but there were old tourist hotels and old houses, which were enough for temporary crowding.
And the most important thing was that the old shipyard and scientific research station were nearby.
Fang Qing also followed. Most of the hunters in the research group knew him. After all, every time they entered the scientific research corridor, they saw a large photo of Fang Qing’s head. It was even a three-dimensional rotating image. It was a bit scary in the middle of the night. It’s hard not to know each other.
Anyway, he was the former head of the scientific research group, and his research had yielded fruitful results. The association applied for authority for him in an emergency, and he returned to his post.
Fifty-seven years ago, the scientific research team discovered that skeletal mermaids are particularly afraid of sound waves above 8000 Hz and light with wavelengths between 600 and 800 nanometers—that is, close to the ultrasonic frequency emitted by dolphins and the red light visible to the naked eye. So in the later stage of the battle, the specially made signal flares, with their sound and light, performed well, driving away many skeletal mermaids.
Now they needed more mermaid samples.
If they were lucky, and with Fang Qing present, maybe they could complete the poison bomb that had been left incomplete many years ago. It had been specially designed for skeletal mermaids.
Song Qianqian rested for half an hour in the tourist hotel, then boarded a battle boat and began to patrol along the fixed route, looking for traces of skeletal mermaids.
The association’s plan was to slowly expand the cruising range from the Damocles Bridge until they met the icebreaker and his party who had arrived at the outpost.
The warship quickly passed the glacier; the cold wind blew. The lights on the boat were bright, but the eternal night was still depressing.
An hour later, they bypassed another piece of floating ice, and what appeared before them was a deep sea.
The lights of other warships were still visible in the distance. Song Qianqian leaned over to take a look and became suspicious: “Why can’t I see any stardust under the sea here?”
“Maybe there just isn’t any,” the man on the boat replied. “Sometimes there is.”
“But,” Song Qianqian said, “this sea area is too dark, and the range without light is also very large.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she saw a little white light underwater.
The light flickered and jumped, flickering on and off.
Song Qianqian just breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the white light flickering more violently and strangely.
A few seconds later, countless white lights appeared on the seabed, densely packed, layer upon layer. Song Qianqian opened her eyes wide. Her excellent quality allowed her to react without wasting a single second; she quickly drew her gun and shot at the sea.
The special signal flare was launched, breaking through the layers of waves. Two seconds later, it burst into a bright red light.
A wavelength that humans cannot hear echoed under the sea, simulating the ultrasonic waves of a group of dolphins to drive away the skeletal mermaids.
The red light didn’t illuminate anything at first; it just fell straight into the sea. This process lasted for several seconds, so long that Song Qianqian thought she had overreacted.
However, in the next instant, the red light illuminated the distorted black vortex under the calm sea.
Song Qianqian’s scalp tingled.
It’s hard to describe how huge the vortex was. It seemed as if it could swallow all the ships, even islands. Their ship sailing on top of it was just a tiny speck. The frenzy was spinning, and the signal flare continued to fall towards its center; the bright brilliance seemed insignificant.
Like a match falling into a deep well, it gradually lit up its surroundings, illuminating those terrifying faces swimming at high speed.
The mermaids were all rotten, with fangs and skeletons. Only a little rotten flesh and scales remained on their faces and eyes.
Those white lights were not stardust at all, but the reflective eyes of skeletal mermaids!
Now they were afraid and furious at the signal flare and dared not approach the place where the signal flare passed.
But what would happen when the flare went out?
The ship accelerated instantly, and more signal flares were launched into the deep sea. Though horrified, the hunters didn’t panic; several warships quickly approached each other, then fled under the cover of signal flares.
Skeletal mermaids will not leave the vicinity of their lair until they have fully assembled in a sea area. If they flee to another sea area, the mermaids will not follow. The warship’s speed was enough to outpace them. The bow sharply cut through the waves, creating a wake of white foam.
Song Qianqian stood at the stern, holding the launcher of a whaling spear. This two-meter-long spear, originally designed for hunting dragon whales, had become a powerful weapon for hunters in sea battles. The launcher was extremely heavy; even with her spiritual strength, she struggled to lift it.
With the crazed underwater monsters pursuing her, she strained to position the launcher on her shoulder. She slowed her breathing and steadied her fingers. Her high ponytail whipped in the wind, and at the end of the scope, a mermaid floated on the surface of the sea.
Would this be a perfect shot?
She pulled the trigger. The whaling spear shot out, and she took a small step back from the recoil. The spear pierced the air like a sharp sword, hitting the skeletal mermaid’s spine with precision. The mermaid let out a terrifying screech, struggling desperately to sink back into the depths. But the spear, barbed and lodged in its spine, prevented its escape. A sturdy rope trailed behind the spear. Song Qianqian attached the launcher’s rope to the boat’s winding machine. The machine whirred, instantly pulling the skeletal mermaid up.
“Good job!” her companions roared.
Having a live sample would undoubtedly aid their research tremendously. The mermaid thrashed and writhed on the deck, and several hunters rushed to subdue it.
Song Qianqian lowered the launcher; her back was soaked with sweat. She wiped her forehead in the cold wind and smiled at the other hunters. “Not bad, right?”
This was indeed a good shot. But she knew in her heart that it wasn’t perfect enough, not the kind of perfection she sought.
The warship passed through the glacier, and another sea area appeared in the distance.
…
Long Shiyu sat on the speeding sled and stuffed the Flamingo Lily back into his down jacket.
Shen Chaomu glanced over a few times. “I can’t believe you were carrying it all this time; I couldn’t even tell.”
“I told you, this down jacket is too big,” Long Shiyu complained. “I’m not cold.”
As usual, Shen Chaomu didn’t believe him.
Not only did he not believe him, but he also pulled Long Shiyu’s scarf tight, ensuring it was snug but not suffocating.
The sled sped along the towering glacier. The satellite image showed the crevice extending a great distance. Traveling directly through the ice cracks was impractical, so they opted to navigate around the glacier with the sled.
Long Shiyu suggested, “If you want to go directly, I can fly you there.”
Shen Chaomu replied, “There are griffins in the air here; it’s easy to become their prey.”
“But I can beat them…”
“Don’t be silly.” Shen Chaomu rubbed his head. “Don’t try to be a hero. We have plenty of time.”
Long Shiyu fell silent.
After another three or four hours of travel, they reached the other side of the glacier.
Although it was five or six in the afternoon, the eternal night and starlight made it impossible to distinguish day from night. Shen Chaomu got off the sled, and his spiritual ability quickly covered the snow. He then gently swept an area clear.
Beneath that area was frozen black blood.
It had been left by the mantises.
Long Shiyu also poked his head over to look.
Shen Chaomu observed, “They’re migrating in a specific direction, possibly to avoid the griffins. But in such large numbers, they shouldn’t fear the griffins. After all, few aerial beasts dare to challenge them.”
“Maybe they’re not used to the glaciers,” Long Shiyu suggested. “When they were on the volcano, they fainted from the volcanic clouds.”
Shen Chaomu asked, “…How do you know?”
“I was flying one day and happened to see them… Ahhh, stop shaking me!”
Shen Chaomu grabbed his dragon horn and said, “How could you do such a dangerous thing?”
Wilpan is an outlier among mantises. Ordinary mantises do not possess his powerful spiritual power, but they are extremely terrifying when they act collectively. In rare cases, when there is insufficient prey in the sky, they will temporarily hunt on the ground. If they become too rampant, the association has to intervene and drive them away.
Of course, the current situation, with all the mantises on the ground, is abnormal.
Long Shiyu, shaken by Shen Chaomu, said, “I, I want to eat.”
“You still dare to steal food from them?” Shen Chaomu frowned and shook him a few more times.
“It’s not stealing…” Long Shiyu whispered, “It’s what evil dragons do…can it be called stealing…?”
Shen Chaomu thought about it; it was true that Long Shiyu couldn’t defeat the sky settlement, and those mantises were not easy to mess with. So he let go of Long Shiyu’s hand and asked, “You weren’t injured at that time, were you?”
“No.”
“…”
“Really.” Long Shiyu looked sincere.
Shen Chaomu was still suspicious but had no way to verify it.
The two followed the traces little by little. Soon it was night. The temperature here is low at night, and without sunlight from the stars, the stardust in the air becomes even colder.
The blood left by the mantises and a few traces not covered by wind and frost disappeared into the towering snow-capped mountains.
“This used to be the main habitat of griffins,” Shen Chaomu said, stopping the sled. “In the past, the outposts effectively controlled the griffins’ range of activity; otherwise, the sightseeing hot air balloons wouldn’t be able to take off. However, because of the stardust, the hot air balloons don’t dare to go too high now. There’s nothing to see anyway.”
“Oh.” Long Shiyu looked up.
The smell of griffin feathers could be detected from the heights.
“Let’s go up the mountain,” Shen Chaomu said.
After being deformed, the customized polar sled can climb snow-capped mountains. Its eight claws will be firmly nailed into the ice, and the program will automatically calculate the best route to ensure that all hunters reach the top safely.
… At least, that’s the design philosophy.
The terrain of the glacier is extremely complex, and this kind of thing has never been successful. In every random terrain generation test, two or three out of ten dummies were smashed to pieces. The addition of the safety system helped; at least the dummies weren’t broken, but their hands and feet were.
In addition, most snow-capped mountains can be accessed directly with aircraft, so this kind of creation hasn’t continued.
After all, the situation in the Land of Eternal Night is still special. There are still a few of these custom sleds at the Bei En Outpost, and Shen Chaomu deliberately brought them up.
He handed a backpack to Long Shiyu: “Put this on.”
“What is this?” Long Shiyu took it.
“A parachute.”
“Why do you need something like this?”
Shen Chaomu patted the sled that was clicking and deforming: “This thing’s safety system is designed to protect passengers. If it determines that it can’t protect them, it will eject them to what it deems the safest location.”
“Eject?” Long Shiyu looked at the steep snow-covered mountain. “Is that really safe?”
“Obviously not.” Shen Chaomu said, “Several of the test dummies’ necks were broken.”
Long Shiyu: “…”
“With my spiritual strength, nothing will happen,” Shen Chaomu said. “I can also guarantee your safety, but it’s always better to be prepared for accidents.”
“But why give me a parachute?”
“Again, just to be prepared. It’ll be useful if we encounter a cliff with a big drop.”
“But,” Long Shiyu said, “I can fly.”
Shen Chaomu: “…”
Shen Chaomu: “……………”
He coughed twice. “Just take it with you, okay?”
He still had to listen to the princess.
The down jacket was still too fluffy, and Long Shiyu struggled to put on the parachute backpack.
The two of them got on the sled. The contraption made a strange creaking sound, suddenly stood up on eight long, deformed legs, and began to climb the snow-covered mountain.
Although the innovation was a failure, and the sled’s shape and movements were very strange, it had to be said that it was still very efficient. The long mechanical legs were deeply embedded in the snow and ice, and with the help of hooks and ropes, they climbed rocks and walls very quickly.
After traveling like this for more than half an hour, they were already a long way from the ground.
Seeing that they were about to reach the first peak of the snow-covered mountain after traveling a few more meters, Long Shiyu began to poke his head out to enjoy the breeze again. “This thing is quite fun.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the sled stopped.
Then it started to smoke.
Shen Chaomu looked at the time. “It’s been holding on for a long time.”
He canceled the barrier around the sled and jumped onto the snow. “Come down; we’ll walk for another five or six minutes tomorrow to reach the mountaintop.”
He originally wanted to help Long Shiyu down but decided against it for safety reasons. Instead, he grabbed the young man’s collar and lifted him down.
Long Shiyu asked, “Aren’t we going any further today?”
“No. Griffins are most active at night; it’s their hunting time now,” Shen Chaomu explained. “We’ll continue tomorrow. You should get some sleep.”
“Okay.”
Shen Chaomu explored the area with his spiritual ability and quickly found a suitable place to spend the night. It was a recessed cave. The golden catkins quickly cleared the snow, revealing the solid ground underneath.
The cave was about three or four meters deep, and the surrounding stone walls were enough to block the wind. Shen Chaomu took out the warming energy ball from his carry-on bag and gently tossed it into the air. The energy ball emitted a warm yellow light, quickly warming the small area and isolating the frost and ice outside.
They had already climbed very high, and from here they could see the rolling stardust and glaciers below, as well as the seas that were either dark or translucent and colorful.
The sled contained many necessities. Long Shiyu covered himself with the quilt that Shen Chaomu gave him. Underneath him was a soft layer of cotton. Although it wasn’t as soft as a bed, it was comfortable.
Shen Chaomu didn’t intend to lie down but just sat leaning against the wall beside him.
Long Shiyu asked, “Aren’t you sleeping?”
“I can just take a nap; I’m not very tired yet,” Shen Chaomu replied.
He was always like this when he went out to hunt strange beasts alone; he never let his guard down. Leaning against the bed to sleep prevented him from falling into a deep sleep, and he could react quickly when his spiritual ability detected a threat.
A small water bag he carried with him contained a little Bei En sea flower wine, which could ward off the cold very well.
Shen Chaomu took a few sips. His Adam’s apple rolled, and the spicy liquid slid down his throat as if it were burning. He said, “Generally, in this kind of weather, Bei En sailors and fishermen like to drink seafood chili soup, which is filled with Bei En chili peppers, the kind that used to make you breathe fire.”
“Oh. When did you come to Bei En?”
“When I first joined the association. I didn’t do anything major when I came here; I just solved the problem of water ghosts on a few islands.” Shen Chaomu pointed to the energy ball floating in the air. “Hunters didn’t have such good equipment back then, so it was still very cold at night on the island. I don’t like to drink chili seafood soup, so I bought some wine to drink when I was on watch.”
“Can you drink alcohol on watch?”
“No.” Shen Chaomu looked old-fashioned. “I was punished later.”
Long Shiyu: “…”
He thought for a while, then wrapped his tail around Shen Chaomu’s ankle. “It would be great if I had found you sooner. I could have helped you keep watch at night. We could have cooked seafood soup together; I don’t like chili either.”
“Why don’t you like chili?”
“Because it makes me so hot that I breathe fire.”
Shen Chaomu chuckled and affectionately rubbed the dragon’s head. “This energy ball is a bit problematic; it’s too bright and affects sleep. I’ll show you something beautiful.”
The spiritual ability transformed into golden catkins dancing in the air.
This time, they resembled snowflakes encircling the energy ball, scattered yet orderly. Shen Chaomu intentionally dimmed the light slightly, partially obscuring the energy ball’s glow and darkening the cave.
A moment later, the stagnant light clusters in the air began to rotate slowly.
Outside, the wind howled, and the swirling snow danced wildly in the bitter cold. But inside the cave, a different scene unfolded. The light, shifting with the golden, swirling snow, danced across every corner of the stone wall, warm and dreamlike.
The surrounding shadows danced, resembling patterns cast by hollow lanterns or a mesmerizing kaleidoscope offering glimpses of a thousand worlds.
Long Shiyu lay in this extraordinary light, watching intently.
The golden light clusters partially blocked the energy ball’s light, creating a gentle luminosity perfect for peaceful sleep, not oppressively dark.
He smiled and said, “It’s so beautiful.”
Shen Chaomu smiled softly and replied, “Go to sleep.”
Gazing at this scene, his thoughts drifted back to his time keeping vigil on the island.
It had indeed been too cold and monotonous, requiring a few sips of spirits to endure the night. Looking north, he could see the silent, giant bridge and reefs. Occasionally, a few daring water ghosts would surface, glance at him, and then retreat in fear.
A few more hours, and dawn would arrive. The morning sun would rise vigorously, ending the lonely vigil and ushering in a new day—a day that was no different from any other.
He should have been alone on this snowy mountain, just like countless other unknown adventures before.
But thankfully…
Long Shiyu spoke again. “Can I have a taste of your wine before bed? Wine is a bright, good thing, and all evil dragons like it.”
“No way.”
“Please?” ૮(˶ㅠ︿ㅠ)ა
“…Just a tiny sip.”
Shen Chaomu retrieved the water bag and handed it to Long Shiyu.
Long Shiyu sat up halfway and took a large gulp.
Shen Chaomu quickly snatched it back from the dragon’s mouth. “Why did you drink so much?”
“That was a tiny sip,” Long Shiyu said.
Shen Chaomu looked at him suspiciously. “You won’t get drunk, will you?”
“Probably not.” Long Shiyu pulled the quilt and prepared to lie back down.
Then, Shen Chaomu watched helplessly as the unique brilliance in Long Shiyu’s dark eyes suddenly vanished.
Like colored ink dripping into water, the molten gold intensified, accompanied by the vertical pupils of the beast.
Shen Chaomu thought, “…” He have a bad feeling about this.
___
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