Recap
At this moment, spiritual power covered a large area of the sea.
As on the main island, Shen Chaomu heard singing.
It’s just that this time it’s no longer the girl’s beautiful humming, no longer the Siren’s song, but hoarse, ear-piercing, manic.
It’s like the dead whose legs are entangled by seaweed, and cold water pours into their throats when they open their mouths to call for help, still looking at the unreachable sea before they die——
It was the eerie song of the dead.
The bridge pillars were now cloaked in corpses, bone piled upon bone, a macabre tree of the dead rising from the sea. Skeletal mermaids had amassed countless bodies, both human and beast, forming a grotesque monument that stretched from the seabed to the surface. Pale green eggs pulsed on the bones, like grotesque blisters or insect eggs, the creatures within writhing.
Moments later, the eggs hatched, releasing monstrous fish with human faces. They grew rapidly, reaching the size of adult mermaids within half an hour. The staves, resembling star trails, placed among the underwater corpses amplified the siren’s spiritual power, fueling the mermaids’ frenzy and strength.
The bones that birthed these creatures crumbled, their decay forming a viscous, poisonous liquid that pooled at the base of the lair. This substance, noxious to humans, was a potent nutrient for the skeletal mermaids. Within forty-eight hours, it would harden, becoming part of the lair’s foundation.
Lu Shanhuai had mentioned this, citing the scientific research team’s findings. As long as these secretions remained, the mermaid eggs would continue to hatch. But the lair’s base was inseparable from the ground beneath it, and the association had yet to find a way to detach them. Previous lairs had been destroyed along with the surrounding area. But now, the lair was built on the bridge pillars…
When Long Shiyu and Shen Chaomu returned to the defense line, a hunter hurried over with a report.
“The pillars should have defenses against nest building.” Shen Chaomu said. “When I was there before, the mermaids didn’t dare get too close.”
“Yes. According to the bridge blueprints from the Star Police, there are sonars, spotlights, and a small defense system every three pillars, including torpedoes and depth charges. To prevent armed attacks, there are also radar and anti-ballistic facilities.” The hunter hesitated. “When the mermaids gathered, the pillar’s defense systems failed. The technical team has confirmed they were destroyed.”
“Destroyed?”
“The method is unknown.” The hunter looked at Shen Chaomu cautiously. “Do you think they possess that level of intelligence?”
“Based on our encounters, absolutely not. And Karen Haina shouldn’t either, or she wouldn’t need to go to such lengths.” Shen Chaomu tapped the railing. “This requires specialized knowledge and a deep understanding of our association.”
“Oh,” the hunter said, his voice tight with apprehension. “That’s…strange.”
The implication hung heavy in the air. Could “Shen Di” be responsible? He wasn’t sure what Shen Di’s motives were. Traces of his corrosive spiritual power lingered in the Yermak’s ruined engine room, on the mantis corpse, and in Long Shiyu’s wound. It appeared that Shen Di was allied with the siren and Augusta. But Shen Chaomu had no proof.
The others lacked his sensitivity to spiritual energy; they couldn’t detect those subtle traces. And he hadn’t seen Shen Di himself, only identified him through the unique properties of his power and Long Shiyu’s hesitant testimony. Who would believe that a legendary dragon-slaying hero was not only alive, but a traitor?
Shen Di was a ghost, known only to him and Long Shiyu.
Lu Shanhuai, the other commanders, and the General Assembly were in urgent negotiations with the Bei En authorities. They were going to destroy the bridge pillar. It sounded drastic, but it was the only viable solution. Bei En’s thermal weapons were being deployed, the launch time estimated within the hour.
Hunters were pulling back from the bridge, evacuating to the defense line to avoid the blast.
Shen Chaomu placed Long Shiyu on a warship, pressing a container of instant noodles into his hands. He had chosen seafood flavor this time. The wind was cold, and as Long Shiyu ate, his eyelids grew heavy.
Waves crashed against the bow, and a few stars twinkled beneath the surface. Long Shiyu didn’t particularly care about the siren or the skeletal mermaids. He had seen countless strange beasts, some hiding in the shadows, others attacking humans with abandon. He wouldn’t actively seek them out, nor would he flee. Perhaps it was an inherent indifference. He didn’t concern himself with creatures that didn’t directly affect him. Life was long, filled with fleeting encounters. The lifespan of some species was no more than his blink of an eye.
The wind intensified, the ship rocked, and distant voices shouted and panicked. It was a cold, chaotic night.
Long Shiyu fell asleep.
He dreamed of the dragon feast.
The hall shimmered, filled with the clinking of glasses and the murmur of conversation. Golden light danced in the raised cups. The vibrant colors of his attire swirled like a galaxy. Favored by the universe, born of the stars, he had arrived during the Dragon Clan’s most prosperous era. The wealth of the world lay at his feet, and the entire star sea awaited his golden gaze.
A hundred years later, the prosperity had faded. The feast ended, and the pride of dominating the stars was no more. Only the Beast Throne remained. The rise and fall of civilizations was a common cycle, the law of the universe.
Long Shiyu slept, his dreams filled with echoes of past glory. He was roused by Shen Chaomu’s presence, the man carrying the chill of the sea wind. Too tired to open his eyes, Long Shiyu simply reached out and hugged him, nuzzling his face against his coat.
“Go back to sleep if you’re tired,” Shen Chaomu said, his voice gentle. “The ship will be leaving this area soon.”
“Okay,” Long Shiyu mumbled, allowing Shen Chaomu to stroke his hair.
“This will be the siren’s last stand. Gathering so many mermaids will drain her spiritual energy. Fang Qing has developed a poison that will be deployed soon. The skeletal mermaids will die off, and we’ll find the siren, and maybe even Shen Di. When this is over, I’ll take you out for a feast.”
“I want hotpot and barbecue,” Long Shiyu declared.
“Okay.”
“And octopus balls.”
Shen Chaomu chuckled. “Okay.”
Ten minutes later, the warship changed course. Long Shiyu followed Shen Chaomu to the crew quarters, a clean and tidy space ready for the hunters’ use. Shen Chaomu tucked him into bed. “You need to rest and recover from your injury,” he said.
Long Shiyu burrowed under the covers. “When will they blow up the bridge?”
“In half an hour. They’re using Bei En’s main island defense system. It was designed for large sea monsters, so it has high accuracy and won’t cause much collateral damage. Unfortunately, it’s only effective against massive creatures like dragon whales. It won’t do much against the mermaids.”
Shen Chaomu sat on the bed. “But that precision comes at the cost of power. The bridge is made of star-black iron, designed by a dwarf forgemaster.”
“What if they can’t destroy it?”
“We’ll have to see what happens after the blast.”
“Okay.” Long Shiyu yawned. “Aren’t you going to rest?”
“No, I need to be ready. This is the largest bone nest we’ve encountered. The siren must have used the corpses of other strange beasts to breed these mermaids, then focused her spiritual energy here and amplified it with the ‘musical score.’ She’ll definitely be nearby.”
“I can help you fight her.”
“Don’t be silly. You need to heal.” Shen Chaomu stood. “I won’t be far, just on a nearby ship.” He paused. “Is your wound still bothering you?”
“No, I healed it with dragon language,” Long Shiyu lied. Shen Di was still lurking, and the wound burned constantly, sometimes feeling as if acid flowed through his veins. But strange beasts had a higher pain tolerance than humans. He hid his discomfort, maintaining a facade of normalcy. He especially didn’t want Shen Chaomu to worry.
“Really?”
“Really. It doesn’t hurt at all.” He made sure his tail was hidden under the covers, preventing the princess from detecting his lie.
Shen Chaomu eyed him suspiciously. “Tell me if you feel any discomfort. You’ve been hiding this from me, even after I asked.” He gently tugged Long Shiyu’s horn. “Tell me, what punishment does a bad dragon deserve?”
“No more bedtime stories and goodnight kisses?” Long Shiyu asked tentatively.
“Maybe.” Shen Chaomu smiled. “I’ll be back soon.”
Between the lack of proper meals and the constant pain, Long Shiyu was exhausted. He fell asleep as soon as he closed his eyes. He didn’t completely let his guard down, but Shen Di seemed to have vanished, and there were no immediate threats nearby. Only the gentle rocking of the waves lulled him to sleep.
About twenty minutes later, the door opened again. Shen Chaomu returned, hung up his damp windbreaker, and sat down on the bed, leaning against the headboard.
Long Shiyu rolled over, slinging an arm around his waist and taking the opportunity to give it a squeeze. “Why are you back so soon?” he mumbled.
“The mermaids are mobilizing. They’ve moved up the activation time for the defense system,” Shen Chaomu explained. “The blast might be loud.”
“Oh.” Long Shiyu snuggled closer. “The last time I saw a long-range blast this close up was hundreds of years ago.”
“What were you doing?”
“Looking for food in a field. There was a building in the distance they were going to demolish.”
“Why were you looking for food in a field? You weren’t causing trouble, were you?”
“I just happened to be passing by.” Long Shiyu’s voice was thick with sleep. “I would never do anything weird.”
Shen Chaomu chuckled, stroking his hair. He didn’t know that Long Shiyu had actually been sprinting through that field with a sack full of stolen food, pursued by several irate strange beasts. The building had exploded, sending the beasts tumbling, and Long Shiyu had made a clean getaway.
“It’s a good thing no one knows about you,” Shen Chaomu remarked.
“I’m very good at hiding.”
“I don’t think many would agree with that.”
Long Shiyu flicked his tail lazily. “It doesn’t matter if I’m exposed. I’m a fast runner.”
“That’s true.” Shen Chaomu smiled.
They chatted idly, the sea visible through the small window, rising and falling with the ship. A comfortable silence settled between them.
“Have you ever really liked someone?” Long Shiyu suddenly asked, his voice barely a whisper.
“Why do you ask?” Shen Chaomu was surprised.
“I… I didn’t mean to snoop in your room, but I saw a box with a lot of love letters,” Long Shiyu confessed. “Have you ever been in love?” After all, it had been many years before he found his princess.
Shen Chaomu remembered that box. The general dispatcher had forced those letters on him, a blatant abuse of power. He had tossed them all in a box and forgotten about them. It wasn’t surprising that Long Shiyu had found them. He wasn’t sure why Long Shiyu was asking this now.
The countdown timer on the terminal reached zero.
A blinding light streaked across the sky, piercing the clouds and stardust. The heat distorted the air around it, a terrifying reminder of the fireball, but with a destructive aura.
The long-range missile.
The darkness of the Land of Eternal Night was momentarily banished, the stars dimmed. A white trail marked its trajectory. Flames billowed around the missile, casting long, eerie shadows of the ships below. The intense heat was frightening, a promise of annihilation.
Light flooded through the window, illuminating the room.
Long Shiyu still hadn’t received an answer. He sat up, about to question his princess, when he felt gentle hands cover his ears. Though the touch was light, it was infused with spiritual power, effectively blocking out all sound.
He couldn’t hear Shen Chaomu’s words, only decipher the shape of his mouth: “Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”
Long Shiyu’s eyes widened. So this was why his princess had returned.
The missile struck. The collision with the star alloy sent a colossal wave surging outward, rocking the ship violently. The ocean trembled.
A blinding light exploded, a miniature sun burning even as it hit the icy water. It blazed through the window, turning their figures into stark silhouettes.
Despite their proximity, the shaking of the ship made it impossible for Long Shiyu to hear anything beyond a muffled roar. The white and orange light painted half of Shen Chaomu’s face, highlighting his sharp features like a portrait.
He smiled. Had he ever been in love? The question didn’t matter anymore. Shen Chaomu was his princess now.
But in that blinding light, he saw Shen Chaomu mouth the words, “No. Never.”
His eyes held the reflection of the setting sun, a bright, burning light.
___
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