Vol. 2 Chapter 31 – Deep Sea Sacrificial Town. (10)

The dock was completely dark at midnight. No stars or moonlight could be seen in the sky. Only a faint glow from the manor in the distance stretched over the water, barely revealing the sea’s outline. The waves crashed loudly, like a hidden monster baring its jaws and roaring at them.

Si Cheng picked up the tied-up ‘Si He,’ who was the townsman Lev, and stepped into the canoe.

Sure enough, the canoe didn’t sink.

Before Si Cheng had the chance to speak, Mi Anpei rushed forward and hopped into the canoe, landing with a loud thud inside the cabin.

The canoe nearly tipped over.

Si Cheng cursed, “Watch it! Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

Meanwhile, Yin Liuming stepped onto the canoe with ease and landed steadily on the deck.

Mi Anpei sighed, “Maybe this is the difference between a big shot and the rest of us.”

Si Cheng was already used to Mi Anpei’s nonsense and ignored him as he started rowing.

The canoes in Solari Town were about two meters long, and fitting four people in one was a bit of a squeeze.

Especially since Lev kept struggling, making it hard for Si Cheng to keep the canoe steady or row in a straight line.

Si Cheng had plenty of ways to make the man behave, but whenever he thought about how his brother ended up like this to protect him, he couldn’t bring himself to be ruthless.

Yin Liuming rowed with the other oar. He flicked his hand, and a flame suddenly formed in midair, glowing ahead of the canoe.

When he saw the fire, Lev whimpered twice, then shrank into Si Cheng’s arms and didn’t dare move.

Yin Liuming cast him a faint glance.

The Flames of Rage and Regret had only been released once in a long time, and now it joyfully stretched out its sparks, transforming into the shape of a cat, trying to come closer and ask for a hug.

Yin Liuming gave it a light pat and said, “Illuminate.”

The Flames of Rage and Regret let out a soft pop of sparks, then reluctantly and pitifully scampered to the front of the canoe.

Mi Anpei sighed, “A cat and their own place… that’s the dream life!”

The cat-shaped Flames of Rage and Regret quickly lifted its tail and tried to snuggle up to Yin Liuming in a flattering way.

Yin Liuming calmly ignored it.

The sea was completely dark, endless, and impossible to see through. The salty wind cut across their faces like sharp blades, cold enough to sink into their bones.

The canoe came with two oars. The three took turns rowing, and the one resting was responsible for keeping an eye on Lev.

Lev seemed to know where they were going. He kept struggling desperately, reaching the edge of the canoe several times, trying to leap into the water.

Si Cheng glanced at Lev now and then, keeping a close eye in case he fell into the sea.

Mi Anpei let out a yawn and smiled when he noticed how anxious Si Cheng looked over Lev. “Xiao Cheng, you’re acting like your brother once did.”

Back then, Si He had been this cautious when looking after Si Cheng, always scared he might do something reckless. Now, the roles had switched.

Si Cheng glanced over, his lips slowly pressing into a straight line.

Realizing what he’d said, Mi Anpei quickly apologized. “Ah, my bad…”

Si Cheng shook his head. “It’s fine. It’s my fault that my brother ended up like this.”

He looked down at the lines on Lev’s face and gritted his teeth. “I’ll figure out a way to return my brother to how he used to be.”

Mi Anpei rubbed his head and asked, “Honestly, I’ve always been a little curious. You and your brother both joined the Nightmare Game. Did you make the same wish?”

Only people with intense desires, almost like an obsession, would be chosen by the Nightmare Game. For both brothers to carry such an obsession at the same time, that…

Si Cheng fell silent for a moment, then said quietly, “Yes, both my brother and I wished to bring our parents back to life.”

He gazed at the sea’s surface, his voice sounding a bit faraway. “A few years back, my parents died in a car crash. The night of their funeral, I ended up entering the Nightmare Game. After I talked to my brother, he joined too. We agreed to clear the dreams together and save up points to bring our parents back.”

Yin Liuming glanced back at him and recalled what Shen Lou had said before.

Many players entered the game because they wished to bring back their loved ones or family members.

“Now I have one more wish… If I can’t find a way to turn my brother back, then I’ll use my wish to bring him back to life.”

Mi Anpei said in surprise, “Aren’t people only allowed one wish?”

“I heard there’s a prop that lets players make one more wish.” Si Cheng pressed his lips together, a flicker of determination flashing through his youthful eyes. “I have to get it.”

Yin Liuming’s brows furrowed slightly, then relaxed.

In the last dream, they cleared the final stage and obtained four Wish Charms, which, according to Ning Yuanyuan, were props that allowed players to make another wish.

As the one who did the most to complete the mission, he got two of them. But Yin Liuming didn’t have anything he wanted to wish for, so he kept one with him and put the other up in the trading market, planning to check later if someone would offer a good price.

After thinking it over for a moment, Yin Liuming still didn’t take out the Wish Charm.

He had only met Si Cheng and wasn’t even sure if the Wish Charm would work. The most important thing right now was still finding a way to clear the level. Maybe what happened to Si He was simply a part of how the dream worked, and there might still be a chance to bring him back.

Even if he truly decided to help Si Cheng, it would still be fine to contact him after leaving the dream.

Mi Anpei sniffled. “Wuwuwu, such a touching brotherly bond! I wish I had a real brother.”

He scrunched his brows and rubbed his nose. “Ugh, do you guys think the smell’s getting more and more fishy?”

He didn’t even need to speak. Yin Liuming and Si Cheng had already caught the growing fishy smell in the air.

Yin Liuming’s gaze fell onto the surface of the sea.

The orange-red glow from the Flames of Rage and Regret didn’t lighten the sea’s darkness; it only made the murky water look even more unsettling, now tinged with a dull crimson color.

The farther they got from the shore, the more the seawater reeked of blood and decay, so strongly that it felt like they were stuck inside the stomach of a huge beast, waiting to be digested.

Yin Liuming raised his hand, lifting the Flames of Rage and Regret higher, and looked off into the distance.

Faintly ahead, a black line painted in heavy ink could be seen across the sea’s surface, stretching endlessly toward a horizon with no end in sight.

Si Cheng pulled out a telescope and stared through it for quite a while, then frowned. “Mountains? And waves?”

“Let’s go take a look.”

They had no idea how long they’d been traveling before they finally reached that black line.

By now, the stench over the sea was so intense it was nearly impossible to breathe.

The three ripped pieces from their clothes, substituted them as masks, and covered their noses so they could breathe a bit more easily.

But despite being tightly bound, Lev looked completely calm, as if he couldn’t smell anything at all.

As they got closer to the black line¹[T/N: “黑线” (black line) can metaphorically suggest a boundary or ominous divide, but here it appears possibly marking a shift in danger or terrain.], a few floating objects slowly began to appear on the otherwise empty sea.

Only when they looked more carefully did they notice that these were canoes, lined up one after another, packed tightly like scattered gravel pressed together on the ground.

They brought the canoes a little closer.

Aside from stained, dried blood and dirt, every canoe was empty.

Mi Anpei drew in a sharp breath, the stench here making him gag again. “Where are the bodies?”

Why are all the canoes empty?

Yin Liuming replied casually, “Maybe they walked off on their own.”

Scenes of corpses with hollowed eye sockets and emptied skulls suddenly flashed through Mi Anpei’s mind. Those swaying bodies had sat up from the canoes and dropped into the water like dumplings²[T/N: “下饺子一样” (like dumplings) is a Chinese idiom used to describe things dropping in large numbers, often rapidly or densely.]. A chill ran down his spine.

Yin Liuming got to his feet, paused for a moment, then reached out and pressed his hand on the canoe ahead of him.

The canoe didn’t sink the way it had at the shore.

Yin Liuming lifted his foot and stepped onto it.

Mi Anpei froze for a second. “Brother Yin, what are you doing?”

Yin Liuming lifted his eyes and looked toward the black line at the end of the piled canoes. “I’ll go take a look.”

Si Cheng stood up without hesitation. “I’ll go too.”

Mi Anpei scratched his head. “Then I’ll also…”

“You two stay here and keep an eye on Lev.”

Si Cheng paused halfway through the motion, looked over at Lev tied up tightly, pressed his lips together, and quietly sat back down.

Mi Anpei looked at Yin Liuming, then at Si Cheng, and said dryly, “Then I’ll also…”

Yin Liuming took two steps forward. The Flames of Rage and Regret let out a soft poof and spat out a fireball, drifting toward him.

Yin Liuming pushed it back with one finger. “You’re staying too.”

“Ah? Then who’s going to light the way for you?”

It was truly pitch-black over here. They were relying entirely on their light sources.

Yin Liuming placed his hand on the illustration book, paused for a moment, then said, “I’ve got a way.”

He softly uttered a word. “Rabbit.”

Mi Anpei and Si Cheng blinked in confusion.

What kind of code was that?

A soft blue light gradually lit up beside Yin Liuming, revealing Shen Lou’s scrutinizing gaze. “Three days.”

“One day.”

“Two days.”

“One day.”

“At least one full day and night.”

“…Fine.”

Mi Anpei stared at the large blue light floating ahead as it drifted away with Yin Liuming on the canoe. He was dumbfounded for a long moment before blurting out, “What the hell? Isn’t that Brother Yin’s summoned beast?”

Si Cheng frowned. “Summoned beast?”

“I almost forgot Brother Yin was a summoner,” Mi Anpei said, scratching his chin. “Damn, that’s awesome. I want to summon a pretty lady, too.”

Si Cheng let out a cold “heh.”

At that moment, Lev shook his head and finally spat out the rag stuffed in his mouth, speaking in a hoarse voice, “He’s going to his death.”

Mi Anpei glared and said, “Brother Yin is strong.”

A trace of sorrow flashed across Lev’s aged face.

Si Cheng frowned and walked over to Lev. “You know something. Speak.”

Lev looked up at him, the lines on his face faintly quivering, and a touch of moisture suddenly welled up in his foggy eyes. “Go back quickly, or you’ll die here too.”

Si Cheng looked at those vaguely familiar eyes, and his face slowly showed a mix of surprise and disbelief. “Brother…”

Lev’s aged lips moved slightly. “Xiao Cheng…”

Si Cheng stopped in place. His hands shook slightly as he reached out and softly touched Lev’s face. “Brother, is it really you?”

“Xiao Cheng, hurry and go back. Don’t you want to stay alive and save Mom, Dad, and me?” Lev panted, like saying it had drained all his energy. “If you don’t, you will die!”

Si Cheng stared at him and took a deep breath.

Then he pressed his lips together and said, “I can’t leave Yin Liuming behind.”

Although he truly wanted his family to be brought back and reunited, he couldn’t break his principles just to leave a teammate behind.

Lev also looked at him, then gave a faint, bitter smile and let out a quiet sigh. “I see.”

Si Cheng held his shoulder. His face was caught between laughter and tears. “Brother, what is going on with you?”

“I actually…”

Lev slowly lifted his gaze toward Si Cheng. His lips twitched lightly as he lowered his voice into a rough murmur. “I warned you, but you didn’t listen. Then die here.”

Before the words had even faded, his eyeball unexpectedly bulged, and a tentacle burst out from the socket in an instant.

……

Yin Liuming stepped forward onto the wooden canoe drifting on the sea while carefully watching the features of the other canoes.

The canoes in Solari Town had different shapes at both ends. The front was carved into a narrower, pointed form to cut down resistance, while the back was flat and square. In a way, they didn’t look like traditional canoes.

Canoes were usually built for speed and flexibility, with no clear front or back. Both ends were pointed, allowing them to glide forward or backward just as easily.

But in Solari Town, the canoes had a flat rear end, so they could only go forward. If someone needed to go back, they had to turn the canoe around.

If the only purpose was to carry the corpses out to sea, then it might make sense as a way to stop the canoe from drifting back with the tide. However, even the ones they use for fishing were made the same way.

Yin Liuming frowned slightly.

They passed over a dozen canoes in a row, drawing closer and closer to that black wall.

Shen Lou’s smile slowly faded, and his smiling expression turned serious.

He suddenly spoke. “Don’t act rashly later.”

Yin Liuming glanced at him.

Shen Lou said, “I don’t know what you’re planning, but this place is dangerous.”

As he talked, Shen Lou looked solemn, his gaze fixed on the black wall ahead. His voice was calm but heavy with seriousness.

Yin Liuming narrowed his eyes, raised his guard, and continued walking toward the black wall.

Standing before the black wall, Yin Liuming looked up, a trace of shock flashing through his eyes.

This wasn’t a ‘wall’ at all.

This was the end of the sky.

The pitch-black sky that could be seen from the shore extended all the way here, its height slowly dropping until it reached the spot in front of him, blending into the dark seawater at his feet.

No one could even tell whether the sky had fallen into the sea, or if the sea had risen and stained the sky.

Yin Liuming extended a finger and lightly touched the black wall.

Tiny ripples spread across the black wall, like a calm water surface disturbed by a thrown pebble.

“Water?”

Yin Liuming looked up and stared at the pitch-black sky through Shen Lou’s pale, transparent blue body, his eyes slowly narrowing.

He could not see a clear boundary between the sky and the sea.

Maybe this was why the sun had vanished. A dark sheet of seawater had risen from the edge of the sea, covering the sky and swallowing all of Solari Town along with the nearby sea.

No one could figure out who had made this black wall of water, or what its connection to Solari Town was.

Judging by the two versions of the sacrificial ritual handed down in Solari Town, it most likely had something to do with the so-called ‘Fish God.’

Perhaps it was the ‘Deep Sea Fish God’ spoken of by the townspeople faction…

Then what about the ‘Sunfish God’ that Madame Solari had mentioned?

Yin Liuming looked at the dark, murky wall of water in front of him. After thinking for a moment, he slowly reached out and pushed his hand into it.

Just as his fingertips brushed the ‘surface,’ a translucent, pale blue hand suddenly grabbed his wrist.

Shen Lou said with some displeasure, “I said it’s dangerous. Didn’t you hear me?”

Yin Liuming turned to look at him. Oddly enough, he didn’t seem annoyed. He answered in a calm voice, “I know.”

Shen Lou’s expression remained grim. “So you’re planning to get yourself killed?”

He stretched out his other hand and pushed it straight into the water wall, gave it a small stir, then pulled it back. “From what I can feel, it’s water all the way through. How long can you hold your breath?”

Besides, no one knew what might be lurking inside the water wall.

Yin Liuming said coolly, “The dead don’t need to breathe.”

Shen Lou frowned.

Right after Yin Liuming said that, his expression unexpectedly changed.

His gaze dimmed in an instant, and the skin that had already been lightened by the sea wind turned deathly white. His wrists thinned, with sharp joints jutting out.

The breath from his nose and mouth vanished completely.

The first illustration book skill Yin Liuming obtained granted him the ability known as ‘Death Assimilation.’

By spending 1 point, he could completely transform himself into a lifeless zombie.

Shen Lou let go of him and raised an eyebrow.

Yin Liuming looked even colder in his zombie form, with a devilish beauty lingering on his face.

He glanced emotionlessly at Shen Lou, then turned and stepped into the pitch-black wall of water.

……

When someone was fully underwater, their senses drifted away from reality. The water held up their entire body, making them feel almost weightless, as if the boundary between what was real and what was imagined had faded.

Life began in the sea. Although humans can’t survive in water now, being wrapped in it still awakens a distant memory hidden in their genes, a memory from hundreds of millions of years ago when life hadn’t yet reached land.

Yet all Yin Liuming could feel was the bone-piercing cold.

Still, the only thing Yin Liuming sensed was a chill that sank deep into his bones.

Even so, he could still feel the freezing water surrounding him. It wouldn’t be too much to say it was well below zero degrees Celsius.

Since the water wasn’t frozen despite how cold it felt, the pressure at this depth had to be very intense.

Yin Liuming tried moving his arms and legs.

His movements were painfully slow, like an insect sealed in resin.

If he hadn’t turned into a zombie just now, his lungs would probably already have been crushed by the water pressure, right?

Yin Liuming swam forward with his eyes closed.

There was no point in opening his eyes in complete darkness because sound and touch were the only ways he could sense the water around him.

After swimming forward for a while, Yin Liuming stopped and furrowed his brow slightly.

Shen Lou’s voice sounded beside his ear, “Down.”

Yin Liuming hesitated slightly, then dove down following Shen Lou’s instructions.

After diving for a while, Yin Liuming abruptly sensed something was off.

The water around him had been calm at first, as still as the surface of a swimming pool. But now he felt it rushing forward, like a strong current or whirlpool ahead was trying to pull him in.

However, Yin Liuming’s attention was drawn somewhere else.

He slowed his movements, parted his lips slightly, and mouthed a few words underwater. “Is it you?”

Shen Lou appeared on his right side, his gaze weighed down with seriousness as he looked below. “No.”

Yin Liuming opened his eyes.

Through the long, endless darkness, he saw a faint glimmer of light far ahead.

Yin Liuming stared at that light, inexplicably feeling a deep sense of familiarity.

It felt like he had seen it somewhere before…

—Was it in a dream?

—No, no, that’s not right, he had never dreamed before…

Yin Liuming was drawn to that light and instinctively pushed the water aside, wanting to dive down and see.

“Watch out!”

Suddenly, a strong force yanked Yin Liuming aside!

Right where he had been a moment ago, a pitch-black tentacle whipped past in an instant!

If Shen Lou hadn’t reacted in time, Yin Liuming, who had been drawn by the glowing light beneath him, would have been grabbed by the tentacle.

Yin Liuming lifted his head and met the gaze of the tangled mass of tentacles.

The tangled tentacles let out a sharp screech, paused briefly as it confronted Yin Liuming, then spun around and plunged straight into the swirling vortex.

Yin Liuming floated in the distance, his eyes locked tightly on that bundle of tentacles.

Only one tentacle had lashed out at him earlier, while the rest remained firmly wrapped together into a heavy, oval-shaped bundle.

Although Yin Liuming wasn’t sure how this type of tentacle monster moved underwater, it was clear that curling up like that would slow it down a lot.

—Unless it was carrying something.

Judging by the size of that bundled mass of tentacles…

Yin Liuming’s expression darkened, and he followed without a moment of hesitation.

Shen Lou quietly floated behind him, glanced down at the ball of light beneath his feet, then raised his eyebrows slightly and vanished on the spot.

……

In Solari Town, the players had all gathered near the stone pillars in the forest.

In front of them, a group of struggling townspeople was tied together with ropes.

Most of the townspeople wore tattered clothes, their thin limbs looking sickly. What was even more disturbing was the way something seemed to churn under their skin in heavy waves, like it could break through at any second.

One player felt a chill run down their spine and asked, “They can’t get out, right?”

Lei Yingzhe said, “I used the binding rope. It probably won’t show up again anytime soon.”

A trace of regret appeared on his face. “What a pity. In the end, someone still died before the dawn.”

The players sighed and nodded in agreement, but deep down, they felt a wave of relief. No matter what happened, with Lei Yingzhe leading them, they were finally reaching the end of this dream.

This meant they had survived all the way to the end once again!

Lei Yingzhe looked at the dark patch of soil in the middle where the bug creatures kept crawling out. “Now, tie them to the stone pillars. They’re the sacrifices.”

The player stared at the swarm of creatures, drawing in a sharp breath. “How are we supposed to get through this…”

“I suggest…”

Before Lei Yingzhe could finish his sentence, someone shouted, “Something’s about to come out!”

Right in the middle of the stone pillars, the bugs that had been crawling in and out of the ground abruptly began moving faster. Several of them sprang to the side, letting out piercing cries.

The soil in the center started to churn wildly, sending splashes of thick black mud flying everywhere.

It was as if something was about to burst out from beneath the soil.

Lei Yingzhe froze for a second, then frowned and took a careful step back while shouting in a low voice, “Stay alert!”

He didn’t need to continue because everyone already understood.

All the players held their breath, preparing for battle as if facing a formidable enemy.

With the dim light from the glowing moss overhead, the soil in the center of the stone pillar burst apart, and a loud screech echoed as a black shape suddenly jumped out from underground!

Lei Yingzhe gently tapped his glasses and fixed his eyes ahead.

What jumped out was a winged bug monster, and unlike the others, it had three people riding on its back.

The person in front had a face as cold and beautiful as ice and snow, pale like a corpse. His eyes carried a dark, lifeless energy, and locking eyes with him gave an eerie sense of being watched by a zombie.

• 1
  [T/N: “黑线” (black line) can metaphorically suggest a boundary or ominous divide, but here it appears possibly marking a shift in danger or terrain.]
• 2
  [T/N: “下饺子一样” (like dumplings) is a Chinese idiom used to describe things dropping in large numbers, often rapidly or densely.]