Chapter 110.1 Merfolk Shore
Jian Qingrong asked, and Song Yan answered, faithfully retelling the conversation with the true spirit word by word.
Wen Shi: “……”
Sometimes he really doubted if Song Yan was like a dumpling with sesame filling.
He was not certain which monsters wanted him dead, but Wen Shi was certain that Song Yan wanted the true spirit to die. He made a point of mentioning that the true spirit’s previous visit wasn’t its true self, and it could change its stance anytime to keep opposing Wen Shi.
Wen Shi fully grasped the concept of contradiction.
Not only must the spear attack the shield, but it was also shifting the contradiction.
[T/N: spear attacks the shield: too much contradiction can lead to awkward situations. ]
Jian Qingrong’s eye lost its previous gentleness. Lowered eyelashes briefly hid the intense killing intent. His deep-seated malice towards Song Yan had largely transferred onto the true spirit.
Song Yan spoke at the right moment, “Once I grow more powerful, maybe I could sense more of the true spirit’s existence.”
Before delving deeper into their discussion, Wen Shi promptly redirected the conversation back to the topic of changing roommates, “If there’s any risk in the dorm at night, remember to shift it to the first bed.”
He made it clear that he intended to use the rules to handle Xiao Li or A’Zhuang.
Jian Qingrong didn’t propose direct poisoning. Wen Shi’s silence indicated his disagreement with a crude and brutal method of killing.
Indeed, the situation was as such. The fact that the game brought Jian Qingrong here was already unbelievable. His shadow’s whereabouts were still unknown. Wen Shi was concerned that excessive harm to players might lead to dissatisfaction with the game, causing further complications.
Suppressing the intent to kill deep within his pupil, Jian Qingrong refilled the cup with water and said, “Blood testing is just one way to find one of the merfolk, and it’s not precise. There will certainly be more experimental methods in the future.”
Wen Shi paused for two seconds before realizing that he was providing him with hints.
“The history of human evolution is lengthy. You might not necessarily be a merfolk, but could be a descendant of merfolk and other species. The only thing separating merfolk from humans is the activation of a specific genetic trait. This trait could potentially be reawakened through various means such as animal bites, consumption of contaminated food, or injections.”
The dorm room was quiet. Everyone was listening attentively.
He was truly a specialist in mutations. What Jian Qingrong explained was closest to the background story.
Jian Qingrong handed Wen Shi a small bottle containing his blood. “Apart from finding merfolk, you also need to prevent them from ‘creating’ one. The party creating them could be humans or merfolk. If you encounter merfolk tonight, sprinkle the blood on yourself. Marine creatures generally fear this virus and won’t target you first.”
It was fortunate to have everything arranged systematically. Jian Qingrong suggested, “Go get some rest for a while. There’s still a bit over an hour left.”
“…Okay.”
The infectious nature of the mini octopus was substantial. With the highly intelligent Jian Qingrong beside him, Wen Shi was still somewhat unused to it.
He was about to climb the ladder when Jian Qingrong gestured to his own bunk. “Just sleep here. It’s not convenient to keep climbing up and down.”
He had intended to politely decline, but upon seeing the cold glint in Jian Qingrong’s dim eye, it was evident that the matter of resurrection hadn’t been put to rest in Jian Qingrong’s mind. It was better not to continue provoking him at this time.
Closing his eyes, his breathing quickly and evenly settled. With Jian Qingrong around, Wen Shi was spared the trouble of setting an alarm.
He slept until half past nine and was awakened once again. Outside the window, the night was as dark as ink.
It would take at least fifteen minutes to walk from the dormitory building to the library. After splashing his face with cold water to wake up, Wen Shi bid goodbye to everyone and left ahead of time.
The chill was penetrating. Unconsciously, Wen Shi wrapped his clothes tighter. The more he thought about Jian Qingrong’s words along the way, the more he found them possible. On the way to Merfolk Shore, one would pass through the Sunset Town, a place inhabited by beastkin that delved into mutation and evolution as well. Perhaps the true spirit had taken inspiration from merfolk to create half-beast people. The difference was that this time, it wasn’t reliant on Evolution Potion but on genetic mutation.
Suddenly, Wen Shi remembered that saying, “The poor rely on mutations, the rich rely on technology.”
“Naturally, I wasn’t born with a life of wealth and prestige.”
As the sky darkened, the campus grew sparsely populated. While passing by the academic building, one couldn’t help but notice the conspicuous absence of senior students.
Moving around like ghosts in the surroundings were only a group of unfortunate souls who were called in for study.
The further he walked, the chillier the wind became. The library was built at the center of the windy spot, with the Nianwen Building, where nighttime construction ceased, standing behind it.
Thinking about the name of the donated building, the unease in Wen Shi’s heart was replaced by a wordless feeling. This made him not really affected by the gloomy environment.
Compared to daytime, the library felt completely different at night. It was surrounded by a heavy sense of lifelessness all around. The entrance wasn’t locked, and the security guard who had stopped Wen Shi during the day was nowhere to be seen. Before going up the steps, he stood below and looked up for a moment.
The lights were on upstairs, but there seemed to be an issue with the wiring. Every so often, they would flicker abruptly, causing a fleeting contrast between darkness and light. In that brief moment, a dark silhouette emerged on the second floor.
Half of its face was covered in scales, its lower jaw protruding, and the saw-like teeth gave off a scent of blood even from a distance. The shadow lingered briefly at the second-floor window, and in the next moment when the lights dimmed and then brightened again, the creature disappeared once more.
An ethereal song came from above, confirming that what was seen earlier wasn’t a hallucination.
The song portrayed an atmosphere of sadness and pain, incredibly piercing. Wen Shi’s brain nerves stung for a moment.
“Hey, what are you staring at?” A player behind Wen Shi called out. “It’s almost study time. Hurry up and go.”
Wen Shi turned around as a male and a female player rushed inside.
With less than five minutes remaining, Wen Shi didn’t waste any time and entered the library.
The main entrance faced the staircase, and the adjacent elevator was currently out of service.
He went straight up, accompanied by the two players who seemed quite nervous, their chests rising and falling rapidly. Of course, it could also be because the air here wasn’t easy to breathe, with the heavy moisture and a lingering chill.
There were three self-study rooms on the second floor. Only the first one had someone seated. At this time, no player wanted to be alone.
Along the side near the door were bookshelves. Due to excessive dampness, the walls were swollen and cracked, resembling detached fish scales. The players around had picked up random books from the shelves. Since it was study time, appearances had to be kept up.
Picking up a light to read at graffiti-covered desks, the night breeze rustled the curtains, as if it truly brought him back to his school days.
Wen Shi wasn’t interested in reminiscing about his youth. He stood quietly in front of a bookshelf. Most of the books here were related to music, along with some biographies of performers. His gaze swiftly scanned, attempting to find one or two books related to merfolk.
The two players who came in with Wen Shi were doing the same. The female player began searching from the least popular section, pulling out a thick book from the lower shelves. Due to lack of use, the pages were stuck together.
“Here,” she whispered.
The book’s cover bore an image of a withered merfolk, and the first page inside detailed the vast medicinal value of merfolk.
【Slowly stewing a pound of dried merfolk for three hours and drinking it along with medicinal residue can restore body vitality, nourish Yin, and strengthen the kidneys.】
Beside it was a colorful illustration—a big pot simmering with a steaming young merfolk, the dissected outlines of their internal organs swimming beneath the water’s surface.
The female player found it hard to look at. “It’s a bit pitiful, isn’t it?” Wen Shi didn’t reply.
“Don’t you find it pitiful?” the female player asked again, moving closer to him
Wen Shi made non-committal sounds of agreement.
Suddenly, a broadcast sounded, its prelude and accompanying imagery equally sorrowful.
The female player turned another page, getting lost in the textual description, her expression full of sorrow.
Sensing something off with her, Wen Shi furrowed his brow, considering whether to knock her out. However, she seemed to be in an agitated state, and such action might trigger a strong backlash.
“Pitiful, isn’t it?” After reading two more pages in succession, a fervent intensity appeared in the female player’s eyes. On the other side, the male player also approached Wen Shi, speaking in a deliberately lowered voice with a tightly strung tone.
They stared intently at Wen Shi’s throat, eager to witness him quiver and say the word “pitiful.”
The disjointed song in the broadcast became coherent as the singer began to chant, “On a tranquil and peaceful night, boys and girls yearning for the future in the self-study room…”
The scenes described in the lyrics could perfectly match the current situation.
“But their healthy bodies are about to be dismembered—twenty-two…”
“Twenty-one,” Wen Shi coldly corrected.
Tonight, the Wandering Corpse didn’t go to the library to study theoretical knowledge. He was indulging in freeform music.
The song stumbled subtly for a second.
The lights turned dimly red, and the twinkling frequency suddenly increased.
The singer seemed to realize the error in the lyrics, ceasing the singing. In the now hushed study room, the slightly inflated speakers seemed to convey a sense of anger.
About a dozen people seated stood up simultaneously. Ignoring the guy and girl closing in on him, Wen Shi noticed five or six players who didn’t stand up immediately.
His heart eased slightly. At least not everyone was affected.
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