Chapter 56 Chapter 56 The Fourth Wish
They finally arrived at the seaside. Over the past hundred years, the seaside had undergone some changes. The coastline had eroded inland, and some coastal cities from a hundred years ago had been submerged. Therefore, the water city was not on the seaside, but in the middle of the sea.
There was no wind, and the sea was calm, like a thick sheet of blue velvet. The marine animals had also been infected, disrupting the ecological balance and giving off a bitter smell that was stronger than the fishy smell.
Before their arrival, they had researched some information about Water City. A hundred years ago, Water City was an underwater city. A hundred years ago, technology was sufficient to create a city where people could walk and breathe freely underwater, but the specifics of how this was achieved are now unknown.
The submerged coastal city beneath their feet was called White Island. Due to the excavated and studied relics, it had more information than Water City. White Island relied on aquaculture, export, and shipbuilding for its survival. System 05 and Chen Mu planned to search White Island for clues leading to Water City.
According to the information provided by the chip on the spacecraft, Shuicheng is twenty kilometers away from Baidao, which is about ten nautical miles.
The two sat in the car, looking at the calm sea, and put on the diving suits they had prepared earlier.
“If you were a person from a hundred years ago, how would you get to Watertown?”
Chen Mu said, "Go by boat?"
System 05 imagined that scene and felt that there should be a faster way.
The diving suit was specially made to protect against viruses, so it was thicker and heavier. Chen Mu zipped up System 05 and suddenly asked, "But who would live in Water City?"
"Um?"
"Even if technology develops to the point where we can live freely underwater, humans are still humans and should prefer to live on land."
System 05 nodded slowly and asked, "What do you want to say?"
"I have an idea." Chen Mu turned his back and asked System 05 to help him put on his oxygen tank and hat. "I think that although that place is called Water City, it's not very large and only a specific group of people live there."
System 05 seemed to be lost in thought.
After packing up, the two of them dived into the sea. Their oxygen tanks had limited capacity, and they could only stay underwater for three hours, so they had to find clues as soon as possible.
The water was icy cold, and even through thick waterproof clothing, System 05 could feel the chill. After diving five meters, looking up, the sea surface seemed far away. Above was transparent water, while below was a thick, inky blackness, as if a line separated the two worlds.
System 05 continued to dive, Chen Mu was right beside him, and the two swam in the silent sea. When his eyes could no longer see, System 05 took out the prop card flashlight.
Light pierced the water, and they saw the submerged city below. Chen Mu swam over and touched System 05's hand. The two of them exchanged glances through their hoods, then swam down together.
The deeper they went, the greater the pressure of the sea. They were shrouded in darkness, their sight limited to the areas illuminated by the lights. The sound of the water echoed in their ears, its gurgling sound resonating within them. Like two silent fish, they swam into a city once belonging to humans.
All the buildings had been eroded by the sea for a long time and it was difficult for them to maintain their original shapes, but those tall and short buildings still had vague outlines. System 05 stood on the roof of a tall building and looked down. The buildings covered with a large amount of seaweed had a psychedelic feeling.
System 05 traveled downstream and saw some dilapidated buildings, empty. There were no bases near White Island, as the threat from the seashore was greater than from land. Yet, explorers still went there in search of relics, precisely because the danger made the competition less competitive and the rewards greater. Nearby explorers had already taken many valuable relics, but the deeper they swam, the more relics accumulated on the seafloor, suggesting that most explorers were simply lingering nearby.
System 05 explored for a long time. Although White Island was a small city, this kind of exploration was too slow. He was about to go back down when Chen Mu pulled him back and pointed to the oxygen level on his watch, indicating that it was time to go back.
System 05 had no choice but to return. After replenishing oxygen on land, the two explored again in the afternoon. When they went ashore again, it was almost dark.
Unfortunately, the whole day yielded nothing, so the two returned to the car to eat something. The night by the sea was bitterly cold, and even wrapped in a blanket, they were shivering. Chen Mu said, "Wait a minute," and pulled out another thick blanket from the trunk, covering them both.
"There are two blankets?" System 05 asked in confusion. "Why didn't each of them have their own blanket before? Why did they have to squeeze in together?"
"It's a spare, in case it gets dirty." Chen Mu said righteously, and squeezed towards System 05.
"Don't squeeze me!"
"I'm just cold. I won't be cold if we get close together."
The two of them squeezed back and forth in the small space, the blanket crumpled into a ball, and System 05 was almost squeezed off the chair. Chen Mu quickly reached out and grabbed him, pulling him out. System 05 looked up at the window, then quieted down. Chen Mu also looked over.
There are stars in the sky.
There was a very light sea breeze at night, blowing soft folds on the dark blue velvet. The sky was filled with stars, shining brightly, so close that it seemed as if you could reach out and touch them.
The two people's heartbeats were close together and gradually synchronized, transmitting each other's body temperature and breath through the thick cloth. They were thinking different things, but they were silent for a long time.
They explored for three days, their scope expanding until they reached the edge of White Island. This was a large shipyard, and System 05 saw many unfinished ships. Their quality was surprisingly good; even after years in the sea, their exterior frames were still intact.
Unfortunately, these ships could not be salvaged.
Chen Mu suddenly swam over, grabbed his wrist and floated further into the ocean. As they swam, they were already far away from White Island. Chen Mu suddenly stopped. System 05 was puzzled. There was no way there could be any relics here. He wondered what Chen Mu had discovered.
Chen Mu pointed upward, and System 05 looked up. Amidst the swaying deep blue water, he saw a long, broad shadow floating above them. Its long, thin tentacles drifted in the water like the tentacles of a jellyfish. The water rippled, and it seemed to be moving, yet still, like a giant hairtail fish, with no end in sight.
System 05 had indeed rarely looked up before. He and Chen Mu looked at each other, and then they swam upstream together.
The closer they got to the shadow, the more they felt its enormity. System 05 swam next to it and finally saw what it was.
This is a bridge sunken into the sea. Its seaweed-covered pavement is dozens of meters wide, enough to accommodate six cars abreast, and stretches endlessly. Those tentacles, once the iron cables that held the bridge in place, are now out of control. Even from its wreckage, one can imagine the grandeur of this bridge, towering high above the sea like a white jade belt embellished on blue velvet, connecting White Island and...
System 05 paused. At the same time, Chen Mu stretched out his hand and pointed towards the other end of the bridge. He knew that Chen Mu must have thought of it as well.
The other end should be Water City.
It is very dangerous to sail on the ocean rashly, especially in the current environment of virus infection. It will be much easier if you have a direction.
After System 05 and Chen Mu landed, they packed up a bit and prepared to head towards Water City, following the bridge. The car had to stay here temporarily, and while Chen Mu was changing, he asked, "How do we get there?"
System 05 glanced at him and summoned a silver Pegasus.
Chen Mu came over excitedly: "See you again!"
The silver Pegasus was handsome and agile, and it was natural for people to like it. Especially after System 05 took him for a ride once, Chen Mu could not forget the feeling. System 05 took the lead and mounted the horse. Without waiting for him to reach out, Chen Mu jumped on from behind and hugged his waist with familiarity.
"Why don't you stay and watch the car?" System 05 said.
Chen Mu hugged her tighter and answered his question with his actions.
Alas, my mount has unknowingly become a two-person mount. System 05 touched the silver Pegasus with heartache. The Pegasus tilted its head to rub his hand, then flew out and stepped on the sea like a silver lightning.
Pegasus sped along the bridge, much faster than they'd ever been in the ocean. In a matter of seconds, they were hundreds of meters from the coastline. Leaving White Island, the sea became even more expansive. The waters appeared crystal clear, but beneath them, nothing could be seen, as if shrouded in a haze of fog. This feeling was completely different from racing on land. Even the most barren and monotonous stretches of land they'd passed had uneven surfaces, weeds, and bushes, but above the sea lay only an endless expanse of blue.
There were no clouds today, so the sky was a clean, flawless blue. The boundary line where the sea and sky met was blurred by the faint light, and the silver Pegasus was the only different color.
System 05's heart skipped a beat. They seemed to have fallen into a dimension not belonging to reality, a boundless expanse of blue above, below, and to the left and right. System 05 couldn't help but look up. The blue gripped his mind. Without the bridge to guide him, he would surely be lost.
"Be careful--!" Chen Mu suddenly shouted.
A fish burst out of the sea, as if a dark blue velvet cloth was violently torn open. The fish was black, more than a meter long, and had no tail compared to the fish System 05 had seen before, but had more than a dozen eyes. Its densely packed scales were open, and black liquid was flowing out of them.
Animals fell earlier than humans. Now only animals raised in the base can be eaten, and all those outside have been infected with the virus.
Before the fish jumped over, Chen Mu shot it in the body. It fell into the water and bounced, then jumped out again to attack. Tianma was extremely fast and had run two meters in an instant, but the fish was also extremely fast in the water, and the place where it jumped out was still in front of them.
Chen Mu fired three shots in a row, and each bullet hit the fish's body, but this did not make it lose its ability to move. The pieces of meat that popped out were also jumping, and he couldn't use fire here, so he had no idea what to do for a while.
So for the past hundred years, the humans in the base have never set foot on the sea again, and the sea has become a restricted area.
More and more fish jumped out of the sea, intending to attack them. The fish gathered together, like the tentacles of some unspeakable giant monster, constantly twisting and trying to devour the two humans who dared to enter the restricted area.
A strong fishy smell filled his nostrils. Those strangely mutated fish were almost about to jump onto Chen Mu. System 05 whispered, "Hold on tight!"
In his heart, he urged the silver pegasus to speed up. Due to the powerful inertia, Chen Mu felt that he was almost pushed out. He tightly embraced System 05's waist. This time, System 05 didn't say anything. Instead, she gently pressed his hand, silently comforting him.
Chen Mu lowered his head slightly and couldn't help but smile.
The scenery on both sides turned into a straight line. Chen Mu thought that the speed of the silver Pegasus must have exceeded that of his car, but because there was no reference object, he could not feel the difference visually. Only the strong tearing feeling of his body and the wind blowing across his face could reveal their terrifying speed at this moment.
Flying with a sword is just like that... Different worlds are pursuing higher speeds in different ways.
Chased by the school of fish, they reached the end of the bridge in just a few minutes. It was a small island, only about thirty square meters floating on the sea. The silver Pegasus landed on the island and then disappeared. Chen Mu immediately turned around, pulled out his knife, and stabbed a fish on his clothes, then kicked it away. The other fish rushed to the island due to inertia, but there was vegetation on the island.
The green plants opened their mouths wide and swallowed the fish that came to them in an instant, then closed their mouths again, and the sound of chewing could be heard from inside.
They had no interest in the two uninfected humans.
The sound of the plants chewing made his teeth ache. Chen Mu said, "It seems that after all the humans in this world die, this will become their world."
System 05 asked: "How are you? Were you bitten?"
Chen Mu turned around and said, "On my back, I feel a little numb."
System 05 lifted up his clothes and saw a bloody hole on his lower back where the fish had bitten off a piece of flesh.
Chen Mu's breathing began to slow, the first symptom of infection. The plants that had just been indifferent to them began to move their branches, slowly gathering towards them, ready to move.
System 05 immediately pulled out Levo Type V. Chen Mu's threshold was only 84, far below the average. After a shot of Levo Type V, Chen Mu looked much better. He then used five Purification Cards. Purification Cards were less effective, but their biggest advantage was that they didn't raise his threshold.
After the virus was resolved, the plants went back to their quiet selves. Perhaps they were the final winners of this doomsday.
System 05 stared at the wound. If Chen Mu hadn't been behind him, he would have been the one bitten.
The wound was still bleeding, looking horrific. System 05 said, "Bear with it. I'll take care of it."
Chen Mu hummed a sound. Such minor injuries were commonplace to him, and he could even ignore the pain. The word "endurance" wasn't really necessary. In his previous world, he'd even been beaten so hard that half his body was gone. The world of cultivation was just that bloody. Chen Mu hadn't felt anything before, but after seeing other worlds, he realized that not all environments were pure law of the jungle. In the world of cultivation, it wasn't uncommon for the strong to devour the flesh, cultivation, and even the souls of the weak.
System 05's hand moved around behind his back, and the slight itch concerned him more than the pain. Chen Mu wanted to look back, but the slightest movement got him scolded. He obediently turned back, but from his peripheral vision he noticed that the medicine System 05 was using wasn't their own; it looked like it came from a prop card.
"It's just a minor injury. Aren't physical props very expensive?" Chen Mu asked.
"...I don't mind these few points." System 05 cleaned the wound and applied medicine.
His movements were quick and decisive, yet also very gentle. Chen Mu felt a warm sensation inside, as if those hands were pressing not on his wounds but on his heart. If he had known he'd receive this kind of treatment for his injuries, he would have done it more often. However, he couldn't let System 05 feel incompetent. He couldn't help but turn around to see that System 05 had already applied the bandage.
"You weren't so nice to me before..." said Chen Mu.
When he was still the host of System 05, no matter how seriously injured he was, System 05 never used its physical form to treat him, but only provided him with medicine. He bandaged all his wounds himself, or simply relied on his powerful recovery ability to wait for them to heal on their own.
After he finished speaking, he noticed that System 05 was stunned for a moment, then his expression turned cold: "You were just my host before."
Chen Mu asked: "Then what am I to you now?"
System 05 looked unhappy: "It's like a dog chasing after me that I can't shake off."
"Woof." Chen Mu called out.
System 05 was originally angry. He had often used his points to create physical entities to help Chen Mu heal his injuries—when Chen Mu was unconscious and unable to repair himself, but Chen Mu was completely unaware of this. Looking back now, he felt that he had been greatly wronged, so he couldn't help but taunt Chen Mu in a sarcastic tone. He hadn't expected that he would actually... he actually...
How shameless! How could a normal person do such a thing? His understanding of Chen Mu was indeed too superficial...
Chen Mu barked again, and it seemed that he had gotten a wonderful pleasure from this behavior. System 05 blushed instead. He had experienced many things, but they were all serious!
"Stop screaming!" System 05 shouted. Why was he the one who was so ashamed?
Chen Mu said "oh" obediently, looked at him with sparkling eyes, and said, "Then you can't just abandon the dog."
System 05 wiped his face expressionlessly and said, "You're injured and can't go into the water again. Let's find the entrance and I'll go down alone."
"This minor injury is nothing serious. Before..." Chen Mu looked at System 05's expression and took back what he had said. "Let's find the entrance first."
This island was definitely larger than this in the past. Rising sea levels submerged the lower portion of the island. System 05 and the others were probably on top of a building. After observation, System 05 determined that this was once a tower. Over the course of a century, vegetation covered the island, forming the present-day island.
Without the flying technology, it would be impossible for anyone to reach this place without System 05's Silver Pegasus.
They could go down through the tower, as the entrance was blocked by a tree. The trunk of the tree extended obliquely from the entrance, pointing straight to the sky. The huge leaves were closed, and the sound of chewing could be heard from inside.
"Brother, can you move a little?" System 05 said helplessly.
He didn't know what would happen if he cut down the tree, so he didn't dare to act rashly. Even though these plants seemed harmless to humans and animals, they especially liked to eat infected humans and animals.
System 05 looked through his item cards, but found nothing suitable for this scenario. He could use a teleportation card, but teleporting to an unknown place was tantamount to seeking death.
Chen Mu suddenly said, "Let me try."
System 05 stepped aside and stared at him curiously. Chen Mu placed his hand on the tree and muttered something. A light green light emerged from his hand. After a while, the huge tree began to shake, and its roots shook out from the soil. It moved its huge body and left the tower entrance.
"Telekinesis?" System 05 murmured.
This is a small spell of Chen Muhui that can communicate with spiritual plants.
Chen Mu nodded: "...I have recovered some strength."
System 05: "When did it happen?"
"As for what happened after arriving in this world, this world has abundant spiritual energy."
System 05 found it quite ironic that this world was filled with terrible viruses that could kill people, but it was actually a place with abundant spiritual energy and was a good place for cultivation.
"I tried to practice, but the talent of this body is average, so I can only practice some insignificant little spells."
"Do those spells work in this world?"
“It will be restricted.”
This is understandable. System 05's item cards and skill cards have different effects in different worlds. Regardless of the size and strength of the world, each world has its own rules.
"You've been a great help today." System 05 looked down into the tower. It was a dark passage, and even with a flashlight, he couldn't see the bottom. He said, "I'll go down, you stay here."
"I'll go down with you." Chen Mu said, "Look, there's no water down there, and we have thick protective suits."
"Your injury..."
Chen Mu looked at him with a smile: "You know, this injury is nothing to me."
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