The meaning behind Lu Xi’s intentions was so clear that even if one wanted to ignore it, they couldn’t. It was absolute possessiveness, a resolute refusal to let go. They embraced in the storm, one of them having long lost his memory, relying solely on instinct to kiss the person in his arms. It only took a few minutes to go from the desire born of nature to the love rooted in humanity.
Perhaps not even that long.
Rain began to fall, a torrential downpour, but no one paid attention. Even the captain, who was amidst the storm, ignored the terrifying weather around him. He stood there in a daze, staring ahead. Though he wasn’t controlled, he wasn’t far from it.
The thunder roared, far away in the sky yet close in the mind, and it was impossible to ignore it. It was like a signal, and all the hidden ferocity beneath the calm exterior was exposed. They stretched their forms wildly, swaying freely during this moment of relaxation.
Unknown birds flew in from afar, circling above the deck. These were the birds Li Shu had once seen in a dream—white feathers, long black beaks, and wings that could defy the threat of wind and rain as they flew through the sky.
There was a rumbling sound from beneath the ship. A massive black shadow swept past quickly, moving so fast it felt like an illusion. But it wasn’t an illusion. A gigantic creature lay dormant at the bottom of the sea, restless and waiting for a command—a command to signal the start of a meal.
The ship began to shake violently. Under the power of nature, human strength seemed so insignificant. A gust of wind blew by, like a silent mockery, laughing at those who overestimated themselves.
Li Shu had completely regained his senses. He knew the situation was dire. This kind of unnatural, sudden, and bizarre weather couldn’t be explained by scientific knowledge.
This world was really strange. Despite having advanced technology, there were still all kinds of supernatural phenomena. This didn’t align with the usual development of a world. As a punishment world, it seemed that only abnormalities were considered normal here.
Li Shu was at the mercy of others at this moment and couldn’t investigate the situation on the ship. Besides Lu Xi, the captain, and himself on the deck, there should have been others on the ship. But despite the loud commotion outside, no one had come out to check.
Were those people still alive? Li Shu didn’t know, and he had no way to find out.
The ship had long deviated from its course, swept along by the wind and rain and heading towards some mysterious place.
At the same time, sharp and urgent alarms blared from the base onshore that was secretly monitoring this voyage.
“What’s going on? What’s going on?” The person in charge put down the phone and ran over.
“Lost the signal? How is that possible?”
“Hurry and track it! You can lose anything else, but you can’t lose the people on that ship.”
The control room was in chaos. No one expected something like this to happen midway. Just a moment ago, the report was that everything was normal, and in the next second, the ship and everyone on it had disappeared. It was as if they had seen a ghost.
The person in charge cursed under his breath and quickly ordered his people to keep searching for the signal. How could such a big ship just disappear like that?
After giving the orders, the person in charge was silent for a moment, then made a phone call. Something this big couldn’t be covered up, and it was better to report it early to get the maximum rescue effort.
Not long after, the Li family received the news as well. Li Shu’s elder brother comforted the elders at home and then came in person. He had originally advised Li Shu not to go, but he couldn’t resist his younger brother’s insistence. Now that something had happened, his first reaction was regret.
He regretted not being able to stop his younger brother.
He was an excellent leader and knew that regret was the most useless thing. He quickly gathered himself and made arrangements. Their family’s ships had navigated those waters before, so he hurriedly gathered experienced people to set out to sea.
Everything else could wait, but this matter could not.
It was a matter of life and death and the authorities didn’t stop the Li family’s actions. The suggestion to go out to sea had been theirs in the first place, and now that something had happened, they couldn’t prevent the family from rescuing their own.
The rescue team quickly assembled by the sea and Li Yan followed them. Looking at the vast ocean, his heart tightened. He had finally gotten close to his younger brother, he must not let anything happen to him.
.In addition to the people sent by the authorities, there were also people from the Li family who had been called back from various places. Some were already on the high seas and would meet up on the ocean before heading together to where the ship had disappeared.
“Brother Li.”
Just as Li Yan finished talking with his subordinates, he heard someone calling from behind. He turned around and saw a young master walking towards him with an imposing man.
“Xiao Luo? Why did you come?”
“Brother Li, I want to help. I brought someone who knows that area of the sea very well. Can you let him go with you?” Lin Luo pulled Yasu to stand in front of Li Yan.
“It’s him?” Li Yan narrowed his eyes. This man seemed to be the boyfriend of the Lin family’s young master. Li Yan had heard about the commotion the young master had caused to be with this man.
He narrowed his eyes and looked at the man beside Lin Luo. The man was handsome, and there was something unusual about him.
Li Yan didn’t immediately agree. Instead, he asked, “Isn’t he your boyfriend? This rescue mission is very dangerous. Are you really willing to let your boyfriend go on this risky venture?”
The relationship between these two was no secret in the upper class circle. It wasn’t that Li Yan didn’t trust the man, but the situation was serious, and as he said, it was indeed full of danger. If anything happened to Lin Luo’s boyfriend, how could he compensate them?
“Xiao Luo, I know your intentions are good, but this is not child’s play,” Li Yan said, shifting his gaze back to Lin Luo. “We appreciate your help, and I thank you on behalf of my brother, but you should take him back. We have enough people here.”
“Brother Li, Yasu is different from others. He can really help!” Lin Luo took a small step forward and lowered his voice. “Yasu grew up on the sea. He can make a difference.”
“So what if he grew up on the sea? It’s clear that something isn’t right this time…” Li Yan’s words suddenly stopped as he thought of a certain possibility. He opened his mouth, but it took him a while to find his voice. “Are you saying that Yasu is…”
He didn’t finish his sentence, and there was no need to. Lin Luo nodded slightly.
“Let him go, then,” Li Yan took a deep breath. “I’ll make the arrangements. Be careful.”
He hadn’t expected that the man entangled with the Lin family’s young master would have such a true identity. The existence of merfolk was becoming more known to humans, but the publicly released information only mentioned their existence and some of their habits. There hadn’t been widespread reports on which merfolk had been discovered. Lu Xi of the Li family and Yasu of the Lin family—only a select few in the family knew of their identities, and even they didn’t know there are merfolk in each other’s families.
Li Yan originally wanted to go out to sea with them, and Lin Luo also wanted to go. However, in the end, both of them were persuaded by Yasu to stay behind. They were ordinary people, not like those professionally trained rescue teams, and wouldn’t be able to contribute much by going along.
One by one, the ships set out to sea, heading toward the distance. The sunset was falling, a fiery red orb seemingly half-submerged in the ocean. The sea surface glittered, reflecting the sunlight, as though the entire ocean was being dyed in gold.
The ocean was magnificent, a beauty granted by nature, something that no man-made creation could compare to. Li Yan and Lin Luo stood side by side on the shore, their long shadows trailing behind them.
They waited for their people to return.
Under the dark clouds, time had lost its significance. The ship was being pushed by an unknown force, heading in an unknown direction. Lu Xi remained indifferent, as if he had returned to the time when they first met, the merman who was uninterested in all living beings.
He idly held Li Shu in his arms, leaning against the railing, his eyes half-closed, seemingly resting, or perhaps gathering strength.
His body was tense, and Li Shu knew it wasn’t his imagination. Their bodies were closely pressed together, and he could clearly feel the changes in Lu Xi’s body. At some point, this person had tensed his muscles, ready to fight at any moment.
This was what puzzled Li Shu the most. What exactly was it that made this person so vigilant?
Given such a major accident, the people on shore should have noticed by now and perhaps already dispatched a rescue team. He wasn’t sure if the rescue team would be able to find them.
[Host, are you alright?]
[1314, what is going on right now?]
When he was around Lu Xi, Li Shu seldom communicated with 1314. Lu Xi’s abilities were too strong, and he wasn’t sure if the other party could detect the system’s existence. This was a punishment world, where any danger could occur. Being cautious would never be a mistake.
[Host, the power of this world are becoming unbalanced. Please be careful.]
[Unbalanced? Why would it suddenly become unbalanced? What’s the source?]
Everything in the universe followed the principle of balance. When he first entered this world, 1314 had told him that it was in a delicate balance. A slight misstep could break this fragile equilibrium, leading to a failed mission.
That’s why he didn’t dare to use his own powers in this world. He knew that sometimes, even a small action could be enough to break the existing stability, plunging everything into irreversible disaster. While searching for the protagonist, he also had 1314 keep an eye on things.
[The source is within Lu Xi. There is a very powerful force in him that doesn’t belong to this world. Originally, this force was suppressed, but now something has gone wrong, and this power has been unsealed. Not only that, it seems to be out of control…]
As 1314 spoke, its voice began to break up, as if an external force was interfering with their communication. Thanks to 1314’s reminder, Li Shu carefully sensed the situation and discovered that Lu Xi indeed possessed two different forces within him.
One of them was filled with a terrifying desire for destruction, intent on turning everything in its path into desolation. This force was closely linked to Lu Xi, as though it had always been a part of his soul. Now, it was simply being drawn out.
That force slowly wrapped around him, carrying a bone-chilling coldness. Although it was violent and brimming with destructive energy, it didn’t bring Li Shu any discomfort. He paused for a moment, then quietly retracted his defensive power, wanting to see what it intended to do.
His hand was still in Lu Xi’s, occasionally being kneaded and pinched. Sharp claws would sometimes brush against his skin—sharp and cold. The claws that were sharp enough to slice through the hardest of shells slid across the back of Li Shu’s hand without leaving a single mark.
At the same time, the rescue team received a distress signal from the ship in need of rescue and quickly contacted the scattered teams, heading toward the source of the signal.
