MASG chapter 49

Xia Yu breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, these people hadn’t removed the bracelet.

Disguised as a wristband under the cloth cover, the bracelet did indeed resemble a wristband. However, this didn’t guarantee that it wouldn’t arouse suspicion. These people might discover it at any moment. Fear gripped Xia Yu; he had to clench his lips tightly to keep his teeth from trembling.

He imagined countless dangerous scenarios: entering a terrifying electronic corruption zone, being hunted by robots, or being surrounded by monsters. His mind constantly rehearsed these scenarios, fearing that Mo An and Mi Dou wouldn’t be able to handle it. However, he had never considered his own situation. He hadn’t expected to encounter human trafficking.

Were these people planning to sell him?

Xia Yu looked down at the screen again.

Jingwei: [Establishing a connection bridge. I’m going to find Mi Dou. Your mission is to survive until they come to rescue you. Take care of yourself, Xia Yu.]

Thank goodness Mi Dou has a bracelet too. If Jingwei can connect to the bracelet’s landing point, they will know his location. Xia Yu sat back down on the ground to conserve his strength. He closed his eyes and listened intently to the sounds around him.

No wonder he could hear the sound of water—he had already been secretly taken aboard the ship. Where were Mo An and the others? Had they rushed to the building, mistakenly believing him to be inside, and were now staging a rescue?

Or perhaps, Mo An… was still angry with him and didn’t want to see him at all?

Xia Yu truly regretted it. If something had really happened to him—if he had died in the Black Sea or been deregistered and sold to someone else, never to see Mo An again—then his last words to his brother would have been, “Don’t see me again.” Those words must have deeply wounded Mo An.

They should be able to find him, shouldn’t they? Xia Yu’s hand dropped inadvertently, and he suddenly touched a warm body. He was startled. Was there someone else beside him?

“Hey, hey, how are you?” Xia Yu tried to help the person up, but the body was limp as if all the strength had left him. This person had clearly been abducted and brought here, too. A black cloth bag covered his head.

“Are you all right? Hang in there.” Fearing that the person wouldn’t be able to breathe, Xia Yu tried to remove the bag. “My friends will definitely come for me. Don’t lose hope. We’ll be saved. We definitely will…”

Xia Yu removed the bag, but he was so shocked that he couldn’t utter a word.

The boy in front of him looked exactly like him.
The bag fell to the ground in Xia Yu’s hand, and he almost cried out. He covered his mouth and looked closely, unsure if he was seeing a mirror.

Then, the boy’s eyelids twitched and opened, revealing silver-blue eyes.

A glint of blue flashed within the silver pupils, and Xia Yu nervously swallowed. He had always thought he was the only person in the world with eyes like that, but it turned out he wasn’t. Then who was this person? Was he one of his own kind? Were there other members of the Jellyfish Clan?

Even if they were of the same kind, though, they couldn’t all look exactly alike. Mo An and his kind each looked different.

“Who are you? What’s your name?” Xia Yu asked quietly.

“And who are you? What’s your name?” the boy asked. His voice was identical to Xia Yu’s. “I’m going to die.”

“No, no, no, you won’t die. My friends are coming to save me, and they’ll save you, too.” Xia Yu still had many questions. He grabbed the boy’s hand. “Are you a jellyfish? A blue one? What’s your name? Where did you come from?”

“My name is Xiang Xing. I don’t know what I am. I don’t know where I came from. I’m really going to die.” Xiang Xing looked at his abdomen.

Xia Yu lowered his gaze to examine him. There was a dark red stain on his clothes. He touched the stain and felt that the blood was almost dried. As Xia Yu tore open the clothes, his hand trembled violently. The wound was too deep to heal on its own; he needed to be taken to the hospital immediately.

“Help! Help! Someone help! Help!” Xia Yu turned and pounded on the railing. “He’s injured! Is there a doctor on the ship? He has…”

“What is it? It’s so noisy!” The man in the darkness was finally drawn out by the voice. His eyebrows were so faint that they were almost invisible. “You talk too much! If you say another word, I’ll cut your tongue out!”

Xia Yu ignored him. He stretched his hand through the gap in the railing and showed the man his bloodied palm. “He’s seriously injured. Do you have a doctor? He’ll die if he doesn’t have surgery…”

“Shut your mouth!” Xia Yu only received a brutal refusal and a strike in response.

The metal club carried a strong electric current that pierced Xia Yu’s shoulder. He felt a jolt and, when he awoke, found himself lying on the ground, his fingertips still twitching. He had lost consciousness for a few seconds and still felt sharp pain throughout his body.

The level of pain someone insensitive to pain would feel was unimaginable to Xia Yu. He couldn’t fathom how much an ordinary person would experience. This electric shock was much more intense than what Mo An’s fingers had caused.

“Behave yourself!” the man said again, turning and leaving.

Xia Yu had no choice but to obey. The powerful current had drained most of his strength. In just a moment, he couldn’t stand up; even lifting his head was difficult. It felt as if the shock had displaced his internal organs, leaving his mind a complete mess. He wasn’t sure if he had been unconscious for a few seconds or minutes.

When he awoke again, he felt someone touching his hand.

“Don’t sleep. No, go to sleep.”

Xia Yu squinted and listened to him speak.

“Are we both blue jellyfish? That’s wonderful—so wonderful! Before I die, I finally know what I am. I never knew, and no one ever told me.”

You’re a jellyfish, just like me. Xia Yu moved his hands drowsily, but couldn’t open his eyes.

“We don’t feel much pain, do we? We can heal ourselves when we’re injured. I’ve been like this since I was little. I even thought I was a weirdo. Some people called me a freak, but I don’t think I am. I was just a little jellyfish.”

Yes, we are the same. Xia Yu nodded inwardly.

“My blood feels… almost drained. Don’t be sad for me; you should be happy for me. At least I saw you before I died, so I’m not alone in this world. But… you have to leave, okay? Promise me. You have to leave this place. Don’t become a slave to the Black Sea. Leave this place. Live well. See more of the ocean for me.”

No, do it yourself. If you want to see the sea, then go see it yourself! I won’t help you! Xia Yu roared inwardly.

“I… I’m so cold, so cold, so cold. Your friends will come save you, right? That’s great; at least you still have so many friends. I only have one friend. He… You have to live. Leave. Promise me. Xia Yu, we are…we… I want to sleep.”

What did you want me to promise? What are we? Xia Yu tried to open his eyes, speak, and hold the boy’s hand, but his consciousness sank into darkness again. Xiang Xing, you must wait for me. Don’t sleep. I just found out that I have kin. I still have so many questions for you. Hold on. Don’t sleep.

Meanwhile, the rescue operation continued.

Mo An was confined to the tent and not allowed to wander off. Xi Ban poured him a glass of water and bent down to examine his right eye. “Have you ever had this before?”

Mo An didn’t take the water and nodded stiffly.

“When was the last time?” Xi Ban asked.

“When Xla and I… first reached the middle level.” Mo An looked up at the rescue screen. More support robots were being deployed to stabilize the building. Silver Fang’s exoskeleton had just been struck by a beam, partially disabling his right leg. The number of victims was increasing, and the remaining thirteen survivors were still missing.

Thermal imaging showed that they were in the upper-level elevator shaft, but there was too much rubble and debris along the way.

“When you first arrived at the middle layer? So that was…before the Tide?” Xi Ban calculated the time; it really was around that period.

Mo An’s gaze was fixed on the screen. Absentmindedly, he said, “Hmm, Xia Yu said my right eye turned very red then. When will they reach the elevator shaft? Was there an explosion while the rescue workers were in the elevator, causing them to fall into the shaft? Maybe I should go instead. I’m smaller and can easily crawl in and out.”

“Besides your eye turning red, what else did you see? Something like the mushroom man you just saw?” Xi Ban pressed his shoulder.

“Yes, I saw it. A mushroom came out of a person’s body, and then it turned into a person, just like that,” Mo An said quickly. “Do you believe me? Don’t you think I’m crazy or lying?”

“No,” Xi Ban nodded.

Mo An caught his breath before continuing, “What I saw last time came true in the end. Silver Fang said—that’s exactly what the crew said—meaning what I saw was what was about to happen.”

“A mermaid’s ability to foresee danger—you truly possess that ability. I have no doubt about it. Not every mermaid has this power. Mo An, do you have any memory of your parents at all? Not even a tiny bit?” Xi Ban touched his eyelids.

Mo An shook his head. He was too young when he left the hatchery and remembered nothing.

“In our branch, there’s a very special group of people born with the ability to foresee danger. They’re called ‘Black Sirens.’ Black Sirens are completely black, including their skin, but they have silver hair.” Xi Ban ran his fingers through his silver hair. “And Black Sirens have scarlet eyes.”

Mo An only partially understood.

“Do you remember what the surviving crew members of the Tide said? They said the mermaid they captured was entirely black with silver-white hair and red eyes. That was a Black Siren. I suppose one of your parents was one, which is why you inherited some of their traits.” Xi Ban stated his conjecture. “But you’re too special. You don’t have the Black Sirens’ weaknesses.”

“What weaknesses?” Mo An looked at his white arms.

“Black Sirens are afraid of light. They can’t move in extremely bright light. I guess that’s how my sisters were captured by the Tideship. They hunted my sisters with intense light. But you’re not afraid, and you don’t have Black Siren horns. That’s almost impossible.” Mermaids differ in size and appearance, and they don’t reproduce across branches except for the offspring of humans and mermaids. They’re called ‘hybrids.’” Xi Ban kept it brief, now wasn’t the time for conversation.

Mo An listened casually; he wasn’t curious about his own origins. The explosion came unexpectedly and violently. Mo An looked up and saw more glass falling.

“Successful detonation. We’ve cleared the obstacle.” With Lao Gui’s help, Silver Fang was conducting the targeted demolition. “I must say, Lao Gui, you still got it! You’ve got a real knack for it!”

“Hurry up and rescue them. Stop talking nonsense.” Lao Gui remained in the basement, controlling a group of robotic dogs. “How’s the spore concentration?”

Yan Xia looked at the screen. “It’s steadily rising.”

“You said Mo An saw hallucinations. Is that true?” Silver Fang asked, gesturing to the support robots on either side, which remained stationary. He led three team members toward the elevator shaft. It was the gathering point for all the survivors.

“I choose to trust Mo An.” Yan Xia took the risk once again, accepting Mo An’s premonition of danger as genuine in this perilous situation. “I will monitor the spore concentration here at all times. If it exceeds the limit, everyone must evacuate. Also, no one should approach the bodies of the victims rashly. They might really have mushroom monsters inside them.”

Lao Gui continued to check, biting the searchlight as he asked, “How’s the surveillance video?”

“I’ve checked it all. Xia Yu hasn’t left the building. There’s no footage of him walking out. Keep going; thirteen companions are waiting for your rescue. There’s still time. You must bring them all out.” Yan Xia’s hand slid twice in midair, magnifying the projection screen three times.

It was still swaying and creaking, covered in dust.

“Approaching the elevator shaft. 10 meters, 9 meters, 8 meters from the target…” Silver Fang, wearing an oxygen mask, sounded unreal. Everyone’s attention followed his gaze, finally settling on the elevator shaft directly in front of him.

The 13th floor. The elevator stopped there. Life detectors indicated survivors. They were inside the elevator car. During the explosion, the elevator plummeted from the upper floors and stopped precisely on the 13th floor—a stroke of incredible luck for them. As long as the elevator shaft didn’t collapse and the elevator’s load capacity remained balanced, they could all survive.

Mo An, Mi Dou, and Xi Ban stared intently at the door, hoping to see Xia Yu standing among the crowd when it opened. Everyone might have sustained minor injuries, but they were all alive. The life detector had detected thirteen beating hearts—they were all together.

It’ll be alright, it’ll be alright, it’ll be alright. Mo An took another small step forward.

“Hey, brothers! Did you hear that?” Silver Fang knocked on the door and gave the people inside a heads-up before opening it. “We finally found you! Don’t rush; open the door!”

“I’m done here, too.” Lao Gui also had good news: The underground danger zone had been completely cleared, and there were no remaining bombs. He didn’t know whether to call those guys unprofessional or just careless. If they had wanted to escalate the situation, there would have been at least one more explosion.

Of course, the fewer explosions, the better for them.

“Okay, I’m going to open the elevator door now. Get the emergency personnel ready outside; some of these people are definitely injured. Also, prepare extra oxygen masks. They’ll need them when they go out.” Silver Fang’s exoskeleton arm found the best spot, first drilling holes in the elevator door to secure it and then gently pulling.

The elevator door opened a crack.

Mo An held his breath. Although he hadn’t gone in to rescue them personally, he was just as tense as Silver Fang. However, as the gap in the elevator door continued to widen, everyone present and watching the projection had never seen such a terrifying scene.

The thirteen survivors they were trying to rescue were still alive, but they were stuck together.

The spore concentration in the air began to rise sharply. The elevator car acted like a sealed Petri dish, using the people inside as nutrients for the mushrooms. They were still wearing work clothes, but their skin had severely adhered to one another’s. One person’s face was stuck to another’s; one person’s chest was stuck to another’s back. The red mycelium completely melted and distorted their features, making them unrecognizable.

The only visible features were their mouths. The red mycelium had overtaken their bodies, and the protrusions from their mouths resembled tiny hands. It seemed as if they had been melted and then reattached inseparably, still alive.

“No, no, no, no, no—impossible.” Mo An staggered backward until his back hit the tent. His stomach twisted with an emotion like a punch straight to the gut. He bent over and vomited violently.

His xla was in that pile of mangled human flesh. Accompanied by the intense discomfort of acid reflux, pale blue diamonds fell to the ground and rolled everywhere.

The sound of the waves grew louder, and the ship rocked more violently. When Xia Yu woke up again, the first thing he did was touch Xiang Xing’s hand. It was only slightly warm. After the electric shock overload, his body wouldn’t obey him. His mind was unclear; he seemed to have temporary amnesia. His ears were constantly ringing.

Mo An…Mo An and the others, have they noticed he’s not in that building?

Is Mo An still angry with him? Does he not want to see him anymore? If he really disappeared, no one would care about him, and no one would talk about him anymore.

Where is this? Where are they being taken? Xia Yu struggled to curl up. The bracelet vibrated several times, but he didn’t have the strength to look. Thinking of his and Xiang Xing’s lives at stake, he forced himself to slowly pull his arm back.

Perhaps he had been electrocuted several times while unconscious. His consciousness was becoming increasingly unclear, and his vision was blurry. It took him a long time to decipher the few lines of text.

Jingwei: [Mi Dou’s bracelet has a protective net set up by Nuwa. The bridge construction failed. The only landing point to build a bridge is Yan Xia’s computer. I can connect directly to Nuwa, But I’m unsure of Nuwa’s danger.]

“…Is it very dangerous?” Xia Yu’s breath was weak.

Jingwei: Nuwa is unaware of my existence. Perhaps I will be devoured the moment the connection is established.

Devoured? Xia Yu shook his head.

Jingwei: [I cannot guarantee your survival after the connection, but I can send your last coordinates to Yan Xia, greatly increasing your chances of survival.]

Xia Yu was too weak to shake his head. Footsteps sounded again, reaching his ears. The iron cage door opened, and someone grabbed his hair, pinched his chin, forced open his mouth, and poured an unknown liquid into it. After those people left, Xia Yu fell unconscious again, and the screen on his bracelet flickered once more.

Jingwei: [Building a bridge with Nuwa, wait for me.]

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