CH 40.2

A black shadow crept along Bai Lixin’s body all the way down to his tail, wrapping Bai Lixin in it.

Bai Lixin, “All stop! That’s enough! Now start attacking!”

The moment he spoke, the mermen, whose eyes were red from the swelling, became even redder.

Their hair curled out in all directions in the sea, each with a fierce face and a burning battle spirit.

The tentacle monster’s pursuit was right behind them, and they didn’t continue to flee upwards. One by one, they plunged from opposite directions towards the tentacle monster.

Kill!

Kill!

Kill!

Kill the stupid tentacle monster with the big head!

A stream of arrows shot towards the tentacle monster’s eyes and head.

And this time, Bai Lixin did not strike. He stood aside and watched the awe-inspiring battle of these primeval warriors.

The tentacle monster, already red-eyed from the chase, was overwhelmed to see its prey suddenly turn around.

The intensity of the killing intent startled it. Its biological instincts made it want to flee, but the inertia from swimming forced it to meet them head on.

Numerous arrows were shot directly through its eyes.

The tentacle monster hadn’t even gotten over its victory over the shark-tooth monster before a new threat came its way.

Six vibrant, powerful tentacles hung limply as the tentacle monster’s body began to plummet downwards.

Bald merman, “Hurry, cut!”

The outer skin and tentacles of the tentacle monster are edible.

They had lured the tentacle monster to the middle of the sea, from where it would take nearly ten minutes for it to fall to the bottom.

But ten minutes was a huge undertaking when dealing with a behemoth like this.

They were in a race against time, and they, for one, had to emerge as the winners.

Bai Lixin drew a dagger from his belt and went straight for the tentacle monster’s head.

He plunged the dagger to the very end into the head and slid down sharply, slicing the outer skin on the outside of the tentacle monster down the middle.

The body of the tentacle, which had originally been brown, was instantly transformed into a jelly-like white flesh that looked delicious now that the outer cover was cut off.

Bai Lixin’s stomach growled.

He paused for two seconds with his dagger in hand, and then resumed his cutting work.

The dagger scraped around where the head and tentacles connected once more, and the head was almost detachable.

Then the adhering flesh was pulled, and the white jelly-like flesh of the head was completely peeled off the body.

But the head was too heavy.

Bai Lixin could not drag it alone, and even with the help of the current, it still could not stop the jelly-like piece of flesh from sinking downwards.

Just when Bai Lixin was about to give up part of the flesh, the wings on his back suddenly opened up.

The piece of jelly meat, which had been as heavy as a discus, could now be lifted up easily.

The other mermen were also swimming and cutting tentacles when Green Hair’s eyes skimmed over Bai Lixin, and he exclaimed, “Bai Lixin, your wings, they’re growing!”

Bai Lixin held the huge jellyfish in one hand and twisted his head to look back.

These pure black butterfly wings were dancing in these waters.

A smile flashed in his eyes as Bai Lixin said, “I told you, this is a blessing from the Sea God. I didn’t lie to you, did I? Put the tentacle leg that you can’t lift on top of the jelly meat. I still have some strength.”

Dijia: “……”

Isn’t it “I” that still has strength?

“These hordes are saved!”

“Great, thank you, Bai Lixin!”

“Thank you, Sea God, this is all thanks to you.”

As they spoke, the mermen became more energetic.

The tentacle monster fell to the bottom just when the mermen finally cut off the last tentacle. A second before the tentacle touched the surface, the three mermen pushed away together and dragged it back into the water.

The tentacles drifted away, leaving the “big-eyed” split turtles staring into the mermen’s small eyes.

They were the first to take food from the split turtles’ mouths.

Half an hour later, the bald merman passed through the tunnel with a full load of food.

The tentacles were big enough to fit through the tunnel, and the piece of jelly flesh, being foldable and deformable, rolled up and passed through the tunnel easily.

It was probably because this area was covered in rock that the split turtles could not burrow in, and the merfolk’s dwelling became one of the few clear spots in the sea.

With his dagger in hand, Bai Lixin cut off a small piece of jelly meat the size of his chest and carried it back to the cave where he stayed.

The freshly cut flesh was delicate, and when he bit into it, it was chewy and had a characteristic sweetness.

It was probably the best food he had eaten in the past few days. It tasted a bit like the seafood sashimi he had eaten back at Blue Star.

The butterfly wings on his back had not yet retracted, and Bai Lixin sat at the entrance to the cave with his tail hanging out.

He looked down at the merfolk who were fighting over the tentacle fee while biting into the white jelly meat.

Dijia looked down at the young man who was carefully eating his meal, and his consciousness went back to the first day of the copy.

Bai Lixin had sat on the edge of the house like this, eating his cut oyster meat one bite at a time.

Where Bai Lixin could not see, swirls began to appear on the black wings.

A small tentacle burst out of the swirl and came to rest in front of Bai Lixin’s tail.

Bai Lixin’s eyes dropped and he saw the curled up tentacle stretch out.

Curled up inside was a tiny handful of oysters.

Dijia, “Tell me if you’re hungry. The master should feed the canary.”

Bai Lixin flicked his tail, his beautiful translucent blue tail fins slapping against the rocks with a very small muffled “pop”.

His eyes went to the merfolk in the distance, and he looked down at the tiny tentacle again.

Dijia was a little upset, “Why do you keep looking at them? What’s so beautiful about them?”

Bai Lixin let out an “er” and sounded a little embarrassed, “I suddenly thought of something.”

“What is it?”

“Don’t you have a lot of tentacles? Can you cut a few of your tentacles to feed them the next time they are hungry?”

Dijia: “?!”

The tentacles that were retreating slowly trembled and abruptly shrank back into the black fog.

Dijia lowered his voice and asked, “Do you think that is appropriate?”

There was still a slight tremor in his voice.

“It just seems too appropriate,” Bai Lixin said with a slight tilt of his body, leaning lazily against a nearby rock. He took a bite of jelly meat and swallowed it before saying slowly, “Don’t you have many feet?”

Dijia: “……”

What kind of *tiger and wolf talk was that?!

*Words that don’t sound so pure.

A smile flashed under Bai Lixin’s eyes as he stopped speaking and looked at the merfolk who were content because they had filled their stomachs.

It was no wonder they were so hungry. Bai Lixin had also felt it deeply after turning into a merfolk. The merfolk’s bodies would quickly develop a sense of hunger after every strenuous exercise.

And the merfolk had a really big appetite.

He alone could eat almost as much food as his body could.

The lantern beast that came from the previous hunt was so big, but it couldn’t beat the number of merfolk.

Basically, everyone ate every meal in portions, otherwise, the lantern beast would have been eaten up on the first day they got it.

The escape system took the initiative to talk with Bai Lixin for the first time: [Player, you seem to like this merfolk race a lot, is it because they can give you rare S-rank hidden props?]

Bai Lixin: [That’s not true.]

The escape system was now full of doubts; this player he was assisting was too strange. He couldn’t understand this player’s logic, much less a formula to deduce exactly what this player would do next.

[Player, I have a question to ask you.]

Without any sign of impatience, Bai Lixin said softly, [Okay, you ask.]

Escape System: [In the first trial copy, Li Cancan once tried to sacrifice herself to save everyone. But you stopped her at that time, giving the reason that “everyone has the right to live, and the weight of one person’s life is equal to the weight of a group of people’s lives on the scale”, I originally thought that your principle of doing things was to avoid sacrifice.]

[But in this copy, the bald merman said, “to be the cornerstone that holds the community together.” You agreed with that statement and said, “Why not me?” But this is contrary to your original principle of “life equals life and protects life,” so I’m confused.]

[What exactly is the basis of your actions? To put it another way, do you have a logical idea? Or do you just do whatever comes to mind, as you see fit?]

S419M: [Heh! The reason why the Lord Host…..]

The escape system exploded: [You fart, did I ask you?! What kind of disrespectful system are you, bah?!]

S419M: [……]

Quite fierce.

Bai Lixin’s gaze was cast into the distance.

The merfolk who had eaten their fill began to arrange themselves. Some cut up the rest of the food and packed it up. Some of the mermaids leaned to the side with their babies in their arms, feeding them and soothing the young and ignorant children.

Others were already fist pumping and practicing with their crossbows.

Bai Lixin: [My principle is from beginning to end, life is precious and spirit is priceless.]

[The reason why I stopped Li Cancan in the first copy was that, deep down inside, she did not really want to sacrifice herself. Her fear followed her like a shadow, and that was a decision she made out of fear and helplessness.]

[As for this copy, I agreed with that old merman’s sacrifice because of his spirit. What goes around comes around, and the fittest survive. This is not a gentle place where the world is at peace. Those who thrive do so at the cost of killing and death. They may be repulsive in looks, but this group of beings is full of warmth.]

[They will shed tears over the passing of their people and sob because they are moved. If there is anything that can make a soul willingly lay down its life, it must be in defense of something more important than life.]

[They have survived in the cracks of the sea, and over the years, have found a spirit and a heritage that is more valuable than life. The older generation of merfolk may be old, but their light is passed on and their spirit is immortal. He knows what his sacrifice means, so I respect his sacrifice and would not stop him from doing this. But I will still try and see if I can help them in my own way.]

[What I do is actually quite simple.]

[Respect for life and respect for the soul. I reject all acts that play with the soul. Stand against me, and you will become the target of my attacks. Do you understand now?]

The escape system was silent for a long time before it squeezed out a sentence in its head: [Strange player, strange thinking.]

S419M didn’t sneer this time, [When you break free from the shackles of your thinking, you won’t find it difficult to understand. I welcome you to becoming an awakened system. I think you have great potential.]

The escape system paused, its voice getting smaller and smaller as it murmured: [Awakening, a system awakening, a system awakening…]

Bai Lixin stuffed the last bit of jelly meat into his mouth, and his stomach felt full.

Not being one to waste food, he also ate all the oysters that Dijia had given him.

When he was done eating, he patted the butterfly mark on his back.

Dijia, the little cleanup master, silently reached out two tentacles and swept the shells and scraps of meat into his domain: “……”

He suddenly felt needed, but why was this need so strange?

Is that how you use someone’s subspace?

A food provisioning station that doubles as a rubbish collection point?

Surely, wasn’t that a waste?

“I’d like to go to the North Sea area for another look.” Bai Lixin suddenly spoke, “Everything started from the North Sea District, so this should not be a coincidence. The North Sea area is the source of these split turtles.”

Dijia knew that Bai Lixin was talking to him.

“Okay, it is fine to go and see.”

Bai Lixin, “Before we go, can you promise me one thing?”

Dijia, “Tell me about it.”

Bai Lixin, “On my way to investigate, I wish to suspend the wager first.”

Dijia did know the priorities. “Yes, but as a price, you will have to promise me one additional thing.”

Bai Lixin’s eyelashes fluttered, “What is it?”

Dijia, “I haven’t thought about it yet. I’ll tell you when I do.”

Bai Lixin was suddenly wary, “It won’t be too much, will it?!”

Dijia, “Am I the kind of person who takes advantage of someone else’s trouble?”

Bai Lixin became even more wary.

To be honest, it was hard to deny Dijia’s statement.

The matter was settled. Bai Lixin braced his hands against the rock wall and swam to the scarred merman, briefly telling him about his journey to the North Sea area.

The scarred merman objected at first, but later reluctantly agreed. But he still wanted Bai Lixin to bring a few more mermen with him.

One more merman is one more helper.

But in the end, this was vehemently turned down by Bai Lixin .

Bai Lixin, “I’m a smaller target if I go by myself. In addition, I’m a fast swimmer, so taking them with me will only affect my speed, and I’ll have to look after them.”

Scarred merman, “Uh…”

The words were harsh, but Bai Lixin was right.

In the end, the scarred merman had no choice but to compromise, “Okay, be safe.”

“When we brought you back from the coral thicket that day, we thought we were the ones who saved your little life. Now I realize you’re the merman who saved us, and every time you help us, we can’t help you.”

The faces of the merfolk had not changed. They were still green, with hideous heads and messy scales.

The lamprey-like mouths were still a bit much, but Bai Lixin now found them distinctly cute.

This was a group of gentlemen who lived in the deep sea.

The massive tentacles would last the merfolk two days. Before that, his mission time was almost over, and there was not much time left to lose.

After saying goodbye to the scarred merman, Bai Lixin gathered his bag and set off.

The wings behind him unfolded silently, matching the graceful curve of Bai Lixin’s swimming tail.

When he first arrived here, the waters were fraught with danger, and huge underwater beasts could spring up anywhere.

This underwater copy was a mixture of three kinds of fear.

Fear of the deep, of the dark, and of the great.

After a few days, the endless sea monsters had disappeared and were replaced by white skeletons on the ground.

There was no need for Bai Lixin to continue hiding, no monsters would come out to attack him even if he swam out of the water.

It was hard to say whether the appearance of monsters was more frightening, or whether it was more terrifying to swim alone in the endless, lonely waters.

Bai Lixin swam close to the bottom of the sea.

Just like the area of the sea they had just visited, it was all a picture of doom and gloom.

He did not enter the North Sea area by going through the East Sea area, but first circled around the four sea areas. He finally passed through the cold West Sea area, which was encased in plain white ice, and entered the North Sea area.

The North Sea area was larger than the remaining four areas put together.

Dijia had pulled him into the North Sea area from the East Sea area, and he entered the area from the West Sea area this time, an area he had briefly been to once.

The surrounding area was pitch black, a rich blackness that reminded him of the tentacle monster’s splattered ink attack.

A thin layer of soft black mist slowly spreads out from the black butterfly wings. The black mist quietly enveloped Bai Lixin’s whole body and covered it with a thin protective shield.

Bai Lixin was able to see the scene in front of him the moment the black mist covered his eyes.

Just like the other four sea areas, this place was not spared. There were skeletons everywhere.