Chapter 479: Chapter 315: Monster in the Mist_2
“How much longer?”
Bree asked. As a mechanic who practiced mid-level meditation techniques, he was already finding it difficult to bear the unsettling sensation of the fog.
“How much longer, I always feel like—”
Fen also added.
Her meditation technique was strong, and her spiritual power origin was of legendary status; however, the strange fish that kept surging towards the ship, along with the thick fog in the distance, were igniting unrest in her heart.
She always felt like there were eyes watching them from within the dark fog.
However, she was unable to use Spiritual Power Detection and could only confirm the situation with her eyes.
So cold… Fen hugged her body tightly. Under the influence of the black fog, small black blossoms were blooming across her skin.
Even the ordinarily fearless Water Elf was frightened by the black fog.
Chen Qi took off his captain’s coat and handed it to Fen.
Then, like an experienced captain, he took down the Day Lantern from the ship bow:
“Calm down, we’ve arrived…”
Arrived? A flicker of confusion passed through Fen’s eyes. Amidst the dense fog, it was hard to discern anything in the distance.
How did he know?
“My spirit can withstand these contaminated spiritual forces…”
Chen Qi took a deep breath and explained.
Once darkness fell, his spiritual value wouldn’t drop below a safe threshold due to the Lamp Keeper’s passive effect; hence, he could now use Spiritual Power Detection to probe his surroundings.
Bang!
The Ghost Ship crashed onto the small island.
The three of them, carrying lanterns, arrived on the island from the ship.
The darkness brought fear, and apart from Chen Qi, Bree and Fen were both extremely cautious, fearing their own noises might awaken unknown monsters in the Mist Sea.
The lighthouse on this island, abandoned for a century, rose before them, built of stone bricks and reaching a height of fifty meters.
However, this lighthouse that once guided seafarers was now also enshrouded in thick fog.
Chen Qi turned his head and looked towards a corner of the island.
In the corner of the island, one could see some white bones, and on those bones, dark shell bugs were crawling out, scurrying away in haste.
If it was treasure buried by a Deep Sea Hunter, then it should not be difficult to find.
All treasures of Deep Sea Hunters had one thing in common; they would set up a special “safety line” to warn adventurers.
It should be inside the lighthouse… Chen Qi held his breath and led the way to the lighthouse.
Sigh…
The flickering lantern light cast eerie shadows as the sinister wind blew.
Moreover, they could faintly hear human cries for help.
“Wakuvakuvaku (Scared!)”
The other five Water Elves huddled in front of their strong number one leader, shivering fiercely.
A useless bunch… Bree stood tall and gave himself a thumbs-up:
“Water Elves, follow me. Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.”
The Water Elves looked at Bree and shivered even more violently!
“…”
Seeing the trembling Water Elves, Bree smiled wryly, and himself trembled for a moment.
With careful steps, Chen Qi reached the base of the lighthouse and stood before the great door.
“Huff, huff, huff…”
Continuous panting came from inside the lighthouse.
At the same time, Chen Qi saw ‘cracks’ carved with a knife on the ground at his feet.
This was the ‘safety warning line’ set by the Deep Sea Hunters; opening the door would mean breaking the safety line.
“Fen, keep an eye on the sea behind us…”
Chen Qi said cautiously.
“Okay.”
Fen nodded and took out a potion to drink.
Chen Qi didn’t hesitate either, drinking Wind Elf Medicine to enhance his agility. A slight breeze began to swirl around his skin.
After Fen finished her potion, she took out her magic wand and aimed it at the sea.
Though she couldn’t use Spiritual Power Detection, her intuition told her something was about to emerge from the sea.
Bree stayed with the Water Elves, watching the sea to prevent a surprise attack.
In such a Mist Sea, no one knew when or where twisted monsters might appear.
Chen Qi held the Day Lantern in his left hand and pushed forward with his right, shoving open the heavy door of the Lighthouse.
Creak, creak—
The light of the Day Lantern slowly penetrated the Lighthouse.
Chen Qi, using the light, peered inside.
“You are…”
Inside, a man, his body wrapped in bandages and covered in blood, stretched out his hand, his pupils rapidly contracting from not having seen strong light for so long, like a light-fearing bug, continuously backing away.
Why would there be someone inside the Mist Sea Lighthouse? Seeing this, Bree prepared to draw his gun to shoot.
Chen Qi extended his hand and said,
“Don’t look at him, Fen, Bree, watch your backs…”
Chen Qi, holding the Day Lantern, looked at the man continuously backing away in front of him.
In the Mist Sea, it was best not to directly attack any individuals.
The man was wearing the latest uniform of the Shell Country Meteorological Bureau, and it was very likely that he was an investigator.
At the same time, it seemed he was someone Chen Qi knew.
The man had rough hair, rather like the investigator Jige that he had encountered in the Deep Sea Titan Land.
Within the Shell Country Meteorological Bureau, there were some special items that could allow their investigators to survive a few more days in the high-pressure environment of the Mist Sea.
Next to him, there were also some breadcrumbs.
Chen Qi took a deep breath and asked,
“Name?”
“The newly established Mist Sea Investigator Team Two, Jige, you… you are sea… navy… navy, right?”
He covered his eyes from the blinding light of the lantern while curling up, apparently having developed a stutter from not speaking for a long time.
An investigator had suffered an accident and been trapped here.
Chen Qi used his spiritual power to detect his surroundings, confirming there were no enemies, then continued to ask,
“What happened to you?”
Jige became accustomed to the light, slowly lowered his bony hand, and in a shaky voice, not sure of the identity of the person in front of him, said,
“We were ordered by the organization to investigate the Ghost Ship, but, along the way, all of our teammates were killed by something with pitch-black tentacles…”
“On the ship, something made our teammates turn on each other, and then, after their deaths, they became coins…”
Becoming coins… Chen Qi’s eyes flickered with an unbelievable horror.
This person, this person was unexpectedly…
A normal living person.
To his surprise, the information about the person in front of him was basically consistent with what he had gathered.
The coin pointed to the Deep Sea Merchant… Chen Qi couldn’t help but feel shocked.
Normally, an investigator who survived in such a place would, after a few words, put on a performance and transform into a monster!
Jige’s eyes also flashed with the same shock as Chen Qi’s, trembling as he continued,
“Amidst the deafening sound of war drums, the creature backed away, and I gathered the courage to jump into the sea. I was very lucky, not to be swallowed by the great sea of the Mist Sea, and to reach this island… surviving on the Spirit Stabilizers given by the Shell Country Meteorological Bureau, hoping for reinforcements from the bureau…”
Did he arrive at this small island by chance? Chen Qi looked toward Jige’s feet.
At the bottom of his feet, one could vaguely make out an ‘X’ mark symbolizing a treasure location.
Jige asked,
“Are you an investigator?”
Chen Qi slowly pulled out the long knife from his waist, his face expressionless as he said,
“No, I am a Hunter.”
From the Hunter Association… Jige shuddered. He wasn’t concerned about the high rescue fees of the Hunter Association, but was afraid that the other party, like himself, would meet their end in this vast sea.
Jige took a deep breath, finally raising his head and, borrowing the light from the lantern, slowly lifted his right hand, extending his bloodied finger:
“Hunter, behind you…”
Behind… Chen Qi turned his head.
At that moment, Fen anxiously walked over, hurriedly placing her hand on Chen Qi’s shoulder:
“Something’s not right! In the fog, in the fog there’s…”
“In the fog there’s what?”
At the next instant, Fen’s mouth curled into a smile, and flowers began to bloom continuously over her skin, turning into one blood-red blossom after another.
In that moment, Fen was like a monstrous flower, dripping with blood all over.
Then, a thick black fog covered her face.
Within the black fog, ‘Fen’ smiled slightly and said,
“There’s me…”