Chapter 25
The transport vehicle sent by the company was a five meter tall heavy-duty armored vehicle. It had no wheels and floated along the track, like a prostrate steel behemoth.
Due to his background, Si Chen had only ever seen this kind of vehicle on TV.
Before boarding the vehicle, the Evolutionaries were divided into three teams based on which Step of Heaven’s Stairway they were on — Tiers 1 to 3, Tier 4, and above Tier 4.
Si Chen’s team had the largest number of people, more than thirty. They were the last to leave.
As soon as they entered the vehicle, the mechanically transformed Evolutionaries headed to the charging ports and lined up to charge.
Just like fuel isn’t exactly ‘fuel’, ‘electricity’ cannot be completely called ‘electricity’. This is a kind of new energy and it comes from energy stones mined in the Disaster Zones. But for simplicity’s sake, it had simply adopted the old names.
Si Chen discovered that not all the cyborgs’ charging ports were located on the inner thighs.
Some charging ports were located on the back of necks, on the arms, on the waist…There were many variations.
Xin Xiaocao plugged the jack into his arm. He turned to look at Si Chen and asked curiously, “Aren’t you going to charge?”
The way Xin Xiaocao understood it, the more powerful the mechanical equipment, the more energy it needs. Since Si Chen is able to get 12th place on the Second Step, he must have an energy core that consumed a lot of energy.
The only part on Si Chen that could be called mechanically transformed was his removable prosthetic eye and his prosthetic eye apparently didn’t need much power to operate.
He raised his eyes and Xin Xiaocao’s data appeared in front of him. It showed energy fluctuations at around 270. This was because Xin Xiaocao hasn’t switched to combat mode yet. At his peak, this value can reach 2000.
The energy fluctuations of ordinary people go from between 0 to 20.
Being able to read energy fluctuations was a new feature unlocked when the mechanic granted Si Chen his new permissions.
He turned to look in the mirror. His energy value in rest mode fluctuated around 60. It was no wonder Xin Xiaocao had mistaken him for the new receptionist.
Si Chen replied politely, “I charged at home.”
Xin Xiaocao didn’t force the issue.
Although the Space Fold area was located in Jiangchuan, it was actually in the outskirts, a hair’s breadth from the wilderness.
The staff began to distribute equipment one by one. There were given underwater filters, protective clothing, high beam flashlights and storage boxes for high-dimensional items.
The underwater air filters were head-mounted and it was equipped with a small display to monitor vital signs.
Si Chen put the filter over his face. It was shaped a bit like a dog’s muzzle.
Detailed mission information was sent to each member’s personal terminal.
[Item No. HD4163]
[Affiliation: Chaos Civilization]
[Danger level: 5A]
[When the High-Dimensional Invasion occurred in this area, the High Dimension universe was already dying out. But because it came from the Eight Dimension universe, it still emitted high levels of radiation lethal to Low Dimensional creatures. Please stay safe and preserve your sanity at all times.]
[High Dimensional Creatures found within the Space Fold ——]
[The Singer (No. 321)]
Warning: The Singer’s form is unknown. All creatures who’ve heard its song are dead. When you hear strange sounds underwater, immediately turn off your hearing system or plug your ears and move away from the area.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
[Blood Pool (No. 1039)]
Qjgclcu: Ktlr Llut Glwfcrlbcji Jgfjaegf jqqfjgr jr j qbbi bo oibklcu gfv ildelv. Pa tjr cb rfcrf bo rluta jcv cb rfcrf bo rwfii. Pa jaajmxr ys reywfgulcu jcv vgbkclcu lar ajgufa. Qtfc sbe rff j ragjcuf gfv nlrmber oielv lc atf Vqjmf Mbiv, qifjrf mjiwis wbnf jkjs.
[Eternal Life Abyss (No. 13)]
Qjgclcu: (Jeggfcais bcis atf gfwjlcr bo jc Safgcji Olof Cysrr tjr yffc obecv. Rb ilnlcu rqfmlwfc tjr yffc rqbaafv.)
[Unknown creature (unclassifed)]
Warning: A new species has been found underwater. It has a blood-red root-like appearance and eyeballs on its surface. Its characteristics are currently unknown. Non-poisonous.
…
…
[Other notes: Once the vital sign indicator drops to 45, you must abandon your task and return immediately.]
[Tasks (optional): 1. Explore the Space Fold area in groups of two, collect and send back data; 2. Locate and rescue missing colleagues; the company will provide as much ground support as possible. Please ensure your own safe return.]
Si Chen carefully read the information and determined that the unknown creature must be the “Eyeworm”, the Eternal Life Abyss’ favorite pig feed.
Xin Xiaocao took a deep breath. “I didn’t think there’d be an Eternal Life Abyss. It’d be insta-death for us if we encounter the real thing. Good thing its just the remains. They’d have no choice but to seal off the area if they spotted a live one.”
The people around him chimed in, “That’s right. Seeing one alive means your death. Seventy years ago, in order to handle that live Eternal Life Abyss, the Alliance had to hand over a Safe Zone for White King.”
“Fortunately, those Eternal Life Abyss are also about to go extinct in the Eight Dimension universe!”
“That’s true. Their universe is coming to an end and it’s begun to decay. There’s not going to be much food for the Eternal Life Abyss. Everything there will basically starve to death. They’ll be left with nothing to eat but themselves.”
It sounded quite pitiful.
Si Chen thought in his mind. “Is that true?”
Eternal Life Abyss: “Squeak, cheep!”
Although Si Chen found the Eternal Life Abyss to be quite ugly, he actually felt that it had a cute personality. Bringing it up as a pet was quite rewarding.
Though it would have been better if it didn’t call him ‘mom’ all the time.
After nearly two hours, their vehicle finally arrived at the destination.
Although it had been expected, everyone still couldn’t control the shock in their hearts when they saw the pure black lake in front of them.
This time, a High-Dimensional invasion occurred in the suburbs of Jiangchuan. When the Space Fold terminated, what was left in the real world was a vast and boundless giant lake.
The lake was 47 kilometers in diameter and its depths were unfathomable.
From the satellite image, the lake looked like a narrow eye, formed by the different shades as a result of the varying depths.
At the command office by the shore of the lake, Song Qingyu stood with his arms folded. He wore a similar dark uniform. His brows were deeply furrowed.
Several banners hung over the command office. Obviously, this Space Fold area was being jointly explored by the different conglomerates.
Song Qingyu glanced at the newly arrived Evolutionaries. He said only one sentence, “Make it back alive and you get a raise.”
The area to be explored was from 0-500 meters underwater. Not much equipment was required.
A batch of production team donkeys went into the water one by one.
Si Chen noticed that Xin Xiaocao wasn’t wearing an underwater filter. He wore only the vital signs detector.
Xin Xiaocao saw his puzzlement and explained, “My lungs have been modified so I can breathe underwater.”
Xin Xiaocao grabbed his wrist and said in a low voice, “Xiao Chen, listen to Ge, you can’t take work too seriously. If you take this too seriously, you’ll suffer. The ultimate meaning of work is to get paid to take a crap. Later, you and I will find a nice quiet spot to watch some fish. Then we’ll take a few laps around the shallow water and that should be enough. In any case, the monitor won’t be able to see it, understand?”
Si Chen nodded obediently and replied politely, “Okay, Gege.”
Xin Xiaocao felt very gratified.
***
The pitch-black lake was icy cold.
Almost as soon as he went in, Si Chen couldn’t help shivering.
He could swim but the pressure in these waters was very strange, Si Chen followed behind Xin Xiaocao, feeling that some force was pulling him deeper into the abyss.
Visibility was very low so his prosthetic eye turned on automatic scanning mode, supplementing his vision with thermal and optical imaging.
However, as soon as it turned on, Si Chen felt it would have been better if it hadn’t.
Because just a few meters away, a clump of soaked and swollen human bodies were suspended in the black liquid.
Their facial features had deformed; their clothes had either been washed away or chewed to pieces by unknown creatures, leaving only tatters of fabric. Their bellies were swollen, their bodies a pale white. They looked like engorged lumps weighing several hundred kilos.
The protruding bone of a swollen corpse bumped into another floating body.
After being hit, the enlarged balloon spat out balls of black elongated fish from its mouth.
These elongated fish were nesting inside the corpses, laying their eggs.
Now, translucent fish eggs scattered in the water, dropping slowly like rain.
The energy fluctuations from these fish was around 50. They weren’t High Dimensional creatures but rather “alien species” or “mutant species” that appeared after being affected like the moths Si Chen had encountered before.
Dead bodies weren’t the only things in the water. There were also plenty of remains of human civilization. For example, buses and plastic bottles. Si Chen even saw a charging stake float past.
Si Chen slowly looked away.
These giant bloated corpses were of people who lived in the outer suburbs before the High Dimensional Invasion.
Officially, only around 600 people had died. But the death toll should be much higher than the number reported.
In the shallows, their personal terminals are still able to receive some simple signals.
After sinking for about 10 minutes, Si Chen finally stepped on solid ground.
Due to the constant exposure to water, its surface was extremely sticky, like dough with too much water. Along the road, were half buried buildings.
Si Chen received a message from Xin Xiaocao. “Let’s just investigate this area. The energy fluctuations here are quite low. Wait, I’ll calibrate the instrument.”
Inside Si Chen, the Eternal Life Abyss was very quiet. It didn’t even cry out that it was hungry.
But Si Chen clearly felt the joy radiating from its heart. It was even swaying along slightly with the ebb and flow of the water.
Since they were a team of two and Si Chen was a newcomer, Xin Xiaocao basically took care of all the work. He wouldn’t even let Si Chen carry any of the heavy equipment.
Xin Xiaocao took out the underwater drone and camera.
Small turbid air bubbles escaped from the corner of his mouth, floating all the way up.
The prosthetic eye detected their other colleagues nearby who were also conducting their own exploration tasks. He can’t see people, but the scene shown by the prosthetic eye had blue indicators.
The drone swam forward slowly. The screen in Xin Xiaocao’s hand displayed the images it captured.
They stood by the entrance of what used to be a road tunnel.
Now, after the Space Fold, the surface of the road was cracked. Traffic signs had collapsed to the ground, their images blurred. Dark red seaweed ran through the entire tunnel like chains.
The drone slowly rotated and the Eternal Life Abyss in Si Chen’s body suddenly grew excited: “Mom, food, food!”
The strong hunger caused Si Chen to hold his stomach tightly.
Eyeworms covered the curved wall of the tunnel. The Eyeworms were apparently still alive. They made “guji guji” sounds as they wriggled. Their tentacles intertwined to form a fleshy red wall. Eyeballs looked curiously at the intruding iron lump.
Xin Xiaocao took a few photos and sent them back to the company’s intranet. There were dedicated staff to process the data they collected.
He gasped. “Hiss, this is that unknown creature on the list they gave us. It looks disgusting.”
Si Chen noticed that when he said this, the indicator on the detector attached to his body changed from 99 to 94.
Si Chen glanced at his own, it was still 100.
The drone traveled through layers of seaweed and into the depths of the tunnel.
Xin Xiaocao frowned slightly. “The signal has deteriorated. Those tech guys should have their wages docked.”
The picture on the display was intermittent.
‘Kadang.’
Instantly, a harsh sound penetrated their headsets. The drone appeared to have crashed into a wall.
The next second, the picture reappeared. It wasn’t a wall that it had hit. It was a person.
Too wide wings were attached on this person’s back and his whole body was soaked in a pool of blood-red water. He had his back to the drone.
His wings were almost a reflective white.
The wings seemed to have just grown out of his back. The base of the wings was still a bloody mess.
Just now, the drone had hit his back.
The long-haired man slowly turned his head.
Si Chen’s body tensed up. At that moment, he almost couldn’t resist the urge to fling away the display screen in his hand.
The man had no facial features. Instead, his face was a mass of eyeballs, crowded together like bunches of grapes.
The screen went black, indicating they’d lost signal.
The air pouring in through the filter was suddenly tinged with a strange fragrance.
The Eternal Life Abyss’ voice trembled for the first time but it still shouted firmly: “…Hungry, hiccup. Hiccup.”
An evolutionary species, the Eyeworm, full form.
The positions of prey and hunter was instantly reversed. This was no longer food it could afford to eat.
The value on the vital signs detector dropped suddenly and an alarm blared.
Xin Xiaocao’s expression drastically changed and he was only able to yell, “Split up, run!”
I’ll take care of you is suddenly split up, run…. Hahahahaha! Baby’s eyes are too big for its stomach/fighting ability….maybe…. Can’t wait for next cliffhanger! Hahahahaha! Thanks for the update 🤣❤️🤣❤️🤣❤️🪱👀
first time baby worm is scared!
Poor baby just wants some eyeballs 😭
Thanks for the chapter!!
Wow, we can probably meet an adult Abyss
Thank you for your translation 💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝