Chapter 120: District 9 in the Deep Sea
For a moment, everyone fell silent. No one dared to break the rules, and no one was willing to gamble with their lives.
"Jingyu, we need to think of something fast, or morale is going to collapse."
Chen Yunfei whispered the reminder as he watched the team members descend into panic.
Lu Jingyu nodded, his eyes continuously scanning the plankton.
While the others were either silent or at a loss, Xu Qingsui took the opportunity to ask the Golden Octopus a question.
"The instance rules say we can’t touch the plankton. Is there any way to get around them?"
[All living things have something they fear. As long as you find their weakness, nothing is a problem.]
’A weakness?’
’How am I supposed to find that?’
’Stupid seafood! All it ever does is give me vague answers.’
Xu Qingsui cursed inwardly but still began to ponder what weakness the plankton might have.
Since there was no obvious breakthrough point with the plankton themselves, she started by considering her own abilities.
’What can I do?’
Right now, she could only use her Thunder and Fire Attributes.
Based on past experience, she knew water conducted electricity. With three team members still in the sea, a rash move on her part would likely get them caught in the crossfire.
She wouldn’t solve the problem; she’d just end up taking out three of her own people.
The idea of using her Thunder Attribute was immediately rejected.
But water countered fire. Using her Fire Attribute in the water probably wouldn’t even cause a ripple.
That said, there were no other options right now. Xu Qingsui had to find a way to at least try.
There were some things she couldn’t let the others know, so she had to figure out how to release her attribute without anyone noticing.
Seeing that no one was paying attention to her, Xu Qingsui secretly walked to the water’s edge and fumbled with her hands, mimicking the motion of starting a fire.
She used her body to block everyone’s line of sight, then unleashed her Fire Attribute, flinging it toward the plankton.
When the flames touched the plankton, they spread rapidly. Xu Qingsui’s heart leaped with joy; she hadn’t expected it to actually work.
But under her expectant gaze, the flames merely flared out, flickered a few times, and then died.
It happened so quickly that most people didn’t even notice what was going on over there.
’It really didn’t work!’
Frustration welled up inside her. As she stared at the plankton on the sea’s surface, an image suddenly reappeared in her mind.
Just now, when the flames had spread out, they seemed to be blocked by something when they reached the edge of the plankton mass, preventing them from spreading further.
’If there’s really something that can block an attack, maybe I can try using my Thunder Attribute.’
’As long as the lightning is also cut off and doesn’t conduct into the distance, those team members won’t be harmed.’
Although this was just a guess, a voice inside told Xu Qingsui that she could do it.
She was still hesitant, but she ultimately took advantage of the moment when no one was looking to once again summon her Thunder Attribute and hurl a bolt of lightning at the plankton.
Upon being struck by the lightning, the dense mass of plankton suddenly began to retreat rapidly, disappearing from the sea’s surface in an instant.
Joy filled Xu Qingsui’s heart, but she was still worried about the team members in the distance and quickly looked over at them.
Seeing the three of them still floating in the water without any sign of distress, Xu Qingsui finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Captain, the plankton are gone!"
A team member had finally noticed the change and shouted out.
Perhaps even the heavens were helping Xu Qingsui, as not a single person had noticed her subtle actions.
After a brief discussion, everyone confirmed that the plankton had indeed vanished. Lu Jingyu then called the three men in the water over.
"What’s the situation in the deep sea? Did you run into any danger?"
Faced with Lu Jingyu’s question, none of the three spoke immediately. Instead, they exchanged a look, their eyes filled with an indescribable meaning.
Noticing that all three seemed unsure how to begin, Lu Jingyu pointed at one of them. "Fang Yuan, you talk!"
Fang Yuan, having been singled out, frowned. "Captain, we didn’t actually encounter any danger. It’s just that, down there, we saw..."
Fang Yuan trailed off, his gaze shifting to the two companions who had entered the deep sea with him.
"Saw what? Spit it out!" Lu Jingyu bellowed, making Fang Yuan jump.
"We saw... Zone 9..." No longer daring to dawdle, Fang Yuan finally spoke. But his words left Lu Jingyu and the others confused and hesitant.
"What are you talking about? You saw Zone 9?"
Fang Yuan nodded, and the other two team members also stepped forward, explaining one after another.
"We saw Zone 9 in the deep sea. It was exactly the same as the Zone 9 we live in."
"We even saw the base and the marks left behind from many past battles."
"If the three of us couldn’t corroborate each other’s stories, we would have thought we had returned to Zone 9."
All three men conveyed the same message, their expressions grim.
Lu Jingyu and Xu Qingsui finally understood why they had reacted that way earlier.
’But what in the world is going on with that Zone 9 down there?’
The question successfully piqued Lu Jingyu’s curiosity. He immediately stepped forward and said to Xu Qingsui and Chen Yunfei, "It seems the situation down there isn’t simple. I need to go down and take a look myself. You two wait here with the team. If I’m not back in an hour, leave the instance immediately, abandon the mission, and have Elder Chen arrange for everyone in Zone 9 to be evacuated to another safe zone."
Lu Jingyu was the strongest one here. If even he couldn’t handle it, the others would stand no chance. In that case, their only option would be to abandon Zone 9 and try to evacuate everyone before it was completely contaminated, minimizing casualties.
With the arrangements made, Lu Jingyu’s gaze fell on Xu Qingsui once more.
There were things he hadn’t had a chance to say, and he was afraid that if he didn’t say them now, he might never get another opportunity.
But the words reached his lips, did a little spin, and were swallowed back down.
’Now is not the time!’
’If I say it now and something really happens to me, it will only cause more trouble for Qing Sui.’
He made up his mind. He would tell her those things after he returned safely.
After one last, careful look at Xu Qingsui, Lu Jingyu prepared to leave.
"You only need one person to go back and report. I’m going with you!"
Xu Qingsui had noticed Lu Jingyu hesitating, as if he had something to say but couldn’t get it out.
After waiting for a while and getting nothing, she decided not to dwell on it.
However, there was no way she would let Lu Jingyu go down there alone.
She wasn’t sure if it was just to win his favor, but after spending so much time together, she had grown accustomed to taking risks alongside Lu Jingyu.
Lu Jingyu’s brow furrowed, and he was about to refuse, but Xu Qingsui anticipated his thoughts and spoke first. "I can protect myself, and I can help you find clues that are hard to spot. Most importantly, we can watch each other’s backs. If something really happens, at the very least, one of us can get word out."