MASG chapter 51

 

A few minutes later, the mechanical doctor began performing an operation beside Xia Yu.

Xia Yu observed everything. The effects of the drug seemed to be fading, his blood was constantly diluting the drug’s concentration. Xiang Xing’s abdomen was completely exposed, it was an exceptionally horrific wound.

It was no wonder the wound hadn’t healed on its own. It was caused by a high-temperature cutting blade, and part of the flesh was already cooked through!

[Kidney missing.]

The mechanical doctor suddenly began to report. Xia Yu was shocked. Had someone removed Xiang Xing’s kidney before selling him? Was this organ trafficking, or was the intention to seriously injure him? Fortunately, the jellyfish race can regenerate. Give him a few more hours, and his kidneys will recover.

But… why are the two of them exactly alike?

Xia Yu slowed his breathing, trying to appear unconscious. Could every member of the jellyfish race be identical? That’s impossible.

Professor Wang Qin once said that all genetically modified humans come from research institutes, so there can’t be any naturally occurring jellyfish. Xiang Xing is most likely a clone, not his twin brother.

There might have been two genetically modified jellyfish embryos back then. One remained in Professor Wang Qin’s possession, and the other disappeared. Professor Wang might not have known about the second embryo; otherwise, she would have told him much earlier that there was another brother.

He and Xiang Xing are clones.

Having come to this conclusion, Xia Yu was eager to have a serious talk with Xiang Xing. After all, they were clones of each other. Regardless of who the original was, the other was their only remaining family. So why was it such a coincidence that they were both captured and brought onto the ship together? Who sold Xiang Xing? How has he been doing all these years?

And…why would Nuwa allow this to happen? She’s so powerful. If a jellyfish-modified human were stranded abroad, she would definitely know and report it.

What about his own blood vessels? It’s all mysteries. Xia Yu opened his eyes slightly again. Xiang Xing’s wound had been cleaned and was being stitched up. He couldn’t escape and he couldn’t beat the people on the ship. He could only try to outsmart them.

The sea breeze intensified, and the waves crashed against the lighthouse once again. Talos felt like he’d heard a huge joke. “You’re going to the Black Sea?”

“Yes, I already explained it to you.” Lao Gui pointed to himself and behind him. “We’re going because Xia Yu has been kidnapped.”

They hadn’t had time to explain earlier, but now Talos understood. No wonder these people were so eager to go there. But the Black Sea was one of the most dangerous seas on Earth. Even Talos, the renowned “Black Sea Hunter,” couldn’t guarantee a safe return. Mo’an stood on the edge of the reef, gazing into the depths of an ocean he had never explored before. “When are we leaving?”

“Give me time to prepare,” Talos said, cracking his pipe. “How many are going?”

“Me, Xi Ban, and Mo’an. Just the three of us. Plus the ten guards Milian provided. Ten people in total,” Lao Gui said.

“And me!” Mi Dou suddenly spoke up. “Don’t forget me.”

“What are you going for? This isn’t a fun trip!” Lao Gui pushed him back a little, afraid he’d fall into the sea. “Besides, you can’t swim.”

“I know I can’t swim, but in a place like the Black Sea, you won’t survive if you fall in, even if you can swim. So it doesn’t matter. I’ll stay on the ship and won’t cause any trouble. If I can help, I’ll help. Otherwise, I’ll hide.” Mi Dou pulled out his wristband. “I’ve already told my mom. Xia Yu saved me—I can’t not go save him.”

“All right, all right, you guys decide.” Talos didn’t have the energy to persuade the child nor the time to lecture him. “We’ll leave in half an hour. There won’t be a signal there, so we’ll have to rely on ourselves.”

“I’m ready.” Mo An’s clothes were soaked with seawater, and tears filled his eyes. No matter what kind of sea it was, as long as it was territorial waters, he would bring the xla home.

The large ship seemed to have stopped.

Xia Yu had even managed to take a nap, but he kept his hand firmly on Xiang Xing’s to ensure everything was all right. The hand that resembled his own was warming up and felt incredibly reassuring to the touch. The bracelet hadn’t vibrated again. Xia Yu was worried about Jingwei. Had it been devoured by Nuwa?

Jingwei had grown considerably over the years, but compared to Nuwa, the difference was enormous.

Footsteps echoed back and forth. Because of Xia Yu’s disguise and Xiang Xing’s weakness, no one forced them to take any more medicine, and their guard was lowered. After a while, someone opened the cage door and dragged Xia Yu out.

He took a deep breath, pretending the drug’s effects had just worn off. “Let go! Let me go!”

The person didn’t speak. Xia Yu looked at his profile. This was no longer the eyebrowless man from before. He was stronger, dragging Xia Yu dozens of meters without saying a word before kicking open a door. A fresh sea breeze caressed Xia Yu’s face. Even the dark clouds he usually hated excited him, and he went up to the deck.

A storm was brewing in the clouds, and the sea remained a deep blue. Xia Yu took a deep breath of fresh air and looked out at the sea.

The sea was vast. Jingwei believed that if she hadn’t risked her life to connect with Ling Shi, she would have become a missing person. The ocean wasn’t under the jurisdiction of artificial intelligence.

“Where are you taking me?” After resting, he pretended to be afraid.

The silent man was wary, frequently glancing around as if waiting for someone.

“I can’t run away. You don’t need to look at me like that.” These words came from Xia Yu’s heart. Although he could hold his breath for several minutes, he didn’t have the courage to enter the sea.

The man remained wary, checking a device periodically.

“Have we reached the Black Sea yet?” Xia Yu decided to take the opposite approach and no longer wait passively. If Jingwei were still active, she could glean crucial information from his words. “Where are you planning to sell me? Is this the Black Sea?”

“Have we arrived? You wish.” The man finally spoke. His broad nose was covered in wrinkles, revealing a fierce look. His muscles were well-developed.

“Isn’t this the Black Sea? It’s already terrifying enough,” replied Xia Yu.

“The seawater hasn’t turned black yet. How can it be called the Black Sea?” the man retorted. “Besides, the Black Sea moves. What do you know?”

What? The Black Sea moves? Xia Yu was dumbfounded. He thought the Black Sea was just a region with a particularly dangerous ocean. He hadn’t expected it to move. If it kept moving, wouldn’t his coordinates move with it?

“The Black Sea is alive. You can only enter by finding its edge. Only those who know how to enter can come out alive,” the man said with a mocking smile on his fierce face, perhaps to intimidate Xia Yu. “There’s no signal in there. Only seasoned veterans can navigate freely.”

Seasoned veterans… Talos. Xia Yu could already imagine what it was like there. Mo An and Mi Dou had definitely sent men to find Talos. Talos wouldn’t ignore this; he would definitely go to sea.

“Then why did you bring me here? Just so I could see the sea again?” Xia Yu asked again. “Are you so wary because of what might happen if I’m not careful entering the Black Sea? Or are you worried that I might escape?”

The man fell silent, as if realizing he had spoken carelessly.

This breakthrough was gone again. It seemed these people weren’t all brawn and no brains. Xia Yu admitted that he had underestimated them. People who could do business in this place couldn’t be fools. After waiting a while, a woman wearing a metal mask walked toward them. Her entire face was hidden behind the mask.

“We’re about to enter the Black Sea,” the woman said.

She was clearly of higher status than the man; with a single sentence, she pulled Xia Yu into the light. Xia Yu stumbled, and when he looked up again, the woman had pulled a towel from somewhere and wiped his face.

Xia Yu swayed as she wiped him.

After cleaning him off briefly, the woman took out a device and recorded images of Xia Yu from all sides, especially his face. Xia Yu didn’t ask any more questions. Once the process was complete, the man pulled him forcefully again, causing him to stumble and fall flat on his face as if he had been dragged down.

His nose hit the armrest, and he clutched his bleeding nose, writhing in pain.

“Are you crazy?” The woman, who was about to leave, turned and slapped the man across the face. “I don’t care where your violent impulses come from. You can’t damage the goods or you won’t get a good price!”

“I didn’t hit him. He did it himself.” The man was also puzzled because he hadn’t used any force.

“Take him back immediately, and stop the bleeding as soon as possible,” the woman ordered coldly. The man suppressed his anger, grabbed Xia Yu by the collar, and dragged him back. Xia Yu took the opportunity to shake his blood-stained hand a few times.

A drop of bright red blood dripped into the seawater.

Mo An stood at the bow of the ship. It was his first time at sea. He had never seen Talos’s ship before and had initially assumed it was a high-tech vessel. However, it turned out to be an old wooden pirate ship. Now, he finally understood what Talos’s hat resembled. Talos must be a pirate of the Black Sea.

“I have only one requirement: obey me on this ship!” Talos’s voice was loud and penetrating, as if it could pierce the clouds.

“Of course we’ll listen to you, but can the ship go any faster? Are we only able to rely on the wind?” Mi Dou was frantic.

Talos frowned helplessly. “What era are we living in? How can I navigate on wind alone? We’re already traveling at full speed. Once we enter the Black Sea, all the electricity will be useless. We’ll have to rely on the wind. This ship is well-known in the Black Sea.”

“How far is the Black Sea from here?” Mo An looked at the full sails.

“I don’t know,” Talos replied.

Mo An, who had just calmed down a bit, looked at him angrily.

“Don’t get angry with me. I’m even more anxious than you are. The Black Sea won’t wait for you. You have to find it.” Talos took out a compass. “I have one more thing to remind you: the period before entering the Black Sea is the most dangerous. When that time comes, everyone must hide in the cabin. Don’t let those things see you. Don’t make a sound. Go in quietly.”

“Why?” Mo An had a lot of questions.

“Because the thing that’s always trying to kill you, Leviathan, frequently lurks near the Black Sea. You probably don’t want to see it, do you?” Talos walked up to Mo An. “Do you remember six years ago? You were being chased by a Leviathan then. If it weren’t for me and Meng Qingqing, you would’ve been eaten.”

Mo An nodded. He hadn’t forgotten that past.

“Are you scared? If you want to rescue Xia Yu, you’ll most likely have to face the Leviathan again. Even though you have the protection of the siren.” Talos touched his bracelet.

“I’m scared, but I won’t back down. I’m going to the Black Sea.” Mo An had made up his mind; no one in the world could stop him.

The sea breeze picked up, and Talos laughed heartily. Flocks of seagulls circled above the ship. Lao Gui kept in constant contact with Yan Xia via communicator. Yan Xia’s computer received Jingwei’s temporary coordinates every five minutes. It hadn’t moved for a quarter of an hour. Based on her guess, they were preparing to enter the Black Sea.

She still had questions. She had watched all the useful videos over and over again, but she hadn’t seen Xia Yu leave the building. Let alone see Xia Yu being abducted—it was utterly incomprehensible. Did those people blow up the building just to kidnap Xia Yu and cause the spores to go out of control?

That would be far too much of an undertaking. Even if Xia Yu was valuable and special, it was too much fuss.

What about the premonition Mo An had? They hadn’t found any spores that could turn into humans in the building. Perhaps the controllable monster escaped during the explosion. Where would it go?

Yan Xia operated remotely from headquarters, yet she could feel an invisible hand behind everything—one that treated everyone like puppets, pulling the strings of life and death at will. The drone followed Talos’s ship at full speed. On the screen, Mo An happened to glance at it, his eyes full of urgency.

Inside the cabin, Xia Yu’s nosebleed stopped in half a minute. Returning to the iron cage, he noticed a porthole not far away. Soon, the ship began to move slowly, and a thick fog rolled in. He wasn’t sure if the fog only appeared after entering the Black Sea, but a sea breeze was clearly blowing.

How could there be fog with such a strong wind?

He turned back to Xiang Xing, who was still unconscious but whose body temperature was rising. Xia Yu took off his old coat and covered Xiang Xing with it. It felt strange; the two were so alike that it was as if he were caring for himself.

Xia Yu touched the bandaged wound. The stitches were made with the most advanced technology—the incision was perfectly sealed with no visible needle marks. He then realized that Xiang Xing’s healing speed was much slower than his own. Even without a kidney and with an open wound, Xia Yu was confident that he could recover within hours.

So, even if they were clones, their bodies were different. Xia Yu moved Xiang Xing onto his lap and waited for their next chance to leave.

The opportunity arrived quickly. Nearly half an hour later, two men approached, clearly intending to take them away. Xia Yu carried Xiang Xing on his back and followed the kidnappers to a wooden boat. Just as he wondered why they were changing boats, he was shoved into a compartment at the bottom of the deck.

“Keep quiet. Don’t look out if you don’t want to die,” the man beside him warned.

Xia Yu nodded. He and Xiang Xing were locked up again and left in silence. Occasionally, he squeezed Xiang Xing’s hand, trying to give him courage. Hold on, my friend will come to save me.

The shimmering blue veins reappeared on his wrist, clearly visible to Xia Yu this time. They weren’t a hallucination, and they had never appeared before. Xia Yu silently stared at his wrist. Was this the venom of the Blue Jellyfish? If so, a method of self-rescue began to form in his mind.

Several hours later, Mo An was still sitting at the bow, letting the sea breeze tousle his messy hair. He was anxious yet calm because he knew the cause of the storm ahead and what lay within it.

“Their signal has disappeared,” Lao Gui said as he emerged from the captain’s cabin.

Talos was unsurprised. “They must already be in the heart of the Black Sea. These guys are seasoned veterans. Where is the last signal location? We must follow their path; otherwise, we’ll just waste time. Even if we successfully enter the Black Sea, it will take several days to find them.”

“Why must we follow the same path?” Lao Gui asked.

“Because the Black Sea is like a multilayered labyrinth,” Talos replied, his words chilling. “It’s as if there are many parallel worlds there. Even if you brush past a ship, you might not see or sense it. Unless we align ourselves with their entrance, we can’t follow the same path.”

“But the Black Sea moves. How can we chase them in?” The difficulties were immense, and Lao Gui was filled with unease.

As they spoke, knocking sounds echoed from beneath the hull. Without anyone realizing it, hundreds of sirens had surrounded the ship. They were stunningly beautiful yet vicious and capable of tearing the wooden vessel apart in minutes and ripping out everyone’s hearts.

Just then, Mo An caught a familiar scent carried by the sea breeze.

“I smell Xia Yu’s blood,” said Mo An, tilting his head like a puppy sniffing the air. “He’s bleeding—that’s his mark for me! He knows we’re coming!”

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