DipNovel Chapter 73 An Unexpected Joy
Chapter 73 An Unexpected Joy
"I...I..." Jiao Jiao was speechless after Xu Si's twisted logic. Her face turned red, and she finally stomped her foot angrily.
"Hmph! You win!" After saying that, she turned around and ran back to Pikachu, afraid that Xu Si would say something even more venomous than her.
"So, do you still want it or not?"
"Of course I want it!" Xu Si watched her run away, shook his head with a smile, and felt even more relaxed.
With these 110,000 purification points as a foundation, he felt that the swamp in front of him seemed much gentler.
After a brief rest and simple repairs, the convoy set off again.
Xu Si's "Messenger of Molten Wax" was still traveling at the back of the procession, but his overall demeanor was completely different.
Previously, there was a mixture of vigilance and exhaustion; now, there's a mixture of vigilance and... a hint of eagerness?
He even began to actively use "star trails" to sense energy fluctuations in more distant places, hoping to find another "treasure trove of mobile purification points" like the blood mosquito swarm.
Unfortunately, good luck seems to only come once.
For the rest of the day, the convoy struggled through the muddy swamps. Apart from occasionally getting stuck, they did not encounter any strange attacks, but the convoy's speed remained slow.
Xu Si was pleasantly surprised to discover that the "Wax Melter" had a full tank of fuel.
Xu Si initially thought it was an error in the instrument display, but he was overjoyed when his "Star Track" clearly sensed the fuel level in the tank.
So, the price of the "Wax Melting Messenger" also has an unexpected bonus.
This was something Xu Si hadn't expected.
Just like driving on a snowfield, the swamp feels endless.
The only advantage is that at least the temperature isn't unbearable.
The convoy struggled through the mud for several more hours until noon, when the blood-red sun stained the swamp with an increasingly eerie dark red.
The fog around us seemed to have thickened, reducing visibility to less than fifty meters. The dead trees loomed in the fog like lurking ghosts.
"This godforsaken place is worse than the snowfields!" Tashan complained in a muffled voice over the walkie-talkie.
His bus got stuck in the mud again, and he only managed to push it out with his rock-like strength. Even with his good temper, he couldn't help but complain at this moment.
"Stay alert!" Fu Xiaojian's voice came, carrying a barely perceptible sense of gravity.
"Attention everyone, the terrain ahead has changed!" Fu Xiaojian's voice rang out again, and the convoy slowly came to a stop.
Not far ahead, the swamp's landscape had changed dramatically.
The murky puddle expanded, forming a wide expanse of water, its surface dark and bottomless.
Dense, dark green vines, intertwined like veins, floated on the water's surface, and the entire puddle emitted an even stronger stench than before.
"How are we going to get through this? My little Pi can't swim! And if he just floats around in here, he'll be ruined!"
The others all looked extremely grim.
"Can't we take a detour?" Su Su asked.
"Taking a detour would be much more dangerous than going this way!" Fu Xiaojian frowned.
Xu Si was able to temporarily freeze the swamp to allow the convoy to pass.
However, if he encounters something strange, he certainly wouldn't be entirely confident in protecting the entire convoy.
If the ice doesn't hold, the entire convoy will fall into this swamp of unknown depth, and even he will be powerless to save them.
"We have no choice but to take a detour," Fu Xiaojian decisively ordered, looking at the waters ahead that resembled a giant black scar.
To risk wading through such water is tantamount to suicide; heaven knows what's lurking in that ink-black sewage.
The convoy made a difficult turn, meandering along the edge of the vast waterway.
Xu Si maintained his "star trail" at all times, sensing the movement underwater.
The pitch-black water seemed to devour light and perception, and even his "Star Eyes" could hardly penetrate it.
He really didn't like the feeling he got from the water.
"Get away from the water!" Xu Si reminded over the walkie-talkie.
Without him saying anything, everyone instinctively moved their vehicles toward the "dry" land, even though the so-called land was just slightly firm mud.
The convoy slowly crawled along the edge of the dark water for nearly an hour, the endless black surface of the water and the pervasive stench remaining unchanged.
"How long will this take? They all look the same!" Jiao Jiao's voice was filled with frustration.
Fu Xiaojian did not respond. His Pioneer Sequence was sending out a series of vague warnings, not pointing to any specific target, but rather a sticky malice permeating the surrounding environment.
Xu Si's "star trail" perception also detected the anomaly; they seemed to be circling around.
Will we encounter another bizarre situation similar to "Evil Heart"?
If he could, he would rather face the "glacial salamander".
"Old Fu!" Xu Si asked over the walkie-talkie.
He didn't reveal his discovery, believing that Fu Xiaojian must have discovered it long ago as well, and that revealing it would only cause panic among the convoy.
"The convoy halts and remains on alert." Fu Xiaojian paused, seemingly weighing his options, before finally issuing the order.
The vehicle slowly came to a stop, its engine growling like a wild beast driven to the brink of despair.
Everyone held their breath, watching intently at the inky expanse of water that seemed capable of swallowing everything.
Xu Si pushed open the car door, jumped out, and scanned his surroundings with his scarlet star-like eyes. He activated "Star Track" at full power, trying to find familiar energy fluctuations, but he couldn't find anything.
Su Su also got out of the car and stood next to Xu Si, the dark light on her brass knuckles appearing and disappearing in the mist.
Tashan stands guard beside the bus, its rocky form resembling a fortress.
"It shouldn't be an illusion," Xu Si said slowly, a wisp of cold air swirling around his fingertips.
"It's this body of water itself... it's interfering with our sense of direction, or rather, it's 'moving'." Fu Xiaojian's gaze finally settled on the body of water in front of him.
"Move?" Everyone came over, their faces grim.
"You mean, we thought we were taking a detour, but actually this body of water is following us, or... it's actively trapping us?"
This speculation sent chills down everyone's spine.
If that's the case, then what they're facing isn't a stagnant pool, but a massive, bizarre entity with consciousness!
As if to confirm their suspicions, the inky waters ahead suddenly began to boil silently!
Instead of bubbling, the entire surface of the water began to undulate and twist violently, like a sleeping giant stretching out its slimy body!
In the center of the water, a huge, jellyfish-like creature made of black water is stretching its body.
The dark water inside its body churned, making a dull gurgling sound, like the churning of intestines.
The pungent stench intensified instantly, almost becoming tangible, making one want to vomit.
"Back up! Everyone back up!" Fu Xiaojian roared, and the Mengshi vehicle reversed first, its tires spinning wildly in the mud, splashing up large amounts of mud.
However, it was too late.