Chapter 168
Underwater.
Zhou Qi quickly regained clarity. He raised a hand to touch the boy’s face and realized that everything he was experiencing wasn’t a dream or an illusion.
His hand was burning hot against Tang Yu’an’s cold cheek, causing Zhou Qi to frown.
No matter what, they couldn’t stay underwater any longer.
Zhou Qi looked up, planning to take Tang Yu’an out of the dark underwater currents. But Tang Yu’an, still clinging to him, suddenly looked behind Zhou Qi with a panicked and terrified expression.
Was it a mutated creature?
Zhou Qi turned cautiously, only to see a massive underwater vortex—the source of the strong currents pulling them in!
As they drew closer to the vortex, the suction grew stronger.
Zhou Qi quickly began dragging Tang Yu’an away, swimming in the opposite direction. Tang Yu’an flailed his limbs, trying to help.
But both boys were exhausted, their strength drained from their previous ordeals. No matter how hard they swam, they were inexorably pulled toward the vortex.
The green vine that had wrapped around them began to grow again, extending tendrils into the muddy riverbed to anchor them.
But some unknown force surged through the water, tearing the vines apart one by one.
In the end, they were swallowed by the vortex.
Lagging behind due to battling mutated creatures, Yuan Bao and Black Pearl finally caught up. Seeing Tang Yu’an swept into the vortex, Yuan Bao leapt in without hesitation. Black Pearl hesitated for only a moment before diving in after them.
Ultimately, the two boys and their companions disappeared into the swirling depths.
When Tang Yu’an woke up, he was greeted by a dazzling sunlight.
He raised a hand to shield his eyes and, as the memories of what had happened returned, sat up in a panic, frantically looking around for Zhou Qi.
And then, he froze.
Where is this?
He was on a beach surrounded by scattered rocks, and not far away lay an expanse of water—an ocean?
Hadn’t they been pulled into the underwater vortex in the Desolate city? How had they ended up by the sea?
And why were there so many crystal stones scattered across the beach?
Thanks to his appraisal skill, Tang Yu’an could see small glowing bubbles above the stones, each labeled “Water Elemental Energy Stone.”
It was like a dream come true, yet completely surreal.
The beach was covered in these stones, which were incredibly rare and precious in the wasteland, now sparkling casually under the sunlight.
It felt unreal.
The sheer number of glowing bubbles forced Tang Yu’an to adjust his settings, minimizing the appraisal display.
He turned to look at the “ocean,” feeling the breeze blowing across its surface. He bent down to lick the damp fabric of his clothes but tasted no trace of the salty tang characteristic of seawater.
This wasn’t an ocean. It was likely a massive inland lake.
Tang Yu’an snapped back to reality and assessed his situation.
He and Zhou Qi had been separated by the currents. The vine that had tightly bound them together was now shredded, with only a short piece clinging to his clothes.
Tang Yu’an carefully untangled the fragment. The vine transmitted a faint emotional pulse, a weak yet familiar presence.
It gently brushed its leaves against Tang Yu’an’s fingers as if to comfort him.
Tang Yu’an’s nose stung with emotion. If it weren’t for the vine, I might not have been able to save Brother Qi just now.
He quickly retrieved a cup from his portable inventory. As he was about to fill it with water, the vine pointed toward the nearby body of water.
“You want water from there?” Tang Yu’an asked.
The vine confirmed with a positive emotion.
“Okay.” But Tang Yu’an didn’t walk directly to the shore, wary of potential dangers lurking in the water. Instead, he found a small puddle near the beach and scooped up some water, asking, “Will this do?”
The vine extended its tendril into the cup.
Relieved, Tang Yu’an added some soil from the puddle to the cup. As he did so, he unearthed two small earth elemental crystals.
These crystals were tiny, no larger than a fingernail.
Tang Yu’an tossed the earth crystals into the cup along with a few water elemental stones from the beach. The vine pulsed with joy.
Tang Yu’an smiled, placing the vine and cup into his pet storage to let it rest. Fortunately, it was just an offshoot of the main plant, so its injuries wouldn’t affect the original.
Next, he opened his map and, to his relief, saw Zhou Qi’s marker. This meant Zhou Qi was alive and could be found.
He was even more surprised to see Yuan Bao and Black Pearl’s markers.
When did they arrive? he wondered. Though unclear, their presence reassured him, and he felt a sense of calm return.
Tang Yu’an zoomed out on the map to gauge their distance from the Desolate city, but no matter how much he zoomed out, the surrounding fog of the map extended endlessly.
It seemed like this place was beyond the known regions of the wasteland.
Frustrated, Tang Yu’an used the search function directly to locate the Peace Grocery Store.
[Sorry, no results found!]
He froze and quickly tried a few alternate keywords, but the result was the same each time:
[Sorry, no results found!]
What’s going on? Why can’t I find it?
After several failed attempts, he gave up, resized the map to normal, and prepared to go find Zhou Qi. If Brother Qi wakes up and doesn’t see me, he’ll be worried sick.
Just as he was about to leave, a shadow appeared behind him. Tang Yu’an tensed up, instinctively rolling to the side and taking cover behind a rock.
Peeking out cautiously, he saw the source of the shadow—a crab nearly a meter tall!
Looking at the crab’s massive claws, Tang Yu’an swallowed nervously before turning to run.
However, he quickly realized something and cast a floating spell on himself, lifting off into the air.
But he wasn’t entirely safe.
The enormous, aggressive crab suddenly spat a jet of water from its mouth. Tang Yu’an narrowly avoided the attack, but his arm was grazed.
The water jet tore through his sleeve and left a gash on his skin, causing blood to ooze out.
Before he could catch his breath, another water jet was already heading his way. Scrambling to dodge, Tang Yu’an was about to launch his slingshot when he saw—
A larger shadow appeared behind the crab.
The giant crab swiveled its eyes in alarm, but before it could strike with its claws, a massive paw pinned it into the sand.
Two flashes of golden light followed, and the crab’s oversized claws were ripped off effortlessly.
“Black Pearl!”
Seeing the big black cat brutalizing the crab, Tang Yu’an was overcome with relief, a bittersweet sense of familiarity washing over him.
He quickly summoned a gust of wind to propel himself toward Black Pearl.
Despite its soaked fur, Black Pearl maintained an aura of majestic ferocity. After thoroughly dismantling the crab, it turned its gaze to Tang Yu’an, pausing to examine the wound on his arm.
“I’m fine, just need to bandage it,” Tang Yu’an said.
He stepped forward and hugged Black Pearl, burying his face in its fluffy chest. Unfortunately, the wet fur wasn’t as comfortable as usual.
“When did you start following me? I didn’t even notice. I’m so happy to see you!” Tang Yu’an grinned. “Black Pearl, you’re the best.”
Black Pearl let out a disdainful meow but licked Tang Yu’an’s wet hair before grooming its own fur.
With Black Pearl by his side, Tang Yu’an instantly felt a surge of security and calm.
He gathered the dismantled crab into his portable inventory. Then, thinking of something, he tried using his remote retrieval skill again.
The attempt failed.
Are we really over 10,000 kilometers away from the Grocery Store? But something about the situation didn’t feel that simple.
Just then, he noticed an update in Slot 3 of his inventory.
It was from Zhou Qi—he’d taken out a phone.
Tang Yu’an quickly opened the message board and saw a notification in the admin channel. Zhou Qi had sent a message.
[Handsome Zhou]: An’an, are you okay? Where are you?
[Handsome Zhou]: Reply as soon as you see this.
Brother Qi must be panicking. Tang Yu’an quickly typed a response.
[Eastern Sweet Tang]: Brother Qi, I’m fine! Black Pearl is with me, so I’m safe.
[Eastern Sweet Tang]: What about you? Are you still burning with flames?
Recalling Zhou Qi’s charred and disfigured appearance earlier, Tang Yu’an trembled, his heart aching at the memory. Even though Zhou Qi had healed quickly, the pain he must have endured was unbearable to think about.
[Handsome Zhou]: I’m fine.
Relieved to see Zhou Qi’s reply, Tang Yu’an immediately responded.
[Eastern Sweet Tang]: That’s great!
[Eastern Sweet Tang]: Brother Qi, don’t move. I can see your location on the map, and I’ll come to you!
[Eastern Sweet Tang]: Wait, Yuan Bao is nearby—you can meet up with it first.
Zhou Qi read Tang Yu’an’s message, his lips pressing into a thin line.
He didn’t want to stay in one spot waiting, but his rational side knew it was the safest option. Besides, with Black Pearl by Tang Yu’an’s side, he was reassured about his safety.
In the end, he replied with a simple “okay” and followed Tang Yu’an’s suggestion to find Yuan Bao.
Zhou Qi’s location was a rocky beach scattered with stones of varying sizes, some as large as several meters, others about the size of a head.
Not far from him stood a towering tree—or rather, a giant tree. Its trunk was as tall as a dozen floors, and its canopy was so vast it seemed to block out the sky, spanning a diameter of at least a hundred meters.
Remarkably, it wasn’t the only one of its kind.
Behind the giant tree was a high stone cliff. Since Yuan Bao’s location was near the cliff, Zhou Qi began climbing over the rocks toward it.
He felt his physical strength had increased again.
Thinking back to the pain of being burned by flames, Zhou Qi let out a wry smile. Is this what they mean by being reborn from the fire?
His body was still hot, but now within a tolerable range. Moreover, he could feel his control over fire had significantly strengthened.
Now, he could effortlessly release large-scale flames, much like Hong Li.
The rock wall before him was about seven or eight meters high. Even without the aid of a lightening spell, Zhou Qi’s improved physique and speed allowed him to scale it quickly.
Once over the wall, he was greeted by the sight of towering trees, 20 or 30 meters ahead, their tops disappearing into the clouds.
Zhou Qi couldn’t shake the feeling that he had somehow stumbled into the land of giants.
This impression only deepened when he saw a butterfly fluttering gracefully nearby, its wings spanning half his size.
Where exactly have An’an and I ended up…?
Staring cautiously at the lush, enormous forest, Zhou Qi hesitated. The place felt perilous, and he wasn’t sure if entering was wise.
“Chirp chirp—”
A sharp bird cry rang out. Zhou Qi spotted a large gray-brown bird flying toward him, its piercing eyes and sharp talons aimed directly at him.
He reacted by releasing a surge of flames.
The bird abruptly halted midair, flapping its wings violently to create a gust of wind.
The wind was so strong that Zhou Qi had to crouch low and stabilize himself to avoid being blown away. Fortunately, fire feeds on wind, and the bird, unable to gain the upper hand, screeched indignantly before retreating.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Zhou Qi debated his next move when a tall shadow emerged from the forest and approached him.
“Woof woof!”
It was Yuan Bao, drawn by the commotion. It barked at Zhou Qi as it bounded closer.
Against the backdrop of the towering trees, Yuan Bao—despite being in its original form—looked like a small dog.
Zhou Qi exhaled deeply and extended a hand toward it.
Yuan Bao hesitated, shrinking back slightly. But when Zhou Qi moved closer, it transformed back into its four-eyed puppy form and cautiously approached.
Zhou Qi patted its head, then found a large rock near the forest edge to hide behind.
They waited and waited, from daylight until nightfall.
If not for Tang Yu’an’s constant updates on the message board, reminding Zhou Qi that they were getting closer, he might have been unable to resist the urge to go searching for him.
Even while hiding, they weren’t entirely safe. From time to time, oversized insects would emerge.
Thankfully, these creatures feared fire and had low intelligence. Zhou Qi dealt with them swiftly, without needing Yuan Bao’s help.
Still… there were far too many of them.
Gazing at the dense forest, Zhou Qi couldn’t help but frown deeply. Under the cover of night, the towering trees resembled silent giants standing watch.
He could only imagine how many creatures inhabited this primordial forest—and if they were all oversized…
Could this forest be the center of the Desolate city? The place where Old Xie and Chi Hao met their ends?
But if this truly was the center of the city, why were there no traces of human activity? Shouldn’t there at least be some collapsed buildings?
As Zhou Qi pondered, Yuan Bao suddenly perked up, staring intently at the rock wall they had scaled. Its tail wagged furiously.
Zhou Qi’s heart leapt. He quickly stood.
Moments later, a massive black shadow leapt gracefully onto the ground.
“Brother Qi!”
“An’an!”
Both boys called out at the same time.
Tang Yu’an jumped off Black Pearl’s back and sprinted toward Zhou Qi, throwing himself into his arms.
“Brother Qi!” he cried, his voice tinged with sobs.
Zhou Qi reached out and ruffled Tang Yu’an’s hair, now completely dry after their long journey.
“Don’t cry. See? I’m perfectly fine.”
“I’m not crying!”
The two boys, reunited after their ordeal, hugged each other tightly, feeling a mix of relief and gratitude. It was a long time before they finally let go.
“Are you hungry?” Zhou Qi asked, brushing a hand against Tang Yu’an’s pale cheek. “Here, drink some soup first.”
While waiting, Zhou Qi had started a fire, taken a pot from his portable inventory, and used his environment to conjure clean water. He had then prepared a pot of meat soup using ingredients from his inventory.
“Gurgle gurgle—”
Tang Yu’an’s stomach growled at the first whiff of the aroma.
Black Pearl and Yuan Bao were also hungry. Zhou Qi poured each of them a bowl of milk and handed them their favorite meat-egg pancakes.
Seeing this, Black Pearl transformed into its small kitten form and began enjoying its meal.
Tang Yu’an sat by the fire and took the bowl Zhou Qi handed him. After drinking a sip of the savory soup, he finally felt warmth and comfort returning to his body.
Zhou Qi then pulled two baked potatoes out of the fire, carefully peeled them, sprinkled them with sea salt and sesame seeds, and placed them in Tang Yu’an’s bowl.
Tang Yu’an stared at him, wide-eyed, as he reached directly into the fire to retrieve the potatoes.
“Brother Qi, you…”
“It seems I’m no longer afraid of fire,” Zhou Qi said casually, a faint smile on his lips.
But Tang Yu’an, looking at him, felt his eyes reddening.
“Why are you tearing up again?” Zhou Qi asked with a soft chuckle.
Tang Yu’an sniffled hard, holding back his tears before replying, “You’ve been through so much.”
Zhou Qi gazed at him for a moment, then stood and sat down beside him. After a while, he said softly, “It’s enough that I’m alive.”
“An’an, thank you for saving me.”
“There’s no need for thanks between us!” Tang Yu’an choked, his voice thick with guilt. “If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have been parasitized, and you wouldn’t have nearly died…”
“Don’t say such silly things.”
Zhou Qi gently patted his head. “I’m perfectly fine now, aren’t I? Don’t dwell on it anymore. Even if you hadn’t gotten sick, I still would’ve left the Grocery Store back then to find customers.”
“…Okay,” Tang Yu’an muttered, wiping his tears as he ate the mashed potatoes. Only after finishing did his emotions finally settle.
The two then began to exchange information.
“So, the parasite in my body is a spirit worm?” Zhou Qi asked with a frown.
“That’s what the system panel indicated,” Tang Yu’an confirmed.
Was Hong Li’s transformation into a fire serpent also caused by the spirit worm’s backlash? And for people like her, who gained abilities through parasitism, would they lose their powers once the parasite left?
After thinking it over, Zhou Qi said, “I don’t think so.”
They might become weaker, but not lose their powers entirely. Like him, after being parasitized by the spirit worm, his body had gained a high resistance to fire.
And he could feel that the fire abilities now coursing through him weren’t solely from the spirit worm—they had become part of his own blood and flesh.
However…
“The spirit worm inside me seems to have a very strong desire to devour,” he noted.
This trait had been evident from the start. At first, it consumed crystals, and now it had even devoured one of its own kind.
“How do you feel now?” Tang Yu’an asked nervously.
“I feel great,” Zhou Qi replied with a smile.
The fire spirit worm hadn’t been fully digested yet, but Zhou Qi believed that once it was, his abilities might improve even further.
Tang Yu’an let out a breath of relief. “That’s good…”
“Are you full?” Zhou Qi asked.
“Yeah,” Tang Yu’an nodded.
Zhou Qi pointed to a tent near the fire, which he had set up while waiting. “Try setting this tent as a branch store.”
Although they didn’t know exactly where the vortex had taken them, as long as they could establish a branch store and create a teleportation array, they could return.
“Alright.” Tang Yu’an got up, entered the tent, and tried to establish it as a branch store.
Soon, the system prompted: [Please select a building as the branch store location.]
“It doesn’t work. It needs to be a building,” Tang Yu’an muttered.
What a hassle…
Zhou Qi frowned. “Looks like we’ll need to build a house ourselves.”
Fortunately, the area was rich in materials. They could construct a small emergency shelter using stones and wood. Once the branch store was established, they could activate the protective barrier, making the sturdiness of the house less important.
At that moment, Tang Yu’an brought up two concerning observations: the strange anomalies on the map and—
“Since waking up this morning, we haven’t earned a single point from employee sales,” he said with a serious expression.
This was highly unusual, as daytime was typically the busiest period for employee transactions. How could there be no income at all?
Zhou Qi’s expression grew serious. After thinking for a moment, he asked, “How many points do we have left?”
“Seventy or eighty thousand.”
Although Lan Yunqing had brought them a windfall of thirty thousand points, two water-breathing potions had cost them twenty thousand, significantly reducing their balance.
“That should be enough,” Zhou Qi said with a nod.
As long as they could set up the teleportation array, these problems could be resolved.
Since it was already late and the unfamiliar environment was fraught with danger, they decided to wait until daylight to begin building the house.
“Yuan Bao, can you keep watch for us tonight?” Tang Yu’an asked the four-eyed puppy.
Since Black Pearl had carried him for most of the day and was exhausted, it needed rest to recover its strength. Yuan Bao was the best choice for the task.
Yuan Bao barked in agreement, transforming into its massive canine form. It stood by the tent like a loyal guardian.
Tang Yu’an patted the fur on its chest and thanked it before crawling into the tent with Zhou Qi.
The campfire outside wasn’t extinguished. For the giant carnivores in the area, it probably looked like a tiny spark. Still, it helped repel insects and made their surroundings feel a bit safer.
To be extra cautious, they sprinkled insect repellent around the tent and set up the shadow umbrella to block all scents and sounds. Only then did they finally settle in for the night.
With blankets and bedding from the portable inventory, Zhou Qi quickly made the tent cozy and comfortable.
Outside, the night was alive with the sounds of insects. Inside, Tang Yu’an huddled in the same blanket with Zhou Qi, feeling an overwhelming sense of safety.
The sound of waves lapping in the distance created a gentle white noise, soothing rather than disturbing.
Tang Yu’an was utterly exhausted after the day’s events—both physically and emotionally drained. Before long, he began to drift off.
Even in sleep, he clung tightly to Zhou Qi’s arm, as if afraid he might suddenly vanish again, just like when he had disappeared into the water earlier that day.
Soon, the sound of the boy’s soft, even breathing filled the tent.
It was unclear how much time had passed. The fire outside had nearly burned out when Zhou Qi, lying with his eyes closed, finally opened them with a sigh of resignation.
He listened to the faint sound of Yuan Bao chewing on sticks and tossing them into the fire. He heard Tang Yu’an’s steady breathing beside him, but his own eyes stayed fixed on the tent’s ceiling, wide open and alert, without a trace of sleepiness.
The unfamiliar environment kept his nerves taut, but there was something else…
Scenes from earlier that day kept replaying in his mind, stopping at the moment when Tang Yu’an had given him the potion—mouth-to-mouth.
Zhou Qi’s heart began to race, and his breathing grew uneven.
He knew full well that Tang Yu’an had acted out of necessity, like performing CPR—a perfectly normal and practical emergency measure.
But… but…
No amount of reasoning could suppress the emotions surging wildly within him.
He couldn’t forget the moment when, on the brink of suffocation, Tang Yu’an appeared before him—resolute and unwavering, saving him without hesitation.
The boy, who was usually soft and childlike, had in that moment been dazzling, as if descended from the heavens like a divine savior.
“Brother Qi—”
Suddenly, a soft, murmured call escaped Tang Yu’an’s lips, startling Zhou Qi and making him tense up, frozen in place.
Perhaps sensing the stillness, Tang Yu’an instinctively reached out in his half-asleep state and touched Zhou Qi’s cheek.
Zhou Qi: (//o////o//)
“Brother Qi, your face is so hot… your body too…” Tang Yu’an’s sleepy voice became clearer as he seemed to wake up slightly, noticing the heat.
“Is it the spirit worm acting up again?” he asked, concern lacing his tone.
