Chapter 113 – Too Lucky, or Unlucky
Lin Jiu and Si Xu couldn’t believe it. Vera and Song Mozhi were not ordinary people, and not only did they always have protection, but they were both quite capable themselves.
Lin Jiu had witnessed Song Mozhi’s ability firsthand—a rare power of material assimilation, allowing her body to transform into the material she touched. Her ability was extremely troublesome, and anyone attempting to confront her would need to carefully consider their strength first.
As for Vera, being a siren, even with her powers limited on land, she still wasn’t weak. Plus, she had a small energy gun at her disposal. So how had she disappeared?
Si Xu immediately contacted Si Qinian to inquire about what happened.
Si Qinian told him that Vera and Song Mozhi were abducted while en route to a shooting club. They were accompanied by six bodyguards at the time, two of whom were enhanced humans, yet they still couldn’t stop the abductor.
Si Xu frowned, “Only one person?”
This didn’t make sense to him.
They had known for a while that someone was targeting Song Mozhi, either for the magic crystal core or for Song Mozhi herself. However, this shouldn’t have involved Vera. The fact that the abductor took Vera too couldn’t have been just incidental, could it?
Si Qinian replied gravely, “None of the six bodyguards were killed. They were just knocked out. They only saw one person, who left a message: Z country must hand over Lin Jiu, or their lives will be in danger.”
Si Xu pursed his lips tightly. Could it be that he had guessed wrong? Was Lin Jiu the main target this time, not Song Mozhi? If Lin Jiu was the goal, capturing Vera would indeed give leverage, but why take Song Mozhi too?
Si Qinian said, “We’re tracking that person now. You should focus on dealing with the queen pest first.”
After hanging up the phone, Si Xu stayed silent for a long time.
Lin Jiu, anxious, asked, “How is it? Any news about them?”
Si Xu had already made up his mind. “The Special Security Department is doing everything they can to track that person. Let’s deal with the queen pest first, then we can help.”
Since the abductor was after Lin Jiu, as long as they hadn’t caught him yet, they wouldn’t dare act rashly.
Time was of the essence—they couldn’t afford to wait any longer. The queen pest had to be dealt with quickly. The longer they delayed, the more marine life would become infected, and the more dangerous the situation for their mothers would become.
The queen pest wasn’t just Z country’s problem; it was a threat to all of humanity. So this operation wasn’t just about Z country—other nations were also sending their ability users to join. Si Xu and Lin Jiu needed to stay focused on the queen pest without worrying about external dangers, which meant they would rely on other ability users to handle anything else.
The situation was dire, and it wasn’t the time for infighting. No matter how deep the grudges, when facing a life-and-death crisis for humanity, everything had to be set aside until the greatest threat was eliminated.
Z country’s ability users were the first to arrive at the designated coordinates, and other nations’ ability users were arriving one after another.
The queen pest resided in the deepest part of the ocean trench. If Si Xu tried to control it from the ocean surface, his power would be weakened by the depth, and no one could guarantee he’d be able to hold it. The safest approach was to go underwater and take action closer to the queen.
Si Xu could dive and use his powers to keep the water at bay, so there was no risk of him being infected by the pests. But Lin Jiu was different—he’d need to transform into his siren form if he went underwater. Direct contact with seawater could lead to infection unless he used his magic power to shield himself, but that would deplete his energy rapidly.
Lin Jiu thought it over and decided to ask Golofitz for a high-level blood purification agent. If his bloodline was pure and his power strong enough, he wouldn’t have to worry about the magic energy drain. But Golofitz refused without hesitation.
A body-strengthening potion and a bunch of materials for extermination drugs couldn’t compare to the cost of a high-level blood purification agent, which was a staggering 5 million magic points. Even the magic points required for the Demon Hunter System’s upgrade were only 1 million, so it was almost impossible for Golofitz to forgo such a large amount.
Lin Jiu tried to persuade him: “Look at the bigger picture. If I grow stronger, the chances of finding the energy vault will increase.”
Golofitz had the Demon Hunter System relay his response.
[You make a good point, but I also have to consider the possibility that there might not be any energy vaults at all. Those 5 million magic points are critical.]
Lin Jiu sighed, “How about I pay you back later?”
[I can’t bet our lives on your promise.]
Lin Jiu sighed deeply: “In that case, let’s leave it to fate. If I die, you can just have the Demon Hunter System find another host.”
“…”
There was no other option. They had to follow the original plan.
Both Lin Jiu and Si Xu would go underwater. Water-related ability users would accompany them to handle any issues, while the remaining ability users would stay on the surface to guard against unknown dangers.
As everyone prepared to dive, they suddenly saw a large ship approaching.
Ansair stood on the deck, waving at Lin Jiu. “Count us in. We’re here to help.”
Everyone: “…”
Ansair was fine—he looked strong and capable. But the elderly man beside him? Could he really help? A gust of wind might throw his back out. If something happened, whose fault would it be?
Lin Jiu hadn’t expected Lawson and Ansair to show up either. He glanced at Si Xu, who used his ability to send Lin Jiu over to Ansair’s ship.
“Why did you suddenly come here? Is there any news on Vannes?”
Lin Jiu speculated that the disappearance of Vera and Song Mozhi might be related to Vannes. However, Vannes was even older than Lawson, and even if Vannes had turned into a mutated Haijia, his strength wouldn’t be enough to deal with both Vera and Song Mozhi at the same time, let alone easily abduct both in front of six bodyguards.
Ansair said, “While organizing the research materials we brought back, we discovered some discrepancies. It seems that Vannes might have been a puppet, with someone else behind him pulling the strings. Vannes’ sudden disappearance could mean he’s gone to seek out his true master.”
Lin Jiu hesitated for a moment before revealing that Vera had been captured.
Ansair and Lawson were furious. “What do they want by taking Vera? Their research base has already been destroyed. Are they still trying to rebuild it?!”
Their hearing was sharp, and even though Lin Jiu hadn’t been intentionally listening, he overheard parts of a phone conversation.
That person was coming for him.
Lin Jiu said, “Right now, we need to drag the diseased mother root out of the ocean and throw it into a volcano to burn it. Then we’ll figure out how to rescue them.”
Ansair responded, “Don’t worry, we’ll help you.”
As he finished speaking, Ansair had already taken off his shirt, revealing his muscular chest, and leaped into the ocean.
Lin Jiu: “…”
Lin Jiu rushed to the railing and shouted into the sea, “Wrap your whole body in magical energy! Don’t let the diseased bugs get close!”
“Relax, we know what to do,” Lawson replied in an international language Lin Jiu understood.
Lawson also took off his shirt. Despite his old age, his body still had a considerable amount of muscle, indicating he had clearly kept fit.
The old man jumped into the sea with a surprisingly graceful dive.
Lin Jiu kept his eyes on the water until two heads resurfaced. Seeing their ear fins, Lin Jiu finally felt relieved.
Perhaps influenced by the father and son duo, Lin Jiu confidently took off his own shirt and stored it in his space ring.
Si Xu’s eyelids twitched, then he watched as Lin Jiu also jumped into the sea.
The other international ability users: “…”
Wasn’t Lin Jiu supposed to be the only mermaid/sea creature? How did two more suddenly appear? And one of them is so old!
Si Xu glanced at the still-preparing international ability users and said, “Hurry up, I’m going in first.”
He jumped off the boat and landed steadily on the surface of the water. Under the awe-struck gaze of the others, he slowly submerged.
A small independent space surrounded Si Xu, keeping the seawater from touching him. Lin Jiu, now in his sea creature form, circled around Si Xu once before swimming toward the ocean trench, with Lawson and Ansair following closely behind.
When they reached the edge of the trench, Lin Jiu stopped first. The trench was pitch-black, so dark that one couldn’t see a hand in front of their face. If they went down like this, they could easily get separated. Plus, many giant sea creatures were hiding in the trench, and it was best not to disturb them if possible.
Lin Jiu looked at Ansair and Lawson. Their sea creature forms were different from his own.
Perhaps due to their age or bloodline differences, Ansair’s scales were a silver-blue color, with a reserved glow that made him appear mature and composed. Lawson’s scales, on the other hand, were gray-white, with less luster, showing the signs of weathering and age.
Lin Jiu spoke underwater, “You two stay here. Si Xu and I will go down to take a look.”
Ansair and Lawson nodded, both willing to guard the area and wait for their return.
Si Xu noticed that the two were unarmed, so he took two wristbands from his space ring and infused them with magical energy. The wristbands transformed into spears and tridents. When the magical energy was retracted, they turned back into wristbands.
Inspired by his own magical blade wristband, Si Xu had created similar magical energy weapons.
Ansair and Lawson were delighted. With these new, powerful weapons, their combat capabilities would only increase.
The two sea creatures familiarized themselves with their new weapons near the trench, while Lin Jiu pulled Si Xu along as they ventured deeper. The darkness surrounded them, so Lin Jiu took out a waterproof flashlight from his space ring to navigate their descent.
They paused several times to avoid giant sea creatures, and finally, they saw a silver-green mass at the bottom. From above, it looked like a large area, but in reality, it was just one organism, with numerous long tendrils spreading out, making it appear as if it covered the entire trench floor.
Lin Jiu and Si Xu planned to approach the root of the mother plant. If it was merely growing in the seabed mud, they would need to pull it out by the roots. If it didn’t have roots, that would make things easier—they could just bundle it up and drag it away.
Sea creatures moved quickly in the water, and Lin Jiu soon led Si Xu around to the base of the trench. Using his flashlight, Lin Jiu saw that the base of the mother plant was like a giant sphere. Surprisingly, the mother plant wasn’t growing in the seabed mud but on top of some rocks.
If they forcibly removed it, the roots might break off and remain behind, possibly causing it to grow back later, creating even more trouble.
Lin Jiu led Si Xu further along, then suddenly heard a system notification.
[Energy Collection System reminds the host: A large amount of Magic Crystal Essence has been detected ahead. Would you like to absorb it now?]
Lin Jiu froze: How large is large?
[Energy Collection System reminds the host: The entire area is filled with Magic Crystal Essence. Would you like to absorb it now?]
Lin Jiu: ?!!
He looked at Si Xu in disbelief and said, “There should be an energy source ahead.”
Si Xu was also surprised. Speaking from within his isolated space, his voice was muffled, “Let’s go check it out.”
The two swam further. Lin Jiu used his flashlight and saw a corner protruding from the mud. The mother plant was growing on top of these rocks.
Neither Lin Jiu nor Si Xu knew what to say. Should they attribute this to the resilience of the Demon Spirit tribe, or were they just incredibly lucky to find this?
However, the immediate problem was also troubling. The mother plant had grown so massive because it had absorbed the palace’s energy. This meant the palace’s energy had already leaked. If they forcibly removed the mother plant, would it trigger another explosion in the palace?
“This is a very critical situation. If an explosion were to happen at the bottom of the trench, they would be buried in an instant with no chance of escape. It’s also unrealistic to absorb all the magic crystal essence in the palace before taking the next step, as the energy collection system requires time to convert it, and time is the one thing they are lacking most.
Lin Jiu looked at Si Xu for answers. What Lin Jiu could think of, Si Xu had already considered, and what Lin Jiu hadn’t thought of, Si Xu had also anticipated.
The current state of Earth cannot withstand a second magical energy surge. The magic crystal essence here must be taken out intact.
Si Xu said to Lin Jiu, ‘Keep an eye on the mother root for me. It might get agitated soon.’
Lin Jiu grabbed him, ‘What are you planning to do?’
Si Xu replied, ‘Most of the palace is buried under the sand, so it’s not easy to drag it out. I’m going to open a hole from above to see if I can store all the magic crystal essence in my space ring. I’ll take the essence first, then we can deal with the mother root.’
Lin Jiu’s eyes brightened at this idea. It was indeed a good plan, but the only concern was that the disturbance caused by opening the hole might trigger an attack from the mother root.
Lin Jiu said, ‘Be careful. I’ll control the mother root.’
No matter what, Lin Jiu wouldn’t let the mother root harm Si Xu.
Si Xu took out a diving flashlight and quietly approached the exposed part of the palace while Lin Jiu kept a close watch on the mother root.
Si Xu moved stealthily, finally standing atop the palace, and the mother root remained calm.
With a flash of magic energy, Si Xu’s magic blade appeared, enveloped in powerful magical energy. Before cutting into the palace, he glanced at Lin Jiu.
Lin Jiu had already prepared a water whip to bind all the tendrils of the mother root.
Lin Jiu nodded to indicate that he was ready.
Si Xu raised the magic blade and thrust it into the palace’s stone, cutting through it like tofu.
Although Lin Jiu didn’t hear any sound, the mother root, growing atop the palace, sensed the vibration. Some of the tendrils curling upward bent back, as if checking the surroundings.
Si Xu’s ability was absorption. As long as he created an opening to extract the magic crystal essence, he could empty the entire palace.
Instead of withdrawing the blade, Si Xu used both hands to twist a round hole at the top of the palace. He pulled out the stone blocking the hole and threw it aside. The palace must have had air inside, as a stream of bubbles surged upward, but Si Xu ignored them and reached into the hole to absorb the magic crystal essence within.
The noise Si Xu made was considerable, agitating all the tendrils of the mother root, which began to coil back toward the base. Fortunately, Lin Jiu was prepared, using the water whip to wrap around the tendrils from the root up, tightly binding them!
The tendrils wriggled and thrashed violently, quickly stirring up a cloud of sediment from the trench floor. Lin Jiu had to hold his breath as sand and gravel flew everywhere, forming a massive whirlpool. The powerful suction pulled up sand, bones, and small sea creatures from the trench, spinning them upward.
No one waiting outside the trench or on the surface had expected such a large vortex to form below, forcing the ships to retreat to avoid being sucked in.
Lin Jiu hadn’t anticipated this situation. Despite being bound, the mother root was still causing trouble. He had to switch tactics, creating a water prison that rose from the base to encase the thrashing tendrils. Lin Jiu feared that if the tendrils broke free, they would scatter infectious spores across the sea, rendering their efforts meaningless.
The mother root was enormous, and creating such a large water prison consumed a great deal of magical energy. Even trapped, the mother root was restless, continuously crashing against the water prison, releasing silver-green fluid from its tendrils with each strike.
Lin Jiu thought to himself, ‘It’s over. I didn’t foresee the mother root self-harming.’ Now he couldn’t release the water prison, as he couldn’t allow the infected fluid to spread into the seawater.
While Lin Jiu battled the mother root, Si Xu was also busy. Since the mother root was already agitated, Si Xu no longer held back, cutting a larger hole to speed up the extraction of the magic crystal essence.
Lin Jiu was struggling, his magic energy depleting quickly. He had to take out the magic crystals given by the Elton family, absorbing them to counter the rapid consumption of his magic. The energy in the crystals was drained quickly, turning them to dust one after another. Just as Lin Jiu was down to his last crystal, a protective barrier suddenly formed around his water prison.
Lin Jiu quickly glanced at Si Xu, who was simultaneously sharing his burden while continuing to absorb the magic crystal essence from the palace. Once the last of the essence was collected, Si Xu surged upward, grabbing Lin Jiu and swiftly swimming toward the surface.
Together, Lin Jiu and Si Xu pulled the giant mother root upward. To prevent the root tendrils from breaking off in the cracks of the rocks, Si Xu even enveloped the top of the palace in a barrier, dragging it along as well.
When they finally emerged from the trench, they found Ansair, Lawson, and other ability users locked in a brawl. Their opponents were none other than the mutated Haijia!
Lawson was engaged in a fierce battle with an equally aged mutated Haijia, fighting savagely and aiming his spear at its vital points while cursing under his breath.
Lin Jiu couldn’t understand what he was saying.
Ansair was also fighting a strong mutated Haijia, while the remaining ones were being handled by a group of well-armed ability users.
These must be the last surviving members of the Cecil family, the ones Vannes had taken away. That aged mutated Haijia must be Vannes himself, which explained why Lawson was so enraged.
Lin Jiu wanted to eliminate them all, but he couldn’t spare any effort, as all his attention was focused on the mother root.
Without stopping, Lin Jiu and Si Xu continued dragging the giant mother root upward. The combatants had no choice but to dodge the massive creature. A large ship was already waiting at the surface—specifically designed to carry the enormous mother root.”
Si Xu climbed up from the water and stood on the surface of the sea. Lin Jiu moved away from him but did not withdraw the water prison; he couldn’t. The water in the prison was filled with parasites, and he couldn’t allow them to spread into the ocean.
The scene on the sea became chaotic, with everyone busy doing what they could. They tied ropes around the isolation space that Si Xu had created, helping Si Xu and Lin Jiu share the weight. After a great effort, the group finally dragged the mother plant onto the massive ship. Neither Lin Jiu nor Si Xu withdrew their powers, planning to maintain them until they could throw the mother plant into the volcano.
Just as everyone was working together to deal with the mother plant, unfamiliar ships suddenly appeared and surrounded them. The large ship that was about to leave had to stop, or it would have collided with the newcomers.
Someone shouted at them to move aside, saying that destroying the mother plant was the most important task. Unfortunately, the opposing side didn’t listen and blocked the way.
Lin Jiu and Si Xu both had a bad feeling. Could the person who had kidnapped Vera and Song Mozhi be here to cause trouble now? This was the mother plant—one wrong move, and the entire sea could be doomed.
Lin Jiu speculated that no one would be reckless enough to ignore the danger of the mother plant if they were still in their right mind. But then again, the mind of a madman is not something a rational person can control.
A figure wrapped in white robes leaped from one of the ships and landed steadily on the water. This sight left everyone stunned.
They had always believed that only Si Xu could perform such a feat, but now they saw someone else doing the same thing.
The Demon Hunter System went berserk, screaming in Lin Jiu’s mind.
[How is this possible?! How could there be a pure-blooded Demon Spirit on Earth?!]
Lin Jiu was equally shocked. Though the person was wrapped tightly in white robes, he had no doubt about the system’s detection.
Lin Jiu asked, “Is he a pure-blooded Demon Spirit or someone genetically enhanced to become one?”
[Pure! Absolutely pure!]
The system’s messages were shared with Si Xu, and upon hearing this, Si Xu frowned.
The Demon Hunter System quickly defended itself.
[I swear I’m not lying! I never detected any Demon Spirits before, not until now!]
Lin Jiu knew the system wasn’t lying. After all, it had been ecstatic when it first detected Si Xu’s Demon Spirit bloodline.
Si Xu pondered, “How powerful are pure-blooded Demon Spirits?”
[Very, very powerful. Be cautious.]
Both Lin Jiu and Si Xu understood. If this person decided to act, capturing anyone—including Vera and Song Mozhi—would be a breeze.
Unaware that his true identity had already been exposed by the system, the white-robed figure stepped closer to Lin Jiu and Si Xu.
