Chapter 114: Repeated Death
The mutation advanced from inside and outside simultaneously. Drake soon felt a physiological discomfort, kneeling on the ground and vomiting yellow-green unidentified liquid nonstop. His throat swelled and contracted alternately, uncontrollably emitting repeated eerie low roars: “……Hai Da……Hui Ke……”
Li Nuowei was also stunned beside him. He had never thought that these treasures could produce strange effects on Drake as well, and he had never experienced it before, because not once before had he successfully kept both himself and Drake alive at the same time.
Drake died, meaning “clearing” failed, and he had to loop back again.
And if he died first, he would be forced to loop.
After much hardship, Li Nuowei had helped Drake pass the currently most difficult hurdle, but he hadn’t expected Drake to suddenly have an accident anyway.
“Let’s go, get far away from the things here.” Li Nuowei pulled up the weakened Drake, intending to take him running out of the anomalous influence range of these gold, silver, and jewels.
However, after not running a few steps, Li Nuowei was grabbed by the head by Drake, who needed support to walk.
“Drake?!”
Under Li Nuowei’s stunned gaze, Drake, whose face protruded like a fish head, suddenly opened his blood basin mouth, full of fangs, and fiercely bit into Li Nuowei’s neck, tearing off a large piece of flesh and blood with his mouth.
Although Li Nuowei was surprised, he did not show any sign of pain, silently staying still and calmly accepting his own death.
……
“I suspect that beneath the tunnel is buried the source of the Mermaid Disease, treasures with the curse that turns humans into mermen……” On the road driving toward the tunnel, Drake voiced his conjecture about the thing hidden beneath the tunnel.
Li Nuowei essentially heard Drake’s guess again, letting it go in one ear and out the other. He had already completely memorized this content and no longer needed to listen attentively.
On the road to the tunnel, Li Nuowei looked toward the seaside outside the window, thick mist covering the sea, a scene of hazy deathly silence.
Noticing Li Nuowei’s strange behavior, Drake slightly furrowed his brows and inquired, “Have you thought of something?”
“I think the tunnel isn’t a place we should go right now.” Li Nuowei said. For this “checkpoint” route through the tunnel, he had tried it hundreds of times, all ending in death. After much hardship seeing signs of success and finding treasure full of the merman curse, Drake’s Mermaid Disease worsened because of it, quickly turning him into an irrational merman.
With no good solution temporarily, Li Nuowei figured it might as well be better to change routes and not explore the tunnel route.
“Why?” Drake felt that Li Nuowei knew something.
Li Nuowei glanced at him, recalling what Drake had said to him, and without hiding it, told Drake about his “Death Reincarnation” ability, and also told him about the multiple times they had gone through life and death together.
Drake reacted as if going through the procedure: first stunned, then thinking, finally accepting, but during this, he took less than three minutes to almost fully accept this astonishing fact.
“So, we can confirm that beneath the tunnel is hidden treasure bearing the merman curse, and below there’s also something that can lift the ‘Mermaid Disease’ curse.” Drake looked deeply at Li Nuowei once, analyzing based on the information Li Nuowei had shared, “But below is extremely dangerous, with terrifying merman crowds guarding the sealed treasure and muddy swamp, green light lives that can make people die from hallucinations, and the sea monster progenitor that can devour all things, that pool of terrifying soul-devouring muddy swamp.”
Li Nuowei nodded affirmatively: “Although you might find the ultimate answer you’re seeking there, every time you’re just a tiny distance from the answer, you always die an untimely death. I think this is proof enough that going down from inside the tunnel is certain death.”
“What about that missing boy?” Drake was silent for a while before asking. This was also the reason he was willing to go beneath the tunnel.
Li Nuowei sighed and shook his head.
Drake gripped the steering wheel tightly and said gravely: “I understand…… Then let’s investigate in a different direction.”
“So where are we going now?” Li Nuowei looked at Drake and asked.
Drake: “In the intelligence materials sent to me by the Mysterious Group, I noticed one piece of information: the place where the Mermaid Disease first broke out was on a small island outside Liuhua Port in the sea. Those people from the Mysterious Group must have gone to that small island.”
“You want to go ashore and take a look too?”
“I only hope that this time we can finally find out something.” Drake said.
Li Nuowei understood, but he looked at the gloomy clouds and misty fog over the sea and said: “But now isn’t a good time to set out to sea. Although the reefs near Liuhua Port have been cleared, there’s still the risk of uncleaned ones.”
Drake: “That’s what makes it challenging.”
Li Nuowei chuckled: “Then let’s give it a try.”
Drake changed the vehicle’s driving direction, turning into the ramp and heading straight toward Cape of the Horizon Beach.
“Leave scouting the way to me. I’ll use death to help you break through the difficulties in navigation.” Li Nuowei guaranteed to Drake.
Drake looked at him complicatedly and asked: “Aren’t you tired?”
Li Nuowei was stunned upon hearing this, because Drake had asked him this more than once. On almost every death line, whenever there was a chance, Drake would voice this thought.
Li Nuowei fell silent, clenching his fist. He didn’t want to hear this question.
Every time he heard Drake inquire like this, his numb mind and body seemed to be reminded, with fatigue and negativity crashing like raging waves, shaking him until his vision blurred, nearly passing out on the spot.
Drake grabbed Li Nuowei’s shoulders, gently squeezing them, and said: “Don’t push yourself. Although I don’t know what impact each ‘Death Reincarnation’ has on you, from your facial expression, I strongly suspect this ability brings you enormous physical and mental burden. Despite having reincarnated over a thousand times with no apparent limit, I always feel your body temperature is off. I’m afraid you’ll inexplicably die after some reincarnation and never be able to use the ability again.”
Li Nuowei secretly gritted his teeth and shook his head, saying calmly: “I’m fine, thanks for your concern.”
Seeing this, Drake said no more.
Soon, the vehicle stopped in the seaside garage. Li Nuowei and the other arrived at Cape of the Horizon Beach, gazing at the vast mist ahead.
“The boat is there.” Li Nuowei familiarly found the dock and drove out a red speedboat worth tens of millions, gesturing to Drake: “Come help move the things on the boat. There’s too much sundries, some too heavy to move.”
Hearing this, Drake felt deeply puzzled: “Is this boat yours? You know how to pilot too?”
Li Nuowei shook his head: “This is a skill I learned after observing the boat owner pilot countless times.”
Tired, tomorrow is the weekend, making up this week’s missing updates for everyone, only one update tonight, the second one owed for now.
