Shao Qingge drove his hovercar toward the light.
It was late at night, the entire sea was calm and windless, and the streetlights around the coastline were getting farther and farther away from them.
It was pitch black all around. The sky above was dotted with stars, and their light was projected onto the sea like countless diamonds scattered on the surface.
Shao Qingge's hovercar was floating in the air, getting closer and closer to the light.
Suddenly, a hurricane swept through the area, and the teammates felt a powerful force strike them, causing their bodies to be thrown backward. Yu Hanjiang quickly grabbed Xiao Lou's waist, shouting, "Watch out!"
Ye Qi was sitting on the sofa when the hovercar was overturned by the hurricane. He rolled like a ball to the back of the vehicle, and then heard a loud "boom" as the hovercar fell directly into the sea!
If an escape window is not opened in time after a vehicle falls into water, it will become increasingly difficult to open due to the greater water pressure outside than the air pressure inside the vehicle, until all the people trapped inside suffocate.
Yu Hanjiang certainly knew how to perform first aid after falling into the water.
He was swift and decisive. The instant the car crashed into the water, he immediately pulled out the Night Demon military knife, cleaved open the sunroof of the hovercar, and used the Lightness Skill Card to carry Xiao Lou into the sky.
As the sunroof was ripped open, seawater rushed into the car.
Ye Qi was caught off guard and swallowed a mouthful of seawater, choking and coughing uncontrollably: "Cough cough... cough!"
He couldn't swim, and a large amount of seawater rushed into his lungs as he coughed. Ye Qi was in so much pain that he waved his hands and struggled desperately. Shao Qingge quickly swam over, picked him up from the water, and swam out of the hovercar through the sunroof.
Yu Hanjiang put down the white silk card, and Shao Qingge grabbed the white cloth. Yu Hanjiang pulled hard, pulling the two of them out of the sea.
Lu Jiuchuan and Tang Ci, both swimmers, quickly held their breath and climbed out of the hovercar.
Almost the instant they climbed out, the metal hovercar sank into the deep sea at a visible speed. It was then that Lu Jiuchuan discovered that there was a huge whirlpool nearby!
Lu Jiuchuan couldn't help but curse, "Damn it! Did this Di Renjie point us to a bright path or a dead end?! If we hadn't reacted quickly enough, we would have drowned..."
Xiao Lou shouted, "Everyone, run! Be careful to avoid the hurricane at sea!"
A hurricane-like storm swept towards them from the sea, a terrifying black vortex that seemed poised to engulf them completely. Lu Jiuchuan's expression changed, and he decisively summoned the Vermilion Bird.
The giant bird spread its fiery wings and carried Lu Jiuchuan into the air.
Yu Hanjiang tossed the white silk card to his brother, Lu Jiuchuan, who caught it and used it to tie Tang Ci up with a white cloth, suspending him as they flew forward. Yu Hanjiang used the Lightness Skill Card to hug Xiao Lou and run forward, while Shao Qingge took out the Teleportation Card and used it to teleport 50 meters in one go while holding Ye Qi.
Ye Qi's face turned red from choking on seawater. Shao Qingge gently patted his back and asked in a low voice, "Are you alright?"
"It's nothing, cough cough... Let's go!"
The six of them flew as fast as they could, barely managing to escape the hurricane!
It was pitch black all around, and even with the starlight, it was impossible to see what was on the sea, but Xiao Lou had a feeling that there were many things floating in the nearby waters...
He took out a luminous pearl.
Upon seeing the sea illuminated by the luminous pearl, Xiao Lou felt a chill run down his spine: "Look at the sea!"
The teammates looked back and saw countless shipwrecks scattered on the surrounding sea, along with many white human bones! One of the ships was floating crookedly on the sea. The wood on it had rotted due to its age, and you could vaguely see a lot of bloodstains on the wood, as well as people's tattered clothes.
Ye Qi's eyes widened: "This is... a restricted area at sea?"
Legend has it that certain sea areas are places humans cannot set foot in, because anyone who enters cannot come out alive. Movies also depict the so-called "Devil's Triangle," where all ships that venture into that area are destined to sink.
Judging from the numerous shipwrecks around them, they had inadvertently entered a restricted area at sea today, and their survival was entirely due to these powerful cards.
The light that Di Renjie specified was precisely at the center of the whirlpool on the sea surface.
Xiao Lou took a deep breath: "What exactly is there?"
Lu Jiuchuan said, "Could that whirlpool be the entrance to the underwater world?"
Unfortunately, none of them were professional divers. If they went underwater and didn't breathe for a minute or two, they could barely survive, but if they stayed underwater for too long, they would only drown. They couldn't just go and investigate the whirlpool, could they?
Xiao Lou looked at Yu Hanjiang: "What should we do?"
For the first time, he was at a loss. Although Di Renjie had helped them find the key sea area, how were they supposed to get down there? If only Liu Qiao were here. Xiao Lou remembered that Liu Qiao had a [ Mermaid Princess ] fairy tale card that could turn the whole team into mermaids, making them unafraid of seawater.
Just then, a strange song suddenly came from the sea.
All around was silent, save for that ethereal, clear singing voice, like an ancient call, softly whispering in everyone's ears. No one could make out what she was singing, but the voice was gentle, beautiful, and heavenly.
Lu Jiuchuan's expression changed—this was the very song he had heard before he fell unconscious on Zerg Planet.
There wasn't a soul in sight, and the singing seemed to be coming from nowhere.
The singing continued unabated, as if it possessed some kind of magic, calling to them...
The six people gradually became somewhat disoriented, and it seemed that they saw a large garden appear at the whirlpool on the sea, and a path leading to the depths of the flower sea. This was a landscape even more beautiful than the Mirage.
Yu Hanjiang pinched his leg hard and whispered, "Everyone, quickly cover your ears! This sound can bewitch people!"
Everyone snapped back to reality, and Xiao Lou immediately took out the team's voice earpieces and distributed them to everyone. The six of them covered their left ears with one hand and pressed the protrusion on the right earpiece with the other. The singing stopped, and everyone's senses returned immediately.
Ye Qi said, "Did I just hallucinate?"
Lu Jiuchuan said, "This singing voice is indeed somewhat mesmerizing. I remember when I heard it in Zerg Planet, I vaguely thought I was seeing heaven, but that must have been an illusion!"
Tang Ci whispered, "A singing sea creature? Could it be the legendary mermaid?"
Xiao Lou paused, then suddenly remembered a rumor: "That's right! It's recorded in the Classic of Mountains and Seas that there is a kind of merman from the deep sea, with a human upper body and a fish tail. Merman loves to sing and is very good at using their enchanting songs to bewitch people. Passing ships, as long as anyone hears the merman's song, will become intoxicated by it until they die. Merman often uses their songs to lure passing ships and kill humans."
Upon hearing this, Ye Qi suddenly realized: "I know about merfolk. There's often a setting in fantasy games where merfolk sing... The merfolk in ancient Chinese legends are actually the mermaids in Western fantasy, right?!"
Xiao Lou nodded: "That's right, it's the Merfolk Clan of the deep sea!"
Recalling the fairy tale card [ Mermaid Princess ] that Liu Qiao had once drawn, Xiao Lou suddenly had a strange premonition. He said, "Perhaps, Xiao Liu, Senior Gui, and Lao Mo have been assigned the identity of Merfolk Clan from the deep sea this time, not humans!"
Lu Jiuchuan couldn't help but ask, "But if they're on this planet, why didn't they react when we activated Peach Blossom Spring? Aren't we able to teleport to each other on the same planet?"
Xiao Lou guessed, "It's possible that the mermaids can't get ashore, or it's possible that the deep-sea environment blocks card summons?" He paused and said, "Of course, I'm just guessing. I can't be sure if Xiao Liu and the others are here."
Yu Hanjiang's expression was serious: "If Liu Qiao and the others are indeed from the Merfolk Clan, it's very likely that the Merfolk Clan is a separate storyline, and something has happened that they need to resolve."
Shao Qingge rubbed his temples helplessly and said, "The problem now is, how are the six of us going to get into the waters of Merfolk Clan?" He looked at Ye Qi, whose face was red and hair was wet from choking on seawater earlier: "Xiao Ye and Professor Xiao can't swim. Captain Yu, although you can swim, the mermaids live in the deep sea, and humans can't go down there, right?"
The problem has become a vicious cycle.
With Liu Qiao, everyone can transform into a mermaid and be unafraid of seawater.
The problem is, they can't find Liu Qiao now?
Tang Ci said with a sullen face, "My drone can't go underwater either... I should have made a mechanical submarine."
Shao Qingge suddenly had a flash of inspiration: "Can I buy a submarine with money?"
Lu Jiuchuan was both amused and exasperated: " CEO Shao, money isn't everything. Submarines are military-controlled equipment, and ordinary people definitely can't buy them. If I were in the Luoke Empire, I might be able to use my authority to get one, but now, Tang Ci and I are both fugitives... We're not familiar with this country."
Six people floated on the sea, looking at each other in bewilderment.
After a moment of silence, Xiao Lou suddenly had an idea. He slapped his forehead hard: "... Telepathic Connection?! How could I forget about that?"
Ye Qi's eyes lit up: "That's right! Telepathic Connection can invite teammates to establish a mental communication channel. If Liu Qiao is on this planet, we can connect to her via Telepathic Connection and have her come to meet us!"
Xiao Lou immediately summoned Qin Guan, activated " Telepathic Connection," and invited Liu Qiao to establish a connection.
The invitation was sent out and received a response shortly thereafter.
A familiar female voice echoed in his mind, tinged with a hint of doubt: " Professor Xiao?"
Hearing this voice, Xiao Lou was truly gratified!
He hurriedly asked, "Xiao Liu, where are you? We're in the Azure Planet area right now. We haven't seen you since we entered the Qth secret room. Are you with Senior Gui and Lao Mo?"
Liu Qiao: "..."
My mind suddenly went silent.
Xiao Lou asked in confusion, "Xiao Liu?"
Liu Qiao's voice rang out again: " Professor Xiao, what are you saying? Didn't we just meet?"