Chapter 64: A Sun-Drenched Sea of Consciousness
An undulating sensation made the entire space they were in seem to writhe.
Everyone felt it and looked toward the source of the motion.
Suddenly, two more people were spat in. Upon seeing who they were, Xu Ruming immediately blushed.
She had just been saying that Xu Qingsui had abandoned them to save her own skin, and now, Xu Qingsui herself had arrived.
She had even brought Lu Jingyu with her; he was currently nestled in her arms, fast asleep.
A few of the team members who had been swayed by Xu Ruming—who had actually started to believe that Xu Qingsui had callously abandoned them—shot Xu Ruming a venomous glare before gathering around Xu Qingsui and Lu Jingyu.
Lu Jingyu was still asleep, so Xu Qingsui quickly made a shushing motion, gesturing for everyone to be quiet and not wake him.
Frozen in place with awkwardness, Xu Ruming watched Xu Qingsui, grinding her teeth in hatred.
From the side, Shen Ling’an’s mocking voice piped up, "I told you to talk less, but you just won’t listen. You insist on making things awkward for yourself."
Ever since joining the Heiyu Alliance, although Shen Ling’an and Xu Ruming were still practically inseparable, the atmosphere between them had long since changed.
Xu Ruming shot him a look but said nothing.
While Lu Jingyu rested, Xu Qingsui began to survey their surroundings.
Having been inside a Mutant’s body once before, Xu Qingsui was still relatively calm.
She realized they hadn’t been deposited directly into the Mutant’s stomach this time, so there was no risk of being corroded by acid. A flicker of relief passed through her.
With her past experience, Xu Qingsui quickly thought of repeating her previous method.
’As long as I absorb the Mutant’s spirit body, I should be able to find a way out.’
She had a plan, but with Lu Jingyu still unconscious in her arms, she didn’t dare leave him unattended. Xu Qingsui could only wait for him to wake up.
She was calm, thanks to her similar past experience, but the others were clearly going through this for the first time and were growing restless and agitated.
Although they didn’t get close enough to disturb Lu Jingyu, they stood in the distance, gathered in twos and threes, and their hushed whispers still reached Xu Qingsui’s ears.
With Lu Jingyu still unconscious, she suddenly felt she had to take control of the situation in his stead.
"Everyone, stay calm. Let’s rest and regroup for a moment. The fact that no one’s been hurt is already a great outcome. And if we could get in here, it stands to reason we can get out."
Xu Qingsui’s words managed to calm everyone, but there was still someone who couldn’t hold her tongue.
"Hah! Easy for you to say. So many of us are trapped here. It’s not like we can leave just by saying so. Do you dare make a guarantee for everyone?"
Xu Qingsui was long accustomed to Xu Ruming’s troublemaking. She glanced at Xu Ruming, not wanting to engage.
But in this kind of situation, some people were too easily influenced, and their faces began to show worry once more.
Xu Qingsui looked down at Lu Jingyu in her arms and said, "I know you might not believe me, but you have to believe your Captain Lu, don’t you?"
"Just now, trying to stop everyone from being sucked away, he nearly went berserk. He only fell asleep after I managed to soothe him. Because I got to him in time, he’ll only be asleep for a short while. When he wakes up, he will lead us out of here."
Hearing that Lu Jingyu had almost gone berserk again sent a wave of emotion through the crowd.
After all, just as Xu Qingsui had said, he did it to save them. They couldn’t help but feel a surge of guilt.
The crowd fell silent. Their confidence somewhat restored, they all found places to rest and wait for Lu Jingyu to awaken.
Perhaps he sensed that Xu Qingsui was managing the situation on his behalf and didn’t want her to face the pressure alone, because not long after, Lu Jingyu slowly opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was Xu Qingsui’s profile, and Lu Jingyu found himself staring, a bit mesmerized.
Xu Qingsui felt his slight movement and looked down. Their eyes met for a moment before Lu Jingyu bashfully looked away.
"Where is this? What happened? I don’t remember."
He sat up from her lap, and Xu Qingsui took the opportunity to tell him what had happened.
When he learned they were inside a Mutant’s body, Lu Jingyu’s brow furrowed.
Even for him, this was a first.
Seeing his brow furrowed so deeply, Xu Qingsui quickly said, "Everyone’s looking at you right now! You’re their pillar of strength; you can’t look worried, too."
At Xu Qingsui’s reminder, Lu Jingyu’s brow smoothed out, and his usual cool, aloof expression returned.
"You just woke up, so rest a little longer. Remember when I was swallowed by a Mutant? You still managed to save me, didn’t you?"
"This isn’t a dead end. If worst comes to worst, we can just try what worked last time. There’s still hope of escape."
Hearing her say that, Lu Jingyu was finally able to suppress his worries.
"Why don’t you go check on everyone? They’ve all had a scare, and they’re waiting for you to take charge. I’ll just rest here for a bit."
Lu Jingyu looked at the many pairs of eyes staring at him, then back at Xu Qingsui’s weary face, and nodded.
"Alright, you rest for a bit. Once you’re recovered, we’ll figure out how to get out of here."
Xu Qingsui nodded, and only then did Lu Jingyu walk over to his team members.
Watching him leave, Xu Qingsui slowly let out a breath of relief.
She wasn’t actually tired; there were just some things she wasn’t ready to reveal.
Seeing Lu Jingyu beginning to speak with his team, Xu Qingsui closed her eyes as if to rest her mind.
In reality, with one hand pressed to the ground, she had already sent her spiritual power penetrating into the Mutant’s Sea of Consciousness.
KEEEE KEEEE KEEEE~
Xu Qingsui found herself standing on a sun-drenched beach next to a crystal-clear sea.
From time to time, the calls of some creature echoed from the water.
Feeling the pleasant atmosphere, Xu Qingsui couldn’t help but be surprised.
’What on earth was this Mutant’s original form? How could it have such a beautiful Sea of Consciousness?’
Gazing at the distant coastline, Xu Qingsui let her guard down for a rare moment. The pressure of the past few days seemed to be swept away.
Suddenly, a surge appeared on the surface of the sea, rolling continuously toward the shore.
As it drew closer, Xu Qingsui was stunned to realize that it wasn’t a wave at all, but pod after pod of dolphins leaping from the water. The calls were the sounds of them playing.
Before long, a few dolphins swam to the shallows. They showed no fear of her; they even bobbed upright in the water, as if to greet her.
Faced with such a sight, Xu Qingsui’s defenses completely melted away. She reached out her hand to interact with the dolphins.
A small dolphin took the initiative, stretching its neck to touch its smooth, slick cheek against her palm.
Her spirits soared, and Xu Qingsui began to play with the dolphins.
She was having a wonderful time, but in the distance, a dark cloud suddenly appeared over the coastline.
The cloud slowly expanded, swallowing the bright sunlight bit by bit as it pressed down toward the beach.
Xu Qingsui continued to play with the dolphins, completely unaffected by the ominous cloud.
The darkness gradually spread. Just as it reached the edge of her vision, a monstrous wave surged up, and a massive body came crashing down toward her.