Chapter 76
This wasn’t the first time Jiang He had mentioned something like this.
She remembered in the photo studio, he had also heard Zhang Xiaochen’s voice from a portrait, warning him not to go up.
Although Jiang Liu had later confirmed with Zhang Xiaochen that he had been unconscious in the world inside the photo all night and his voice definitely couldn’t have gotten out, Jiang He’s neurotic behavior didn’t seem fake.
Had Zhang Xiaochen also been assigned to this sea region?
Jiang Liu couldn’t help but recall their first meeting at the theater. In every instance since then, they had coincidentally appeared in the same one. Was this really a coincidence?
While she was distracted, the seawater had already come roaring in. The originally calm sea surface was now turbulent, and splashing water once again rushed towards her. Jiang Liu didn’t dodge, but instead stood up to face the waves.
“The mission for Xiao Ya is in your hands,” she said, handing the speedboat key to a middle-aged woman who claimed to have learned a bit while on vacation and could handle it steadily.
The woman gave Jiang Liu a grateful look. Although she said nothing, her actions already expressed her confidence.
Tang Rui stood beside her, looking unconvinced. “Why can’t I go with you?”
There was a person’s width of space between the siblings. Tang Ruo glared at him. “Because I’m your sister.”
Tang Ruo’s words carried an undeniable firmness. Ignoring Tang Rui’s protests, she grabbed her brother’s arm and handed him to Xiao Ya. “Please help me watch him.”
The sky was just beginning to lighten, and Xiao Ya was still groggy. She hadn’t yet figured out how she had woken up to a new group of people accompanying her on her adventure. Hearing this, she held onto Tang Rui’s arm, at a loss.
Jiang Liu smiled faintly and turned to pat her on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, the god of luck will protect you, and your wish will definitely come true.”
As she spoke, she even clasped her hands together in a gesture of sincere prayer.
Xiao Ya quickly snapped back to her senses and mimicked Jiang Liu’s gesture. “I’ll take your good words.”
“You lead the team well.” Jiang Liu’s hands made a turn in mid-air and landed on Tang Rui’s shoulders.
She had a feeling that this trip to the bottom of the sea would not be a simple one. This speedboat was their pass to move freely on the sea, and it absolutely could not be lost.
The emotions of the people on the island had been on a rollercoaster. Although they seemed grateful, their actions in the face of real danger would be another matter entirely. Jiang Liu didn’t mind expressing kindness equally, but she always remembered that one must be on guard against others.
Fortunately, Tang Rui was far more mature and slick than Jiang He, so leading the team alone wouldn’t be a problem.
The two exchanged a secret glance in front of everyone. Tang Rui seemed to understand and finally stopped his resistance, though his expression was still not very pleasant.
“What about the Mermaids on the island?” he asked Jiang Liu in a low voice, glancing at Gao Yuan.
“We’ll take them with us. Don’t worry, you won’t be poisoned again.” Jiang Liu smiled, gesturing for them to wait here for the tide to recede before setting off. She then weighed the machete in her hand, placed it at her waist, and strode towards the iron cages holding the Mermaids.
The girl who had previously met Jiang Liu’s gaze seemed to sense something. She slowly raised her head from within the iron cage, a faint smile on her pale lips.
As the iron chains were unlocked, the Mermaids inside helped each other out. They gave Jiang Liu a deep look before quickly diving into the seawater, disappearing in a few moments.
Countless splashes were hidden in the waves. Jiang Liu took a rope and tied the three of them who were going into the water together. Then, she gripped the faintly warm Scale in her hand and took a deep breath. “Let’s go.”
As her voice fell, she had already leaped into the sea like a Mermaid, leaving only a shallow splash.
Upon entering the sea, it was like being in a washing machine. The seawater rolled in from all directions, and the three of them were like tattered cloths, constantly being thrown apart and brought back together. Jiang Liu’s vision went dark from the pressure, and she could only vaguely hear Gao Yuan’s voice from not far away.
“Don’t move around. Just go with the flow of the water.”
After what felt like an eternity of tumbling, the overwhelming seawater finally disappeared. A thin layer of air swept in from all sides, allowing Jiang Liu’s flushed face to recover. She took a gentle breath and landed.
Guided by the rope, Tang Ruo soon appeared nearby. She took a breath with great skill and slowly paddled through the water to Jiang Liu’s side.
Jiang Liu looked at her wrist. What she thought had been a long time was only a few short minutes.
“Are you alright?” Tang Ruo’s breathing was very steady, and she seemed to be very accustomed to diving. The first thing she did upon landing was to check on Jiang Liu’s condition.
“I’m fine.” Jiang Liu shook her head and looked around at their surroundings.
If she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, she would hardly believe that such a wonder existed at the bottom of the sea. It was like a magnificent scene from an animated story—
Under their feet was a knee-deep pool of water, very comfortable to stand in. There was a certain distance from the sea surface above, as if they were in a huge underwater world. Not far away, two or three mermaid children were perched on a reef, curiously watching the two of them, hesitating to move.
“This is incredible,” Tang Ruo exclaimed repeatedly, her eyes fixed on the colorful reefs, unwilling to look away.
Jiang Liu agreed, wiping the water that was still dripping from her face. As expected of the System, she thought.
A boundless beach and shallow puddles, with countless pearls and colorful reefs interspersed. Above them was the deep blue sea, with countless palaces, and even the tiles on the houses were sparkling gems.
Such a magnificent, fairytale-like scene could only be seen in one’s imagination.
Unfortunately, it was all fake in the end.
Jiang Liu withdrew her gaze. She didn’t see Gao Yuan, but the Scale in her hand floated up on its own. A golden light streamed out from it like a brook, winding left and right, pointing in a certain direction.
“Is it showing the way?” Tang Ruo had only heard about Lin Sa’s incident from Jiang Liu. Seeing that this thing really seemed to have a mind of its own, she was surprised and quickly ran a few steps forward to follow.
“Wait.” Jiang Liu stopped the excited Tang Ruo and stroked her chin in thought. “Are we missing someone?”
Tang Ruo was stunned for a moment, then slapped her forehead as she remembered something, her eyes widening as she shouted, “Jiang He!”
Both of them felt a pang of guilt and quickly found the rope connecting them, pulling it towards themselves.
Fortunately, the other end wasn’t empty. They could feel a heavy pull from the other side. Jiang Liu yanked it over and saw Jiang He with his eyes tightly shut, constantly blowing bubbles from his mouth—a clear sign of drowning.
Fortunately, it hadn’t been long. The two of them took turns performing first aid and finally managed to save him.
When Jiang He opened his eyes, he was met with two panicked faces and couldn’t help but cough up a mouthful of water.
Jiang Liu breathed a sigh of relief and couldn’t resist slapping him. “If you can’t swim, what are you doing down here?”
It was now basically certain that what this kid said about hearing Zhang Xiaochen’s voice was all nonsense.
They were biological brothers. Knowing that Jiang He couldn’t swim, how could Zhang Xiaochen have called him into the sea?
Jiang He coughed heavily again, as if dazed by Jiang Liu’s slap. He stood up with a start, as if possessed, ignored the two of them, and walked straight in one direction.
Jiang Liu and Tang Ruo exchanged a look and cautiously followed him.
It was a huge reef behind them, at least three meters high, covered in dense, dark holes. Jiang He, as if bewitched, reached into them, searching for something, and even shouted, “My brother said he left something for me, right here?”
Jiang Liu watched him with half-belief, but the kid didn’t even glance at her. His eyes were fixed on the reef, carefully checking every single hole.
Tang Ruo quietly tugged on the rope between them and mouthed silently, “What’s going on?”
She shrugged, tilted her head, and stared at Jiang He for a long time before finally going over to help.
Even if he was possessed, it was unlikely the ghost had some special fetish for drilling into holes.
Jiang Liu had only intended to give it a try, planning to knock him out and carry him away if it didn’t work. But who would have thought that when she reached into one of the holes, she would actually touch something hard—
It was a recording pen.
It looked very old from its condition. Such old-style electronic products were rare on the market, and it had no smart functions at all, even requiring an old-fashioned charger.
Jiang Liu tried pressing the switch. There was a long silence at first, then a slight electric hum, and it sounded like someone was mumbling a lullaby inside.
Tang Ruo noticed her action, and after a couple of glances, confirmed, “It seems to be out of battery.”
As she spoke, the already faint sound disappeared, leaving only a long silence.
Jiang Liu was a bit dazed. As the mumbled lullaby sounded, a scene suddenly appeared before her.
It was a winter evening. She was holding two cans of cold beer, subconsciously rubbing her fingertips to ease the cold, and as she walked in front of the building, she instinctively looked up.
The first-floor bedroom window faced the entrance. The person inside was already tucked in and asleep. The dim bedside lamp emitted a faint glow, flickering from time to time due to a bad connection.
The person on the bed was sleeping restlessly, tossing and turning from time to time, tightly clutching a recording pen in their small hand.
The moonlight poured in, revealing the face to Jiang Liu. The baby-fat cheeks were flushed, and they were mumbling in their sleep, as if dreaming.
She remembered this lullaby.
She didn’t know where she had heard it, but she had memorized it. When she was busy with things, she would hum a few lines, often making the neighbor’s child blush and run over to listen.
That child was very delicate and pretty. Even at a young age, their eyes showed a hint of their future beauty. When they looked at you with their glistening eyes, it made you want to give them whatever they wanted.
Jiang Liu was lost in her memories for a long time, unable to come back to her senses. She gripped the old recording pen tightly, her fingertips already turning white, her heart pounding.
This was Xiao Si’s.
On countless nights in the past, when she pushed open the door of her temporary residence, she would see her sleeping soundly, clutching this pen in her arms. A familiar yet difficult-to-pronounce lullaby would pour out from it. She never knew when the child had secretly recorded it.
Although the sound was muffled and some parts were not even recorded completely, the child still carried it like a treasure, as if it were some precious thing that could lull her to sleep, never willing to part with it.
Jiang Liu lowered her eyes, and a tear silently slid down from the corner of her eye.