Chapter 10

The deck area of the bronze ship is very long.

The two walked along the ship's rail in the nether mist for nearly a kilometer before the Jin Wu corpse gradually became clear.

One of the corpse's wings covered the stele forest in the deck area, and the other rested on the nine-story-high ship building. Compared to it, a giant beast like the Nine Infants seemed slightly petite.

It had been dead here for who knows how many years, but the body was not cold; it was golden and shimmering, with firelight flowing through it.

Standing a hundred meters away, one could feel waves of heat surging from the direction of the corpse.

Every feather on the Jin Wu corpse was dozens of times larger than an adult's body, flowing with light and color, extremely magnificent; one couldn't imagine how brilliant it was when it was still alive.

Could it really be as in the myths and legends, capable of transforming into a sun that patrols the heavens and earth?

The fatal wound on its body was located on its head, pierced by an unknown sharp weapon, forming a terrifying blood hole three meters long.

The Jin Wu blood used for planting was drawn from a blood pool with a diameter of over twenty meters below the blood hole. When it was first drawn up, the temperature of the blood in the bucket was close to boiling water and required special treatment to cool down.

Li Li Youyi stood by the blood pool observing; the Jin Wu's blood was bright red with a faint golden glow.

The smell of blood was very strong, but not pungent.

Instead, there was a fragrant scent of blood that made one's mouth water.

If it weren't for the Jin Wu's bad reputation as the "Bird of Destruction," which made people feel awe, the research team members would have long since drunk it without any scruples.

"No wonder they all want to drink it. Drinking the Jin Wu's blood must be as fresh and fragrant as eating roasted meat. And there's the possibility of immortality; it's truly maddening."

Gao Gao Huan couldn't help but swallow his saliva and added, "If this were on Earth, the appearance of a single drop of Jin Wu blood would make all the billionaires throw ten thousand gold pieces for it, and we have a whole pool here. Hurry up and use your handsome man strategy to ask Dr. Cai. Doesn't our university have that saying: if a junior wants a senior sister's love, he must be either rich or handsome."

"Mouth full of rhymes, are you trying to get your... PhD?" Li Li Youyi laughed.

Perhaps it was because he had just cultivated some extraordinary achievements, and his body was in urgent need of high-level substance replenishment, but the appetite he generated was even stronger than Gao Gao Huan's.

Even the scorching hot airflow in the center of his right foot was actively surging out uncontrollably, flowing through the thirteen trace meridians, as if urging him to drink the Jin Wu blood quickly.

"The greater the temptation, the more dangerous it is."

Li Li Youyi suppressed the scorching airflow in his body and hurried away from the blood pool.

On the other side, the Black Flood Dragon had been severed into two pieces by a sharp weapon, its corpse was very thick, much taller than Li Li Youyi's body.

Scale by scale, they were like thick iron plates the size of palm-leaf fans, emitting an icy chill.

At the severed part of the dragon body, the fresh blood had congealed into purple-red ice crystals, which required an axe to chip off, and then it had to be heated to melt.

Near the Black Flood Dragon corpse, many white-boned humans wearing armor lay scattered about.

The six people from Laboratory 705 were gathered around one of the more special white-boned humans, studying it, sketching structural diagrams, and recording the inscriptions and patterns on the armor.

This white-boned human was special in that its bones emitted a faint glow like luminous stone; they had already become metallic, felt very smooth to the touch, and when tapped, sounded just like tapping an iron block.

Hearing footsteps, the six people from Laboratory 705 looked at Li Li Youyi and Gao Gao Huan in unison.

Gao Gao Huan was very familiar and asked with a smile, "Director Yang, any discoveries?"

Among the six, the burly man holding a shotgun, with a crew cut and a height of nearly two meters, tightened his hands, his eyes quite vigilant. Seeing that they were just two injured patients out for a walk, he relaxed slightly.

Clearly, all parties felt that the atmosphere on the bronze ship was wrong and no longer trusted each other as they once had.

Director Yang was still quite kind and smiled, "Those who died on the bronze ship were clearly not ordinary creatures; science is hard to explain. The armor worn by these human bones on the ground weighs at least a thousand jin; the six of us combined couldn't move them."

"The weapons are also very heavy. The lightest spear actually required two people to barely lift it. The density is very high, and I don't know what kind of material it is."

Li Li Youyi really wanted to try if he could pick up the ancient spear that was a zhang long on the ground. After his fingers touched it, he gave up the idea and asked, "How did they all die? It's too strange; who killed them?"

"Could it be that there is some unknown danger on this bronze ship?" Gao Gao Huan said.

Director Yang said, "We have observed this bronze ship with a microscope for many years, and the conclusion is that the Jin Wu, the Black Flood Dragon, and these armored humans were all intruders, mostly wanting to seek treasure, explore, and occupy. There must be some kind of dangerous power on the ship that we cannot understand!"

Gao Gao Huan asked curiously, "Aren't we also intruders? Why haven't we been killed?"

The six people from Laboratory 705 all felt heavy-hearted.

Not being killed now doesn't mean it won't happen later.

Li Li Youyi speculated, "Perhaps we are too weak, or perhaps we haven't violated any taboos, which is why the danger hasn't descended."

Director Yang clearly hoped this was the case and suddenly thought of something, pointing forward: "You have seen that nine-story-high ship building, right? Passing through the narrow passage between the ship building and the ship's rail, you will reach the stern. There is an ancient-style garden there, distributed with pavilions, halls, high towers, corridors... it should be the place where the ship's owner lived."

Gao Gao Huan said, "Does the director think they were killed by the ship's owner?"

"I can only say that this is a highly probable guess." Director Yang said.

Li Li Youyi looked toward the ship building; it was very magnificent, each floor was three or four zhang high, and under the reflection of the radiance emitted by the Jin Wu corpse, the whole body was deep red.

Strangely, a large number of human-shaped stone figurines were placed by the railings outside each floor of the ship building.

Cabin doors were closed one by one, and it was unknown what kind of mystery was hidden inside.

Stele forest, tomb groups, ghost flags, human figurines...

How is this like a normal ship?

Gao Gao Huan said, "They have been dead for at least a thousand years, maybe even longer. Even if it was the owner of the bronze ship who killed them, this owner must have passed away."

Director Yang laughed, "That's right, if the existence capable of slaying the Jin Wu and the Black Flood Dragon were still alive, how could it let the bronze ship run aground on the Buddha's relics for thousands of years?"

"But Director, the bronze ship has set sail again!" A middle-aged woman wearing glasses from Laboratory 705 reminded him.

After Li Li Youyi said goodbye to the people from Laboratory 705, he walked toward the nine-story ship building.

Without getting close, from a distance of more than ten meters, he looked toward the narrow passage leading to the stern.

The passage was filled with nether mist and stood full of stone figurines in various expressions and postures. A timid person seeing such a scene would have long since been terrified and stayed far away.

The passage was very dark, and the stern could not be seen.

"The immortal radiance I saw must have come from the ancient-style garden that Director Yang mentioned. What kind of place is that exactly?" Li Li Youyi's curiosity was piqued, but he instinctively felt that something was wrong.

Gao Gao Huan followed up and said enthusiastically, "The owner of the bronze ship is definitely no small matter; their place of residence might contain some immortal pills and divine medicine. Li, shall the two of us go and explore quietly?"

Li Li Youyi discovered something, took two steps forward, and then squatted down.

There was a pool of dried black blood on the ground.

He stretched out his finger, wiped it on the bloodstain, and brought it to the tip of his nose to sniff carefully.

Li Li Youyi suddenly raised his head and looked at the deep, dark passage ahead again. His eyes became extremely vigilant and grave as he asked, "After we fell onto the bronze ship, have we seen that bear-like creature?"

"Are you talking about the Ghost Xiong Huang? Why are you suddenly asking this?" Gao Gao Huan said.

Li Li Youyi said, "The entire research team, including the Long Ji, all fell onto the bronze ship. The bear-like... the Ghost Xiong Huang you mentioned, how could it be an exception?"

"That's true, it's a bit strange... However, if it fell onto the ship, it's already been five days, how could it not have come out to forage yet?" Gao Gao Huan said.

"It might be on the ship."

Li Li Youyi pointed to the dried black blood on the ground: "This is its blood! It must have been severely injured, which is why it's hiding for the time being."

"How do you know this is the bloodstain it left behind?"

Gao Gao Huan was both curious and puzzled, and also began to panic a little.

Li Li Youyi didn't know how to explain, because after he cultivated some extraordinary achievements, his sense of smell had greatly increased, allowing him to distinguish the scent of the Ghost Xiong Huang's blood.

From far away, a familiar voice came: "Are you two looking for death? What are you doing running here?"

"Dr. Qi, we were just taking a walk... hehe."

Gao Gao Huan hurriedly apologized with a smile.

"Is this a place for a walk? One with a broken right arm, one with an injured left shoulder; you two are crippled and incomplete. Hurry up and get back to the medical shed for me." Qi Qi Shanshan scolded coldly.

Li Li Youyi had long since heard Qi Qi Shanshan's footsteps, so he was not surprised at all. He stood up and followed along, apologizing with a smile: "Director Yang said there is an ancient-style garden at the stern, and we were discussing whether there are any immortal pills or divine medicine there. Maybe if we eat one, our injuries will all be healed!"

Qi Qi Shanshan was a woman who cared extremely about her own beauty. Even in such an environment, her face still carried exquisite makeup; her skin was snow-white and translucent, her cheeks were pink, her lips were red, and the white doctor's uniform on her body was spotless. She even wore high heels, and on her legs were flesh-colored silk stockings that matched her skin.

She was over one meter seven tall, her waist was slender, the curves of her chest and buttocks were superior, and the third and fourth buttons of the light blue shirt she wore underneath were stretched very tightly. In short, she was extremely feminine.

Therefore, although it was also a cold scolding, her voice was more delicate, beautiful, and magnetic than Cai Cai Yutong's, without that kind of aggressive, oppressive feeling.

Qi Qi Shanshan knitted her eyebrows: "Didn't he tell you it's dangerous there? Four research team members have already gone to explore one after another, but after entering the ship building passage, they never came back."

Li Li Youyi and Gao Gao Huan looked at each other, dumbfounded.

That Director Yang looked kind and friendly; who would have thought he was actually an old, sinister person?

If Li Li Youyi hadn't discovered the Ghost Xiong Huang's bloodstains on the ground, and if Qi Qi Shanshan hadn't happened to come looking for them, the two of them might have followed in the footsteps of the four research team members.

Qi Qi Shanshan's full chest heaved violently, and she was so angry she covered her forehead: "You two are really children who have never left school; you're too simple! Li Li Youyi, don't you know that everyone suspects the Buddha's relic is on you? Director Yang values the relic even more than his own life; he must be trying to test you by taking this opportunity."

Gao Gao Huan, as if avoiding a plague, distanced himself from Li Li Youyi: "Li, I was nearly implicated by you and died without knowing why."

Qi Qi Shanshan stared at him: "You deserve to die! Li Li Youyi is only a freshman and has no social experience, so it's understandable that he was deceived. You're already a third-year graduate student; don't you have any vigilance at all? If there were really something good, would others kindly tell you?"

Gao Gao Huan wasn't angry at all; it seemed that being scolded by Qi Qi Shanshan was also a happy thing. Suddenly, he smiled like he was offering a treasure: "Dr. Qi, we have a big discovery! This dried bloodstain is suspected to have been left by the Ghost Xiong Huang."

Qi Qi Shanshan rolled her eyes: "This bloodstain was discovered the day before yesterday and has already been tested; it was left by that bear-like creature. The four research team members who entered the nine-story ship building passage to investigate must have been eaten by it. Hurry up and leave here; no one knows when that bear-like creature's injuries will heal. Once it comes out, with the little ammunition we have left... sigh, let everything be up to fate!"

Li Li Youyi was also very worried.

The Ghost Xiong Huang was very likely also an extraordinary creature, which is why it possessed such terrifying speed and physique; its self-healing ability shouldn't be slower than his.

It had three more days of healing time than Li Li Youyi; even if it were more severely injured, it was probably already seven or eight-tenths recovered by now.

Li Li Youyi and Gao Gao Huan hurriedly followed Qi Qi Shanshan back, just wanting to get as far away from the nine-story ship building as possible.

Qi Qi Shanshan's legs were long, and her walking was rhythmic, click-clack, click-clack.

Li Li Youyi asked, "Since it's confirmed to be it, why not gather all the guns, ammunition, and weapons and eliminate it while its injuries haven't healed?"

"How powerful is that bear-like creature? When it was in the open, we couldn't handle it even with plenty of ammunition. Now that it's hiding in the dark, it's even harder to deal with. That's the first reason!"

Qi Qi Shanshan's eyes were cold and sharp, and she added, "Secondly, everyone knows that facing it is a nine-out-of-ten chance of death; how many people dare to go?"

"Thirdly, there are only three guns on the ship, and the ammunition is limited. Everyone regards them as weapons to maintain their own status and power. Without weapons, who would still respect them?"

"If we die, we all die together."

"But losing status and power is much more uncomfortable than dying."

"In a word, people's hearts are not united, everyone has their own ulterior motives, and nothing can be done."

Seeking monthly tickets, seeking monthly tickets.

(End of chapter)