This assassin is upright

Chapter 478 The Gateway to the Sea

underwater.

Yu Zhun felt his eyes being eroded by an intense stinging pain.

The eyes are usually the most vulnerable part of a person's body, even for evolved beings.

Yu Zhun's eyes had undergone a transformation during his previous trip to the lava, but he still dared not open them while inside the lava.

At this moment, his eyes were also being eroded by the mutated seawater.

He felt a sharp, persistent stinging pain that made him want to cry, and the pain intensified as he descended.

He had to temporarily stop his descent, keeping himself at a depth of about twenty meters, and then try to open his eyes wide.

The mutation inducer once again played a crucial role, and Yu Zhun felt the stinging pain significantly relieved during each transformation and rebirth.

At the same time, his strength was further enhanced.

The underwater world, which was almost impossible to see before, is now becoming more and more visible, and everything in sight is becoming clearer at an extremely rapid pace.

Finally, the stinging sensation completely disappeared, and Yu Zhun gained the ability to see underwater in this sea area.

He vigorously swam with both arms, heading downwards without hesitation.

Thirty meters…

Fifty meters…

Eighty meters!
Everything at a depth of 100 meters underwater became clear in his vision, and a look of deep astonishment appeared on his face.

Unlike the seawater above 100 meters, the seawater below 100 meters is crystal clear, just like the seawater before the catastrophe.

The two types of seawater are clearly distinct, as if separated by an invisible membrane, preventing the polluted and mutated seawater from penetrating.

What is that power?
How come no one noticed after all this time?

Yu Zhun cautiously approached and then reached one hand inside.

Without any hindrance, his hand passed through the boundary between the two. Unlike the viscous seawater on this side, the seawater on the other side looked just like he remembered it.

Once he was sure there were no problems, Yu Zhun decisively continued to dive, immersing himself completely in the clean seawater. A strong sense of comfort instantly washed over him.

Immediately afterwards, the familiar feeling of being spied on surged up once again.

Yu Zhun suddenly turned his head and saw a silver figure flash by in the distance.

It's it!

In an instant, Yu Zhun confirmed that the silver figure was the one who had been spying on him underwater.

He paddled hard with both hands, trying his best to catch up with the other person.

Unfortunately, even with his near-fifth-tier strength, his underwater movement speed couldn't match that of the creatures in the water. He could only watch as that silver streak gradually receded into the distance before finally stopping his swimming motion in frustration.

"What exactly is that?" Yu Zhun frowned, a thoughtful look in his eyes. "Judging from its shape, it looks like a fish."

"But it doesn't quite look like it..."

"The most important thing is, why is the other person staring at me?"

"If they want to contact me, they should come to me openly and honestly."

"If they wanted to be my enemy, they shouldn't have just run away..."

After pondering for a long time without finding a solution, Yu Zhun shook his head.

The sea area where he was located was nearshore and not very deep, only about 120 meters deep in total, with the clear water below only about 20 meters deep.

After searching without finding anything of value, Yu Zhun turned his gaze back to the direction where the silver figure had disappeared.

That's a much deeper part of the sea.

He plans to go and take a look.
-
"Woo——"

Accompanied by the melodious sound of the ship's horn, the cruise ship, full of passengers, departed from the dock and slowly sailed towards the distant ruined island.

On the cruise ship's deck, the four members of Black Hawk, who had successfully boarded the ship, leaned against the railing and whispered to each other.

"What was that sound just now?" Wolf Fang couldn't help but ask.

“The sound of the ship’s horn!” the mouse replied naturally. “Although modern cruise ships no longer use that old-fashioned propulsion technology, playing the horn to signal the departure of the cruise ship has become an old tradition.”

At this point, he looked at Wolf Fang with a hint of mockery, "You country bumpkin, is this your first time on a boat?"

"You've ridden in it?" Wolf Fang raised an eyebrow and asked in return.

"No, not really." The mouse shrugged, then laughed. "So we're all just country bumpkins."

"Um..." The Eiffel Tower paused for a moment, then suddenly spoke up, "Actually, I've ridden it once..."

"...Huh?" Both the rat and the wolf-toothed man looked at each other with surprise.

You, with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, actually betrayed us.

"Alright, let's change the subject." Black Hawk rubbed his temples helplessly. "Besides, Rat, if you don't keep your mouth shut, you'll get beaten up sooner or later."

He, who had never been on a boat before, almost couldn't resist taking action just now.

“It takes three full days to travel from here to the ruined island.” Black Hawk paused slightly. “That’s just enough time for me to use the Tier 4 gene drug.”

"Now that I've broken through to the fourth rank, we'll have more confidence when we enter the ruined island."

Upon hearing this, the three mice fell silent.

"Captain, isn't this too hasty?" Wolf Fang couldn't help but ask. "This is a fourth-tier gene drug; the breakthrough will definitely be difficult. Shouldn't we prepare for a little longer?"

“Yes, yes.” Rat was unusually on the same side as Wolf Fang. “Yu Zhun has already reached the near-fifth rank. Our strength is already quite strong.”

"Just to be safe, maybe we should wait a bit."

Black Hawk didn't speak, but simply shook his head. "My mind is made up."

"Moreover, my preparations were not as inadequate as you might imagine."

Seeing the three of them remain silent, he smiled and said, "Don't worry, after knowing me for so long, do you think I'm the kind of person who would joke about risking my life?"

After saying that, he patted each of the three men on the shoulder, "I'll go get ready now."

After saying that, Black Hawk turned and walked towards his cabin.

"I'll go protect the Dharma." Iron Tower stood up and followed closely behind.

“There are too many people and too many eyes on the ship, I’ll go keep an eye on things too.” Wolf Fang also stood up.

"Then I..." The rat wanted to follow, but was stopped by Wolf Fang.

"You shouldn't go." Langya paused for a moment. "The two of us can't leave. You have to meet Yu Zhun and bring us food and stuff."

"I'll leave the errand running to you."

"...Fine then." The mouse scoffed, returned to its spot, and looked down at the sea so close at hand. "Yu Zhun, Yu Zhun, when are you coming back..."
-
"stop!"

With a low shout underwater, Yu Zhun rushed toward the silver figure that had reappeared, but due to the difference in their speed, he was once again left behind.

His expression also turned ugly.

What exactly was that figure that kept spying on him?
Each time, the other person would appear at just the right moment when he was unsure of where to go next, but when he tried to catch up, the other person would quickly escape.

For some reason, he had a vague feeling that the other person wanted to lead him somewhere, but was unwilling to meet him along the way.

Guided by the other party, he had already traveled far from the shore.

At that moment, Yu Zhun's expression shifted slightly.

He sensed that what he had left with Black Hawk was beginning to move and had already moved out of the dock's vicinity.

Have the captain and the others boarded the ship?
The cruise ship has set sail?
Calculating the time, it was indeed about right. After calming down and reflecting for a moment, Yu Zhun's expression showed a hint of surprise.

Being in the deep sea, he couldn't tell where he was, but the marked location was clearly heading in his direction.

The cruise ship's destination is a ruined, isolated island, which means...

The silver figure led him towards a desolate, ruined island!

After a moment's hesitation, Yu Zhun decided to stop dwelling on the other party's motives.

Since the destination was where he was going anyway, he might as well go and take a look.

Swimming forward with all his might, Yu Zhun chased after the direction in which the silver figure had disappeared.

The silver figure appeared several times during this period, each time just as Yu Zhun was about to deviate from the correct direction. This further convinced Yu Zhun that the other party did indeed intend to lead the way.

However, at the same time, another question gradually emerged in Yu Zhun's mind.

There are more mutated and polluted beasts in the ocean than on land. When he first looked at the ocean, he also felt the immense danger it contained.

But along the way, apart from that silver figure, he did not see any other living beings.

Where did these mutated beasts go?

With these questions in mind, Yu Zhun's figure finally stopped at a certain point underwater.

The silver figure appeared once again, but this time, it did not flee as Yu Zhun approached, and Yu Zhun was finally able to see what it was.

His pupils contracted sharply.

What came into view was a humanoid life form.

However, unlike ordinary humans, its body is covered with silver scales, its hands have a structure similar to fish fins, and its legs have turned into a large tail, allowing it to swim quickly underwater like a fish.

This appearance does bear some resemblance to the mermaid in Yu Zhun's mind.

But its appearance is more ferocious and ugly.

"You..." Yu Zhun began slowly, "Can you understand what I'm saying?"

The silver mermaid did not speak, but a complex, human-like emotion was revealed in her eyes, which were unlike those of humans.

Then, it quickly swam to deeper waters.

This time, it slowed down, as if it was deliberately waiting for Yu Zhun, so Yu Zhun was able to easily keep up with its swimming speed.

After descending some distance, Yu Zhun suddenly realized that there was a huge trench below, its length was incalculable and its depth was astonishing.

Even after following the silver mermaid down for more than ten minutes, Yu Zhun still couldn't see where it ended.

Finally, the silver mermaid stopped.

It pointed further down, then revealed an expectant and pleading expression.

"You mean, you want me to get down?"

The silver mermaid nodded slightly in response.

Yu Zhun raised an eyebrow and looked into the deeper trench.

Below lies an endless expanse of seawater, like a scar on the ocean floor. No one knows how deep it is or what unknown dangers it conceals.

"Then why don't you go down?" Without taking any immediate action, Yu Zhun asked in a deep voice, "You should be a better swimmer than me, right?"

Upon hearing this, the silver mermaid began to gesture anxiously, but her not-so-flexible body made her movements appear obscure and difficult to understand.

In the end, the silver mermaid gave up gesturing.

It cautiously continued to descend a little further, then, hanging upside down, slowly reached one hand down even further.

To Yu Zhun's astonishment, its fingertips touched an invisible boundary, and its flesh and blood vanished instantly, leaving only bones.

With a painful roar, the silver mermaid abruptly withdrew its hand, then looked at Yu Zhun with pleading eyes once more.

“You can’t go down…” Yu Zhun frowned deeply. “Do you think I can go down?”

Upon hearing this, the silver mermaid nodded quickly.

This made Yu Zhun want to give it a try.

Anyway, he can heal quickly on his own, so this kind of injury can only be considered a superficial wound.

Swimming back to where the silver mermaid had been, Yu Zhun imitated it, carefully reaching his hand into that area.

There was nothing unusual when he touched it; he didn't even feel any difference between the two areas. He easily stepped half of his body across.

After confirming that he could pass, Yu Zhun looked at the silver mermaid again, "So, what do you want me to do down there?"

The mermaid quickly made a movement, and seeing that Yu Zhun didn't understand, she repeated it twice more.

Yu Zhun frowned slightly.

Because that action was clearly the action of opening a door.

Open the door…the key!
Yu Zhun realized something in an instant. He took out the key he had found in the lava and looked at the silver mermaid.

"Did you come to me because of it?"

The silver mermaid nodded excitedly.

"Is there a corresponding door down here?"

The silver mermaid nodded once more.

"Okay, I'll go down and take a look." Once he was sure, Yu Zhun didn't hesitate any longer.

After obtaining the key, he was already eager to figure out its purpose, and this desire intensified after reading Fred's diary.

At this moment, the "door" related to the key is right below, how could he not go and take a look?
After descending a short distance, Yu Zhun looked up at the spot where he had been, only to find that the silver mermaid had not left but was still hovering there.

Judging from its posture, it seemed to be waiting for me to come out.

Withdrawing his gaze, Yu Zhun continued to descend.

The closer you get to the bottom, the narrower the trench becomes. The original width of several thousand meters has shrunk to only tens of meters as Yu Zhun descends.

This also made Yu Zhun realize that they were not far from the bottom of the trench.

He continued to descend and eventually stood on a walkway only a few meters wide. This was the bottom area of ​​the trench. Unlike normal geological structures, it looked flat as if it had been carved out by man.

The moment Yu Zhun stood there, a faint attraction emanated from him, seemingly echoing his key.

Gripping the key tightly, Yu Zhun took a deep breath and headed in the direction of the attraction.

Ten meters…

Fifty meters…

One hundred meters…

The attraction grew so strong that the key in Yu Zhun's hand began to tremble involuntarily; if Yu Zhun hadn't gripped it tightly, it seemed it would have flown away.

Finally, Yu Zhun stopped in front of a gate.

It was a portal brimming with an ancient aura, and it was not a physical entity, but rather a gateway formed entirely by a special kind of energy, leading to the unknown.

Inside the portal, countless chains were locked in layers. At the intersection of the chains, there was a lock-shaped object that was constantly attracting Yu Zhun's key.

Clutching the key tightly, Yu Zhun's eyes showed a thoughtful expression.

The outline of this portal looks very much like a door to a dungeon or another world, so…

Is he really going to open this door at this moment?
(End of this chapter)