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Chapter 177. Lost Items (1)

"I'll go with you."

Xia Qizhen thought about it for a while, and finally gritted his teeth and made a decision.

Jiang Jianxin was somewhat surprised by his decision, but still agreed:
"Well."

Including Xia Qizhen, Jiang Jianxin's group now consists of four people.

After arriving at the next station, the group continued to act according to the previous battle plan. However, this time, Chu Zhibai and Xia Qizhen were on the paper airplane.

After destroying the station once again, Jiang Jianxin and his group returned to the water tank subway, where the artificial intelligence Ayu was reporting on the current progress:
“You have already cleared the 18 upstream stations, while my father started earlier and has cleared more than 40 downstream stations. There are two stations left, namely ‘pavilions and towers’ and ‘empty mountains and valleys’.”

"Which one is Wen Yu cleaning up now?"

Jiang Jianxin inquired.

"He is cleaning up the Kongshan Canyon Station, but there are no abnormal energy fluctuations yet. It is speculated that the core source of pollution may be hidden in the 'pavilion and tower' station."

Ayu said truthfully.

Jiang Jianxin nodded slightly, her gaze falling on the "Pavilion and Tower Station" sign that was gradually approaching on the subway doors. Her fingertips lightly traced the scabbard, her voice calm yet resolute:

"give it to me."

Although she was filled with anticipation for finding the lost item in the fourth playthrough, she remained as composed as ever.

The light and shadow of the train traveling through the waterway shifted across her face, yet it did not reflect a ripple of emotion.

"Om-"

As the train slowed down, a platform submerged in water slowly came into view.

"We have arrived at the Pavilion and Tower Station. Please open the left door and disembark as soon as possible."

A mechanical female voice echoed in the humid air.

Jiang Jianxin picked up his sword and stood up. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Zuo Siquan's expression was unusual—her gaze was fixed on his arm, and her face was as pale as paper.

"what happened?"

She frowned and asked.

Zuo Siquan raised her arm with trembling hands. Bluish-white scales, like some kind of moss, had covered her forearm.

The translucent scales gleamed with a sickly sheen under the dim light of the platform, just like those on the mermaids in the train carriages.

This discovery immediately triggered a chain reaction.

Chu Zhibai abruptly rolled up his sleeves, and Xia Qizhen hurriedly checked her arms as well. The two of them gasped almost simultaneously:
"I have it too!"

"These scales...when did they..."

Their exclamations echoed across the empty platform.

Jiang Jianxin noticed that the scales on the three people's arms were spreading towards their shoulders at a speed visible to the naked eye.

She looked at her arm and, unsurprisingly, found large patches of fish scales.

These things grew silently, and if Zuo Siquan hadn't spoken up, she wouldn't have even noticed the changes in her body.

Jiang Jianxin stroked his chin thoughtfully and said:

"We're busy destroying stations. From one station to another, you have to take the subway. It's probably because they've been soaking in the water tank subway for too long, which has caused them to become contaminated."

She had been contaminated before, and there was no other way to cure this contamination except by consuming her life force to return to the cemetery and reopen it.

Jiang Jianxin looked at the group and asked:
"How many lives do you have left?"

Zuo Siquan was deeply worried:

"I only have one left."

Chu Zhibai and Xia Qizhen also replied:

"There's one more." "One life."

The latter paused, then weakly added:

"There are only three lives in total. Many people lose one by trying and making mistakes at the beginning, and another by making mistakes along the way. Now most people only have one left."

Jiang Jianxin didn't say how many lives she had left. In fact, if she only had three lives, she should only have one left now, having already died twice.

She frowned, sensing that something was amiss, but couldn't quite put her finger on it. She could only offer some words of comfort:
"According to Ayu, we have cleaned up the other sites. This is the last site. If nothing unexpected happens, the source of pollution should be here."

If the source of the pollution cannot be found, the group will eventually be assimilated into mermaids—but once the source of the pollution is found, the entire contaminated area instance will completely collapse, the pollution will dissipate, and they will return to normal.

The group exchanged glances, their eyes fixed on the exit of the pavilion-like building, a glimmer of hope in their eyes.

"Wow..."

As the subway station's main gate opened, a breathtaking view unfolded before my eyes—

The pavilions and towers rise up against the mountains and beside the water, their flying eaves and upturned corners hidden in the thin mist.

A clear spring flows between the rocks, its tinkling sound mingling with the distant melodies of string and wind instruments, creating a melodious and graceful melody. Pedestrians dressed in wide-sleeved robes stroll slowly among the rocks, their garments fluttering, as if they were stepping into an ancient painting.

Jiang Jianxin lightly tapped the scabbard with her fingertips, a flash of cold light appearing and disappearing on the blade. She turned her head to look at Zuo Siquan, her voice low and cold:
"Don't delay, finish this quickly."

The latter's eyes sharpened, and a massive, illusory golden wheel suddenly appeared behind him, its dazzling golden light cascading like a waterfall, instantly splitting into countless golden threads that coiled around the surrounding pedestrians. At the same time, Jiang Jianxin's lips moved slightly, and he silently recited a sword incantation; the longsword in his hand suddenly emitted a blinding, cold light—

A devastating sword aura swept out, tearing through the air like a silver dragon, and slashed straight at the magnificent palace built against the mountain.

"boom--!!!"

Wherever the sword energy passed, carved beams and painted rafters snapped in an instant. The flying eaves and brackets collapsed with a deafening crash, and broken wood and tiles poured down like a torrential rain, splashing up clouds of dust on the bluestone ground.

However, amidst the deafening roar of destruction, Jiang Jianxin suddenly froze. Her hand gripping the sword trembled slightly, and fine beads of cold sweat appeared on her forehead.

"Something's wrong..."

She murmured softly, her voice revealing a rare wavering:
"Why can't I sense any other energy fluctuations at all?"

"Sword Master, be careful!"

Zuo Siquan's shouts came from behind.

After Jiang Jianxin's sword strike, the protection mechanism of the pavilion and tower station was triggered, and the entire station trembled suddenly, like a giant beast that had been awakened.

The mountain began to twist and writhe, the jagged rocks reorganizing as if they were alive, and in the blink of an eye, they condensed into a sky-covering stone palm, which slammed down on her with the force to shatter mountains and split the earth.

Jiang Jianxin's thoughts were interrupted. His eyes turned cold, and he flipped his sword, unleashing a sharp beam of light that pierced the air.

"boom!!!"

The sword energy collided with the stone palm with a deafening roar. The enormous stone palm shattered, and countless fragments of stone rained down, striking the ground with dull thuds and kicking up clouds of dust.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Jiang Jianxin unleashed another attack. The sword energy swept across, turning the entire pavilion into ruins.

The sounds of string and wind instruments transformed into the soft, rustling sound of sand and pebbles rolling down.

With the silence came a profound sense of bewilderment and emptiness.

Jiang Jianxin suddenly felt a wave of suffocation, and his fingers unconsciously went to his neck.

The fingertips touched not familiar skin, but cold, moist, and rhythmically pulsating fish gills.

Her pupils contracted sharply, and a question rang out from the depths of her consciousness:
Why isn't the source of the pollution here?

Intuition took a while to provide the answer:

Have you forgotten?

You have another site that you haven't checked.

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