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墨書 Inktalez
"Sure. As long as it is willing."
Tang Yumo's tone was calm, her expression serious, as if she knew exactly what the Buffalo Hovercraft was.
"This form may not be its final form. It has existed in an formless state for too long, which has affected its learning and evolution capabilities. However, this time its transformation is significant; it may stabilize into a certain form."
"Formless?" Jack murmured, confused.
"It’s the way you first saw it. It can grow infinitely, making its body enormous. But without guidance, its attack methods are limited, and its form is the simplest lichen mode."
"Will contact with humans accelerate its evolution or growth?"
I sensed that Jack was starting to believe Tang Yumo's strange talk; he asked seriously.
"No. The growth of the Eternal Gate will accelerate its evolution. But there are exceptions. For instance, if it senses danger—that is, if the Eternal Gate is threatened. It is a companion entity of Eternal Life and the guardian; it can never leave the Eternal Gate and will never allow it to be threatened. Because that would mean its doom."
"But you just said that our last visit made it smarter. What does that mean? This contradicts what you just said."
Tang Yumo unconsciously glanced at me.
"Perhaps it has something to do with you," she said, turning her face toward me. "Or maybe you made it feel threatened."
"Me?" I chuckled self-deprecatingly. "Just two people being chased like dogs. Do you think that would make it feel threatened? If it were worried about going hungry, I could accept that. The ones feeling threatened are us."
"I can confirm that its current changes are directly related to your last visit. Ever since we lost the key to open the Eternal Gate, Heimanluo has not undergone any evolution. In fact, it has gradually regressed to its most primitive state. If it weren't sensing danger from you, then it must be picking up on some abnormal aura from you. In any case, there is a reason for the changes in Heimanluo."
"You can't just blame everything on me as if I were some kind of Awakener. Why not blame it on a god? A death god! As if all the dangers were caused by me and I was going to destroy your Village. Do you think I'm omnipotent?"
"I have a theory. This thought has been in my mind for quite some time."
I tilted the flashlight toward Tang Yumo. I noticed her eyes sparkled when she spoke, and a hint of color appeared on her face. When I had opened the hatch earlier, some fresh air had entered this confined space, alleviating our oxygen deprivation, and our complexions quickly returned to normal. Tang Yumo was no exception; I had noticed her face regain its porcelain-like glow.
However, at this moment, a flush returned to Tang Yumo's cheeks, which was rare for her. It only happened under extreme anger or severe oxygen deprivation. But the redness on her face now, along with her expression, gave me the impression that she was in an excited or even euphoric state.
It wasn't spring; why did she look like she was in heat?
"You've been underground at Lop Nur, awakened your Awakener abilities there, and even encountered the Eternal Gate of Lop Nur. You must have at least seen the guardian of that Eternal Gate."
I was worried that Tang Yumo's excitement would affect us; at least Jack was starting to believe her. Tang Yumo's expression was infectious and enticing.
Although I didn't have feelings for Tang Yumo, her youthful energy was still captivating.
Coughing lightly, I decisively extinguished any fantasies about her and myself.
"No. There is no Eternal Gate. No awakening of any nonsense abilities. And definitely no sighting of the guardian of the Eternal Gate. You're being tedious; just go straight to Heimanluo already. I can tell you there are no such Monsters over there."
"No Heimanluo? Or no Monsters?"
"Is there a difference? Hehe."
Fatty should be able to tell that I was starting to lose confidence. I couldn't come up with a stronger rebuttal. All I could do was use the seemingly powerful "hehe" to mask my insecurity. Lop Nur's underground lake and the Underground Passage certainly had Monsters, but could I tell her that?
"The conditions required for Heimanluo to evolve are not present here. However, there is one condition that has never been verified and cannot be verified. Now, there is a possibility for verification. Heimanluo can sense each other."
"Hehe."
"But Heimanluo cannot leave a certain range of the Eternal Gate; they cannot sense each other over long distances. This requires a medium."
"Hehe."
"As long as this medium brings any piece of information—like the scent or emotions of another Heimanluo—here, it will trigger this Heimanluo to accelerate its evolution. You cannot sense this information, but it can."
"Hehe."
"The Heimanluo in Lop Nur is a mature form; its shape is already fixed and will not change again. My ancestors have seen it."
"Hehe."
"Its form is that of a gigantic octopus."
Thud.
This sound echoed simultaneously in my ears and my brain. My body and my Heart were struck at the same time. The blow to my Heart came from Tang Yumo's words, while the impact on my body was caused by a strong vibration from the pavement.
We and the ship above us were lifted by the waves stirred up by the tremor, creating a brief separation between the ship and the Pavement. In that moment, I witnessed a scene that confirmed something Tang Yumo had said: that enormous creature resembling a Prehistoric Crocodile was indeed Heimanluo.
At this moment, Heimanluo seemed extremely dissatisfied with its form as a Prehistoric Crocodile. It began to withdraw from this transformation. However, it did not retreat completely; its massive jaws, lined with triangular teeth, continued to devour the corpses of Giant Bats and fish floating on the river's surface. Its short but powerful tail transformed into a gigantic whale tail, which it swung into the air before crashing down heavily onto the Pavement.
This bizarre appearance could not possibly be the result of evolution from any single species. Its method of attack was highly effective against the densely packed and frenzied Piranha School. Each time that enormous whale tail struck the Pavement, it created towering waves, sending powerful vibrations that caused nearby Piranhas to swiftly faint and die.
In moments, a thick layer of Piranha corpses floated on the Pavement.
Of course, this form of attack severely affected us as well. Although the fire on the ship had not been completely extinguished, it had dimmed significantly; our camouflage had transformed from a fireball into an object whose shape could be discerned.
The scene before us turned each of our faces pale. Except for Tang Yumo, who seemed still caught up in excitement and had not returned to reality.
Fatty and I exchanged quick glances. The message in our eyes was clear: this was truly insane. (To Be Continued...)
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