Chapter 113: Koi Carp

Time passed slowly, and Xie Ling and Liu Xu worked together to reinforce the ice shelter. After all, extreme cold armor was designed for combat and could not be compared to the versatile extreme freezing gun, which lacked the ability to mass-produce ice blocks. As the temperature in the room gradually fell to a level the human body could tolerate, the second debuff status attached to everyone present. Fang Tang had no idea why he had been so cursed this time. Apart from the fatal loss of direction, the second debuff was confusion. His sense of direction, gravity, thinking, and balance were all completely shattered, far worse than Xu Lin’s own imbalance—one wrong step and he would tumble. “This area doesn’t like me!” Fang Tang let out a bitter laugh from Ta Meng’s back. When they entered the extreme heat zone, they had treated the location as a safe leveling spot. After all, danger was minimal; the main threats were the debuffs and the oppressive temperatures. Now that several of them had stepped out of the ice shelter, it was time to seek out the guardian of the region. Defeating it and claiming the reward would give their journey purpose. Liu Yiran clearly possessed experience with the extreme heat zone and guided the group steadily toward the place where the sun was sinking in the middle. Roughly two hours later, the air cooled, and only then did they discover a verdant oasis. Liu Yiran touched his chin and said, “The guardian should be located just ahead. Everyone, stay alert.” “...” Fang Tang answered in a listless tone. His current condition left him unable to fight. Entering the oasis, the scenery shifted dramatically in an instant. The sky sparkled with countless stars, a sight both beautiful and strange. “How did it turn night in the blink of an eye?” Xie Ling gazed upward in bewilderment. “Illusion,” Liu Yiran explained with a gentle smile. Xie Ling pouted, letting out a soft sigh. Su Mang wrapped an arm around her shoulders and reassured her, “Having grown up with this kind of power, you’ll be fine.” “Mm-hmm!” Xie Ling nodded in agreement. The oasis was not vast, spanning roughly the size of two sports arenas, yet the surrounding trees were exceptionally lush and the air thick with moisture. It had not been long before the group noticed their skin growing slick and sticky. In the center of the oasis lay a small pond. The water was so clear that the bottom was visible, and two colorful koi fish swam gracefully within it. “I think we’ve found the guardian.” “Huh?” Liu Xu and Xie Ling stared blankly at the pond. The guardian was supposed to be here? These little carp fish couldn’t possibly be it? Liu Yiran narrowed his eyes and spoke slowly, “In twisted rules, the more normal something appears, the less normal it truly is—after all, twisting is the very essence of the abnormal. Do you still recall the pond beside the ice shelter? What did it look like at its peak temperature during midday?” “Boiling?” Liu Xu said uncertainly. “Precisely,” Liu Yiran replied with an approving smile. “Remember this: once you enter a twisted rule, observe every change around you. That pond boiled; this pond of roughly the same size should have shown some alteration as well.” Liu Xu’s eyes lit up with sudden understanding. “The fish that can survive in a boiling pond must be extraordinary. So these two fish are fallen ones?” “Mhm. That’s merely my guess; we’ll need to verify it.” Liu Yiran smiled faintly, pointing at the pond as he addressed Liu Xu and Xie Ling. “Can you freeze it?” “I suppose it’s possible,” Liu Xu answered hesitantly. The extreme temperature of the extreme cold armor could approach absolute zero without limit. After all, mere proximity did not guarantee success; whether the pond could actually be frozen depended on the circumstances. Liu Xu equipped the extreme cold armor, its ice-blue soft metal clinging tightly to her form and accentuating her graceful curves. Cold mist drifted from her arms, and two blue ice blades materialized in her hands. The blades plunged into the pond, freezing its surface at an astonishing speed. The koi fish were driven back by the freezing currents, trembling violently on the far side. Liu Yiran’s smile widened further. “Increase output.” Liu Xu nodded, extending the ice blades until they pierced the pond’s bottom. When the water had frozen halfway, the calm surface suddenly churned violently, sending up a spray of droplets. The restless koi fish settled, diving toward the depths and vanishing. Before the group could comprehend what had occurred, a colossal black shadow suddenly erupted from the frozen bottom. It surged upward, shattering the ice, and leaped clear of the water. Through the starlight, they could finally make out its true form—a skeletal figure more than three meters tall, its empty eye sockets holding two blood-red koi fish. The fish stared fixedly at Liu Yiran and the others. “Sixth-rank fallen one,” Su Mang murmured, her expression grave. Ta Meng set Fang Tang down and stepped forward to confront the skeleton directly. Liu Yiran patted Ta Meng’s arm and smiled. “No need. Leave it to me.” “Can I?” Ta Meng scratched his head, looking somewhat uncertain. Liu Yiran simply smiled and advanced toward the skeleton. When he stood before it, Liu Yiran extended his hand. “Hello. I am Liu Yiran. May I know your name?” The koi fish glared at him with vicious intensity and made no move to respond, black mist swirling across its scales in an unsettling manner. Friendly overtures were rejected. Liu Yiran smiled indifferently, took two more steps, and reached for the skeleton. Crack! The moment his fingers touched the bone, the enormous skeleton began to disintegrate inch by inch, crumbling into fine dust that piled upon the ground. Moments later, only the two koi fish remained amid the ash. Their mist had grown thicker still, obscuring their true forms. Fang Tang frowned tightly and shouted, “Watch out!” Liu Yiran glanced at him in surprise. Suddenly, two sharp sonic booms echoed beside his ears. He twisted aside, dodging the koi fish’s assault, and saw two small arrows formed from condensed black mist. The arrows struck the trees, and in the space of two breaths, the entire trunks had turned to charcoal. “Too close!” Liu Yiran glanced at the scorched wood with lingering unease, still smiling as he addressed the koi fish kindly. “Sneaking attacks are not a good habit, you know.” As he spoke, Liu Yiran reached toward the fish. Their actions had depended entirely on the skeleton; now that it was gone, they could only thrash helplessly on the spot, powerless before the descending hands of death. Suddenly, the black mist on the koi fish’s body transformed. It coalesced into two pairs of wings, lifting the fish into the air. Liu Yiran narrowed his eyes and beckoned to Ta Meng. “Rocket launcher.” Ta Meng nodded, drawing the Wrath Rocket Launcher from his back, aiming at the koi fish, and pulled the trigger. Boom. Boom. Boom. Explosions erupted one after another through the air. The mist on the koi fish’s body was steadily stripped away, gradually revealing its true form. As the mist thinned, the wings shrank until they could no longer support the fish, and it collapsed to the ground. Just as Liu Yiran reached out toward the koi fish, Fang Tang spoke up. “Captain, why not use your sequence talent? Firing the Wrath Rocket Launcher to finish it would be far simpler.” Liu Yiran pondered for a moment, studying the eerie koi fish, and slowly nodded. “Mm. Ta Meng, you handle it.” Ta Meng grinned, shouldered the rocket launcher, and unleashed a barrage of blasts. Only when the white light of the reward descended did he cease. The smoke cleared; where the koi fish had stood, nothing remained but ash and scattered bones. “Fang Tang, you go first. You’ve had a rough time today—consider it a small consolation.”