Chapter 278: Chapter 275 [Unlock]
Chapter 275: Unlocked
On deck, the storm roared. Fierce winds howled across the sky, carrying waves that slapped against the ship’s deck one after another. The huge Flying Fish swayed in the midst of the storm.
Chen Nuo had just rushed out of the cabin when a wave crashed over him. With a thought, a psychic barrier materialized before him, deflecting the oncoming seawater. Vanel, right beside him, was completely drenched.
Vanel shot Chen Nuo a sideways glare, speechless.
Chen Nuo, however, had no time to deal with this Davarishi from his memory world because Lu Xixi had already run to the very front.
On the deck, a man with a hooked nose was yelling something frantically.
Inside the pilothouse on the second deck, the Captain of the Flying Fish roared furiously, "You’re looking for death! Turn off those damn sonar systems right now! The radar shows something frantically rushing toward us!!"
"Do not turn it off! That’s an order!"
"Fuck your order! I’d rather not make this money! I don’t want to die!!"
BANG!
The Captain was knocked out with a punch.
The man with the hooked nose looked coldly at the crew members in the cabin, then fixed his gaze on one of them. "You’re the first mate, right? Execute the order now!"
"I will never..."
BANG!
A bullet grazed the first mate’s ear.
The man with the hooked nose coldly lifted the gun barrel. "If your next answer doesn’t satisfy me, the bullet won’t miss your body."
As he spoke, before the first mate could utter another word, the hooked-nosed man had already strode to the helm and swiftly slammed a button.
A shrill alarm blared across the ship’s deck, piercing everyone’s ears.
"What the hell is going on?" Chen Nuo grabbed Vanel, demanding fiercely, his eyes locked on Lu Xixi.
Lu Xixi had already leaped onto the second deck. Standing near the gangway, her hands clutched the railing tightly as she gazed out at the sea.
"The bottom of this ship has been modified," Vanel explained quickly, wiping seawater from his face. "We’ve installed four specialized sonar systems that constantly emit sound waves of a specially altered frequency toward the seabed..."
Emitting sound waves... Seabed... Chen Nuo instantly thought of something. "What are you searching for?"
"No, attracting!" Vanel said quickly. "We’re attracting something! We knew it should be near the seabed in this strait. However, it’s impossible for us to go to the seabed and retrieve it. Our only option is to use this method to attract it and let it come to us on its own!"
Chen Nuo looked at Vanel, speechless. "So, has it come for us now?"
"Yes! It’s here!"
BOOM!
The ship suddenly lurched. The two people standing on the deck were thrown into the air by the force.
Chen Nuo quickly stabilized himself in mid-air, wrapping himself in a Mentality Cocoon while maintaining a flying posture to resist the strong winds. Vanel, on the other hand, reacted swiftly. He grabbed a nearby railing; the metal even bent under his grip. Though thrown into the air, he let out a low roar and managed to hang on.
As Chen Nuo floated in mid-air, he saw, over ten meters away, the Star Sky Empress hovering amidst the wind and rain, her long, seaweed-like hair flailing wildly in the wind.
After Lu Xixi looked back and made eye contact with Chen Nuo, the Empress gave a slight nod.
Chen Nuo smiled and made a gesture.
Lu Xixi understood: cooperate.
The two Controllers quickly converged, floating back-to-back in mid-air.
"You take the left, I’ll take the right?" Chen Nuo suggested with a smile.
Lu Xixi snorted but frowned as she looked down at the Flying Fish, swaying in the stormy winds and massive waves. All the searchlights and illumination on the ship’s deck were on, making it resemble a swaying lighthouse in the dark sea.
"They’re speeding up," Lu Xixi said quietly.
"Let me share some intel with you. There might be a huge monster on the seabed, and it’s also one of the Octopus Monster’s targets."
Lu Xixi pondered for a moment. "Could it be a gigantic octopus? The Octopus Monster has always been keen on finding such things."
"Correct, but unfortunately there’s no prize," Chen Nuo said with a chuckle. Then his voice grew serious. "Here it comes!"
BOOM!
A massive tentacle suddenly erupted from the sea on the left side of the ship and slammed heavily onto the deck! The sound of the deck cracking and metal twisting was piercing.
Immediately, another tentacle emerged from the right side!
From the bow, the stern, both sides... Several tentacles lashed out swiftly, adhering to the ship’s hull and deck. Multiple parts of the ship’s hull began to break and warp.
Soon, the surprised cries of Ability Users could be heard from within the cabin.
The melee began!
Bigfoot Harvey used Telekinesis to control one of the ship’s anchors, fiercely driving back a descending tentacle. As the anchor slammed onto the deck, another Ability User’s eyes shot out jets of fire, sweeping across a tentacle lying on the deck. The tentacles recoiled quickly from the intense heat but lashed out again.
An Ability User’s muscles bulged instantly, as if petrifying. They grabbed a tentacle with both hands, forcibly tearing it from the deck. However, another tentacle swept over, smashing into them and sending them flying into a cabin wall...
Chen Nuo didn’t move, nor did Lu Xixi.
"It’s coming up!" Chen Nuo took a deep breath and glanced at Lu Xixi.
Lu Xixi’s face was stern, but her trembling eyelashes betrayed her deepest secret—Chen Nuo saw it.
This woman was terrified. Not of some monster. She was simply afraid of water.
"There’s something under our ship! It’s got a hold of us!!"
Inside the pilothouse, the first officer yelled frantically as red lights flashed on multiple dashboard panels.
"There’s a huge creature on the radar! It’s right beneath us! Damn it! It’s trying to drag us down!!" a crew member screamed.
The man with the hooked nose had already put away his gun and, with a flash, leaped out of the pilothouse. "Keep it engaged!"
The first officer gritted his teeth. "Full power to the propellers!"
"First Officer? Are we really going to try and hold it off?"
"Idiot! Even if we’re trying to escape, we need to power up first! If we can’t hold it off, we at least have to shake it off! Otherwise, we’ll really be dragged into the water!"
Lu Xixi took a deep breath; the roar of thunder was now mixing with the howling wind.
Chen Nuo, however, grabbed Lu Xixi by the shoulder.
Lu Xixi glared at Chen Nuo.
Chen Nuo whispered, "Don’t go get yourself killed! In the water, you might not even be able to use a tenth of your strength. Do you want to die that badly?"
Without waiting to see Lu Xixi’s shocked expression, Chen Nuo leaped towards the sea surface.
With a SPLASH, he was in the water!
In the dark seawater, Chen Nuo moved like a speeding torpedo, swiftly navigating beneath the ship.
A giant, egg-shaped silhouette was faintly visible in the dark waters. Several thick tentacles rose up, entwining the ship and slowly dragging it downward. Chen Nuo saw that the ship’s stern propellers were already tangled by tentacles; one had snapped and broken off, while the others had slowed to a halt.
Chen Nuo steeled himself, then unleashed a Spiritual Storm towards the giant octopus on the seabed!
Underwater ripples vibrated. Under the Spiritual Storm, the giant octopus shuddered, its tentacles instantly retracting halfway.
Just as Chen Nuo was about to launch a second Spiritual Storm, he suddenly sensed a massive dark shadow sweeping toward him from the left...
SMACK! A tentacle hit Chen Yanluo, sending him flying out of the water and into mid-air. The tentacle chased after him, looking like it was about to ensnare him completely.
A hand reached out, grabbed Chen Nuo’s arm, and pulled him away.
Chen Nuo collided with Lu Xixi’s embrace. The Empress hurriedly dragged him aside. Then, several bolts of lightning struck, driving the tentacle back.
Chen Nuo forcefully spat out a mouthful of water and looked at Lu Xixi.
Lu Xixi glowered at Chen Nuo.
"The touch is still so good..." Chen Nuo murmured softly.
Lu Xixi seemed to hear him, yet also not. Her face was livid. "What did you just say? How would you know that I..."
"I said... Huh?" Chen Nuo suddenly faltered.
Both were momentarily stunned.
The giant octopus on the seabed was retreating rapidly, its tentacles simultaneously releasing the Flying Fish. It then swiftly increased its distance from the Flying Fish in the water.
Soon, after retreating several hundred meters, the giant octopus slowly emerged from the sea surface to the left of the Flying Fish.
As its massive silhouette surfaced bit by bit...
Amidst the raging storm, Chen Nuo and Lu Xixi held their breath, staring fixedly at the creature’s... head!
Atop the giant octopus, in the darkness, more than ten meters high, a humanoid figure floated, exchanging gazes with Chen Nuo and Lu Xixi across the distance!
A dark figure. Black aura swirled around it, distorting the light on its face, making its features indiscernible. It floated in mid-air like a demon from hell.
Lu Xixi gritted her teeth. "What the hell is that?"
Chen Nuo was silent for a moment, then said with a forced smile, "If I told you I think I’ve seen this thing before, would you believe me?"
The dark figure in mid-air suddenly rushed down towards the giant octopus below at high speed!
The octopus instantly extended several tentacles. They shot out of the water, dancing in mid-air, even forming layers of psychic barriers between them!
Chen Nuo watched as the figure effortlessly penetrated several layers of barriers and then slammed right into the top of the octopus’s head!
With a BOOM, the giant octopus was smashed into the sea.
The figure then darted swiftly into the water!
Chen Nuo had no time to say anything to Lu Xixi; he immediately lowered his altitude and dove into the water...
But soon, he resurfaced!
Because in the distance, the dark figure was blasting the giant octopus out of the water again!
Black aura swirled, forcefully lifting the octopus from the sea!
In an instant, the giant octopus, suspended in mid-air, was torn to pieces by the black aura!
Organs and shattered limbs scattered across the ocean surface amidst the howling winds!
"Is that one of us?" Lu Xixi asked.
"No, absolutely not," Chen Nuo said, taking a deep breath.
His heart was pounding fiercely! This... this scene... it was something he had experienced in his previous life! But... he had forgotten all about it!!
After the black figure instantly dispatched the giant Octopus Monster with stunning, crushing force, it floated back into midair.
It seemed to raise its hand slightly. The wild wind gradually subsided, and the raging ocean slowly stilled.
Looking around, the surrounding sea, for hundreds of meters, abruptly went CRACK, CRACK, CRACK...
The water instantly froze solid!!
As the ice rapidly solidified, the sea surface became utterly still!!
Lu Xixi’s eyes widened. "Damn it! His power can achieve this? This is beyond what a Controller is capable of, isn’t it?!"
Chen Nuo, however, squinted, watching as the black shadow floated before them.
Lu Xixi took a deep breath, arms spread wide, a Lightning Whip appearing in each hand.
"Who are you?!"
The figure’s face turned towards Chen Nuo and Lu Xixi.
Then, a soft laugh reached their ears. "Very powerful humans. You must be among the top tier of your kind."
Lu Xixi’s expression was complex. "...You’re stronger!"
"Yes, indeed. A little bit stronger than you. But... it’s still not enough," the shadow’s voice clearly reached their ears.
Chen Nuo didn’t speak, just carefully watched this entity.
"Make your move. I’m very interested to see how far the strongest humans have progressed," the shadow said with a gentle chuckle.
Lu Xixi hesitated for a moment.
But quickly, before either could react, an intense wave of malice and hostile spiritual power rushed toward them! This level of Spiritual Storm immediately caused the two Controllers to instinctively unleash their abilities!
Lu Xixi reacted reflexively, sending two Lightning Whips cracking through the air!
Chen Nuo instantly formed a Mentality Cocoon. Simultaneously, countless Spiritual Force Tentacles materialized in the air, snaking towards the shadow!
But... the next instant...
The two Lightning Whips were effortlessly caught, one in each of the figure’s palms! The crackling lightning seemed incapable of harming the figure in the slightest.
And Chen Yanluo’s countless Spiritual Force Tentacles were repelled by an unseen force before they could even reach the figure!
The figure looked up and seemed to chuckle softly. "Still far from enough... If you wish to oppose it... this level of power won’t save your world."
With that said, the figure suddenly flicked its wrist.
The two Lightning Whips exploded violently!
Lu Xixi screamed, plummeting from midair. With a loud CRASH, she smashed through the ice and into the sea!!
At the same time, Chen Nuo felt his numerous Spiritual Force Tentacles go out of control, a sharp pain lancing through his brain! It was as if his spiritual power had been forcefully severed by some power! The severed Spiritual Force Tentacles recoiled, sweeping towards him and binding Chen Nuo tightly!
The figure’s blurry face turned towards Chen Nuo. Though its features were indistinct, Chen Nuo clearly felt its gaze on him.
The soft laughter reached Chen Nuo’s ears. "...So, you are one of the chosen too?"
"You... what are you saying?" Chen Nuo struggled against the spiritual power binding him, gritting out the words through his teeth.
"Hmm, it’s okay if you don’t understand now. The day will come when you do. When your power grows stronger, you will naturally understand many things," the figure said.
As it spoke, the figure actually floated slowly towards Chen Nuo. Then, a hand gently patted Chen Nuo’s shoulder.
"...You must... keep it up!"
Chen Nuo stared at the figure before him and suddenly asked, "Is your pyramid still in that rainforest?"
The figure sounded slightly surprised. "...Hmm? You know who I am?" It seemed to sigh. "Well then, I’ll wait for you in Antarctica. When you’re strong enough, come find me."
Suddenly, the figure before him vanished!
Chen Nuo suddenly broke free, although his mind still throbbed with a dull pain from where his spiritual power had been severed.
He looked at the empty space before him. The wild wind, no longer controlled by the figure’s power, surged back. Waves instantly rose on the sea again... and the ice began to break...
Chen Nuo took a deep breath, dropped down, and plunged through the ice...
Moments later, Chen Nuo’s head emerged from the water. Then, carrying Lu Xixi in his arms, he burst out of the water and landed on the deck.
Lu Xixi’s face was pale. Chen Nuo was holding her. Just as they landed, Lu Xixi suddenly looked down...
One of Chen Nuo’s hands was around her waist, but the other was firmly grasping her butt!
"If I say it wasn’t on purpose, would you believe me?"
BOOM!!
A tremendous force sent Chen Yanluo flying off the deck and crashing into the ice...
"PHEW!!"
Chen Nuo sat up in bed.
He twisted his neck sharply; his entire body was drenched in sweat. His spiritual power felt completely depleted, leaving him incredibly weak. Even the simple act of sitting up made Chen Nuo feel dizzy.
He looked around his bedroom at home. The sky outside the window had already darkened. He had no idea how much time had passed while he was in the memory world.
The amount of information was overwhelming. So many clues flooded his mind at once, and countless questions surfaced. Chen Nuo still felt it wasn’t enough and tried to close his eyes again...
But soon, he opened them. One reason was the depletion of his spiritual power. The memory world in his Consciousness Space had disappeared!
In its place, when Chen Nuo recalled the word "Antarctica," the agitated and repulsed feeling in his heart lessened considerably, becoming just barely manageable.
Simultaneously, a new segment of memory surfaced naturally in Chen Nuo’s mind!
Hmm... So, this segment of memory has been unlocked! That means this part of the memory can now naturally exist in my mind. Then... what about other memories? This was just the sea journey on the way to Antarctica! I haven’t even reached Antarctica yet! What happened next? Where else in my Consciousness Space are they sealed?
Chen Nuo sighed. After all, he had consumed too much spiritual power and lacked the strength to explore his Consciousness Space again immediately.
After lying in bed for a minute, voices came from outside the bedroom.
Sun Keke had been sitting on the sofa all along. Many times, she found herself unable to resist going to Chen Nuo’s bedroom door. She would listen intently but heard no unusual sounds from inside. Sun Keke really wanted to push the door open and take a look, but she remembered Chen Nuo’s warning not to disturb him. So, she repeatedly returned to the living room sofa. She saw that an entire afternoon had passed, and the sky was gradually darkening...
Suddenly, there was a sound at the front door. Someone outside unlocked the door with a Key. The first sound that drifted in was Chen Xiaoye’s bell-like laughter.
"Mommy... I want ice cream... Ah!"
Chen Xiaoye ran into the living room and immediately saw Sun Keke standing up awkwardly. Xiao Yezi paused for a moment, then a happy smile spread across her face. "Sister Keke!"
With that, she spread her arms and threw herself into Sun Keke’s embrace.
Sun Keke bit her lip, then awkwardly looked up at Ou Xiuhua, who was walking in through the door.
Ou Xiuhua paused for a moment then looked at Sun Keke. "And you are...?"
Sun Keke was also a little bewildered, staring at the middle-aged woman before her...
"Mom! This is Sister Keke. She’s Brother’s girlfriend," Chen Xiaoye announced.
Girlfriend? Ou Xiuhua was taken aback.
Sun Keke was even more dumbfounded!
Wait, wait a minute... What did Ye Zi just call her? Mom? This... this is Chen Nuo’s mom?
A wave of panic washed over Sun Keke, and she suddenly felt so nervous she didn’t know what to do with her hands.
"Ah, A-Auntie, hello. I... I’m... I’m..." Sun Keke stammered, so nervous she was on the verge of tears.
A gentle voice came from the bedroom doorway. "She’s my girlfriend. Her name is Sun Keke."
Sun Keke turned and saw Chen Nuo standing in the bedroom doorway. His face was pale and drenched in sweat, but he was smiling warmly at her.
Ou Xiuhua’s mouth fell open. "Girlfriend?"
Chen Nuo nodded seriously. "Yes, girlfriend."