books44 Chapter 326 [Empire] "Jellyfish"
Chapter 326 [Empire] "Jellyfish"
I took a few breaths and was about to climb ashore when I stumbled upon a corner of the water. Within the dim blue light, several massive shadows loomed, like sleeping monsters, swimming slowly. Light and shadow shone across their bodies, their outlines hazy yet oppressive.
"Damn it." I gritted my teeth, my pupils shrank slightly, and subconsciously moved my hand towards the seedlings in my backpack.
The tentacles of the vines gently nudged my shoulder, as if responding to my nervousness. I immediately realized that these "water monsters" weren't natural creatures; they might be some kind of biological weapon left behind in a laboratory. Or, perhaps, something worse.
"Freeze!" I commanded the vines almost instinctively, my voice a mixture of nervousness and excitement. This time, I wasn't going to just run away.
The vine's tentacles suddenly lifted, and an icy blue sheen quickly flowed across its transparent surface, as if a low-temperature energy were spreading within its body. The next second, a fine stream of cold air gushed out from the tip of its tentacle, heading straight for the underwater giant beast.
The chill spread through the water faster than I'd imagined, like a rapidly expanding net of ice, enveloping the dark blue light. The behemoths seemed to sense danger and began to slowly move, attempting to escape the area. But the vines were more powerful than I'd imagined—the chill spread rapidly along the water's currents, even freezing the surface.
"Wow..." Nightingale, who was standing aside, exclaimed in a low voice. Obviously, he did not expect the power of the vines to be so direct.
I stared at the shadows intently. One of the smaller figures seemed to be struggling the most violently, stirring the water in an attempt to break free from the ice. But in the instant it struggled, another tentacle of the vine suddenly extended, piercing its target like a sharp arrow, completely pinning it beneath the ice.
"Got it!" I shouted excitedly. The tentacles of the vines tightly wrapped around the body of the giant beast. Ice crystals quickly spread wherever they touched, freezing half of its body.
"That's crazy." Nightingale slowly stood up and moved closer, but still kept a distance. "Are you going to take this thing back with you? Or are you going to dissect it here?"
I didn't answer immediately, my gaze fixed on the beast. Through the ice, I could clearly see its features—a strangely shaped creature, its body streamlined and covered in translucent scales, beneath which a faint blue liquid flowed. Its eyes were slightly open, emitting an inexplicable coldness and hostility.
"Capture him alive." I gritted my teeth and said in a firm voice.
"Are you crazy?" Nightingale's tone was filled with confusion. "It's obvious that this thing is not a good person. You still want to take it back? What if it causes trouble along the way?"
"Don't worry," I patted the vine beside me, "With it here, it won't cause any waves."
Nightingale stared at the vines for a few seconds, then finally shrugged and gave a meaningful smile: "Okay, kid, good luck."
The vines didn't let my command linger for long. Its tentacles nimbly hauled the half-frozen beast from the water and tossed it onto the ice. Chill flowed across its scales, tightly binding its limbs and torso. The beast couldn't move, only letting out a low, resentful growl, unable to break free from the vines' grip.
"Done." I stood up, clapped my hands, and a smug smile appeared on the corners of my mouth. "Next, let's see what information it can provide."
Nightingale shook her head and laughed, then turned back to continue checking the equipment. "I hope your curiosity won't get us killed."
I didn't respond, but my gaze remained on the giant beast's eyes - its eyes didn't reveal fear, but instead a hint of forbearance and calmness, as if... it was waiting for something.
I stared at the monster for a long time, and the more I looked, the more familiar its outline seemed to me. It looked like some kind of... enlarged version of a jellyfish.
Despite its terrifying size, its translucent body, tentacle-like extensions, and faint flickering light in its center reminded me of those small creatures floating leisurely in the shallow sea. The only difference was that this one looked more like the ultimate killing weapon modified by some mad scientist.
Its shell wasn't completely smooth, but covered in a dense layer of scales, like the skin of some cold-blooded animal. Through the scales, I could see the blue fluid flowing within it, emitting bursts of soft light as it struggled weakly. Even more eerie, the tips of its tentacles seemed to be slowly wriggling, trying to find some way out, as if the frozen ice couldn't completely suppress its vitality.
"Like jellyfish, right?" Nightingale suddenly spoke, having leaned closer at some point. There was a hint of interest in his tone. "I've seen similar things before on other missions. They move slowly, but once they attack, they're as fast as lightning."
"Lightning?" I frowned, a shudder running down my spine as I imagined the electric current streaking across the water. "Can this thing even discharge electricity?"
"It's possible." Nightingale shrugged and smiled nonchalantly, "But it's frozen like this, I don't think it will be able to get up for a while."
I didn't respond, my gaze returning to the jellyfish-like monster. It certainly looked dying, but I felt that was merely an appearance. This creature clearly possessed some kind of exceptional vitality, otherwise it wouldn't have been able to remain active in this environment.
"We shouldn't underestimate the enemy," I whispered, gently kicking one end of the monster with my toe.
The moment I touched it, I felt a strange springiness. The scaly skin was surprisingly similar to rubber: both resilient and able to absorb external forces. Even stranger, when my toes touched it, I felt a faint static charge, barely noticeable, but it instantly numbed my toes.
"It's pretending to be dead." I immediately took a few steps back and stared at the monster vigilantly.
"Playing dead?" Nightingale's expression changed from nonchalant to serious. "Interesting. So what are you going to do? Kill it completely?"
"No." I took a deep breath, my mind already made up. "I want to study it."
Nightingale was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter: "Research? You really are a dangerous lunatic."
I ignored his scoff and turned to look at the vines behind me. "Listen, add a few more layers of 'insurance'. I don't want this guy to turn the tables on me halfway."
The vines seemed to sense my command, and their tentacles rose again, wrapping around the monster's torso and tentacles. More cold air was released from each branch of the vines, completely wrapping the monster into an ice statue.
"Is that enough now?" I whispered to myself, turning to look at Nightingale. "Get ready to leave. We need to leave here as soon as possible."
Nightingale raised her eyebrows and gave a playful smile: "Boy, I am really impressed by your courage."
He put away his equipment, turned and walked towards the exit. But I stayed a second longer, staring into the monster's still-open eyes.
There seemed to be a complex emotion in its eyes - anger, but also an indescribable calmness and waiting.
"What the hell are you?" I whispered, knowing it couldn't hear me.
Then I turned and followed Nightingale, but a nagging suspicion remained in my heart: this monster was not simple, nor harmless.