Chapter 223 - Tug of War.
Seeing the anomaly appear before her, Ye Sheng instinctively held her breath and even raised her hand to cover her mouth for an extra layer of protection.
Although she had psychicly prepared herself before, being in the middle of the night, with uncontrollable people, the strange occurrences in the lake, and other key elements combined, it all set the tone for a horror movie.
If it weren't for Gu Luoyu by her side, Ye Sheng would have been utterly dismayed.
She would have burst into tears immediately.
Seeing Ye Sheng's pale face, Gu Luoyu couldn't help but gently shake her head. She knew Ye Sheng was timid, but she hadn't realized just how timid.
What was there to be afraid of?
In this post-apocalyptic wasteland, even survival was a luxury. Every day was filled with bloodshed and death, so why fear ghosts or monsters?
However, considering Ye Sheng wasn't from this world, it was understood.
Gu Luoyu had already set up a psychic barrier early on. Not only could their presence not be detected, but even if they spoke loudly within the barrier, it wouldn't leak out. She was just worried that suddenly speaking might startle Ye Sheng, so she remained silent.
Ye Sheng perfectly embodies the phrase “weak but curious.”
Still being utterly discouraged, her curiosity drove her to keep observing the lake.
The ripples in the lake continued, but after a while, nothing emerged. It was as if a large fish was swimming back and forth beneath the surface, creating the disturbance.
Although the thing in the lake hadn't revealed itself yet, the miners on the shore began to move.
One by one, they jumped into the water like dumplings being dropped into a pot.
They weren't doing it willingly.
Fear was evident on their faces, but they couldn't control their limbs, orderly jumping into the water and disappearing into the dark, ink-like lake.
At that moment, Gu Luoyu raised an eyebrow, keenly detecting the scent of blood in the lake.
Those who had just jumped in were likely doomed.
From this, she deduced that the miners who had gone missing the past few days were probably all dead, with no survivors.
Not knowing whether the thing in the lake would flee after killing, Gu Luoyu stayed hidden but began probing with her psychic powers, forcefully controlling the remaining miners who hadn't jumped in, preventing them from continuing.
Instead, they began stepping back.
The miners didn't know what was happening. Before they could feel relieved at having narrowly escaped death, their heads began to ache violently, as if being struck repeatedly by heavy hammers, threatening to crack their skulls at any moment.
Strangely, they couldn't even let out a scream.
They could only endure the pain, cold sweat pouring down their faces.
Seeing this, Gu Luoyu's expression remained unchanged, her red eyes filled with indifference. She didn't care about the miners' lives but was rather interested, engaged in a psychic tug-of-war with the hidden entity.
The more the entity tried to drag the miners into the lake, the more she resisted.
Now, the two sides were like participants in a tug-of-war, each pulling fiercely, neither willing to concede… except that instead of a rope, the miners were the medium.
Soon, one of the miners couldn't take it anymore, blood began to flow from his ears, nose, and mouth.
The blood wouldn't stop, quickly turning him into a bloodied mess.
This disenchanted Ye Sheng, who was watching intently. She shuddered uncontrollably, letting out a startled cry. Her dark eyes filled with fear, and the scene, resembling a murder site, made her too scared to continue watching.
However, noting Ye Sheng's reaction, Gu Luoyu immediately abandoned the tug-of-war, releasing her psychic control. The miners remain frozen for a moment quickly before plunging into the lake.
Instantly, all was silent.
Gu Luoyu focused on comforting Ye Sheng, holding her tightly and gently patting her back: “Xiao Sheng, it's okay, it's okay. I've set up a psychic barrier. They definitely won't find us.”
“Even if we talk, they won't hear us?”
“Of course.”
This was the perfect opportunity to explain.
Hearing that it was safe to speak, Ye Sheng visibly relaxed. Looking at Gu Luoyu's beautiful face, her sense of security soared, and the tension she had been holding onto finally eased.
With the psychic barrier in place, Ye Sheng no longer feels the need to remain frozen like a statue. She immediately buried herself in Gu Luoyu's embrace, softly expressing her fears, “Ah Yu, I was so scared just now. What on earth is in the lake that can control people?”
People knew very little about the abilities of aquatic creatures now, only that the underwater world was extremely dangerous.
“I'm not sure yet. The waters where it resides are strange, my psychic powers can't even touch it… However, it seems more like a massacre than feeding.”
“???”
“The miners died the moment they hit the water, but none of the bodies floated up. The surrounding waters were stained with a heavy scent of blood, so thick it was almost choking.”
Hearing Gu Luoyu's description, Ye Sheng frowned in confusion.
She hadn't smelled anything.
But that didn't stop her from being scared.
Even though it was just ordinary miners being killed, the fact that it could control so many people at once meant it wasn't weak. Even after all the miners who came tonight had died, it still hadn't left.
It continues to create disturbances beneath the lake's surface.
As if taunting them.
Knowing the reason, Gu Luoyu watched coldly, unmoved by such a low-level provocation. Instead, she focused her attention on Ye Sheng, holding the petite woman in her arms to provide warmth.
However, before one wave settled, another arose. After failing to provoke Gu Luoyu, the thing in the lake selected another group of miners, nearly a hundred in number.
Ye Sheng's sharp eyes noticed that among the front row of miners was their team leader, Wang Qing!
Wang Qing, like the others, couldn't control his actions, but his face was a picture of terror, his eyes wide with fear, as if he might faint at any moment.
But Team Leader Wang had a strong constitution; no matter how brutal the scenes he witnessed, he never fainted.
The next moment, with the sound of water splashing, Ye Sheng froze, quickly realizing what was happening.
The thing in the lake had finally revealed itself!
Thinking this, Ye Sheng immediately turned to look, only to see a creature with a human torso and a fish tail slowly emerging from the water. She was so shocked she lost her voice, her face filled with disbelief.
Seeing a mermaid in the post-apocalyptic world wasn't unusual. Since various transformation potions had circulated on the market, some humans had turned into different forms, limited only by imagination.
But when this mermaid suddenly appeared had silver hair, golden eyes, and a face that looked eerily familiar, that was another matter altogether.
Ye Sheng swallowed nervously, staring wide-eyed ahead.
She couldn't help but wonder: Fu Ruo, the leader of the who had died by the lake in the wilderness while on a mission to find the Black Jade Lotus, why was he here?