Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 218: Demon Eye Sponge, the Powerful Fish-Mimicking State!

As organisms that have existed on Earth for hundreds of millions of years, sponges are a collective term for porous, filter-feeding biological entities.The phylum Porifera contains about five thousand species with diverse morphologies—tubular, branched, umbrella-shaped, cup-shaped, fan-shaped... covering almost every irregular form imaginable.

The creature Garcia drew on the ground was precisely a tubular sponge organism, though its overall structure more closely resembled a virus.

On a massive, pustule-like main body grew densely packed, terrifying protrusions. The surface of every protrusion was covered in savage, sinister patterns, making it exceptionally skin-crawling to look at.

According to the scale Garcia had marked, Cheng Ye calculated in his mind that the diameter of the central pustule alone was at least two to three hundred meters. As for the extending tentacles, each one was a minimum of ten meters long.

But how deep was the White Water River?

Even after years of constant rushing currents, this great river formed from the convergence of the Linjiang River was only about forty meters deep at its deepest point.

How could such a shallow body of water hide a behemoth of this scale?

It was unimaginable.

Even the courage to face it began to waver.

Cheng Ye could not help but click his tongue in shock, yet he saw that Garcia had not stopped drawing and was continuing to add details.

As wide-open eyeballs were added to the tips of each tentacle, Cheng Ye subconsciously turned to look at Luo Kuke, meeting the man's equally shocked gaze. Both of them swallowed hard.

"Could the Rongdong be right beneath this sponge?" Luo Kuke spoke first, a trace of uncertainty in his voice.

"And the Immortal Object fragment is inside its body?" Cheng Ye added.

As soon as the words left their mouths, both fell silent. Regardless of which possibility was true, there was no avoiding a direct confrontation with this colossal sponge.

If they wanted to enter the Rongdong, they had to bypass its tentacles. If they wanted to find the Immortal Object fragment, they would have to dive directly into its tubular protrusions, perhaps even venturing deep into its central pustule.

No wonder Garcia instinctively believed it was impossible for them to complete the Assessment Task. Against a behemoth-like Infection Source such as this, humanity was simply too insignificant!

Just maintaining the courage to face it and look at it was difficult, let alone entering its body to contain its core.

Fortunately, before deciding to enter Dabo Town, Cheng Ye had already abandoned the idea of acting like a normal human.

Although the sponge before him was not a certain optimistic yellow sponge, he was not that bare-bottomed pink starfish either.

Steadying his mind, Cheng Ye pulled out his Kindling Terminal and quickly typed in the words "Sponge-type Infection Source." As he began to search for relevant data, several related entries instantly popped up on the screen.

As expected, the Infected Bodies described in all the entries differed from the one beneath the White Water River. The most obvious discrepancy was the lack of eyeballs growing at the ends of the tentacles.

Putting that aside, humans had indeed discovered similar mutated sponges in other regions. The traits and countermeasures recorded in the data provided quite a bit of reference value.

Cheng Ye browsed through the entries one by one and soon paused at an overview, reading it aloud in a low voice. "Sponges themselves lack the organs to perform complex functions, nor do they possess a central nervous system. Even after mutating from the S3 Virus infection, they fail to develop high intelligence, retaining only the most primal instincts for hunting and absorbing energy."

A lack of high intelligence meant that this behemoth's attack patterns would be easier to predict. It would not possess many flexible or adaptable methods, reducing the number of unknown variables when dealing with it.

Unfortunately, reading carefully through the entries below, the highest-ranking sponge Infection Source currently on record was only at the Disaster-level.

It was named the "Oath Sponge," and it was actually a Benign Infection Source.

This sponge could grant the infected extremely high strike resistance. As long as it was not an instantaneous, overwhelming kinetic impact, it could perfectly cushion the damage without causing bodily harm.

However, the cost of infection was very peculiar. The infected person had to fulfill an unkept oath they had once made in their heart.

If one did not have any unfulfilled oaths to begin with, this cost could be completely ignored.

But as people grew older, it was inevitable to make unkept promises, such as casually telling a child, "I will pluck the stars for you."

If the Oath Sponge judged this as an "oath" and the person failed to accomplish it, it would immediately trigger a fatal backlash on the spot.

"This sponge beneath the White Water River does not look like a Benign Infection Source. Those eyeballs..."

Cheng Ye put away the Kindling Terminal, his gaze falling back onto the drawing on the ground.

Garcia was already putting on the finishing touches, miraculously sketching out the sponge's complete form.

It was truly remarkable. His situation underwater last night must have been extremely perilous, yet he still managed to remember so many details.

For example, the sponge had a total of twenty-two tentacles. The longest one was over twenty meters, while the shortest was only about ten meters. The difference in length was nearly double, and they were scattered sporadically across the pustule-like body.

Furthermore, the diameters of the sponge's tubes varied. The longest one had a diameter of just over three meters, while the narrowest was only about a meter and a half, resembling entrances to the underwater Rongdong.

"I am not sure if this thing is actively aggressive, but it really didn't attack me..."

Garcia finished the final stroke, tossed the vine aside, and leaned back against the concrete wall of the pier to sit down.

He had entered the water from this exact spot last night. Returning here now, even with the sunlight reflecting warm rays, he still felt a chill run through his entire body as those bizarre faces uncontrollably flashed through his mind.

Luo Kuke took out his Kindling Terminal and snapped a photo of the drawing on the ground.

The two of them huddled together to study it for a moment, deciding to first give the underwater Infection Source a name.

"Let's call it the Demon Eye Sponge for now," Cheng Ye suggested. This was his first time naming an unknown Infection Source, and it felt somewhat surreal.

If they successfully contained it, any Inspector in the entire Kindling Alliance looking up sponge-type Infection Sources in the future would see his and Luo Kuke's names under the "Demon Eye Sponge" entry.

Moreover, reporting information on an unknown Infection Source yielded special rewards from the Kindling Alliance, complete with a separate graded achievement system.

However, Luo Kuke was not too clear on these details. He had never contained an unknown Infection Source himself, having only heard scattered mentions from Inspectors in other sanctuary cities.

"Its eyeballs are just exposed at the tips of its tentacles. Logically speaking, there is a high probability they are weak points."

"Based on the experience I have gathered, Infection Sources that evolve such distinct sensory organs usually have abilities related to them. Eyes generally correspond to methods like illusions or mental shocks. To be immune to its attacks, the best method is to avoid making eye contact with those eyeballs."

"We can first test what kind of threat its eyeballs actually pose. One person will make eye contact to probe it, while the other supports from the side, ready to assist at any moment." Cheng Ye picked up the thread of conversation and added, "I will handle the probing. You have more experience, so you will be better equipped to deal with any unexpected situations while supporting."

"Alright then. Let's prepare now and enter the water promptly at ten o'clock!"

Luo Kuke nodded in agreement. There was no use in endlessly discussing theory on paper; only by personally going underwater to take a look could they figure out the Demon Eye Sponge's true situation.

Cheng Ye stood to the side, continuing to sort out his thoughts, while Luo Kuke took the opportunity to sync with Garcia on the situation inside the town.

The residents' testing results, the progress of the infrastructure development, the countermeasures against the infection...

Everyone was now tied to the same rope. Even if Garcia still had other thoughts in mind, he could only suppress them for now and honestly agree to cooperate with Wang Kang in maintaining order.

It was just that the feeling of completely placing his life in someone else's hands was truly uncomfortable.

Cheng Ye could sense that Garcia's gaze towards him now contained more complex emotions. There was no longer the previous provocation and hostility; it seemed like he wanted to say something more to him.

But he had no mind to care about such trivial matters. The most crucial thing right now was the upcoming underwater investigation.

Nine-thirty.

The three returned to the town. None of the residents found it strange to see Garcia, the Inspector, back.

After the previous reassurance, combined with the arrival of daytime and fine weather, everyone quickly forgot about those anomalies. Even though some of the missing people still had family members and relatives present, once they started working at this moment, they simply had no free time to ponder where they had gone.

The infection test results were also out. The number of people infected by the Abyssal Water Cave Crab yesterday was not too high—92 in the Red Zone and 66 in the Blue Zone. Together, they accounted for less than a fifth of the total population.

Even if they needed a day to recuperate after dehydration, it would not affect the overall progress of the infrastructure construction.

Four saunas had already been erected at the edge of town, currently burning vines to create a high-temperature environment.

Outside the saunas, Wang Kang was providing psychological reassurance to the residents about to enter. Garcia thought for a moment before walking over to join him. With the two of them offering comfort together, the first group of residents soon stepped inside.

Taking advantage of this interval, Cheng Ye went alone to the Government Building, heading straight up to the fourth floor where Huang Liang... and all of yesterday's Patrol Team members lay.

The Covert Agents... including a Covert Agent captain who had reached the half-step Transcendent stage.

None of them had completely lost their vital signs yet, but their minds had been washed away by the pollution, reducing them to vegetables. They lay motionless on makeshift mats, their faces as pale as paper.

His gaze fell on Huang Liang's face before sweeping over the others one by one. A sudden wave of heaviness surged in Cheng Ye's heart.

He did not dare to imagine—what would it feel like if one day he ended up just like these people, lying here?

Would anyone grieve for him?

Would anyone be... angry for him?

Would anyone help find the source and avenge him?

Exhale.

Inhale.

He took several deep breaths in a row before he barely managed to suppress the sprouting fear in his heart.

"Right now, I don't yet have the right to bid you farewell."

"When all of this is over, when every Infection Source is successfully contained, I promise you won't die nameless. Your sacrifices will absolutely be remembered!"

Cheng Ye bowed slightly, making a silent promise in his heart. Then, standing tall with a renewed firmness in his eyes, he resolutely turned and went downstairs.

Ten o'clock.

Following a task refresh on the Kindling Terminal, the Assessment Task formally updated to: "Investigate the underwater situation of the White Water River beside Dabo Town."

To put on a show, one had to go all the way.

Cheng Ye first assembled the residents of the Blue Zone, while Luo Kuke simultaneously gathered those in the Red Zone. Standing shoulder to shoulder in the center of the crowd, they switched on the loudspeaker used previously, letting the pre-recorded "competition rules" slowly broadcast to the masses.

The content was simple, boiling down to: "This assessment has been adjusted into a dual task of 'Investigation + Construction.' The four Inspectors are divided into two teams: two responsible for underwater investigation, and two for town infrastructure. All residents must cooperate with their respective groups to complete the tasks, and the final comprehensive score will be based on the progress of both the investigation and construction."

The core of this speech was to make everyone believe the assessment was still proceeding normally and that the underwater investigation was originally part of the task, thereby completely dispelling any suspicions regarding the "Inspectors suddenly diving into the water."

Waiting until the residents dispersed according to their assignments and threw themselves into their construction work, the two men finally grabbed their waist-high black equipment cases and quickly strode toward the riverside pier.

Cheng Ye paused his steps and looked up at the horizon. In the distance, dark clouds were slowly converging. The cloud layer hung low, exuding a stifling, oppressive aura.

According to the weather forecast they had checked earlier, there would be light rain tonight.

For aquatic Infection Sources and Infected Bodies, rainy weather was their ultimate home turf. The moisture would enhance their mobility and potentially even expand their pollution range. They had to map out the underwater situation before the rain arrived.

"It really never rains but it pours..."

Cheng Ye shook his head, temporarily pushing the thought of the rain to the back of his mind. Without halting his hands, he swiftly stripped off the heavy, standard Protective Combat Armor he was wearing.

The moment it came off, a wave of back and waist aches flared up, but now was clearly not the time to care about such things.

He bent down, exchanged a glance with Luo Kuke, and both men simultaneously pressed their palms against the surfaces of their black equipment cases.

A miraculous scene unfolded.

The originally cold metal cases suddenly seemed to come alive, vibrating violently. As the tremors grew more intense, the cases gradually began to "dissolve." Like a venomous symbiote attaching itself to a host, threads of black substance crept upward along their fingers.

But once on their bodies, it acted like Iron Man donning a nanotech suit; all the black substance rapidly began to weave together, displaying fine, intricate patterns.

'Aren't these the... Runes that appear when searching for a skill?'

Cheng Ye suddenly froze, his gaze locking onto his right hand.

Unknowingly, a few faint black patterns had surfaced on the back of his hand. The lines were twisted yet possessed a certain rhythm, bearing a striking resemblance to the Runes that manifested every time he used the Collector.

In the past, when collecting skills, the Runes would manifest first before being converged by the Collector into text he could understand.

Could humanity have already mastered the meaning behind these Runes, perhaps even developing similar technology?

He temporarily pushed down his doubts and refocused his attention on the equipment. Right now, this Extinction-level protective gear was essentially more like an "External Infection Source Suit."

Because their primary investigation targets were terrifying Extinction-level threats.

The abilities of such entities were far too bizarre. Even hiding in a bunker dozens of meters underground could result in contamination. Pure physical protection was largely meaningless.

Therefore, the core function of this "Obsidian Battle Armor" was concealment!

It could envelop and shield a human's aura to the absolute limit, preventing Infection Sources from detecting them. As for its protective capabilities, it was actually no different from the standard armor he had just taken off.

Whir... whir...

The vibrations of the equipment cases grew more violent, shaking out more black substance from within. Like a living organism, it slithered up their arms.

Soon, their skin was entirely covered by a layer of black keratin. It felt soft to the touch, and there was only a slight tautness when moving their joints, completely unintrusive to their mobility.

But when the black substance crawled up their necks, a sharp surge of pain suddenly struck.

Cheng Ye grunted but did not struggle, allowing the wisps of blackness to drill into his nostrils, mouth, ears, and even the slits of his eyes, thoroughly sealing every orifice on his body's surface.

The instant the seal was complete, the surrounding sounds abruptly muffled, as if he had suddenly put on heavy earplugs.

With his eyeballs covered by the black substance, looking at things felt like staring through a pair of dark sunglasses, reducing his visual clarity.

He instinctively touched the top of his head. Sure enough, these Infection Sources all seemed to have some sort of Obsession with human hair.

Luo Kuke's hair had fallen out previously after using the Source Heart Flesh Iron, and now this external armor had stripped away all their hair as well.

"Feels a bit weird. You doing alright?" Luo Kuke stood up, his voice transmitting through the black keratin layer sounding noticeably muffled.

"I'm fine."

Cheng Ye nodded, bending down to pick up the Infection Source detector from the ground and pressing the switch.

Two large black dots appeared on the screen, both displaying a value of 10. This indicated that their human auras had been completely sealed and would not leak out.

"How long can you hold your breath?" Luo Kuke asked, bending over to touch the river water.

The rapid current caused heat to dissipate quickly. The water temperature was estimated to be less than fifty degrees Fahrenheit.

Compared to the wild rivers from before he crossed over, the White Water River before him was what truly counted as "wild"!

To prevent accidents, there were actually complete diving suits stored on the truck, including underwater respirators, electric diving scooters, and so on. Yet neither of them brought up equipping this gear.

That was because taking these human-made creations into the domain of Infection Sources and Infected Bodies was as conspicuous as a lightbulb in the dead of night. Not only would it weaken the concealment effect of the Obsidian Battle Armor, but it might also actively attract the Infected Bodies.

It was better to rely on holding their own breath for multiple dives. Though the duration underwater per dive would be shorter, it triumphed in safety.

"I haven't done an endurance test yet. I'll get into the water to familiarize myself with it first."

Cheng Ye also touched the river water. The Obsidian Battle Armor did not insulate him from the sensation; the chill was fully transmitted and clearly perceived.

It was just that before crossing over, he simply never had the chance to learn "non-essential skills" like swimming.

Right now, his mind only contained a few scattered memories left behind by the original body, including swimming-related knowledge and scenes of training in the Inner City swimming pool.

However, it wasn't a major issue. The panel blossomed in his vision, and Eagle Power and Snake Force were consecutively unequipped.

The Lv3 Rare skill "Surfing Through Waves" and the Lv1 Rare skill "Fish-Mimicking State" simultaneously jumped into his skill slots.

Thrum.

The Obsidian Battle Armor on the surface of his body vibrated faintly, as if the skin encased beneath it was quietly undergoing a metamorphosis.

Cheng Ye subconsciously touched his cheek and breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the Fish-Mimicking State had not caused him to literally grow a pair of gills.

In a brief moment of trance, as he stared at the White Water River before him, wisps of illusions began to surface.

One second it was a Black-striped Fish darting nimbly through the waves; the next, it resembled a human silhouette swimming and kicking in the water.

But perhaps because his strength had grown, these illusions were far less vivid and realistic than before.

Cheng Ye simply shook his head lightly, and the illusions before him completely dissipated, his mind returning to a state of calm.

Only a few wondrous sensations were transmitted, making the river water before him feel increasingly familiar and intimate.

"I'll go in first, take your time adapting."

Seeing that Cheng Ye seemed to be zoning out, Luo Kuke said this and sat down on the pier's steps, dipping his legs into the water. He wanted to feel the speed of the current first and slowly let his body acclimate to the water temperature.

Yet before he could even grasp the current of the White Water River, he saw Cheng Ye abruptly straighten up. Powering through his legs, Cheng Ye took a flying leap right off the pier toward the water's surface.

Splash.

The sound of the splashing water was not loud. Like a professional diver, his body tensed into a straight line as he plunged headfirst into the water. He immediately dove deeper with agility, leaving almost no lingering ripples.

"Holy shit!"

Luo Kuke was startled. Throwing all thoughts of a slow acclimatization out the window, he sucked in a deep breath, braced his hands on the edge of the steps, and dove into the water after him.

The frigid river water instantly enveloped his body, and the vision before his eyes abruptly darkened.

Fortunately, it was nearly noon. Sunlight pierced through the water's surface, providing a faint glimmer of light. Luo Kuke narrowed his eyes slightly, quickly recovering his vision, and instantly spotted Cheng Ye about five or six meters ahead.

Like a swimming fish, the silhouette moved nimbly up and down in the water. His posture was so fluid it looked nothing like someone adapting to a new environment, but rather someone weaving effortlessly through their own backyard pool.

Such incredible water affinity?

Luo Kuke was immediately stunned. The residents of the sanctuary cities were mostly landlubbers. Even the minority who could swim were merely at the level of "able to float," which was a completely different concept from professional diving.

Only Inspectors, due to frequently executing missions outside, were forced to master these survival skills, but even they were only "proficient enough to get by."

But Cheng Ye... wasn't he just a novice Inspector who had only recently taken over Cheng Long's position?

How could that tiny swimming pool in the Inner City possibly temper such underwater prowess?

Luo Kuke's head was brimming with questions, but Cheng Ye had no mind to pay him any attention. At this moment, he was immersed in his novel underwater experience. Feeling the buoyant, unhindered lightness of his body in the water, he looked down at the interface still clear in his vision:

[Detected that the Collector is in an underwater environment. "Fish-Mimicking State" is active.]

[Current breathing duration: 34 minutes 37 seconds (Cooldown time: 1 hour)]

[Current acceleration energy: 100%]

The skills gathered from humans were actually entirely different from the traits extracted from organisms.

The Lv3 "Surfing Through Waves" did indeed provide an extremely potent Swimming Ability, but it functioned more as a "fundamental buff." Just like how humans could improve their swimming technique through rigorous training, it was an ability attainable through hard work.

Yet the "Fish-Mimicking State," despite being two tiers lower, functioned much more like the "video game skills" he was familiar with. It possessed definitive active effects, a clear duration and cooldown timer, and an intuitive numerical display.

'This is far too miraculous...'

Cheng Ye could not help but sigh in awe in his heart.

Even though he was deep underwater, his breathing faced zero obstruction. Whether he was taking shallow pants or drawing deep gulps of air, it was indistinguishable from being on dry land.

According to the panel's prompt, a single use of "Fish-Mimicking State" could sustain breathing for 35 minutes, with a cooldown time of only an hour. This was more than enough to support multiple scouting dives.

'And what exactly is this acceleration energy?'

Cheng Ye shifted his gaze away from the interface and swept a look over the surrounding aquatic environment.

The White Water River contained less silt than the neighboring Huangshui River, but the impurities and suspended particles in the water were still abundant. His line of sight could extend to a maximum of six or seven meters.

Coupled with the blurred vision caused by the Obsidian Battle Armor covering his eyes, his clear visual range was reduced even further.

The water lacked the swarming schools of fish he had imagined. Cheng Ye wasn't disappointed; instead, he silently chanted 'accelerate' in his mind.

In the very next second, an invisible energy suddenly converged at his waist.

As he subconsciously flicked his legs slightly, his entire body shot forward as if someone had violently shoved him from behind. He instantly blurred into a dark shadow, rocketing toward the bottom of the water like a cannonball. The water rushed past his ears, bringing with it a faint, continuous whistling hum.

"Whoa?"

In less than a blink of an eye, Cheng Ye had dived at least five meters deeper.

He hurriedly chanted 'stop accelerating' in his mind, and his descending momentum slowly ground to a halt. Glancing down at the panel, he noted the acceleration energy had dropped by 2%.

'Isn't this the equivalent of having my own built-in diving scooter?'

Cheng Ye rejoiced inwardly. Recalling the sensation of generating that force just now, he silently chanted 'accelerate' again, intending to ascend to the surface.

But the moment he gave a light kick, the upward force proved several times more violent than the downward thrust. Before he could even react, his entire body was hoisted by a surge of power, rocketing straight out of the water.

The acceleration energy instantly zeroed out. Losing his support, he plummeted butt-first back into the water, kicking up a massive spray.

"Holy hell!"

"What is this thing!"

Cheng Ye was thoroughly dumbfounded, and Luo Kuke, floating a short distance away, was equally flabbergasted by the sight.

Separated by a short distance, he had only vaguely seen Cheng Ye dive down, and in the next second, as if he had hit a trampoline, the man was directly "ejected" out of the water. The whole process happened too fast to process. "Are you alright?" Setting his shock aside, Luo Kuke hurriedly kicked his legs and swam over.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." Cheng Ye quickly covered it up, making up an excuse on the spot. "It felt like something yanked me from below just now, then gave me a shove. I lost my balance."

This skill formed from extracting a trait was way too fierce. It was only at Lv1, yet its effects were exaggerated beyond imagination.

If he continued to upgrade and fuse it along the way, he really couldn't imagine what it would become.

At high tiers, would he be able to stay underwater for an entire day without needing to take a breath?

Could he even rely on the acceleration energy to travel down rivers faster than a vehicle?

Compared to Superman flying through the sky, this feeling of "underwater flight" didn't seem much worse.

The interface data flickered.

[Current acceleration energy: 95% (Recovery time: 5 minutes)]

'It is a pity I cannot equip the skills provided by the Infection Sources. No wonder the Infected Bodies become so powerful the moment they break out; these skills are too broken.'

As Cheng Ye was musing in his mind, Luo Kuke beside him immediately grew tense. "There's something underwater?"

After saying this, he quickly reached out to grope around. "Your armor isn't damaged, is it? Do you feel anything abnormal?"

"It's not damaged. It was probably just the current." Cheng Ye waved his hand, signaling to continue the dive. "Let's just be careful." This time, he didn't use the acceleration energy again. Relying entirely on the Swimming Ability brought by "Surfing Through Waves," he fought against the impact of the White Water River and the drag of the undercurrents, inching deeper underwater to investigate.

The midday sunlight could only pierce through to a depth of about ten meters. At five meters, the light was still relatively clear, radiating a pale green tint. However, upon reaching roughly eight meters, the illumination noticeably dimmed, and their vision began to blur.

The two swam slowly forward along the embankment. After conducting a thorough search of the area, they failed to spot the strings of corpses Garcia had mentioned, nor did they see any of the Crab-men lined up in rows like during the night.

The White Water River during the day actually looked like an undeveloped, pristine natural river, completely devoid of even a trace of an Infection Source.

When they surfaced for air, Luo Kuke's expression was somewhat ugly. "We haven't seen a single thing in broad daylight. This is ridiculous!"

If they could find traces of the Infection Source, even if it was just mapping out their range of activity, they would face fewer risks when dealing with them at night.

But now there wasn't a single clue. This meant the dangers of the night would likely be far more severe than they had previously estimated.

"Should we put on our headlamps and go down for a look?" Cheng Ye suggested. Since natural light was insufficient, they could only supplement it with artificial sources.

"Alright, that's all we can do." Luo Kuke nodded. Wiping the water from his face, he turned and swam toward the pier.

The two quickly fetched the headlamps and adeptly secured them to their heads.

Bolstered by the light source, their courage swelled as well. This time, they didn't probe slowly; they directly plunged into the water, heading straight toward the coordinates of the Demon Eye Sponge that Garcia had indicated.

Luo Kuke's Swimming Ability was clearly just at the "proficient enough" level. Once they descended past ten meters, his movements began to stiffen, obviously forcing himself to push on.

Seeing this, Cheng Ye quietly reached out and grabbed his arm, subtly activating the acceleration energy.

Following his earlier test, he had completely grasped the logic of manipulating the energy. It was driven entirely by his thoughts.

The first time, his mind was filled with the urge to dive as fast as possible, so the energy delivered a high-powered boost. The second time, he wanted to ascend quickly, so the energy pushed upwards with full force.

At this moment, he only thought about advancing slowly, and two gentle streams of water quietly formed on either side of his body. They carried the two men steadily and rapidly toward the riverbed without feeling abrupt in the slightest.

Feeling the assisting force from his body, Luo Kuke was mildly surprised. He instinctively turned his head, wanting to get a clear look at Cheng Ye's expression. However, at a depth of nearly twenty meters, it was already pitch-black. The headlamp's beam could only illuminate a radius of two to three meters ahead, making it impossible to see Cheng Ye's face.

Wait... then how did Garcia get a clear look at the monster?

Without a light source in the pitch-black water, how could he possibly discern the intricate details of the Demon Eye Sponge's form, let alone count twenty-two tentacles?

But just as this doubt sprouted in his mind, his body was pulled further down by Cheng Ye. There was no time to think deeply about it.

At a depth of approximately twenty-five meters, Cheng Ye suddenly halted, cutting off his energy output.

The water had stopped moving!

The surrounding current had completely stilled. The rapid flow of the White Water River's upper layers seemed to have been blocked by an invisible barrier. From this point down, the water was as tranquil as the deep sea, bereft of even the slightest rushing impact.

What was even more peculiar was that the space below was no longer pitch-black. There was actually a faint purple light flickering, seemingly blanketing the entire riverbed.

Should they go down?

Cheng Ye made an inquiring gesture. The purple glow reflected in Luo Kuke's eyes as well.

The two hesitated for merely a few seconds before deciding to push through in one go and see exactly what was down there.

Whoosh.

Cheng Ye activated the energy once more, but this time, the closer they got to the unknown zone, the slower he controlled their descent. With every meter they sank, he meticulously observed the surrounding activity.

Upon reaching a depth of about thirty-five meters, the two felt as if they had passed through an invisible barrier.

Thrum!

A faint ripple swept over their bodies. In the next second, the pitch-black water violently lit up!

A brilliant purple hue instantly flooded their entire field of vision. It was as if they had stepped into a cavern constructed entirely of amethyst—so magnificent that it left one entranced.

But upon closer inspection, it wasn't amethyst at all. It was clearly the body of the Demon Eye Sponge emitting a soft luminescence. Moreover, the light fluctuated in rhythm, as though it was breathing.

Brightening, then dimming.

Strengthening, then fading.

Every trace of expression on Luo Kuke's face instantly froze. He could clearly see the tubular sponges all lying limply against the riverbed. The protrusions on their surfaces were sagging, and even the eyeballs at the tips of their tentacles were shut. They looked like entirely lifeless, inanimate objects devoid of any movement.

Yet what made one's scalp tingle with fear was that the riverbed, as far as the eye could see, was completely coated in this spongy substance. It was densely packed without a single gap, as if the entire bottom of the White Water River had been "devoured" by it!

'Is this an organism, or... an Infection Source?'

Luo Kuke was utterly bewildered. He did not dare to imagine what terrifying abilities an Infection Source of this sheer magnitude would possess.

Tap, tap-tap.

Cheng Ye reached out, lightly tapped him on the shoulder, and pointed to the right.

Estimating their coordinates, they should currently be directly beneath the junction that split the White Water River and the Huangshui River.

By the purple light, one could see the faint flickering of a different luminescence emanating from beneath a section wrapped in spongy tissue.

It looked somewhat cyan, yet also somewhat yellow.

'Could this be the upper chamber of the Rongdong?' Luo Kuke immediately felt the urge to curse. Whose Rongdong was located at the bottom of a riverbed?

But before he could even digest this speculation, he saw that Cheng Ye had already unsheathed the Red Blade from his waist and, without a second of hesitation, swung it at the spongy mass near him.

Huh?

Luo Kuke was thoroughly alarmed. When facing an unknown Infection Source, a rash attack was the ultimate taboo.

But Cheng Ye's blade had already slashed down. He could only watch helplessly as the Red Blade cleaved through the spongy mass, slicing off a palm-sized chunk of tissue that Cheng Ye reached out and grabbed.

Vmmm.

Almost the very instant Cheng Ye grasped the sponge tissue, an invisible shockwave exploded outward. The entire expanse of purple twilight underwater violently flickered, as though some slumbering colossus was being awakened.

'Run!' Without thinking, Luo Kuke immediately kicked his legs to ascend, his heart pounding erratically.

Yet before he had swam even a meter, a pair of hands firmly grabbed his ribs, and a torrential surge of raw power instantly washed over him.

Boom!

Luo Kuke had absolutely no time to react. He only felt as if his body had been stuffed into a cannon barrel, and in the next second, he was violently launched upward.

It was a sensation difficult to describe.

It was somewhat like sticking your head out the window of a speeding Vehicle, getting enveloped by the howling wind as you were propelled forward.

Except now, there was no wind. There was only the ferocious torrent of water wildly slamming against his body, battering him so hard he could barely keep his eyes open.

The surface of the water seemed to be rapidly approaching at a speed visible to the naked eye.

In the very next second, as if catapulted by some immense force, the two men explosively breached the surface of the White Water River. They soared straight up for more than three meters into the air before finally beginning to fall.

Luo Kuke instinctively turned his head, his gaze locked dead on the water below, and witnessed a scene he would never forget for the rest of his life.

An abomination of a sponge tentacle had jutted out from the water at some unknown point. It was far longer than the twenty-odd meters Garcia had drawn. The eyeball at its peak—the size of a Vehicle—was staring fixedly at the two figures in the air.

And within that murky pupil, he actually saw a rare emotion that typically belonged only to humanity.

An emotion called... fury!