Care Guide to Raising a Max Level Leaf in Apocalypse - 46
Starfish
Ban Tang fell into a coma.
There were no issues with his body; it seemed more like he was sleeping based on his breathing rhythm.
Nothing could wake him up.
Yu Feichen and Li Chao thoroughly checked the entire ship but found no traces left by any mutants.
Li Chao pressed his temples, then asked Ji Ning if he noticed anything last night.
After thinking carefully, Ji Ning realized he spent the whole night in the control room.
So, he shook his head.
Li Chao was disappointed. Whatever happened to Ban Tang occurred last night, and even the night watchman hadn’t noticed anything unusual.
Ying Xiao: “Could it be due to something he ate?”
Si Yin Yuan opened Ban Tang’s eyelids, shined a light into his eyes, and checked his pulse.
As of now, his bodily functions seemed normal.
He furrowed his brow slightly: “We should have an extra person on night watch tonight.”
Li Chao: “Do you suspect a mutant did this?”
But a mutant capable of evading the senses of everyone on board and merely incapacitating Ban Tang…
Si Yin Yuan couldn’t deny it.
They continued their serious discussion over there.
Ji Jiu returned to his spot at the railing, gazing out at the sea. He murmured to himself, “Fish.”
He’d just seen the tail of an enormous fish. It was a bluish-gray color and vanished beneath the sea with a powerful swish of its tail.
That tail was so large, and the fish was undoubtedly substantial. With such well-developed motor skills, its flesh must be delicious.
Si Yin Yuan came over from behind him. He watched the sea breeze tousle Ji Jiu’s silky black hair, except for the small tuft, which stood firm against the wind.
Unable to resist, he gave it a little tug.
Because of the relief he felt even after their comrade fell into a coma, his inner malicious streak began to emerge. He deliberately teased Ji Jiu: “When did I mistreat you?”
Ji Jiu turned his round eyes, counted on his fingers, and said accusingly, “You poked my face before, and now you’re pulling my hair.”
Si Yin Yuan emphasized, “It’s the little tuft.”
“In any case, you’re a bad person.” Ji Jiu concluded.
A bad owner.
With a mischievous glint in his eye, Si Yin Yuan joked, “Who wanted the bad person to hold them while sleeping yesterday?”
Ji Jiu became upset and turned away, focusing intently on the sea to watch for the large fish he’d just spotted.
Seemingly determined to make amends, Si Yin Yuan started teasing him.
Seeing Ji Jiu watching the water, he casually rolled up his sleeves, in a not-too-hurried manner.
“What do you want for lunch?”
Ji Jiu whispered softly, “Fish.”
If there had been a little tail behind him, it would have wagged with happiness.
The supplies on the ship were actually quite abundant, although they mainly consisted of convenient box meals.
Thanks to Ji Jiu’s request, everyone on the ship enjoyed fresh fish.
When Ji Jiu said he wanted fish, Si Yin Yuan promptly pulled up a two-meter-long yellowfin tuna.
The mutated tuna had an extended dorsal fin, swaying behind like a long spear. However, Si Yin Yuan snapped off this “spear.”
Ji Jiu had the privilege of enjoying the part of the yellowfin tuna with the highest fat content. He held a bowl and ate contentedly, once again forgiving his owner.
He sat next to Ji Jiu, just like a cat that had been pampered and had its fur ruffled.
Because of Ban Tang’s condition, everyone on the ship was extra alert during the day.
Ji Ning also remained in his room, helping look after Ban Tang.
Strangely, during the daytime, there were no signs of danger, and not a single mutant approached them.
The sea was calm.
Occasionally, mutant seagulls flew by from above, and Ji Jiu let out some black mist to stealthily consume one.
He stayed hunched over the railing, intently watching the sea.
The setting sun cast its warm glow on the sea once again, painting the entire ocean in shades of red and orange, as if a sea of fire was burning on the water’s surface.
Dinner was caught by Ying Xiao, whose ability “Hawkeye” not only granted him the flight capabilities of an eagle but also provided him with the vision of a clairvoyant, able to see far distances. Even beneath the sea, activating his ability allowed him to perceive objects at significant depths.
He caught an enormous live oyster. Just getting the shell up was quite a feat.
The shell was nearly two meters in length, covered in numerous smaller oysters, all of which grew dependent on the larger one.
The giant oyster was free from any fishy odor. Instead, it was smooth and creamy, melting in the mouth with a touch of the sea’s saltiness.
After finishing the oyster, Ji Jiu set his sights on the oyster shell.
The small oysters on top of the shell had already been removed, transformed into garlic-roasted oysters.
Si Yin Yuan kept a vigilant eye, saying, “Don’t eat the shell.”
He remembered Ji Jiu’s habit of eating everything, shell and skin included, even after trying to correct it multiple times.
Ji Jiu blinked and asked, “Is it okay to consume the shell with my ability?”
A small black mist pitifully inched out, forming a small cluster on the floor. It tried to sneak closer to the oyster shell and open its mouth.
Before it could make contact, a similarly-sized golden flame blocked its path.
A pitch-black and radiant gold continually twirled in place.
“No, it’s not.” It was only in moments like these that Si Yin Yuan’s strictness became evident.
Finally, using ten strawberry-flavored nutrient packs, they managed to remove the oyster shell. Si Yin Yuan, concerned, used his ability to incinerate the entire oyster shell.
Ji Jiu cheerfully used the strawberry-flavored nutrient packs he earned as an after-dinner treat.
He was the only one who would use nutrient packs as dessert.
A regular person could replace a whole meal with just one pack.
In the evening, Yu Feichen voluntarily stepped up to take the night watch with Ji Ning, having intentionally taken a good nap during the day.
Li Chao instructed, “If you notice any unusual movements, wake us up immediately.”
Yu Feichen nodded, “Alright.”
…
The gentle and melodious singing seemed to cast a delicate veil over the ship beneath the night sky.
Ji Ning emerged from the control room once again, and this time he was accompanied by Yu Feichen, who was sharing the night watch with him.
Their hands involuntarily moved upward, as if they were struggling against this eerie song.
Their bodies instinctively reacted to avoid danger, and they wanted to raise their hands to cover their ears!
The singing grew louder, almost mocking their futile attempts.
Gradually, they both lowered their hands and walked hollowly toward the next room, stopping at the bedside of the sleeping Ying Xiao, who was alone.
A person who typically slept lightly now remained completely unaware of impending danger, sleeping innocently.
The gentle song urged on, and the greenish-gray fish tail swayed gently near the ship.
A look of struggle appeared on Yu Feichen’s face, and his hands once again moved upward, attempting to cover his ears. Eventually, he succumbed to the song and reached out toward his slumbering companion…
…
One more person fell into a coma.
Without any apparent cause or triggering factors, Ying Xiao and Ban Tang both slipped into a deep slumber.
They were still two days away from reaching the island.
Si Yin Yuan’s expression was serious, like a taut blade, as he slowly asked, “Are you absolutely certain that you didn’t sense anything unusual last night?”
Yu Feichen shook his head and recollected, “I remember sitting on the deck and enjoying the breeze all night.”
Ji Ning nodded in agreement, “I was in the control room the whole night.”
However, the expression on Si Yin Yuan’s face became even more solemn as he remarked, “No anomalies? This situation might be more significant than we initially thought.”
Yu Feichen cautiously asked, “Why?”
On land, there are quite a few mutants that, when consumed, could put people into a coma. So there was a high probability that they had accidentally eaten some mutant seafood that induces drowsiness.
Standing beneath a massive sunshade with lips of deep crimson, Ji Ning opened up, “But we didn’t notice any aggressive mutants in the vicinity.”
“That’s the problem,” Si Yin Yuan raised his eyes. “During both day and night, we haven’t encountered any mutants that came to attack us. It’s already a significant issue.”
This was the ocean, which covers 71% of the Earth’s surface. People were aware of tens of thousands of underwater species, and in the deeper parts of the sea, there were even more mysterious species that human technology could not fully survey. Like forests, the ocean was another high-incidence area for mutants.
During their entire journey here, they had barely encountered any mutants that actively attacked them, even though the ship’s objectives were apparent. The only explanation was that they had been targeted by a formidable mutant from the moment they set out to sea.
Yu Feichen nervously swallowed and asked, “What kind of mutant could that be?”
“At the very least, one that can conceal itself.”
Li Chao contemplated, “Do you know about the mutant known as the Chameleon? Its scales no longer match the environment after being distorted; instead, they use the refraction of light to achieve complete invisibility.”
Ji Ning’s face turned pale, “But we didn’t even sense its presence.”
Here, they had A-level and S-level hunters, yet none of them perceived the mutant’s presence. This, in itself, was almost an impossible occurrence. Hence, the assumption that the two of them had accidentally ingested something.
Si Yin Yuan stood up, “I’ll take the night watch tonight. You two move the comatose individuals to the nutrient storage room.”
Especially Ban Tang, who had been asleep for a day and a night without food or water.
He relaxed his furrowed brow somewhat after he came out and saw Ji Jiu.
Ji Jiu was playing with a yellow starfish while leaning on the railing.
While playing, he couldn’t help but bite a piece of it.
The five-pointed star instantly turned into a four-pointed one.
Mm, it’s salty.
Ji Jiu wanted to take another bite, but the poor starfish was saved by a large hand.
Si Yin Yuan held a corner of the starfish and criticized, “Why do you keep eating random things?”
Ji Jiu defended himself, “I was just playing with the starfish!” And then he only took a small bite.
The starfish slowly regrew a new corner in Si Yin Yuan’s hand, and Ji Jiu’s eyes became slightly more enthusiastic as he looked at it.
His expression was just too cute. Si Yin Yuan gave the yellow starfish back to him with some suspicion and once again instructed, “Don’t eat random things.”
“Okay,” Ji Jiu lovingly held the shivering starfish, speaking innocently, “I want to be friends with it.”
How could there be any ill intentions in this little grass?
The starfish responded humorously, “Haha, that’s very funny.”
Si Yin Yuan looked out at the sea, suddenly sensing that something was off.
He keenly remarked, “You seem to have been playing here for the past few days.”
Ji Jiu scratched the seemingly lifeless starfish and nodded, “I’ve been here.”
Contemplating, Si Yin Yuan asked, “Are you watching something?”
Ji Jiu’s eyes brightened, and he temporarily set the starfish aside, pointing at the sea and exclaiming, “Fish!”
In the direction he pointed, a green fish tail rapidly flashed by.
Si Yin Yuan looked down, but the calm sea surface revealed nothing.
A touch of self-mockery crossed his eyes. What had he been thinking? How had Ji Jiu noticed something was amiss?
Nevertheless, Si Yin Yuan was not disappointed. As long as Ji Jiu obediently listened, that was enough for him.
Perhaps he simply wanted to eat some fish again.