Chapter 37: You Are Li You?! Part 1

On the eleventh day, they set off.

Kailenoa District remained shrouded in darkness, with the celestial body in the sky emitting a bloody glow, no trace of the city visible within it. The polar night continued, gravity steadily increasing, and the air bitterly cold.

The ethereal white sand ground, the pitch-black sky—everything was eerily silent, devoid of any wind-swept sand waves, yet an endless chill permeated the air.

Li You stood at the entrance of the research institute, peering outside, then turned back to face Li Ye, who was tying the rope around his waist.

Both wore the highest-defense tactical suits found in the research institute, though Li You’s was two sizes smaller than Li Ye’s. A black form-fitting high-neck top, overlaid with a multi-pocket tactical vest that stored the pack beast, crystal stone extract liquid, and some basic wound-treatment supplies inside.

The bottoms were cargo pants, slim-fitting yet unrestricted for movement, perfect for combat.

In addition, there were tactical gloves, black high-top boots, and Li You’s personal weapon—brass knuckles—hanging at his waist. The gear was substantial but not heavy, allowing easy mobility.

Li You had trimmed the ends of his hair, tying it into a playful little ponytail. He raised his hands to make it easier for Li Ye to secure the rope.

This four-meter-long rope was made of a special material, as tough as ordinary weapons and not easily broken.

One end was tied around Li You’s waist, the other around Li Ye’s, to guard against any sudden accidents.

With everything prepared, Li Ye lightly patted Li You’s waist and reminded him once more: “This is the shortest rope available, but four meters is still too long. Stay right by my side, and try not to stray more than a meter away.”

“Okay, Brother.” Li You picked up the assault rifle beside him—half his height long—slung it over his shoulder, and pulled down the tactical sunglasses hanging on his head to wear them. “Then let’s head out!”

“Mm.” Li Ye grabbed the equipment case in his left hand. He carried only a laser pistol and stepped out of the research institute first.

The biting air assaulted them, but the tactical suits blocked half of it. Little Black crawled out from Li Ye’s wrist, transforming into a massive black wolf that circled Li You, shaking off its fur.

Li You reached out to pet the black wolf; the texture was prickly and coarse, nothing like the soft fur of a regular pet.

Little Black lowered its front paws in a submissive posture, its nose gently nuzzling Li You’s palm.

Emboldened, Li You cupped the wolf’s muzzle and rubbed it. “Good boy, good boy.”

Li Ye, arms crossed nearby: “…”

His expression blank, he watched the black wolf’s tail wagging like a propeller, then looked away, unwilling to glance at it again.

They officially set off. Li You, rifle slung over his shoulder, bounced along beside Li Ye. It wasn’t his first time scouting Kailenoa District, but this experience felt entirely different.

This time, he ventured out in a human body, alongside his brother, with a mission.

Li You stayed close to Li Ye, sticking right by his side, with the black wolf warily scanning their surroundings on the other flank.

Giant eagle mutants occasionally circled in the sky, while colossal serpents writhed and bulged beneath the white sand dunes on the ground. These behemoths fixed their predatory eyes on the tiny humans passing by, yet one human’s aura intimidated them into holding back.

Li You and Li Ye headed west. Two days later, they finally reached the outer edge of a massive, eerie deep pit in the southwestern central region.

At the pit’s bottom lay something resembling the white celestial body from the sky not long ago; faint outlines of a city were visible within it.

Standing at the pit’s edge, Li You and Li Ye exchanged a glance. Li You immediately dismounted from Little Black’s back and patted the black wolf. “Go on, be careful.”

The black wolf instantly morphed into a black eagle, circled the pit’s top a few times, then dove straight down. As it neared the white glow, it felt a massive pulling force and abruptly halted its descent, returning the way it came.

The black eagle landed on Li Ye’s shoulder, shifting into a black cat. Its blood-red eyes glared fixedly at the deep pit, fur bristling along its spine, hissing nonstop.

Li You looked at the cat worriedly. “Is Little Black okay?”

Li Ye shook his head and withdrew the cat. “It just remembered some unpleasant things.”

“What?” Li You turned to Li Ye.

“When you were pulled into that ‘mirror’ in the room, it was right there.” Li Ye said.

Li You paused, scratching his cheek. “Looks like it left quite a shadow on Little Black.”

He frowned again. “There’s a pulling force from the bottom of this deep pit too? Does that mean we can get back by going down?”

“Not necessarily.” Li Ye said. “We might end up in another unknown area.”

“You’re right.” Li You placed his hands on his hips. “We can’t go down rashly.”

He turned to his brother. “Any messages yet?”

Li Ye pulled out the modified portable transmitter, checked it, and shook his head. “None.”

“That’s bad.” Li You gazed into the void. “Let’s circle around and investigate, observe the situation, then discuss our plans.”

Li Ye nodded. “Okay.”

Li Ye now carried Li You’s rifle. With his hands free, Li You walked slightly ahead, scanning the sky and ground cautiously. Suddenly, he spotted several small black dots emerging from the center of the massive white light cluster at the pit’s bottom, slowly drifting upward.

Li You halted, squinted to peer closer, and tugged Li Ye’s sleeve twice. “Bro, look there! Isn’t that something?”

Li Ye looked over, frowned, and released the little monster.

The black eagle shot forward, snatched one of the floating objects, and returned, placing it at Li You’s feet before darting back for more.

After five or six such trips, a pile of items had accumulated at Li You’s feet.

He squatted down, using the tip of his brass knuckles to sift through the pile, counting them off. “Half-eaten chocolate balls, mangled bread, two apple cores, one indescribable lump, and…”

Li You frowned at the bizarre lump, unable to guess its original form. Then a “gurgle-gurgle” rumbled from the deep pit’s bottom. He stood and looked down. “Did this deep pit get indigestion?”

More strange objects kept bubbling up from inside. Li You hurriedly grabbed the black eagle about to dive back in and pulled it toward Li Ye, eyeing the mushy mess on the ground in disgust. “Okay, okay, no more fetching those weird things.”

The black eagle in his arms “whoosh” transformed into a black cat, staring blankly at Li You’s face and leaning in to nuzzle, only for Li Ye to snatch it back by the scruff.

Black dots gradually accumulated in the air above the deep pit. Li You glanced at Li Ye; they exchanged a look of mutual understanding. Li Ye recorded the scene, and the two continued exploring around the pit.

After a few steps, the sand began to tremble. Li You whipped around alertly and spotted a line of sand rolling toward them from the east.

Drawing from past experiences, they immediately concluded: a group of mutant species was approaching.

–

“Report!” An officer burst through the door, expression tense. “Garna’s showing abnormal reactions!”

Peisengke turned. “What’s wrong with him?”

“He…” The officer struggled for words. “Seems like he got indigestion.”

“What?” Peisengke’s face twisted in complexity.

Li Ze sneered from the side. “Impressive. You lot pamper one infected with fine food, and you still manage to stuff him till he gets indigestion.”

Peisengke shot Li Ze a sidelong glare, unwilling to bicker with the guy, and exchanged a look with Qi Yu.

“I’ll go check.” Qi Yu stood. “What’s his condition now?”

The officer followed Qi Yu. “He vomited up a bunch of stuff and now he’s smashing the walls, demanding to go out.”

Hearing this, Peisengke frowned and stood. “I’ll check too. That kid’s got some strength; if he really smashes, the Imperial Military might not hold up.”

He paused, glanced back at Li Ze—who was furrowed-browed and frazzled from decoding the secret script—and snorted coldly. Turning to another officer, he asked: “Has Dr. Yulian said when he’ll arrive?”

“He said he’ll come after assigning the research institute tasks to his apprentices. The space teleport station has been successfully upgraded; he should be soon.” The reporting officer checked his comm device, then received a new message and reported immediately. “Report! We just got a new message: Your Highness Li Ming, on a mission in the border regions, will come over.”

“Interesting. Thinks we’re bullying his brother?” Peisengke sneered, arms crossed as he shot another glance at the head-scratching Li Ze, deliberately raising his voice. “Whoever’s useless knows it deep down. In the end, don’t we still have to call in Dr. Yulian for help?”

Li Ze ground his teeth in fury. Qi Yu smacked Peisengke on the back of the head. “Say less. Are you childish or what?”

“So what if I am?” Peisengke huffed, slung an arm around Qi Yu’s shoulders, and headed out, waving back with an even louder shout. “Keep at it, Your Highness Li Ze. You’re the genius, after all.”

Qi Yu: “…”

Li Ze nearly shattered his teeth, stood in rage and flipped the table—then calmly set it back down, sat, picked up his decoding tools again, and endured the humiliation. “Damn it, I shouldn’t have bothered arguing with that idiot!”

Meanwhile, outside the interrogation room, Qi Yu and Peisengke stopped, watching Garna repeatedly headbutting the wall inside. Their expressions grew complicated.

Garna’s strength was indeed formidable; the walls trembled slightly with each impact, yet the boy emerged unscathed, not even a scrape on his skin.

The interrogation room floor was littered with food scraps—all devoured clean, leaving only piled packaging, with the teddy bear doll and rabbit doll amid the trash, looking pitiful.

Peisengke glanced at the nearby officer and issued an order. “Reinforce the outer walls of the interrogation room. I want to see what mischief he’s up to this time.”

Qi Yu frowned at Peisengke. “Have you tried talking to him?”

“Of course. We couldn’t even get on the same wavelength; he nearly pissed me off to death.” Peisengke eyed Garna’s off-kilter state. “He really get indigestion?”

He turned to the officer beside him. “Go find some digestive tablets.”

At the same time, in Kailenoa District.

Li You, riding on Li Ye’s back, got smacked in the face by an object flying out from the deep pit. He grabbed it and spread his hand. “Digestive tablets?”

Li Ye, carrying him, turned his head. “What?”

This was right when countless massive mutants went berserk, charging toward them—but not at the pair. They all rushed into the huge deep pit, getting swallowed and vanishing without a trace.

Even knowing the danger ahead, waves of mutant species kept surging in, as if something inside drew them irresistibly.

Li You showed Li Ye the digestive tablet in his hand. “Look, these are digestive tablets, right?”

Li Ye recognized the markings. “Empire Pharmaceuticals production.”

“Then this…” Li You was baffled, glancing at the monsters leaping into the pit before clinging tighter to Li Ye. “I have a feeling going down there isn’t going home—it’s getting eaten by something.”

Li Ye grunted in acknowledgment, irritation bubbling inside him.

Ever since entering the southwest region, that familiar yet alien sensation—the agitation stirred by fellow abyss kin—hadn’t subsided.

He gripped Li You’s thigh and said to the one on his back, “Throw the gun in.”

“What?” Li You was shocked. “Which one?”

“Both.” Li Ye said. “Now, throw them.”

Though he cherished the assault rifle, Li You felt a pang for a few seconds, clamped his legs around Li Ye’s waist and abdomen. “Bro, hold tight. Letting go.”